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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
4th book in the series is my least favorite, still a great read, April 17, 2008
This review is from: Amber Morn (Kanner Lake Series #4) (Paperback)
Brandylin Collins closes out her Kanner Lake series with the most thrilling premise yet. All the regulars are planning to meet at Bailey Truitt's Java Joint to celebrate Ted Dawson's signing of a two book publishing contract. Kent Wicksell and son's Brad and Mitch know this because they've been reading the Scenes and Beans blog, a blog kept by the regulars of the Java Joint. Kent and family arrive at the Java Joint just as the party has started. They are loaded with weapons and plenty of ammunition and they invade the Java Joint and take everyone hostage. They have one demand. Kent's youngest son, T.J., must be relased from prison. Kent just knows that TJ is innocent and believes he can prove it.
All the regulars are there, including Paige from the first book and Carla Radling from the third. Vince Edwards, the police chief and recent hostage negotiator trainee, is forced into being in charge of the stand-off and negotiating with Kent. Bailey is worried about her husband, who is on new medication. One character is shot and no one knows if they will live. Leslie is moving out of town and boyfriend Ted doesn't know if their relationship will last.
The scope of this novel is impressive. Collins wraps the entire plot around the hostage situation at the Java Joint and the safety of the characters trapped inside. The most intriguing plot point for me was the actual innocence of TJ. Were Kent, Brad and Mitch right, even though they were insane for taking hostages. Was TJ really innocent? This point is covered, then dropped, then picked back up again at the end of the novel. This plot point could have been much stronger.
I enjoyed this novel but believe it was the worst of the series. To me, it had way to many points of view. I didn't have a problem with all the characters from the previous novels being involved in one situation, but it really bothered me that each character, even the smallest ones, had their own point of view chapter. There were probably over 20 different points of view presented in the novel and that was way to many for me to get involved in the story. Overall, Amber Morn is a good conclusion to a series where I have come to know and enjoy. I understand why Collins chose to include the entire town in the story, I just wish she had narrowed the focus to a smaller group of characters.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful conclusion, June 26, 2008
This review is from: Amber Morn (Kanner Lake Series #4) (Paperback)
Wow....where do I start? Wow! Great book! When you finish a four part series and the characters have become so alive, it's sad to see it end. Simply put, Amber Morn is an incredible conclusion to the Kanner Lake series.
The Java-Joint gang have all come to celebrate the signing of S-Man's contract. It's a beautiful morning, spirits are high, and everyone is bursting with happiness. Never in there wildest nightmares, could they imagine that in a few short minutes, three men would enter, shoot one man, and hold 12 others hostage.
While the first three books are mystery/suspense, Amber Morn is an all out thriller. The characters we've grown quite fond of are put in a situation where their love and friendship is clearly visible. Each one willing to do whatever it takes to protect the others. Each one relying on God and those around them to make it till their ordeal is over. It's an amazing story of friendship and coming together in times of crisis.
It's also an excellent glimpse at the flip side. A hardened family outside of God's love with two uncontrollable adult children. A mother unable to feel beyond her own pain to grasp what her family is doing. A family that sees injustice rather than their own flaws. A family that's willing to kill thirteen people just to see their convicted son freed from jail. An amazing contrast between misguided love and true devoted love.
The end of Amber Morn is a nice conclusion to this series. It was truly one of the best four part series I've read in a while. I found myself totally involved in these character's lives and loving every minute of it. Excellent, excellent series.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fourth entry a fitting end to terrific series, April 7, 2008
This review is from: Amber Morn (Kanner Lake Series #4) (Paperback)
Amber Morn by Brandilyn Collins is the fourth and final book in the Kanner Lake Series. Kent Wicksell's son T.J. is in prison for a crime he claims he didn't commit, so Kent and his other two sons, Mitch and Brad, decide that the only way to get the world to hear of his innocence is to take the bloggers from Scenes & Beans blog hostage when they gather for a party. All the favorites from the previous three books are back and ready to celebrate S-Man's signing of his book contract. But these three volatile men storm in, shoot one of them, and in a systematic way set about getting their story out to the world. Only police chief Vince Edwards can negotiate with the Kent and find out the truth about T.J. Collins is known for writing Seatbelt Suspense, and she lives up to that title again in this book. The scenes are fast and furious leaving me often breathless. I had one small disappointment with this book: the Wicksells were completely unsympathetic, and while I know there are monsters like that in the real world, it would have made for a more complex story. Collins continues to develop the other characters and move their stories forward to a satisfying conclusion.
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