Monday, May 16, 2016

Find Her

A great book can grab its reader right away and keep them reading. In Find Her by Lisa Gardner the book grabs you in the first full sentence (“These are the things I didn’t know: When you first wake up in a dark wooden box, you’ll tell yourself this isn’t happening.”) By the end of chapter 2, it’s grabbed you by the throat, slapped you around and said ‘you better keep reading or else.’ If you’re smart, you will, because you’ll end up reading one of the best psychological thrillers of the year.

From the publisher: "Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure…When Boston detective D. D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime—a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him—she learns that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who’s determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape.”

This book was gut-wrenching and gripping and thrilling and, I could go on and on. I loved its suspenseful plot, pacing, and characters, but for me the book’s beating heart was its main protagonist, Flora. Flora was three-dimensional, flawed and real, and I believed and felt her pain and guilt, and I rooted for her to find the peace and redemption for which she searched. Yes, she was scarred, lost and broken, but ultimately a survivor. While some might find fault with her choices, I felt her every decision was shaped by the horrors she experienced, which as a reader we learn about through alternating past and present chapters in the book.

Find Her was an insightful, emotional thriller and a MUST read totally worth last night’s 2:00 AM bedtime.