Beyond Reach (The Secret Life Samantha McGregor, Book 2) [Paperback]

Melody Carlson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 2007

If You Thought You Needed Vision, Would You Ask God For It?

Exhausted by her role in the dramatic rescue of Kayla Henderson, Samantha McGregor is ready for a vacation from her God-given visions. But when Sam gets her wish and the visions actually go on hiatus, she’s beginning to wonder if she’s lost her spiritual gift forever. To make matters worse, her police friend Ebony needs her help!

Peter Clark has been dead for several years, an open-and-shut case of suicide, but Ebony’s not convinced. Why would he do it? And why does Ebony suspect foul play? Sam has been no help in the investigation, and just when she’s lost all hope, God gives her a vision of a guy jumping from a railroad bridge. Suddenly the floodgates open and all of Sam’s visions involve suicide. Who is this guy? And what does this have to do with Peter’s death? It’s a race against the clock as Sam worries about every brown-haired guy she meets: her lab partner, Olivia’s rocker friend, Peter’s little brother–they all fit the description!

Whoever the guy in her vision is, his identity is just beyond Sam’s reach, and he’s definitely losing his grip fast…Trusting God will lead her, Sam’s determined to send a message of hope and find him before he gives up.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Samantha is totally ordinary in an extraordinary way. Getting to know her is an experience in itself.”
- Sarah Anne Sumpolec, author of the Becoming Beka series

“Beyond Reach has a storyline similar to many popular TV shows today dealing with ordinary people with a ‘gift’ to see into the future. This page-turning story weaves in suicide, dating relationships, conflicts with parents, and additional issues teens face. Highly recommended!”
- Trish Goyer, author of Generation NeXt Parenting and Night Song

About the Author

Melody Carlson is an award-winning author of more than 100 books for teens, women, and children. She and her husband enjoy an active lifestyle of hiking, camping, and biking in the beautiful yet mysterious Pacific Northwest, where she says, “A new story seems to lurk around every corner.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (April 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590526937
• ISBN-13: 978-1590526934
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #372,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Melody Carlson has written around 200 books for teens, women and children. That's a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a "storyteller." Her books range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She's won a number of awards (including the Rita and Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful YA novel that even adults will enjoy!, June 29, 2007

By 

Michelle Sutton (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Beyond Reach (The Secret Life Samantha McGregor, Book 2) (Paperback)

(As seen on Christian Book Previews site.)

Beyond Reach is the second book in a series, but it reads like a stand-alone novel. From the first page the author pulls the reader into a dramatic scene. Samantha is in an airport and her vision involves terrorists. That's when the reader finds out more about Samantha's special gift. The burden seems to be too much at times and Samantha complains to God about this. Then she stops having visions and she's worried God has taken away her gift.

There are two core components of the rest of the story. Samantha is trying to determine what happened to Peter, who died five years earlier from a gunshot wound to the head, and then there are the strange visions of suicide attempts that plague her.

Without giving the story away, I'll say that the author really knows how to pull the reader along. Sometimes you think you know who the person in danger is, but then the author twists things or puts a spin on the direction you think the story is going. I figured out who was in danger before he was revealed, but that didn't bother me because it made me even more invested in the story. Because I cared about the characters, I wanted to make sure the person was safe, and I sat at the edge of my seat when things started to become clear to Samantha.

Beyond Reach is a multi-faceted novel of intrigue, suspense, and mystery, but it is also a story about the value of true friendship and unconditional love. The heroine genuinely cared about the hurting people in this story and it clearly made a difference in their lives. She set aside her own fears and concerns for the benefit of others. That is what true Christian faith is all about, and the author does a fabulous job showing that Christ-like love can literally save someone from total destruction.

This story inspired me because the characters were very three dimensional and interesting. There was nothing sappy about this story. In fact, Beyond Reach is superior to many YA novels on the market because while the subject matter is depressing, in this story there are vivid scenes that offer hope, and Samantha is such a wonderful role model for youth. I highly recommend this book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars entertaining teen inspirational investigative thriller, April 21, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond Reach (The Secret Life Samantha McGregor, Book 2) (Paperback)

In Oregon, seventeen years old Samantha MacGregor has a gift from God that enables her to see dreams of the problems confronting other people. She has used her ability to help police officer Ebony Hamilton, but after a harrowing case in Arizona involving the missing rule breaker Kayla Henderson (see BAD CONNECTION) she comes home tired and asks God for a timeout.

A few days later Ebony asks Samantha to assist her with a cold case involving a teen Peter Clark shot in the head after leaving a suicide note. His mom believes a homicide occurred after her son's girlfriend Faith Mitchell got in touch with her insisting that Peter would never kill himself. As Samantha tries to help, she realizes she has stopped dreaming for a couple of weeks. That scares her because she believes that God listened to her and took away his gift. She finally envisions her chemistry lab partner Garrett Pierson jumping off a bridge and as to the Clark case she believes the younger brother knows what happened.

BEYOND REACH, book two of the Samantha MacGregor Secret Life tales, is an entertaining teen inspirational investigative thriller starring a heroine struggling with acceptance of God's special gift to her though her faith is strong. Samantha holds the story line together as she tries to use her gift to help others especially her police pal. The cold case will fascinate the audience as Samantha's ability seems gone at first as God heard her prayer for a time out, but how long will that last frightens the courageous teen as she learns to honor what was given to her. The support cast adds mostly to the thriller elements as fans will enjoy Samantha's efforts to do the right thing while trying not to burn out as she is a young human with quite a responsibility.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Stand So Close to Me, August 19, 2007

By 

Deborah "Books, Movies and Chinese Food" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Beyond Reach (The Secret Life Samantha McGregor, Book 2) (Paperback)

Samantha MacGregor feels drained from the visions she's been getting from God and prays for a break. But then Ebony, her police contact, tells her about a cold case where a suicide looks to be more suspicious that what was investigated. Samantha can't figure out how she can help out with this case until she gets a vision of a guy jumping off a bridge. The problem is that every guy she meets seems to fit that description. She begins to look into reasons of why someone would contemplate suicide and realizes that the answers may be closer than she thinks.

This is another superior novel from Melody Carlson. The book starts off with an action packed scene in a airplane involving terrorists and it doesn't stop there. Suicide is a topic that no one likes to talk about but that teens face everyday. The topic of the violence in video games was very much appreciated. I cannot understand how parents knowingly allow their kids to get games with so much killing and gore in it. I felt for Garrett and the situation with his father. I shudder to think how many people are in his situation due to verbal abusive from family members. The characters in this series are really realistic and likable. I like the subplots involving Olivia and her quest to get into the band. Samantha again shows how mature of a teenager she is especially involving situations with her mother and brother. Most people would end up suffering from being in a dysfunctional family. This is one of the best teen fiction books out there, serious with hard hitting issues yet entertaining at the same time. Melody Carlson has really outdone herself.