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A review by judithdcollins
The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle
5.0
Top 50 Books of 2015. "Best Contemporary Conspiracy Suspense of 2015."
Kimberly Belle returns following her strong debut, The Last Breath, landing on My Top 30 Books of 2014, with a riveting suspense THE ONES WE TRUST, a thought-provoking, and complex portrayal of grief, guilt, fear, tragedy, and trust, while exploring the loyalties of family.
Trust is an ongoing theme, throughout the novel, questioning whether the truth is enough to overcome betrayal, and how deep loyalty and trust run, even in the closest of families. In addition, to figuring out who to trust, the characters will need to trust themselves, to overcome their fears and doubts.
Abigail Wolff, a driven former DC journalist with a firm belief that public enlightenment is the cornerstone of democracy, and that it is not just her job but her duty to see and report the truth. However, presently she is gun shy, second-guessing herself, and lacking self-confidence in her journalistic abilities, after resigning from a successful position three years earlier after she was blindsided when delivering a story to the world — ending with a horrible tragedy.
After breaking a high profile story, two weeks later, her career ended. When the truth is at the expense of others, what then? Devastated, shouldering the blame, and guilt-ridden, she gives up her position, talent, and passion for a regular job. Now she works for a health company as a website content curator—not a lot of risks involved with boring seniors and their issues. She is no longer uncovering misdeeds and corruption, interviewing celebrities, or tracking down terrorists.
Abigail can no longer be the one to write about secrets. "Secrets are a sneaky little seed. You can hide them, you can bury them, and you can disguise them, and cover them up. But then, just when you think your secret has rotted away and decayed into nothing, it stirs back to life. She has learned her lesson. The truth always comes out eventually."
However, two events bring out the journalist instinct once again. A twelve-year-old Ben delivers some information questioning the story, which sent her running for cover three years before. Now she feels obligated to help. While the subplot was not center stage in the novel, it has a strong presence in the background. (Very intriguing; could almost be another book).
Next, while she is remodeling her house, doing most of the work herself, to keep her mind occupied, prompting her to visit the local remodeling home improvement store, Handyman Market. Shocked, she runs into Gabe, working at the store. She had interviewed Gabe’s older brother Zach (People’s Sexiest Man Alive, the Hollywood golden boy), who chucked his big-screen career to die in a war that, on the day he enlisted, fifty-seven percent of Americans considered a mistake.
Gabe, not so famous, the one who had a meltdown the day of his brother’s funeral. Just as good-looking, with a rough and tough exterior, a Harvard graduate, with a successful financial career, now working in a home improvement store, while he deals with the aftermath of his brother’s death. Needless to say, his personality- as far as the media was concerned is hostile at best. He is the gatekeeper for the family as the media scrambles for interviews with his mother or his brother, Nick, who was only a few feet away when the three bullets tore through Zach’s skull. Nick is also left unstable with PTSD, living in a remote cabin in the woods. His family blames the US Army for the death of his brother, and they want answers. Gabe feels if he can determine who is to blame, he can deal with it and move on.
After purchasing half the store, she begins thinking about Gabe and his family. Soon thereafter, an envelope appears on her doorstep. It holds evidence of a US army cover-up involving a soldier in Afghanistan—Zach! She is shocked and realizes this is not the transcript the media received. This one contains evidence, implicating wrongdoing. She now has to decide if she wants to get involved after she had resigned herself never to become personally involved in a high-profile case, which may cause harm to the future of others when the truth comes to light. Now, Gabe’s mom, Jean, requests Abigail to write their story, but fear holds her back. She is afraid of making the same mistakes.
Abigail is intrigued and soon finds herself wearing her investigative hat. Gabe and his mother have a pending lawsuit against the US army, and here she is with possible evidence. She is torn between not getting involved and doing the right thing in turning it over to them.
After meeting the mother, Jean , which she loved, she and Gabe become engrossed in finding the killer. To further complicate matters, her father is a retired army general. Gabe is bitter, trying to defend his family, and mistrusts Abigail’s motives, as well as her father and godfather, Chris, also with the army.
When her father warns her to leave it alone, she wonders what he is hiding. Someone starts following her, and the more evidence she stumbles upon, the fewer people it seems she can trust, especially her father.
The deeper they become involved in the mystery, she finds herself falling in love with Gabe and wants to protect him and his fragile family. Will she have to turn her back on her own family to protect her new love? Will she have to choose? Who is behind the killing of Gabe’s brother? Who is trying to reopen the case? How is her dad connected?
Wow, a lot of depth here! Master storyteller, Kimberly Belle grabs you from the first page to the last with an intense page-turner. A suspenseful, and emotional saga of two (really three) families, with twists and turns at every corner. In addition to the riveting and complex main plot with solider, Gabe, his family, Abigail, and her father, there is also the mysterious sub-plot ongoing in the background connecting with the present-day main plot in ways you do not see coming—scandalous surprises, keeping you guessing until the end, mixed with humor.
With excellent character and crafty plot development, and superb writing, Belle creates highly emotional tensions between Abigail and Gabe.
Both have been burned and afraid to trust. Likable characters with some heavy burdens to shoulder, guilt, and betrayal, as well as feeling responsible. At the beginning of the book, Gabe is defensive and slowly, as the book moves on, he becomes accepting and able to open his heart. Gabe is a complex character; having been betrayed, and traumatized, harder for him to trust.
There is a strong sense of words, as relates to war. How they are crafted and can harm, as related to a bullet and the havoc it caused these families. Some intense dynamics between a strong father and driven daughter, when nothing is as it appears, causing misjudgments, and ongoing doubts. Sacrifices are made to protect others with good intentions.
As Belle expressed, sometimes, to receive trust, we must be willing to take our leap of faith and give it in return. Each character has to take a leap of faith, reacting differently. One is restricted by loyalty and the secrets they are protecting. Tom, the father demands something he was not willing to give. Gabe invites Abigail into his intimate family circle.
In addition to Kimberly’s smooth writing style, I also appreciated her well-written Reader’s Guide. (Wish more authors would take the time to do so.) After an author spends so much time, talent, passion, and effort into the writing of a novel-- as a reader, I enjoy lingering, and reflecting; on the meaning, message, and inspiration behind the novel. In addition to enhancing the reader’s overall experience, it also helps with the writing of reviews, while providing a wonderful guide for book clubs and further discussions.
What can I say, two winners in a row! THE ONE WE TRUST not only tackles highly charged topics, with strong, driven characters; also serves as a life lesson for us all—we all tiptoe around the word TRUST in our daily lives (involving hope, faith, or confidence, and belief in the integrity, ability or character of a person or thing). Sometimes a scary thing to rely on something we cannot see. Highly Recommend!
The Marriage Lie , coming Dec 27, 2016! A deliciously twisty domestic mystery suspense.
JDCMustReadBooks
A special thank you to Harlequin MIRA and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Kimberly Belle returns following her strong debut, The Last Breath, landing on My Top 30 Books of 2014, with a riveting suspense THE ONES WE TRUST, a thought-provoking, and complex portrayal of grief, guilt, fear, tragedy, and trust, while exploring the loyalties of family.
Trust is an ongoing theme, throughout the novel, questioning whether the truth is enough to overcome betrayal, and how deep loyalty and trust run, even in the closest of families. In addition, to figuring out who to trust, the characters will need to trust themselves, to overcome their fears and doubts.
Abigail Wolff, a driven former DC journalist with a firm belief that public enlightenment is the cornerstone of democracy, and that it is not just her job but her duty to see and report the truth. However, presently she is gun shy, second-guessing herself, and lacking self-confidence in her journalistic abilities, after resigning from a successful position three years earlier after she was blindsided when delivering a story to the world — ending with a horrible tragedy.
After breaking a high profile story, two weeks later, her career ended. When the truth is at the expense of others, what then? Devastated, shouldering the blame, and guilt-ridden, she gives up her position, talent, and passion for a regular job. Now she works for a health company as a website content curator—not a lot of risks involved with boring seniors and their issues. She is no longer uncovering misdeeds and corruption, interviewing celebrities, or tracking down terrorists.
Abigail can no longer be the one to write about secrets. "Secrets are a sneaky little seed. You can hide them, you can bury them, and you can disguise them, and cover them up. But then, just when you think your secret has rotted away and decayed into nothing, it stirs back to life. She has learned her lesson. The truth always comes out eventually."
However, two events bring out the journalist instinct once again. A twelve-year-old Ben delivers some information questioning the story, which sent her running for cover three years before. Now she feels obligated to help. While the subplot was not center stage in the novel, it has a strong presence in the background. (Very intriguing; could almost be another book).
Next, while she is remodeling her house, doing most of the work herself, to keep her mind occupied, prompting her to visit the local remodeling home improvement store, Handyman Market. Shocked, she runs into Gabe, working at the store. She had interviewed Gabe’s older brother Zach (People’s Sexiest Man Alive, the Hollywood golden boy), who chucked his big-screen career to die in a war that, on the day he enlisted, fifty-seven percent of Americans considered a mistake.
Gabe, not so famous, the one who had a meltdown the day of his brother’s funeral. Just as good-looking, with a rough and tough exterior, a Harvard graduate, with a successful financial career, now working in a home improvement store, while he deals with the aftermath of his brother’s death. Needless to say, his personality- as far as the media was concerned is hostile at best. He is the gatekeeper for the family as the media scrambles for interviews with his mother or his brother, Nick, who was only a few feet away when the three bullets tore through Zach’s skull. Nick is also left unstable with PTSD, living in a remote cabin in the woods. His family blames the US Army for the death of his brother, and they want answers. Gabe feels if he can determine who is to blame, he can deal with it and move on.
After purchasing half the store, she begins thinking about Gabe and his family. Soon thereafter, an envelope appears on her doorstep. It holds evidence of a US army cover-up involving a soldier in Afghanistan—Zach! She is shocked and realizes this is not the transcript the media received. This one contains evidence, implicating wrongdoing. She now has to decide if she wants to get involved after she had resigned herself never to become personally involved in a high-profile case, which may cause harm to the future of others when the truth comes to light. Now, Gabe’s mom, Jean, requests Abigail to write their story, but fear holds her back. She is afraid of making the same mistakes.
Abigail is intrigued and soon finds herself wearing her investigative hat. Gabe and his mother have a pending lawsuit against the US army, and here she is with possible evidence. She is torn between not getting involved and doing the right thing in turning it over to them.
After meeting the mother, Jean , which she loved, she and Gabe become engrossed in finding the killer. To further complicate matters, her father is a retired army general. Gabe is bitter, trying to defend his family, and mistrusts Abigail’s motives, as well as her father and godfather, Chris, also with the army.
When her father warns her to leave it alone, she wonders what he is hiding. Someone starts following her, and the more evidence she stumbles upon, the fewer people it seems she can trust, especially her father.
The deeper they become involved in the mystery, she finds herself falling in love with Gabe and wants to protect him and his fragile family. Will she have to turn her back on her own family to protect her new love? Will she have to choose? Who is behind the killing of Gabe’s brother? Who is trying to reopen the case? How is her dad connected?
Wow, a lot of depth here! Master storyteller, Kimberly Belle grabs you from the first page to the last with an intense page-turner. A suspenseful, and emotional saga of two (really three) families, with twists and turns at every corner. In addition to the riveting and complex main plot with solider, Gabe, his family, Abigail, and her father, there is also the mysterious sub-plot ongoing in the background connecting with the present-day main plot in ways you do not see coming—scandalous surprises, keeping you guessing until the end, mixed with humor.
With excellent character and crafty plot development, and superb writing, Belle creates highly emotional tensions between Abigail and Gabe.
Both have been burned and afraid to trust. Likable characters with some heavy burdens to shoulder, guilt, and betrayal, as well as feeling responsible. At the beginning of the book, Gabe is defensive and slowly, as the book moves on, he becomes accepting and able to open his heart. Gabe is a complex character; having been betrayed, and traumatized, harder for him to trust.
There is a strong sense of words, as relates to war. How they are crafted and can harm, as related to a bullet and the havoc it caused these families. Some intense dynamics between a strong father and driven daughter, when nothing is as it appears, causing misjudgments, and ongoing doubts. Sacrifices are made to protect others with good intentions.
As Belle expressed, sometimes, to receive trust, we must be willing to take our leap of faith and give it in return. Each character has to take a leap of faith, reacting differently. One is restricted by loyalty and the secrets they are protecting. Tom, the father demands something he was not willing to give. Gabe invites Abigail into his intimate family circle.
In addition to Kimberly’s smooth writing style, I also appreciated her well-written Reader’s Guide. (Wish more authors would take the time to do so.) After an author spends so much time, talent, passion, and effort into the writing of a novel-- as a reader, I enjoy lingering, and reflecting; on the meaning, message, and inspiration behind the novel. In addition to enhancing the reader’s overall experience, it also helps with the writing of reviews, while providing a wonderful guide for book clubs and further discussions.
What can I say, two winners in a row! THE ONE WE TRUST not only tackles highly charged topics, with strong, driven characters; also serves as a life lesson for us all—we all tiptoe around the word TRUST in our daily lives (involving hope, faith, or confidence, and belief in the integrity, ability or character of a person or thing). Sometimes a scary thing to rely on something we cannot see. Highly Recommend!
The Marriage Lie , coming Dec 27, 2016! A deliciously twisty domestic mystery suspense.
JDCMustReadBooks
A special thank you to Harlequin MIRA and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.