Book Review: Chasing Amanda

Nine years ago, Molly Tanner witnessed a young girl’s abduction in the busy city of Philadelphia, shifting her occasional clairvoyance into overdrive. Two days later, the girl’s body was found, and Molly’s life fell apart. Consumed by guilt for not acting upon her visions, and on the brink of losing her family, Molly escaped the torturous reminders in the city, fleeing to the safety of the close-knit rural community of Boyds, Maryland.

Molly’s life is back on track, her son has begun college, and she and her husband have finally rekindled their relationship. Their fresh start is shattered when a seven-year-old girl disappears from a local park near Molly’s home. Unable to turn her back on another child and troubled by memories of the past, Molly sets out to find her, jeopardizing the marriage she’d fought so hard to hold together. While unearthing clues and struggling to decipher her visions, Molly discovers another side of Boyds, where the residents--and the land itself--hold potentially lethal secrets, and exposes another side of her husband, one that threatens to tear them apart.

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Book review by Mary S
ARC provided by author, Melissa Foster

Minor Spoilers mentioned

After reading Megan's Way in 2009 and enjoying an interview with author, Melissa Foster, I was looking forward to receiving an advanced copy of her latest release Chasing Amanda.  In this book, we are pulled into the presumed content and secure life of Molly Tanner as she finally re-establishes her life from the big city and the crime that haunted her.  In the idealic countryside of fresh air and nature hikes, it's not long before we are introduced to the inner turmoil of Molly's mind, fueled by guilt, fear and a desire to bring justice to the hurts that she's witnessed.

It was only a matter of pages before I was drawn into Molly's story.  Melissa Foster does a wonderful job of weaving an intricate mystery with dynamic characters and compelling relationships.  Throughout the story, I always felt like I was on the cusp of a great discovery, only to be lead in a different direction.  And in the end, the truth was still not completely what I was expecting. 

I especially loved her relationship with her son, who we later learn holds a very unique bond with his mother.  At a time when her husband couldn't let go of scientific rationality, where the authorities were desperate enough to eye her as a suspect, and living in a town filled with it's own secrets and intrigue, it was natural to feel sympathetic towards Molly's plight and to help her finally find redemption in saving this little girl.  And despite the tragedies and secrets that ran throughout the novel, I walked away feeling the bonds of family, friendship and love.  The author does a great job of building bonds between the characters, breathing realistic lives into them with their honesty, mistakes and unfailing love.

Kudos to the author on another great read!  I gave this book 4 stars

If you enjoyed this review, please check in tomorrow for a special guest blogger - author MELISSA FOSTER!  You can also purchase any of her books from our MBB store by clicking on any of the images below:

 

To learn more about Melissa, find her online at:
www.melissafoster.com | Facebook | Twitter