Book review: "The Stepchild" by Joanne Fluke

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“The Stepchild” (1980, Kensington, 268 pages) is an early suspense thriller by Joanne Fluke that lacks any suspense or thrills. There are no life threatening situations or villains. Fluke begins with a prologue of distraught orphaned little girl Sheri Walker separated from her baby brother and traveling on a train with her foster parents. There is a horrendous accident involving another little blonde girl and only one survives. Just a few pages in and you already know one of the big revelations. It is so obvious that perhaps Fluke did not intend it a mystery. Flash to the present to Berkeley student Kathi Ellison. She is secretly shacked up with psych major boyfriend David and keeping her pregnancy to herself. This is a sticky situation because her father Doug is running for the U.S. Senate and in 1980, Kathi’s circumstances could kill Doug’s chances of winning. Kathi experiences severe headaches and strange waking dreams arousing David’s concern. This escalates to episodes of tripping out in public where Kathi babbles like a little girl. Doug’s campaign manager Harry gets wind something is amiss and witnesses first hand an episode. He is alarmed going into damage prevention and stepmother Vivian had a terrified reaction. It goes on and on. Halfway through the book, you figure out the other major revelation. All the details of what happened are eventually revealed. Conclusion is anti-climatic though there is a surprise unhappy ending. “The Stepchild” is lackluster and none too involving.