Choose Me is a novel by American authors Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver. When Boston PD Detective Frankie Loomis and her partner MacClellan are called to an apparent suicide, most of what they find seems to support the call: a twenty-two-year-old student of English at Commonwealth University, depressed about the break-up with her long-time boyfriend, is found below her fifth-floor balcony.

But a couple of things don’t sit right with Frankie, including the woman’s missing cell phone. The autopsy neither confirms nor rules out suicide, but it does reveal some anomalies and, while Mac is ready to call it a suicide, Frankie remains unconvinced. CCTV is barely helpful, but by now Frankie is certain that Taryn Moore was murdered.

As Frankie and Mac track down and interview Taryn’s contacts: her ex-boyfriend, her mother, her classmate, her English professor, they are continually forced to reassess just who might have sufficient motive to murder this smart young woman. They also learn that Taryn has engaged in stalking behaviour, is not necessarily popular with her classmates, and might have been inappropriately involved with her teacher.

The story is told through a split-time narrative that is carried by three characters: Taryn, Frankie and Jack, the English professor. The back-and-forth is clearly distinguished, and Frankie’s discoveries are paired with earlier interactions between relevant characters.

There are plenty of distractions and red herrings to keep the reader guessing right up to the dramatic climax, but the astute reader won’t be convinced by the direction in which the authors funnel suspicion, so the true perpetrator won’t be a complete surprise. An intriguing read, nonetheless.