RaveThe New York Times Book ReviewAbbott excels in evoking the strange mix of camaraderie and rivalry that exists in academic research, showing the links forged by long hours and proximity as well as the suspicion and desperation that grow like a bacterial culture in competitive environments ... Female friendship and ambition are threaded throughout her work, and here they form a rich tapestry, as she contrasts the \'now\' of Kit’s professional life as a postdoc in Dr. Severin’s lab with the \'then\' of her high school relationship with Diane ... Ultimately, though, the reason to read this compelling and hypnotic novel is not the execution of the plot or the sleight-of-hand final revelation. What makes it stand out is Abbott’s expert dissection of women’s friendships and rivalries. She is an investigator of the human heart and mind, and Give Me Your Hand is a fine addition to her body of work—one that should cement her position as one of the most intelligent and daring novelists working in the crime genre today.
