Book Description
Skin Deep
Chantel O'Hurley has parlayed talent, breathtaking beauty-and indominable will-into stardom. But though she needs Quinn Doran's protection now, the sexy, cynical P.I. Utterly infuriates her. . .threatening to melt her icy façade and ignite her heart.
Without a Trace
A life of adventure and intrigue has left Trace O'Hurley bitter and world-weary. But in the innocent arms of spirited damsel-in-distress Gillian Fitzpatrick, Trace finds himself longing for the life-and family-he left behind.
New York Timesbestselling author Nora Roberts creates unforgettable families--so prepare to be captivated by the O'Hurley's, whose lives are as remarkable as their unconventional beginnings. The dazzling O'Hurley triplets and their renegade older brother have each followed a very different destiny. Now the family is reunited in this special 2-in-1 volume.
Customer Reviews:
O'Hurley Return.......2007-02-01
I just love reading Nora Robert's books. Thes two story's are just great.
Oldie but goodie.......2006-10-22
This book contains the last 2 stories of the wonderful O'Hurley siblings.
In Skin Deep you have the story of Chantal the oldest triplet. She is the beautiful Hollywood actress who finds herself being stalked and harrassed by an unknown over eager fan. She reluctantly hires Quinn Doran to protect her and help find out who is messing with her. Quinn soon discovers her beauty is more than just Skin Deep.
In without a Trace we finally find out what older brother Trace O'Hurley has been up to all these years. Dr. Gillian Fitzpatrick offfers him $100,000 to help her find her brother and neice who have been kidnapped for their scientific knowledge of a project called Horizon. Gillian and Trace have an adventure ahead of them. Finally there is an O'Hurley reunion at the end.
This is a good early Nora Roberts book. I think you will enjoy it.
O'Hurley's Return: Skin Deep/Without A Trace.......2005-07-21
Nora Roberts' characters become your friends and you can't wait to see what happens!
Utterly fascinated .......2005-04-20
Talented beauty, Chantel O'Hurley, hires sexy, cynical P.I. Quinn Doran, and finds herself utterly fascinated and infuriated with him at the same time.
Reviewed by Janet Sue Terry author of the Set Me Free Series -Possibilities and Resolutions. President of Just My Best Book Publishing Company. www.janetsueterry.com
Disappointed.......2005-04-04
I guess I should have read the review of this 'new release' of an older (2) novel(s).
I love Nora Roberts, but she's so much better than this now! I've grown with her over the years and was a little disappointed that I fell for the new cover, thinking a new book. A waste of money for any Nora Roberts fan.
Amazon.com
In Hide Your Assets and Disappear, a master gumshoe gives some straight information about how to cover your trail and protect your money from the government and creditors. Edmund J. Pankau, a writer and acclaimed private investigator, believes that individual rights, privacy, and benefits are slowly eroding in the United States, but that there are ways--legal and illegal--to beat the authorities. "The choice is yours to make," writes Pankau, "Don't be the one that someday says, 'I wish I could have done that.'"
Pankau despises domestic tax laws. He urges people to hire a good attorney to help plan a move offshore to a sunny clime with low taxes, bank-privacy rules, and simpler, cheaper living. He recommends New Zealand, Belize, Costa Rica, and Honduras, where the island of Roatan is his own personal hideaway. And for those who truly need to disappear, Pankau explains how amazingly easy it is to obtain a second or third passport, become a new person or stage a phony death.
Pankau is also a powerful advocate for asset-protection planning. The book features some nifty moves to block creditors with bankruptcy laws. There are also methods to maximize state and federal tax exemptions and maneuvers to shield a personal residence, real estate, stocks, or pension accounts from taxes and potential creditors or lawsuits.
The book is for hard-core freedom seekers. It's also recommended for people interested in more conventional techniques for protecting money, property, and other valuables. --Dan Ring
Book Description
A New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller!
Are you tired of the way you're living? Are you fed up with everyone trying to take your most valuable possessions--your money and assets--away? Are you sick of having creditors, the IRS, or a vindictive ex-spouse nipping at your heels? If only you could disappear without a trace...if only you could resurface in some exotic foreign place with a whole new identity and a brand-spanking new life.
And on the other side, how would you like to track down that ex (and his assets) who owes you money? Want to know his tricks?
For most people, this is just a fantasy. But it doesn't have to be. In Hide Your Assets and Disappear, one of the nation's top-ten-rated private investigators, Edmund J. Pankau, reveals all the tricks of his trade to show you how to hide it all or find someone who has. An experienced tracker who has worked for the government to recover missing assets, Pankau explains step-by-step how to successfully get away or find someone who has.
Filled with vivid real-life stories of both successes and failures as well as an Internet research guide, this invaluable guide outlines exactly what you should know before you go, including the ever-increasing difficulties you will face as the world becomes more tightly linked through electronic networks. Pankau shows you how to pay attention to prevent slip-ups that can give you away, from birthday phone calls to magazine subscriptions to an off-the-cuff comment to a stranger. He prepares you logistically and psychologically to successfully make the transition to your new life and new self in a new world, and gives you the best information on how to go, where to go, how to live, how to behave, and even who to become once you get there.
Should I keep my assets here or move them abroad? How do I create a new identity? How do I stay lost? Can I ever go back? How can I avoid anyone who might be looking for me? And how can I find someone who's disappeared on me? How do people fake their own deaths? What can the government do to catch a concealer? Pankau has the answer for all these questions and many more, and provides the tiny, often overlooked details that can make the difference between lounging on a tropical beach or ending up on the wrong side of the law.
Whether you're in search of a new life or someone who has hidden their assets and disappeared and left you in the lurch, listen to Edmund J. Pankau. With his unique, entertaining, eye-opening guide, he shows you how to go from victim to victor.
Thinking of disappearing without a trace? Want to find someone who has? Consider these questions...
Which is the better place to go, New Zealand or Panama?
How much cash you can legally take out of the country?
What are the hot spots the Customs Department targets as suspicious entrance points?
What is FinCEN and how can it ruin your plans?
Where is it better to keep money, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, or Switzerland?
Should you seek out the expatriates in your new country or lay low?
What should you do if someone recognizes you in your new home?
What happens if you get sick abroad?
Customer Reviews:
Hide Your Assets and disappear.......2007-09-24
Great book, had lots of useful insights. Book arrived in a timely manner and in condition promised.
Dated and not practical for privacy.......2007-01-31
I have read a number of privacy books and this one is not a great read.
Dated and not practical.
Didnt tell me anything.......2007-01-05
Gave alot of ideas on what you should do, but no real advice on how to do it
Utterly useless.......2006-08-23
Before 9/11, this was already a joke among people interested in protecting their privacy and assets (e.g., from litigious lawyers). After 9/11, none of the stuff mentioned in this worthless book even remotely works. BTW, the other reviewers are right: he doesn't really tell you *how* to do things anyway!
Don't waste your money.......2005-10-08
This book is for more affluent folks who already have access to this type of information. Outdated, sexist, even insulting to those who believe in paying their fair share. If you are a regular middle class or working class person who is fed up with paying through the nose to make everyone else richer, you are on the right path but this is NOT the book for you.
Book Description
Let me introduce myself. I'm Nancy Drew. Some call me a girl detective. Others call me "that girl who cooked my goose." But everyone calls me sharp -- especially when it comes to crime. And since mystery and I follow each other everywhere, I'm pretty busy. Take a look inside at some of my favorite cases, and you'll see what I mean!
#1 Without a Trace
#2 A Race Against Time
#3 False Notes
#4 High Risk
Customer Reviews:
New twist on an old fave.......2007-08-26
This is a good set of books for the young teen with lots of fun and a mystery to solve before Nancy can. If your child thinks the original Nancy is too old fashioned then this will win her over as it is set in the "here and now" with cell phones, the internet and all the usual suspects of the 90's and beyond. Definitely worth a read.
New Nancy a bit like Paris Hilton.......2007-07-18
For those of us who grew up reading the yellow Nancy Drew series, prepare to be disappointed with the new series. Yes, there is no more Nancy picking out which frock to wear, or references to baking casseroles, which seemed antiquated back in the 70's. However, if you can overlook the dated feeling of the yellow series, Nancy, despite the June Ward stereotype, was a smart young woman. Girls could look up to the old Nancy as a shrewd, moral, pretty, bright, courageous young woman, who was thoughtful, had good manners, was considerate, and was aware of her femininity, but didn't let that stop her from being a terrific detective whom everyone, male and female alike, admired.
I purchased a new Nancy Drew for my niece and began to thumb through it. The new Nancy talks about a boy looking at her "long and hard" in one book, and whether she should tell the boy staring at her that she has a boyfriend. The word "sleazy" is mentioned, and it seems that Nancy has been transformed from a smart young woman for pre-adolescent girls to admire to a modern, superficial teenage romance novel girl. The new Nancy, it seems, has lost a lot of her intelligence, replaced with cliquish, materialistic, superficiality, a girl whose inner musings remind one of a teenage tabloid magazine gossip column. Definitely a disappointment- not the wholesome heroine I was hoping for my daughter to read about and emulate. I'd rather skip over the "Betty Crocker" stuff in the old yellow series and read those instead.
Good books.......2007-03-26
These books are great. They are so much better then the other ones. The other ones were kinda boring. These are exicting. You can tell what Nancy is thinking and feeling. If you like Mystery and cliff-hangers then buy this boxset now. This boxset is a good way to start the series.
kind of boring.......2007-03-13
I am not a big fan of the girl detective series even though i love nancy drew. nancy is now rather forgetful (i liked the perfect nancy better) and most the new mysteries are rather lousy. i guess simon and schuster ran out of ideas for new books after doing 300+ mysteries. i do enjoy the new found richness of the characters that people say they lost in the 1990's (i partly agree). bess is now a mechanic, george is a computer whiz, and nancy cant remember to fill up her car with gas! some of the stories are kind of repeaters of the original series and even the tile of one is the same as nancy drew #66 even though the story is way different.
Classic books.......2007-01-18
Nice starter set for my 9yo daughter. Classic, a bit dated but holds up well. Nice quick easy read.
Customer Reviews:
The Best.......2007-09-01
Nobody, but nobody writes better than Catherine Anderson. Another great read. This is one to take to the beach.
Customer Reviews:
without a trace.......2005-07-28
This story without a trace, I would say is a very good novel to read, it exposes how the tourist operates in the real world. I felt sorry for Dr. Gillian, what she had went through trying to locate his kidnapped brother Flynn and her nice Caitlin.
The entire story was so excited, romantic and sorrowful, because each time Dr. Gillian and Trace O` Hurley thought they are getting close to the solution, it would became harder. Charlie Forrester died because of the situation, hoping that might help solved the entire problem; but the poor man died in vain, because Gillian's brother and her nice are no were to be found.
To me, I think this book is a good book to read; it put your mind in suspense and I think one can also learn from the story.
Trace is My Favorite O'Hurley!.......2005-03-22
One of Nora Roberts' most dynamic family creations is the O'Hurley family. Frank and Mary O'Hurley are the parents of very talented children and the stage is their home - they are traveling musicians/singers/dancers and go from performance to performance. Frank and Mary's first born is Trace, who plays the piano for the family act while his sisters, mother, and father dance and sing. IN the family chronology, after Trace came a set of triplets: Chantel, Abigail and Maddy. Chantel's story was told in Skin Deep, Abigail's story was narrated in The Last Honest Woman and Maddy's story was recounted in Dance to the Piper. In Without a Trace we finally get to learn about the brother of this group - the quiet one who left the family act and seemed to disappear off the face of the earth.
Trace and his father had always been at odds with each other and as Trace got older, it was more difficult for him to understand why his father pushed the family the way he did. During one of these heated arguments, Trace walked away from his family only to be heard from infrequently since. Trace struck out on his own and didn't want commitments or responsibilities - he was basically a talented drifter using his musical abilities to provide food and shelter. At a seedy bar in a foreign country, Trace was approached and became a modern day mercenary/spy. Without a Trace picks up at the end of this secret agent type career with Trace trying to figure out where he wants his life to travel next. As fate would have it, into his life walks Gillian Fitzpatrick. Gillian's brother had disappeared under mysterious circumstances and she needs Trace to help her find him. Of course the sexual chemistry is there to add spice to this tale of intrigue.
Nora Roberts deviates from the standard romance genre in Without a Trace and throws a little mystery and suspense into the mix. It's enough to keep the reader interested and results in the book being a "page turner". Some of the plot lines are a little far-fetched but somehow Roberts takes them from a "no way would that happen" to a "well, maybe" type of thinking.
Once again Nora Roberts shows her devoted readers why they should remain diehard fans - the story is one that has wit, humor, romance and excitement. While I was reading the books about the O'Hurley triplets, I often wondered what had happened to Trace, as his sisters were always wistfully thinking about him. And it seemed like he never showed up for the important things in their lives (weddings, births of babies, etc.) but sent word to them instead. If he was able to show up, it was a very special occasion and resulted in much celebration. You could always feel the love this family had for each other, and Trace was always the quiet, mysterious one that the reader never heard much about. Nora Roberts built up the suspense through three previous books before we finally get to learn all about Trace. After reading Without a Trace I can tell you that it was definitely worth the wait! Now maybe Nora Roberts will continue with this family like she has with the MacGregor Clan and tell the tales of the offspring of the O'Hurley siblings. I can always hope...
Where in the world is Trace O'Hurley?.......2004-12-29
Nora Roberts, the prolific romance author first began her writing career in 1981 with the title Irish Thoroughbred, a book that I refer to as a pure romance book. Continuing to write for publishing houses specializing in romances like Silhouette and a series called Language of Love, Ms. Roberts wasn't content to just write romances. Today she is well for writing a futuristic mystery series under the pseudonym JD Robb and also publishes titles from the romantic suspense genre. I was therefore really quite unawares when I finally picked up the 4th book in the O'Hurley series to find out this book dealt with the O'Hurley son Trace, a man who runs from the family and their world to become a spy who works against terrorists.
Trace O'Hurley never enjoyed being in the family business. With a bit of the wanderlust in him and at odds with his father he takes off at 20 and never looks back. Saving a man from being killed during a barroom brawl, Trace is persuaded by the saved man to join an agency similar to the CIA where he will be employed as an undercover agent. But now at 32, trace's friend is dead and though Trace has had his share of adventures to last him a lifetime, he is tired of running and is taking a vacation after a failed assignment. Into his midst walks a physicist, Dr. Gillian Fitzpatrick, a fiery Irish redhead who offers him a great sum of money to find her kidnapped brother and niece. And it didn't take long before I felt I was between the pages of a Robert Ludlum novel with the couple in Casablanca walking down narrow and winding streets filled with danger everywhere. And if this is a Nora Roberts novel, it also doesn't take long before the young couple, first at odds with one another, are falling in love.
While I prefer to read books without a terrorist plot since the news is enough these days, I found this book to be a fast and interesting read and quite a departure from those books I most enjoy by Ms. Roberts. It was also a nice to finally meet up the fourth O'Hurley child even if he was the oldest. But if Nora threw me a curve ball with part of the theme of this book, she more than made up for it with the wonderful ending where there was a poignant reconciliation between Trace, his sisters and his parents. One thing Nora Roberts does so well is family stories and this series is no exception. And then you might ask yourself what becomes of Gillian, and her family?
I guess you'll have to read the book to find out.
Several years ago I finally read my first Nora Roberts book, Born in Fire. Since that time I am slowly making my way through all of her books. While I have a preference for her pure romance books and family sagas like the McGregor series, I often read her romantic suspense books as well. As I often say, a so so romance book by Nora Roberts is usually much better than titles by other romance authors.
I Love Nora Roberts Books.......2001-09-11
I feel that she has written an enjoyable romance that is very true to life. The suspence keeps this story moving. I couldn't put it down. This is a suspenseful romance in the true Nora Roberts fashion.
A satisfying finish.......2000-06-30
Trace O'Hurley, the first of the O'Hurley children but last in the line of books, finally gets his story told in this very satisfying book. Not a straight romance by any means, there is plenty of intrigue and excitement to entertain the most distractable of readers.
Trace, at odds with his family for a dozen years now and tired of his world-travels and work as a spy, is ready to throw in the towel when he is sought out by Dr. Gillian Fitzpatrick, a scientist whose brother and niece have been kidnapped by a radical terrorist group. He agrees (for a large sum of money) to help Gillian recover her family, but underestimates the bond that he quickly forms with her. Believing for so long that he is not meant to love or be loved, Trace is reluctant to give his heart to someone and even more reluctant to let anyone love him, lest he hurt them the way he did his family.
The terrorist kidnapping plot certainly moves this story along, although some of the details were a bit too easily resolved once the final confrontation is in place. The romance was extremely well-written and believable, and things did not just neatly "fall into place" there -- you knew they would wind up together but it wasn't overly convenient for them to get there, just like real life! The reunion of the O'Hurley's after all is said and done really provides a satisfying end to the "quadrilogy".
Book Description
A plane crash claimed the lives of her husband and son, but Bree Nichols and Samson, her search-and-rescue dog, won't rest until they've recovered the lost bodies-or combed every inch of the wilderness trying.
Meanwhile, the quiet town of Rock Harbor is disturbed by a violent crime. Bree soon discovers a personal stake in the solving of the murder, and in the course of her investigation, discovers links to her husband's plane crash. Could solving the crime bring her peace with her own loss? Or, more incredibly, reunite her family?
Customer Reviews:
A mystery that keeps moving.......2007-09-18
I just finished Colleen Coble's book, Distant Echoes. That one is set in Hawaii; this one is in Michigan. What's amazing is how well she can capture such two divergent places. This book is a really suspenseful read - hard to put down.
Hope Returns.......2006-10-26
In Without A Trace by Colleen Coble a disappearance, a murder, and a mystery are intertwined with skill.
Bree Nicholls and her best friend, Naomi Heinomen are the Kitchigami K-9 Search and Rescue team along with their dogs Samson and Charley. Their first task in Without A Trace is to locate two missing children, one of whom is diabetic and in need of his medication. Time is a ticking bomb as the SAR team goes to work hunting for the brother and sister pair in the forests of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Colleen Coble paints a vivid picture of the area Bree Nicholls calls home. The reader can see the mountains and the trees and can feel the cold as winter approaches. The urgency to locate the children of a local resident bursts through to the reader with Ms. Coble's smooth writing style. In the background is the knowledge that Bree is anxious to find the missing kids alive because her own son was lost in an airplane crash along with his father a year before. No one has been able to locate the crash site, not even Bree and Samson. Bree doesn't want another parent to have to suffer the pangs of grief over a missing child.
In her attempt to locate Timmy and Emily alive at all costs, Bree butts heads with the ranger in charge, Kade Matthews. Kade's need to locate the children may stem from a different point, but it is just as strong as Bree's. He wants the search to proceed his way, and Bree insists on doing it her way. When the search ends Kade has to grudgingly admit Bree's methods worked.
The strife between Bree and Kade continues throughout the book because his actions lead Bree to be suspicious of him when another local resident ends up dead. The Kitchigami SAR team finds the woman's body at the base of a cliff and moments later Kade Matthews appears out of the woods nearby. Coincidence? It seems so until an autopsy proves the woman died a short distance away and had been carried to the bottom of the cliff. Who killed her? She and her husband seemed to be at odds with one another. An old boyfriend argued with her in public and moments later her uncle attacked her verbally about a business deal she was about to conclude. Was the murder one of those people, someone else, or the mysterious woman roaming the forests nearby? Did Kade do it?
A year has passed since since the plane crash widowed Bree. She finds herself being drawn to Kade in spite of her misgivings about him. As she learns more about the man she grows more attracted. The unsolved mystery of the climber's death, Kade's stormy relationship with his teenaged sister, and his religious bent all bind together to keep Bree from allowing herself to let go of the past and explore a possible future with him.
Bree doesn't believe that the God Naomi, Anu (her mother-in-law), her sister-in-law, and even Kade worship could be as benevolent as they claim. If He were why would He allow her family to be destroyed? If God could let her husband betray their marriage and then take Rob and their son, Davy, away from her why would she want to devote her life to Him?
Readers become enthralled with the characters Colleen creates in Without A Trace as they grow to know the residents of Rock Harbor and are drawn into their world. Will Bree discover the crash site and be able to bury the bodies she will find with the carcass of the plane? Will she find the true love God has for her? And what about the murderer, will it turn out to be one of the people of the town? The only way to find out is to read Without A Trace. I think you will enjoy the search.
Way awesome book.......2005-08-19
I totally recommend this book to anyone who loves a good suspense/mystery with a little hint of romance in it book. I couldn't put it down for a long time! It was so good! I actually cried when I got towards the end. I felt like I actually knew Bree. I felt her troubles! As the back of the book jacket says from one reviewer, you have to actually stop and remember that they are just characters in the book, and you don't have to pray for them!
Great Read!.......2005-08-08
This was the first book I've read by Colleen Coble. I immediately purchased and read the next two books in the series, and the first book in the Aloha series. I am eagerly waiting for book two of the Aloha series to be published. You've read what its about (above), now read it for yourself, you won't be disappointed!
Colleen Coble knows how to develop an intricate plot.......2005-06-18
This first book in Collen's Rock Harbor series will suck you right in. Every time I started to think I knew "whodunnit," the story took a different twist. I was so happy to find out that things weren't as they seemed (happy for Bree) but I won't spoil it for the reader by putting what happened in this review. The emotion is real, the scenery is vivid, the plot is involved. I enjoyed it so much I sent it to my aunt in Michigan and she said the scenery made her feel like she was back at Rock Harbor on vaction, it was so realistic. Neither of us could put it down.
Book Description
On March 5, 1974 -- the same day that rival motorcycle clubs roared through suburban Miami in celebration of their annual "Bike Week" -- seventeen-year-old Amy Billig left home to meet a friend for lunch ... and vanished. Several days later, Amy's frantic mother, Susan Billig, received an anonymous phone call saying that her daughter had been carried off by one of the biker gangs. And so began Susan's harrowing and extraordinary twenty-five-year search for her lost child -- an odyssey that led a desperate parent into the seedy heart of a dangerous subculture built on drugs, rebellion, brutality, and sex; a relentless hunt for the truth that showed her the best side of humanity...and the very worst.
Customer Reviews:
Every Mother's Nightmare!.......2007-09-24
Amy Billig was a teenage daughter in the 1970s Coral Gables, Florida. She had loving parents and an equally loving brother. One Saturday, she went hitch-hiking to meet some friends for lunch downtown. Hitch-hiking in the 1970s was common, acceptable behavior. Nobody thought it was dangerous. Amy Billig was never heard or seen again! I will always remember reading this book while I did jury duty and I have seen Susan Billig on television searching for her daughter. She would travel the world searching for her. She doesn't know for sure about her fate. That's the tragic part of this book is that she would rather know than not know. I remember reading "Not knowing is worse than knowing." It is because Susan probably has accepted that Amy will never return home. Her daughter would have never stopped contacting her parents or try to get in touch. Susan has researched biker gangs in America and in England. She has spent all her savings in search for her daughter. A mother's love like hers is not rare because Susan is an extraordinary woman who is relentless in her pursuits for the truth no matter how painful that can be. I think deep down that Susan has accepted Amy's fate but as she wrote to not know is worse than knowing. If Amy is dead and it's sure, she can grieve and move on with her life. Until then, I can't imagine Susan not searching or ever giving up hope.
How Far Would You Go To Find Your Daughter?.......2006-03-06
I am a True Crime addict and I remember watching the story of Amy Billig on "Unsolved Mysteries." Even though I had seen the story, I figured I would learn a lot more if I bought the book, so I did. I am a slow reader and usually it takes me months to read just one book. "Without A Trace" was different. This book kept me interested all the way through and I seemed to breeze through it. It is a very good read. I even read it in the bathtub while I was taking a soak!
Amy Billig was just 17 when she disappeared from Coconut Grove, Florida in 1974. Amy had planned to meet friends for lunch and was going to drop by her dad's art shop on the way. However there were some greasy, tattoed, leather-clad visitors who were also dropping by that fateful day. The forboding rumble of motorcycles going through town told people to heed their caution. It was the annual biker gathering again. When Amy didn't arrive at her dad's shop and never met her friends, Amy's parents, Sue and Ned Billig, knew something terrible must have happened.
Let me say that reading this book made me take a second look at mankind. I was angry as I followed Sue's relentless quest to find her missing daughter only to be taken advantage of by greedy, shallow-minded people such as the Glasser twins, who claimed to have Amy, and Hank Blair who tortured Sue Billig with sexually explicit telephone pranks about Amy for about two decades which lead to a lengthy court battle in the process. But through it all, Sue would do anything to find her daughter from searching into different tips, meeting up with and traveling with bikers such as the infamous Paul Branch who had claimed to have Amy, traveling to prisons to interview bikers who may have a clue, and even frequenting biker bars to search for her daughter.
Some of the images portrayed in this book make your spine shiver. How about picturing a pint-sized, middle-aged woman from a well-to-do life, clinging to a rough and rowdy biker while riding on the back of his motorcycle? How about picturing this woman mingling with dirty, tattoed, chain and leather-clad bikers armed with guns inside scudzy trailors cluttered with rusty auto parts, beer cans and cigarette butts? While these bikers are peeking out of windows fearing any vehicle that drives up, a biker couple can be heard having sex in the other room. Authors Greg Aunapu and Susan Billig do an outstanding job of taking us on the journey over the boundaries of safety and into the world of the bikers who are murderers, drug dealers and woman-beaters. After all, women are considered property and bikers give them away and pass them around to other bikers as such. As a female myself, this was difficult to read about. But I think I can safely say that I would do the same things that Sue did if my daughter went missing.
The most frustrating part (and indeed I feel for Sue and can relate to her frustration), is all the leads that fall dead. Unfortunately with just about every huge case, there are leads that are looked into and nothing comes of it. Therefore you've just wasted precious time. Poor Sue had to go through so much of this. Calls at all hours of the night, plane trips to places like Tulsa, Seattle and New Jersey on tips from bikers such as Paul Branch, investigations into strip bars where bikers usually make their "old ladies" work at; everything seemed endless. But Sue was relentless, taking every call to heart and jotting virtually every call down in her journal. Many leads brought people who said Amy was a biker girl who was drugged up and called "Mute" or "Sunshine." The tips came and came. She was at this particular market with wome Outlaw bikers buying soup and crackers. She was at this store in Seattle looking at health food. And it's truely amazing how many biker names come up in the search for Amy, from Paul Branch, to "Dishrag Harry," to "Creature." It seems endless.
I just have to give the ultimate kudos to Sue Billig for all that she had to go through in her search. She is the real model of strength that many women should strive for. She is inspiring in every sense of the word. When people told Sue to give up, she wouldn't. When people told Sue that Amy may be brainwashed and never the same, Sue didn't care. When there was any little hint that Amy may be in a particular place, Sue would dash there. If she needed to stand up to bikers, she would stand up to bikers and force herself to be unintimidated. Even cancer couldn't keep Sue down, nor her husband's tragic death. She is an obsessed mother determined to bring her daughter home. Some may think being that obsessed is a bad thing, but it is not. It makes you amazed at how the human spirit handles pressures when things get to be dangerous and life seems to crumble.
The description of the bikers and their hangouts and the places that Sue explored were absolutely fantastic. Every detail gets you right into the book and you are automatically sitting there suffering with Sue. You are riding on the back of a biker's motorcycle with nerves pumping through your body and the wind tossing your hair around. You smell the smoky air, the sweat and leather. You hear the rough voices and see the scowls and other facial expressions. You feel the rage and disappointment when pranksters exploit. And the hardest part through it all is that Amy always seems just out of reach somehow. There is always this feeling of not being able to get to her. I personally have had dreams like that and needless to say, it is tough on the emotions. Even in the end, Sue is still taken advantage of from Branch's "old lady," "Tootsie's" so called deathbed story, to British producers ordering Sue to engrave Amy's name on a headstone. The anger of it all!
But the question remains. Is Amy still alive out there? Is she dead? Is she tortured daily? Is she a drugged-up stripper? Is she pregnant? How did Paul Branch really know of Amy's appendix scar, or that she liked folk music? We may never know what ever happened to the carefree 17 year-old who loved life and was truly inspired by it. It was the simple things in life such as a sunset and the wind blowing in the trees that Amy loved. She was indeed special and very insightful. It was also a much different time. It was seemingly a more innocent time; at least away from the underworld of the bikers. But much has changed since 1974, and as the years progressed in this book, I could truly feel that nostalgic emotional feeling of the fact that Amy had been gone for so long as the times changed.
Although Sue spent 25 years searching for Amy, she had eventually found a way to bring that chapter of her life to a close even though she still mourns for her beloved daughter. Now her son Josh has kids of his own and she is able to channel her energy through them and see traces of Amy in them. The ending of the book was very fitting. It is a haunting passage that Amy wrote shortly before she was kidnapped and it shows the very essence of the wonderful young woman she was/is. It will leave you thinking for days after you finally put this book to rest.
One of the best!.......2005-02-21
Reviewers before me have said it best. Out of all the true crime books I've read, I estimate 10% rate as "can't put down page turners" and this is one of them. That says it all.
I would put this book in a class of my favorite true crime books including:
Careless Whispers
Zodiac
The Ultimate Evil
Dreams of Ada
Minds of Billy Mulligan
You can't put this book down.......2004-01-05
Horrible and haunting. You want so much to believe she's still alive.
Entralling!.......2003-09-23
I read this book in a few hours. I couldn't put it down. I just had to know what would happen next. It was fascinating! Sue Billig simply amazed me. As a mother I was able to feel her pain and frustration. What she went through trying to find her daughter stemmed from pure courage, tenacity and love.
I was frustrated myself at the end. I was hoping so much it would tell what happened to Amy, but mainly you just have to guess for yourself.
Mind-blowing read!
Book Description
"He did it again."
Four words and suddenly Jane Russo can no longer hide from her duty. A rapist and killer is preying upon young girls in Western ski towns… The FBI needs sketch artist Jane's help—and sends Agent Ray Vanover to lure her back into the game.
Now, with Ray's support, Jane must confront the demon from her past—to give this new madman a face of his own…
Customer Reviews:
Not a good book.......2004-05-15
This was not a good book, despite the positive reviews it has received. As with Erickson's other books the dialogue is painful. The dialogue is filled with "Um." "Huh." and "Uh-huh." and those fillers are used as complete thoughts and sentences. Obviously the characters have very little sucbstance if that can be the extent of each exchange. Is it so hard for two writers to come together and create a fluid sentence?? I guess so, because these 2 women are hopeless writers. This was the second book I was given by Erickson, and both books suffered from the Um and Huh problem. I cannot understand how writing like that is deemed interesting or engaging by other readers. In any case, the plot is about a woman who was once raped but cannot remember the face of her rapist. She is now a police sketch artist and is called in to assist on a case similar to her own, and it drudges up memories about her own rape. The authors did manage to keep the suspense going (not about the lead character Jane's rape) about the current case she was working on. However, there were a lot of shortcuts taken with this book. The relationship between Jane and Ray (the lead detective) was forced and very rushed at the end, leading to a unrealistic and unbelievable conclusion. The relationship Jane had with her family wasn't well developed and the character interaction was weak at best. The story could have been lengthened to explain the relationship more between Jane and her family, Jane and Ray, Jane and Alan, and even Ray and Kathleen. The authors cramed the story into just over 100 pages and left too much unsaid and undeveloped. The story was just that, a story, with no genuine substance or anything that will leave you wanting more from this/these authors. I am so glad to be done forever with Erickson books. NOT recommended.
WOW! I loved it!.......2004-05-11
This is my first Lynn Erickson. It will not be my last. From the first page to the last page she had my attention.
Jane Russo is a freelance sketch artist for various police and federal agencies. She was raped at 16. Her family has never believed her. She has stayed away from them and their friends because she thinks one of them did it. Now at 32 she is trying to come out of her shell.
Jane is called in when a serial rapist strikes again, in her own home town. She has not been able to help the last 3 times he struck. But some people believe she is their only hope.
Ray Vanover is the FBI agent in charge. He is scarred inside and out by a bomb, a militant group placed in his car. The woman he thought he loved, another FBI agent, died in the explosion.
Jane has an empathy with victims, and she is able to get them to relax enough for her to get a sketch of their attackers.
However, because of her rape she is blocked when she tries to sketch this rapist.
I enjoyed the police procedures, the insights, and the romance that developes between these two characters.
If you are looking for a deep, heavy read, this is not it.
If you are looking for a nice, quiet, comfortable read this is it. This is entertainment. Just what I needed.
I really enjoyed it after some of the stuff I've read lately.
AWSOME.......2004-01-29
I read this book in record time. I picked it up and before I knew it all I wanted to do was read it. I was sincerenly amazed. I usually am a picky reader and I picked this book up for the hell of it. It was GREAT.
Jane Russo is an artist. Not just any artist, she sketches killers face from a victims memory. Naturally is great at it. She has a knack of getting inside of victims heads. But not this time. A new case has Jane really stumped. The new case she is working on hits too close to home. She is working on a rape case. And along with that she no longer has the support of her friend lover Alan instead she has Ray. Rayhas been hurt too, very deeply and he refuses to heal. Him fueled with anger on the case, and Jane compassion they click.
Read the book and enjoy while Janes own rape case iz unraveled and HER vicTIM is brought out, while Ray and Jane face new and old demons of both their pasts.
YOU WILL ENJOY THIS BOOK. IT WAS GREAT!!
Good reading ..........2003-11-25
Attempting to put her own demons to rest, Jane has made it her life's work to help put away those who prey on the weak. Working as a police sketch artist, she has had incredible results with the victims. Yet, haunted by her own past, she failed once, and that failure let a killer go free. Now, she may have a chance to atone; if she can be persuaded to return to her calling. Despite burnout, she tries again. Working with a handsome fellow officer, she races time to save a child from a monster.
*** Romance takes a backseat to procdure in this detailed mystery. Jane presents a fascinating psychological portrait of someone both helped and hindered by her own past. As she faces her family, readers may feel a kinship with the difficulties of relatives. Though lighter in tone than Johansen or Cornwall, readers of those books will find this a welcome addition to their library. ***
Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.
solid police procedural romance.......2003-11-06
In Denver police sketch artist Jane Russo needs to get away from the pressure of failure that could mean the death of an innocent. Her last case has destroyed her psyche as she has failed to obtain a drawing of a serial rapist-killer from the survivors. Jane does not follow the book and is usually able to coax the information so that she can sketch a portrait, but this time she has failed though the culprit has struck several times.
FBI Special Agent Caroline Deutch and survivor rights advocate Alan Gallagher pressure Jane to try one more time. The rapist abducted twelve-year old Aspen resident Kirsten Lemke from the Snowmass slopes. Reluctantly, Jane works with skeptic Ray Vanover to save the life of Kirsten and bring a nasty felon to justice. As they struggle with the case and Jane with Aspen being the home of her somewhat estranged family, they fall in love, but the preadolescent's safety comes first.
Fans of police procedural romances will enjoy WITHOUT A TRACE, a solid suspense thriller. The story line is action-packed in a low key level as Jane and Ray interview witnesses in an attempt to save a life. The estrangement with her mother seems off kilter especially when Jane is easily coaxed into dinner. Her sister's cavalier attitude towards Jane's work feels too selfish for a mom. Still the investigation is top rate and the romance as good.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
- IF YOU LOVE THE ORIGINAL NANCY DREW YOU WILL HATE THESE
- Without a Trace
- love this book
- Nancy Drew Book # 1
- Bring back the old Nancy!
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Without a Trace (Nancy Drew: All New Girl Detective #1)
Carolyn Keene
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 068986566X |
Amazon.com
Eggs and zucchini may sound like a special Sunday omelet to most, but for Nancy Drew, it means it's time to roll up her sleeves and start solving mysteries. In this first book of the "modernized" series featuring the whip-smart girl detective, Nancy is called upon to solve not one but two whodunits, simultaneously. Someone has been smashing the neighborhood zucchini patches and the disgruntled gardeners are starting to point fingers at one another. Meanwhile, a new resident in Nancy's Midwestern town is frantic when she discovers that her old and precious Faberge egg has been stolen. Can our favorite not-so-hard-boiled detective unscramble both these cases before it's too late?
Fans of Carolyn Keene's classic Nancy Drew series will be pleased to note that, although Nancy has been brought up to date with computers and cell phones, she's still the same sweet girl who volunteers in her spare time. All her old buddies are alive and well: George is still a tomboy, but now spends her time surfing the Web; Bess continues to be a bit of a femme fatale, but only in the nicest way; Nancy's boyfriend Ned remains ever faithful and ever patient; and housekeeper Hannah Gruen is as gruffly, bustlingly loving as always. New readers will love to sink their teeth into a "new" series, and may even be inspired to dig out their mothers' old Nancy Drews (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
Hi, I'm Nancy Drew, and I've got a case to crack. Actually make that two cases. First a gorgeous Fabergé egg has been stolen. Who would have the heart to snatch such a precious family heirloom from someone new to town? Some housewarming that is!
And if this isn't enough to keep me busy, someone's running through gardens and stomping on all the zucchinis. Needless to say, it's a big mess -- in more ways than one. Especially for Mr. Safer, who is suspected of squishing the squash. I'm pretty sure Mr. Safer's innocent. But who's the real vegetable vandal?
Customer Reviews:
IF YOU LOVE THE ORIGINAL NANCY DREW YOU WILL HATE THESE.......2005-12-15
Nancy Drew this is NOT. If you are a fan of the old series, the Files Series, even the the Notebook series, you will really hate this new incarnation. Never have I seen a publisher try as hard to alienate fans and try to disolve a classic children's series as they have with this new detective they call Nancy Drew. Where is our girl sleuth? Well, in this version she is forgetful, annoying, childish, and lacks direction, focus and intelligence. Her relationship with her father has become somewhat trivial. Her housekeeper is on the verge of senility. Her best friends, Bess Marvin (now a mechanic) and George Fayne (now a computer geek) have totally changed focus and drive. And Ned, her constant steady, is only a brief mention. I am appalled and disappointed in the first 15 books of this series and have found no redeming value to it as a work of fiction let alone as a sorce for the continuation of this much loved series. If this is how the publishers wish the direction of Nancy Drew to proceed in the future I would say to them 'stop the series' and let the past editions stand on their merit without tarnishing its reputation as a hallmark in series books. This is not what Edward Stratemeyer and his family envisioned Nancy Drew to become. I am disappointed beyond belief.
Without a Trace.......2005-03-26
Squashed squash...a missing family heirloom...can Nancy Drew, River Heights' infamous teen detective, get to the bottom of this one? In this story, we follow Nancy, along with her best friends, Bess and George (Georgia), as they try to solve TWO mysteries at once! So far, there is barely enough information to get a good lead on either case...and the more days go by, the more squash is squashed, and the farther away the valuable egg could be traveling from River Heights. But Nancy has a feeling...a feeling that the criminals may actually be close by.
I have to admit, I don't care for old things. Don't ask me why, I just don't. I've always sort of wondered if I'd like the "Nancy Drew" series, but I was never eager to give it a try. When my mom recently mentioned that a lot of readers love the "Nancy Drew" series, I remembered reading in a magazine that a new line of books about the blond detective just came out in 2004. I bought the first book, excited to give it a try, and loved it! Almost every chapter ended with a cliffhanger that made me immediatly move on to the next one...actually, I was so curious to find out "whodunnit" that I could hardly put the book down! The writing was so descriptive, and the story entertained me, while also keeping me in suspense. I'm so glad I gave this series a chance, and I can't wait to get a hold of the next book! I recommend this series to all girls!
love this book.......2004-12-10
i really enjoyed this book and to be honest i like these books better than the old ones:)great book!
Nancy Drew Book # 1.......2004-11-29
Over all I think Without A Trace was an okay book. I liked it because it is very exciting and keeps you out of your seat. It is fulled with suspence ( though it does go back and explain everything at the right times). Though it is better than the "old series", I think that Nancy Drew appears a little to perfect at times. She all most always does the right things and isn't very "real". The book also includes details that are not important to the plot and talks to much about fashion. It always says what she's wearing, if her clothes match ect. Though Nancy Drew still seems a bit perfect this book is much better than the old books. I like this book better because Nancy's friends are included more in the book and you are not eft wondering.I think Without A Trace was an okay book.
Bring back the old Nancy!.......2004-10-01
I have read Nancy Drew for 50 years and still enjoy them. I have all the titles published, but I am not fond of this new Nancy. I have been used to the fast paced, rough and tumble adventures. (I admit she should have a serious head problem with all the times she was hit over the head). I have read the first 5 in this new series and it seems you are almost to page 100 before you are sure there is really a true mystery, most is speculation. I agree with another reviewer the the mysteries seem silly compared to the old series. In the older books, you knew what the mystery (or at least one of them) was right of the bat. I hope they get better as I would hate to stop collecting them for my Grandaughters.
Average customer rating:
- Without a Trace (Rock Harbor Series #1)
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Without a Trace: A Rock Harbor Novel
Colleen Coble
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 1595542868 |
Book Description
When a plane carrying Bree Nichols' husband and son disappears, her life changes forever. Her relentless determinaiton to find them starts an investigation that links their disappearance to a violent crime threatening to tear the peaceful town of Rock Harbor apart.
Mystery fans will love this romantic suspense novel from best-selling author Colleen Coble. Set in the untamed beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Rock Harbor novels draw readers into the life and adventures of a canine search-and-rescue team as it unravels the secrets of an enchanting wilderness.
Customer Reviews:
Without a Trace (Rock Harbor Series #1) .......2007-08-30
exciting book..got all of them in this series..Great writer..waiting for more of her other series to come soon..
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