The Search

Nora Roberts

Fiona Bristow lives on an island in the San Juan Islands near Seattle. She is a dog trainer and works with the K-9 Search and Rescue teams on the islands. To see her now, no one would realize that about eight or nine years earlier she had been kidnapped by a serial killer. She had been locked in a trunk but was the only person to ever escape. When George Perry, the murderer, killed her fiancee about a year later, he was caught and put in prison for life.

When a very annoyed Simon Doyle arrives at her home with a disruptive puppy, Fiona almost has to laugh. A cute puppy has taken over his solitary life and is eating everything in sight, including the head rest in his new truck. Fiona agrees to help him train Jaws, an exuberant, active, clever puppy. She finds herself attracted to Simon as well as the puppy.

Then Fiona hears there is another serial murderer who is copycatting Perry's killing style. This killer is choosing the same type of victims and using the same methods to murder them. The FBI believe that Perry has brought on a student. They and Fiona believe that she is the new killer's eventual target as well.

Fiona is not the woman she was before she met Perry. She can protect herself. Simon finds himself attracted to this woman. When he understands the threat, he wants to protect her and take her away. She can't accept that. He isn't ready to want to share his life, but he can't leave her alone, either.

The Search is a good, suspense with interesting characters. Both Fiona and Simon have been loners. Neither is ready to have their lives disrupted. Nora Roberts does a good job showing Simon's reluctance and his inner fights as he realizes how important Fiona is. He is one of those guys who doesn't communicate well. Fiona figures that out is able to work with him. Roberts' description of them working through the changes Simon has to make.

The mystery in The Search is good, too. It's predictable. Roberts also devotes some chapters to the new killer. He's another one where Roberts makes his character believable. The ending doesn't follow the normal suspense heart stopping ending. It's still heart stopping, but in a different way. Enjoy this book.

Notice:  Non-graphic violence, Strong indecent language, Strong sexual content