Title: Have You Seen Her? Series: Karen Rose's Interconnecting Books
Author: Karen Rose
Read copy: Mass Market Paperback
Published: February 1, 2004
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 0446612812
ISBN-13: 9780446612814
DO YOU LOVE HER?
DO YOU MISS HER?
HAVE YOU SEEN HER?
One by one, the girls disappear from their beds at night. Each one is pretty, with long, dark hair. And each one is found brutally murdered.
Special Agent Steven Thatcher has sworn to find the serial killer preying on this small town. As the investigation pulls him one way, his family pulls him in another. A widower haunted by loss, he now worries about his son Brad slipping away. But there's a bright light in his life; his son's teacher, Jenna Marshall, has reached out to help. She's beautiful, kind, and considerate— and slowly, tentatively, she and Steven are starting to fall in love. But both have been hurt before—badly. And as the two try to find the courage to bare their souls, a murderer who has slain many looks for the real treasure he craves. He sets his traps. And waits. For Jenna...
My rating:
This was the second book by Ms. Rose I read, after Don't Tell inspired me to acquire the entire "series" of her books.
Unfortunately, this story doesn't hold the candle to Don't Tell. Though the suspense part was wonderful, thrilling, chilling, intriguing, and keeping the reader on the edge of the seat, the characterization and all those little sideline stories bothered me.
First, the hero and his mentality annoyed me. He was all over the place with the heroine, trusting her one moment, "hating" her the next...And then expected her to forgive him. I know, I know, his behavior was explained, and I got it, really, I did, but still, Ms. Rose went a little over the top with the jerk.
Second, the hero's oldest son and his sudden change of behavior...And as much sudden change back. The author offered a plausible explanation, but I felt the issue was never really resolved. And it just took too much space in the story for something that in the end didn't lead to anything.
Third, the heroine and her idiosyncrasies. She kept accusing everybody of not getting over her deceased fiancé, but still she kept his ring, and his car...And then accusing the hero of not trusting her (which was true), yet her behavior suggested she didn't trust him either.
Too many issues marring an otherwise wonderful thriller. I really wished Ms. Rose would cut back on the "main characters" and focused on the killer more. I never thought I'd say this, but I felt this book needed more explicit details and gore. Go figure. Anything to keep my mind off the erratic behavior and mentality of the two leads.
3 stars, bitchslappable heroine/hero, bodyguard/military/merc/gov/cop/spy, contemporary, Karen Rose, re-read, suspense/mystery/adventure/thriller
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