Wow! It’s been a while since a mystery has held my interest like this one did.This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I certainly will be looking for his other novels.
Nick Hansen is a lonely 40-year-old divorced man living in a small college town. He sees a young woman at the grocery store and is astonished that she reminds him of his former college girlfriend, Marissa Minor, who allegedly died 20 years earlier with three other students in a horrific campus house fire. When he approaches the girl and asks if she is related to the Minor family, she panics and runs from him.
The next morning the police bang on his door and awaken him. They show him a photo of the girl from the store and tell him she has been found dead with Nick’s name and address on a piece of paper in her pocket. Soon Nick learns he’s a “person of interest.”
Nick believes a connection exists between the murdered girl and his old girlfriend so he contacts his college friend Laurel Davidson, who is in security and asks her to help him investigate the events leading up to the night of Marissa’s death. They soon discover they are investigating a decades old mystery of who caused the campus house fire and why the family of Marissa left town so suddenly after the fire. Nick discovers there are many layers to the mystery and the more he uncovers, the more there is to discover.
What I liked: I was hooked with the first chapter. The book moves at a breakneck pace with an empathetic and believable character. The trauma of not being allowed to see a child with whom one had formed a relationship was particularly poignant.
What I Disliked: I found it hard to believe that a man thought he was still in love with a woman and would not have moved on after being dumped and her allegedly dying in a fire 20 years earlier. I thought the ending was a little disappointing because everything was easily resolved and tied up neatly like a bow.
Would I recommend? Yes. It is a good mystery and will keep one turning the pages until the end.
Have you read this author? What are your thoughts?
Where to buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other stores on July 7, 2015.
About the Author:
courtesy Amazon.com
David Bell is the bestselling and award-winning author of six novels including THE FORGOTTEN GIRL, NEVER COME BACK, THE HIDING PLACE, and CEMETERY GIRL. He is an Associate Professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky and can be reached through his website http://www.davidbellnovels.com.
Ruby On Tuesday 
Excellent review, Ruby. The story sounds compelling.
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Thanks for commenting.I’ve spent a lot of time reading lately and this author was new to me, but won’t be in the future.
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Sounds intriguing and looks like it’s ready for purchase!
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YES, it is. I read it in one sitting.
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