Bonnie Kistler’s setup is perfect. Two women who work at clothing giant Claudine de Martineau International, are working late. Lucy Carter-Jones is the head of human resources, while Shay Lambert, is a newly hired attorney. Leaving at the same time, they get into an elevator and after the power goes out, are stuck in the dark between floors. When the elevator finally makes it to the lobby, Lucy is dead. What happen during those critical minutes is the mystery at the center of The Cage – either Lucy took her own life, or Shay killed her.
Shay tells the two investigating officers – Riley and Cruz – that Lucy suffered a panic attack, pulled a gun from her purse and shot herself. The two detectives are inclined to believe Shay’s story when an alternative scenario is presented by J. Ingram-Barrett, the CEO of the fashion house. His assistants produce video footage showing a distraught Shay leaving Lucy’s office after she was fired for falsifying her resume. Shay and her husband, David, rising stars in their fields (he worked in finance), were both let go during the 2008 financial crisis. Deep in debt, her marriage hanging by a thread, Shay needed the job at Martineau, giving her a clear motive to kill Lucy. Yet, that’s not the whole story. During her brief time at Martineau, Shay learns that the company is in dire straits and using some illegal and unsavory methods to bolster the bottom line. But will anyone believe her?
Shay’s career crash will resonate with many who lost jobs or momentum during the financial crisis and, more recently, during the pandemic. Shay and David had a whirlwind courtship, fed by their ambition which made their lavish lifestyle affordable. Without their huge salaries, however, love evaporated. Rather than support Shay when she lands the job at Martineau, David resents her and, in an early morning tirade, throws her out of their apartment. Shay is out of touch with reality, holding onto the hope that she can still save her marriage, despite his abusive treatment.
The narrative bounces back and forth between Shay, speaking in the first person, and the events at Martineau, told in the third person. With no friends and a drug-addicted husband as her only relative, Shay has no one to come to her aid. And with Barrett’s money and influence behind the setup, she doesn’t stand a chance.
Bonnie Kistler
Shay is charged with murder and held without bail. But rather than becoming a target for the other female inmates, she soon becomes everyone’s friend. Most of the women have appointed attorneys who do the least amount possible for their clients. Nina, one of the smart prisoners, soon realizes that a real lawyer can help them and each day she arranges Shay’s schedule. Somehow advising these women bolsters Shay’s self confidence and she resolves not only to prove her innocence, but to seek revenge on Barrett.
When she’s finally released on bail – who posts that bond and why opens up another intriguing storyline – Shay uses her time on the outside to put into play her plan. Trust no one is her mantra, particularly those who say they want to help.
Kistler, the author of House on Fire and, under the pseudonym Bonnie MacDougal several psychological thrillers, taps into the anxiety of possibly being trapped inside an elevator. But she ratchets up that fear with what follows – being accused of killing someone. Shay is an appealing heroine whose courage and resolve grow with every blow she absorbs. It’s easy to root for her, whether she was responsible – or not – for Lucy’s death.
Is that question answered? You be the judge. Whatever you decide, there’s no question this is a terrific mystery.
The Cage
Bonnie Kistler
Top photo: Bigstock
