Jane Doe: A Jane Doe Thriller

The premise was one I simply couldn’t resist. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, something along the line of American Psycho perhaps. And this is where we really learn of the differences between psychopaths and sociopaths, JANE DOE is the latter. It is not gory, so fear not of blood spatters and gore. But how one can see the twisted appealing ways of being a sociopath!This is a fabulously entertaining book, and quite enlightening as well. I’m sure Ms. Stone did a considerable amount of research, because I recognised a few people I had known in my life, and it explained another, and for that, I am thankful. JANE DOE is also filled with scathing comments about our hypocritical society. And JANE DOE is ingenious, clever, unique, brilliant, and oddly wickedly satisfying. I will not say one word about the plot, I think one should go in blind, and enjoy this utterly different story. It’s quite a voyage to peek into the mind of a sociopath and watch her in action: JANE DOE is told exclusively in first person from Jane’s POV, and it is riveting as we see her think, and act, and wonder.JANE DOE is superbly written, there is not one dull moment, the characters are magnificently fleshed out, the pace is sustained throughout, and it is perfectly edited: not one minuscule mistake to be found. I am so glad that I went with my gut and picked up this amazing book, which will be reread and will remain on my keeper shelf. Absolutely fantastic! Victoria Helen Stone has gained a new fan!

If you want a book that make you cheer for the semi-evil, amoral, revenge minded protagonist, you must read Jane Doe. Jane, the female protagonist is a sociopath, or so she believes herself to be because of her horrible upbringing. She fakes emotions and reactions, although there is a small beacon of humanity that comes in the form of her best friend and college roommate Meg, who kills herself because of a man- her boyfriend Steven, the self-righteous, egotistical, pretends to be a god Christian, but thinks women are below him SOB. The entire plot of Jane Doe is avenging Meg, the one person she loved, and making Steven suffer. The joy in reading this book is watching Jane plot and plan Steven's downfall with such delicious intent. Also Jane has a cat she just calls cat.Being privy to Jane's thoughts and ideas is the ultimate joy in reading Jane Doe. You cheer her on as she takes on many roles to suit the situation. She plays the doormat for Steven to invade his life in a way that is very sneaky, and somewhat cautious. She wants to make him suffer, not just for a small period in his life, but forever. She has murderous thoughts about offing Steven, but what would be the fun in that?Jane has less than two months to bring Steven down, which seems to be a heavy prospect, but Jane is up to the challenge. Soon enough Steven falls for Jane's fake persona. Even his father falls for Jane, which is his biggest mistake because he will suffer also.Jane is not a typical villain who chills you to the bone with her actions. She's the type of character you sympathize with, and may even want to be friends with. Her emotions and feelings are complex because she does have a soft spot for her cat, Meg's mother and a former boyfriend she meets again while trying to bring Steven down. She used sex as a weapon and also finds incredible joy in food. She shows the world what they wants to see and believe, proving Jane is a master manipulator who rules over the chess board because everyone around her is playing checkers.The last few chapters are intense and will make your jaw drop, as well as applaud when Jane wins.Jane Doe would have been a 5 star read for me, but I wish I had more insight on why Jane connected with Meg on such a deep level. Jane tells us Meg is such a good person, but it was more telling and showing. I wanted to see more of that connection in flashbacks and why Jane was so bereft over Meg's death.Victoria's writing here is very different from her historical romances under Victoria Dahl. Writing as Victoria Helen Stone is the next step in her career, and very welcomed. Jane Doe may start a new trend with her Jane, and one I welcome. Jane Doe would be a great movie that will have you cheering as Jane stalks and tortures her victim, Steven, much like a serial killer would do. So wickedly delicious. A must read.Katiebabs

Have you ever read a book that grabs you from the very beginning, drags you under and you become completely immersed in the story - even though the narrator, who is a self-described sociopath, is not a character you would usually find yourself cheering for? Well, that is what happened in ‘Jane Doe’ by Victoria Helen Stone for me. From start to finish I felt engaged in Jane’s story. Understanding and relating to her pain, her anger, her desires and her need for revenge. There is a line about halfway through Jane Doe that pretty much sums up the whole book for me:"The kill is fun, but toying with your prey is really the best part."The book is narrated by our titular Jane. She is a sociopath and is very smart having studied the people and relationships around her and learned to mimic the behaviours expected of her, making her a master manipulator. This has made for a very successful lawyer, but she has no true friendships or connections apart from her best friend Meg. Jane loved Meg more than anything else in this world as she was the only person to make Jane feel normal. However, we quickly learn that Meg recently took her life leaving Jane adrift without an emotional anchor.Jane’s rage over loosing Meg crystallising into revenge against the person she blames for Meg taking her own life: Steven Hepsworth, Meg’s old boyfriend. She takes a leave of absence from her job in Malaysia, changes her appearance, adopts a new persona and gets a job working in data entry at Steven’s company. It doesn’t take long for Steven to become attracted to the ‘new’ Jane and her façade of an insecure and vulnerable woman. The story progresses from there with Jane’s inner dialogue providing a delightfully contemptuous voice through their interactions.As the story progresses there are other characters introduced and it is interesting to see the juxtaposition in Jane’s interaction with them. We also get tantalising titbits of information about Jane's past that I am hoping will be explored further in future books. However, always central to the story is her developing plan for revenge and relationship with Steven. Overall, the story progresses without any parts feeling slow or stilted. I found the ending wrapped up maybe a tad too quickly, but still deeply satisfying.I can't remember who recommended I read 'Jane Doe' and I really wish I could so I could thank them for introducing me to this incredible book. However, I will recommend this book to whomever reads this review. I enjoyed it so much that I ended up buying the Audible version so I could revisit Jane in all her sociopathic glory. If you are more of an audio book person, the narrator Nicol Zanzarella does an incredible job with the story.5 out of 5 stars!

This is a proper sociopath. Not someone who kills indiscriminately, but treats it like a disease and learns to manage it. I love the dialogue that Jane had wonderful story. I know I’ll be coming back to it a lot.

I loved it. It was quite an interesting story. I loved Jane. She's a sociopath and still a very loveable character.

I really really liked it. I liked it enough that I think I might start reading everything this author writes.

Se lee solo, divertido, no de humor sino de entretenimiento. Con final satisfactorio, va directa a la historia y a la venganza, no le sobran páginas.

Ottima la trama ma la conclusione non corrisponde alle aspettative