Outtakes 242

Late for Work

By Cait Collins

I just love authors whose stories almost make me late for work. I have this routine of getting up an hour early every morning so that I have 45 minutes to relax and read a good book. I know I have a good book when I look at the clock and realize I have thirty minutes to get ready for work. I know it’s a great book when I get home after ten hours at the office and grab my novel before starting dinner and read until bedtime or until I finish the novel.

I just finished reading Nora Roberts The Obsession.

Imagine being eleven years old and rescuing a woman who had been kidnapped, raped, tortured, and marked for death. Imagine learning that your father, a deacon in his church and a family man, is also a serial killer. What if you learned your grandparents and uncle had not deserted you but were pushed away by your father? And what if your mother could no longer deal with life and escapes? Where would you go? What would you become? And what if your father’s terror followed you? Photographer Naomi Carson lived the nightmare and now has settled into a new home in the town of Sunrise Cove, Washington. For the first time in her life she begins to grow roots. And she finds friendship and love.

Until the nightmare begins again.

I enjoy the way Ms. Roberts weaves the romance into the story without allowing it to overcome the tale. The crimes and the chase challenge the lovers, but their personal strengths and commitment are weapons against the killer. The author uses the beauty of the ocean views, the dark forests, and the old house that is under renovation to provide the backdrop for the action. The dialogue enhances the characters and the plot. She drew me into the story and allowed me to walk the bluff, hike the forests and work alongside the renovation crew. I had to force myself to close the book and go to work.

I have been a Nora Roberts fan since purchasing my first novel some fifteen years ago. I enjoy her contemporary romantic suspense and her paranormal and fantasy romances. Her books take up substantial space in my library and I eagerly wait her next release.