MIND GAMES

4 stars out of 5

A titch scary. A little hard to believe. A lot sappy. But dang it all, I didn't want to put it down.

The scary part comes early on with the gruesome murder of 12-year-old Thea Cox's parents - a horrible incident that Thea and her grandmother, Lucy, both "see" as it happens. Thea and her younger brother, Rem, then go to live in Redbud Hollow in rural Kentucky, Thanks to Thea's visions, the killer was caught, convicted and sentenced to life in prison - and since then the children have for the most part thrived. But it seems the killer himself has the vision - and from his prison cell, he uses it to torment Thea by entering her mind. Over the years, she's learned to shut him out for the most part, but he finds new ways to burrow in again.

While in college, Thea learns how to develop computer games, which she turns into a highly profitable business. Grandma Lucy is a businesswoman as well, making handmade soaps and similar items from her home workshop in Kentucky. Over the years, Thea keeps her gift alive by helping police solve otherwise unsolvable cases - much as she did to bring her parents' murderer to justice. 

Things take a new turn when an elderly neighbor passes away, leaving her property to an on-hiatus rock star and his adorable young son. As chance would have it (yeah, right!), Thea once had a huge crush on the guy, which of course is rekindled when they meet. The romance heats up - until her gift collides with his way-over-the-top reaction (at which point I'd have kicked the idiot to the curb, but then that's just me). 

Finally, Thea reaches the limit of her tolerance and vows to bring the head games to a halt - hopefully without losing herself in the process. It all makes for an exciting ending. Definitely worth reading, and for the record, I wouldn't be opposed to reading more on the adventures of Thea and her grandmother. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one. 

Mind Games by Nora Roberts (St. Martin's Press, May 2024); 352 pp.

SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER

4 stars out of 5


For sure, this book held my attention all the way through. In fact, it latched on so tightly that our dinner got put on hold for a little over an hour while I plowed through to the final page. But that said, I really never really "connected" with any of the characters (more on that in a bit). Besides that, thoughts of same concept, different author kept niggling at the back of my brain as I turned the pages.

Here's the deal: Michael Frazier is living the good life with his second wife, Angela, in Cottonsville, Kentucky; that they're trying, so far unsuccessfully, to have a baby is frustrating, but they're hanging in there. His first marriage to a kooky sort named Erica didn't make it much past a year, and they went their separate ways.

Until now. Suddenly, Erica appears at Michael's door, begging him to help find her missing 9-year-old daughter Felicity. Why Michael, after all these years? Well, Erica tells him, because you're Felicity's father. To put it mildly, Michael is stunned - and questions whether it's even true. Nonetheless, he just can't find it in his heart not to help, even when Angela - who's just as stunned as Michael, if not more - tells him he should stay home and let the police handle things. But Erica insists she must take matters into her own hands because the police aren't taking her daughter's disappearance seriously (after all, it's been most of a day and they haven't found her).

So off he goes. It is at this early point, I must add, that I wrote Michael off. Sure, I "get" (well, sort of) his concern over a missing child that might be his and his reluctance to leave an ex-wife in the lurch even though he thinks she's nuts; on the other hand, I just can't work up sympathy for people who totally ignore common sense. But then, of course, there'd be no story. So there we are.

Everything and everyone moves along quickly from then on, bringing a few surprises as chapters follow the progress and setbacks of Michael and Erica, Angela, Michael's sister Lynn and their mother, and the two primary cops working the case. Little by little, readers learn that every character comes with issues - some more related to the child's disappearance than others - and broken trust becomes a common theme among them all.

Most important, though, is whether or not they'll find the child (and the kidnapper) in time to save her. That, in fact, overshadows all else, adding an edge-of-the-seat tension that doesn't quit till the end. Overall, it's quite an enjoyable ride, reinforcing what I already believe: Given excellent writing, it's not necessary to fall in love with the characters to be happy that you've read a book. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an advance review copy.

Somebody's Daughter by David Bell (Berkley, July 2018); 432 pp.