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kathydavie's review
4.0
First in the Caitlyn Tierney suspense series revolving around a damaged FBI agent. Events take place in Hopewell, New York, up in the mountains.
My Take
It's betrayals within betrayals and some of 'em just don't make sense. Others are so deeply hidden it's mindblowing. Then there are the facts which just don't make sense. I mean, if Sam can be coming around and spying on Sarah, why can't he retrieve the money and grab his wife and get outta Dodge? Then they compound the idiocy by rushing about like a subdued Keystone Kops routine, hanging around when I just don't see any good reason for it except to up the tension. I hate that.
I like the town and the few people in it whom we meet. The setting sounds absolutely glorious, especially if you're into outdoor sports like hunting, hiking, and camping.
I liked the romance building between Caitlyn and Hal. Makes it truly poignant at the end. And I cried. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I cry whenever I get emotionally involved with the characters. That's part of what makes a good story. Creating characters that pull the reader into the story and Lyons does it well. She's particularly good at keeping things hidden until the penultimate betrayal.
For the most part, it's well written, except for those few plot points I found stupid. Lyons cranks up the tension on this and keeps you wondering throughout.
The Story
A lab geek has raised questions about the first case Caitlyn took on after her on-the-job accident. Indiscrepancies that could well have resulted in a miscarriage of justice on the Hopewell double-murder case. When a body washes up in the river, the questions increase, and suddenly, there are way too many participants in a case that had seemed cut-and-dried.
To complicate life, Korsakov is getting out of jail, and he has plans for Hopewell.
The Characters
Sarah Durandt has been widowed for almost two years now. Her husband and three-year-old son, Sam and Josh, were murdered on Snakehead Mountain, and she is still grieving. Colonel Godwin is her father, who has retired and now runs the Rockslide Café in town. He's remarried to Victoria; Sarah calls her the Colonel's wife---Sam wrote a song about her which he titled "Morally Superior and Personality Challenged". Mrs. Beaucouers makes a grandmotherly babysitter.
Alan Easton is a lawyer who works for a victims' advocacy project. He listens. Dr. Hedeger keeps Sarah doped up with Xanax and Prozac.
Hal Waverly is the overworked chief of police in Hopewell; he lost his wife Lily about the time Sam and Josh were murdered. Gerald Merton is the current county coroner and the heir to the Merton Funeral Home. George Dolan is a truck driver who wishes his fifteen-year-old son JD would buckle down and forget about his dreams. Julia Petrino is the girl of JD's dreams who is willing to help him with his summer project, filming a documentary up in the mountains.
Supervisory Special Agent Caitlyn Tierney ignores the traumatic brain injury she sustained in the line of duty to continue working at the FBI. She figures if she took disability, the male agents would crack jokes about what was next...medical leave for PMS? Royal Hassam is an assistant U.S. attorney in L.A. with info for an old friend. Clemens works in DNA. Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Jack Logan was her boss on the Hopewell case; he's since retired. Deputy US Marshal Leo Richland has been missing for two years.
Damian Wright is a pedophile and serial killer, executed for his crimes. Stanley Diamontes was a surfer-boy accountant "involved in a money-laundering scheme", who turned state's witness against his boss. Grigor Korsakov is a psychopathic Russian mobster who gets off on the most horrendous torture for any reason whatsoever; he thinks he's an artist. Dawson is the lawyer the Korsakov family sent to babysit him. Alexi and Max are cousins who appreciate his idea of entertainment.
The Cover
The cover strikes me as patriotic with the grayish-blue of Sarah's eyes forming the sky above a skyline of trees in silhouette which reflect in a sea of blood with the title in white.
The title says it all as Sam requires Blind Faith of his wife.
My Take
It's betrayals within betrayals and some of 'em just don't make sense. Others are so deeply hidden it's mindblowing. Then there are the facts which just don't make sense. I mean, if Sam can be coming around and spying on Sarah, why can't he retrieve the money and grab his wife and get outta Dodge? Then they compound the idiocy by rushing about like a subdued Keystone Kops routine, hanging around when I just don't see any good reason for it except to up the tension. I hate that.
I like the town and the few people in it whom we meet. The setting sounds absolutely glorious, especially if you're into outdoor sports like hunting, hiking, and camping.
I liked the romance building between Caitlyn and Hal. Makes it truly poignant at the end. And I cried. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I cry whenever I get emotionally involved with the characters. That's part of what makes a good story. Creating characters that pull the reader into the story and Lyons does it well. She's particularly good at keeping things hidden until the penultimate betrayal.
For the most part, it's well written, except for those few plot points I found stupid. Lyons cranks up the tension on this and keeps you wondering throughout.
The Story
A lab geek has raised questions about the first case Caitlyn took on after her on-the-job accident. Indiscrepancies that could well have resulted in a miscarriage of justice on the Hopewell double-murder case. When a body washes up in the river, the questions increase, and suddenly, there are way too many participants in a case that had seemed cut-and-dried.
To complicate life, Korsakov is getting out of jail, and he has plans for Hopewell.
The Characters
Sarah Durandt has been widowed for almost two years now. Her husband and three-year-old son, Sam and Josh, were murdered on Snakehead Mountain, and she is still grieving. Colonel Godwin is her father, who has retired and now runs the Rockslide Café in town. He's remarried to Victoria; Sarah calls her the Colonel's wife---Sam wrote a song about her which he titled "Morally Superior and Personality Challenged". Mrs. Beaucouers makes a grandmotherly babysitter.
Alan Easton is a lawyer who works for a victims' advocacy project. He listens. Dr. Hedeger keeps Sarah doped up with Xanax and Prozac.
Hal Waverly is the overworked chief of police in Hopewell; he lost his wife Lily about the time Sam and Josh were murdered. Gerald Merton is the current county coroner and the heir to the Merton Funeral Home. George Dolan is a truck driver who wishes his fifteen-year-old son JD would buckle down and forget about his dreams. Julia Petrino is the girl of JD's dreams who is willing to help him with his summer project, filming a documentary up in the mountains.
Supervisory Special Agent Caitlyn Tierney ignores the traumatic brain injury she sustained in the line of duty to continue working at the FBI. She figures if she took disability, the male agents would crack jokes about what was next...medical leave for PMS? Royal Hassam is an assistant U.S. attorney in L.A. with info for an old friend. Clemens works in DNA. Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Jack Logan was her boss on the Hopewell case; he's since retired. Deputy US Marshal Leo Richland has been missing for two years.
Damian Wright is a pedophile and serial killer, executed for his crimes. Stanley Diamontes was a surfer-boy accountant "involved in a money-laundering scheme", who turned state's witness against his boss. Grigor Korsakov is a psychopathic Russian mobster who gets off on the most horrendous torture for any reason whatsoever; he thinks he's an artist. Dawson is the lawyer the Korsakov family sent to babysit him. Alexi and Max are cousins who appreciate his idea of entertainment.
The Cover
The cover strikes me as patriotic with the grayish-blue of Sarah's eyes forming the sky above a skyline of trees in silhouette which reflect in a sea of blood with the title in white.
The title says it all as Sam requires Blind Faith of his wife.
whatthebook69's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
sheritolley's review against another edition
3.0
This was a free book I downloaded to my kindle. It was very suspensful action packed, I couldn't put it down.
ahaynie's review against another edition
3.0
This book was an easy quick read, but I didn't love it. The story was a little convoluted with all of its "bad guys" and I had a hard time believing that so many evil people would just coincidentally end up in this tiny no-name town with all of their separate agendas. The characters were a bit shallow and I had a hard time feeling connected to what they were feeling.
There was also an instance where a trained FBI agent doesn't recognize drugs when she sees them or when she is actually GIVEN them - that part made absolutely no sense to me and only succeeded in me disliking one of the main "good guys" since that made her look kind of dumb.
The story itself could have been a good one, but it wasn't executed well. However, if you want an action packed book that you can finish in a day with an interesting plot, you'll like it.
There was also an instance where a trained FBI agent doesn't recognize drugs when she sees them or when she is actually GIVEN them - that part made absolutely no sense to me and only succeeded in me disliking one of the main "good guys" since that made her look kind of dumb.
The story itself could have been a good one, but it wasn't executed well. However, if you want an action packed book that you can finish in a day with an interesting plot, you'll like it.
ileandover41789's review against another edition
2.0
I had an issue with the believability factor of this book. It was a weird plot and I found myself not connecting or routing for any of the characters.
mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
There were a myriad of reasons why I didn't manage to finish this novel. It wasn't that it was the worst book that I have ever read because in fact it plodded along fairly well, there was just a lack of attention to detail, depth and subtlety.
I agree with a lot of other reviewers in that I felt like I was watching the story being played out but was entirely disconnected from it. Sarah had lost her husband - with whom she seemed to have a 'true love' relationship - and her son, but didn't have the closure of knowing where their bodies were buried before their murderer was executed. Yet there was just no emotion. Sarah's monologues were devoid of emotion even though they were describing her emotions.
As with many novels, the plot to this book wasn't as it first seemed and it grew more sinister, yet it was in the most complicated and complex way. There was a giant cast of murky characters but I felt that they were all revealed too quickly.
I also felt that the character of Caitlyn was entirely confusing. Not only were her black outs etc really disrupting to the flow of the plot but they jumped to the past and I really struggled to follow what was happening.
I wouldn't say it was the worst novel I've ever read, but it wasn't good enough to hold my interest.
I agree with a lot of other reviewers in that I felt like I was watching the story being played out but was entirely disconnected from it. Sarah had lost her husband - with whom she seemed to have a 'true love' relationship - and her son, but didn't have the closure of knowing where their bodies were buried before their murderer was executed. Yet there was just no emotion. Sarah's monologues were devoid of emotion even though they were describing her emotions.
As with many novels, the plot to this book wasn't as it first seemed and it grew more sinister, yet it was in the most complicated and complex way. There was a giant cast of murky characters but I felt that they were all revealed too quickly.
Spoiler
Alan was a key character and I felt that it would have been more sinister if his identity and role had been kept back and revealed at a more tense time. Especially if Sarah had developed feelings for him and was torn between him and Sam for example. But knowing his motivations almost from the start took the tension out of the novel.I also felt that the character of Caitlyn was entirely confusing. Not only were her black outs etc really disrupting to the flow of the plot but they jumped to the past and I really struggled to follow what was happening.
I wouldn't say it was the worst novel I've ever read, but it wasn't good enough to hold my interest.
ileandover417's review against another edition
2.0
I had an issue with the believability factor of this book. It was a weird plot and I found myself not connecting or routing for any of the characters.
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