Footsteps [Illustrated] [Paperback]

DiAnn Mills (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

Every parent's nightmare comes true for Debra Patterson, whose children disappear from the entrance to a Houston mall when she dashes into the pouring rain to get their car. When Debra learns that her husband is also missing, apparently having taking the children with him, she feels her whole world is collapsing. Suddenly out from under her husband's iron fist, but very much alone, she must find new strength. . .and the path that will bring her children back to her arms. Author DiAnn Mills's chilling story follows Debra's downward spiral and ultimate reliance on God for support.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Themes of forgiveness and faith permeate this predictable but mildly entertaining thriller for the Christian market. When Debra Patterson's successful but abusive lawyer-husband Michael abducts their two young children in Houston and disappears from the country, she hits the bottle and laments the turn her life has taken. Then her best friend Jill hooks her up with God, and after the inevitable conversion scene, Debra finds solace while waiting for news about her family by substitute teaching and volunteering in a hospital with critically ill and injured children. Soon she meets Dr. Cale Thurston, a cardiologist with his own issues of forgiveness and loss, and the two strike up a friendship that is destined for romance from the earliest pages. There are glitches—some readers will wonder why Michael abducted his kids at a mall when he had numerous opportunities to do so from home, and Debra's change from agnostic to Christian-retreat speaker feels over the top. The dialogue sometimes veers toward preachiness ("You are the best friend in the world—next to Jesus") and the novel is occasionally marred by overwriting ("her thoughts screamed like the sea gulls near Galveston"). But Christian readers looking for a gentle read, strong statements of faith, light suspense and a happily-ever-after ending should find this well-paced novel to their liking.
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Review

Footsteps will make you hold your children just a little tighter at bedtime. Highly recommended! -- www.craighart.net

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593101791
• ISBN-13: 978-1593101794
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #681,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Award-winning author DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels. DiAnn's first book was published in 1998. She currently has more than fifty books in print, which have sold more than a million and a half copies.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won placements through the American Christian Fiction Writer's Book of the Year Awards from 2003 to 2008. DiAnn was also a Carol Award finalist in 2010 & 2011. She received the Inspirational Reader's Choice award in 2005, 2007, and 2010, and was a Christy Award finalist in 2008 and a RITA Award finalist in 2010. In 2010, DiAnn won the Christy Award for Breach of Trust and in 2011 she won the Christy Award for Sworn to Protect, the first and second books in her Call of Duty series.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive; Romance Writers of America's Faith, Hope and Love chapter; and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.

She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.


Awards
2011 Christy Award Winner - Sworn to Protect
2011 Carol Award Finalist - Pursuit of Justice
2011 Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence Finalist - Pursuit of Justice
2011 Golden Quill Award Finalist - A Woman Called Sage
2011 Award of Excellence Finalist - Pursuit of Justice
2010 Christy Award Winner - Breach of Trust
2010 Inspirational Reader's Choice Winner - Breach of Trust
2010 RITA Finalist - Breach of Trust
2010 Carol Award Finalist - Breach of Trust
2008 Christy Award Finalist - Lightning and Lace
2005 Inspirational Reader's Choice Winner - Footsteps
2005 Inspirational Reader's Choice Winner - Novella At the End of the Bayou from Hidden Motives

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended!, May 19, 2005

By 

Jack W. Regan (Grand Rapids, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Footsteps (Paperback)

DiAnn Mills' Footsteps gives the reader a close look at the downward spiral of a woman caught in tragedy. Debra Patterson's two children are abducted by their father, Michael, and all three disappear into thin air. And so begins the heartbroken mother's descent into despair, loneliness, and self-pity. Slipping into alcoholism, Debra struggles to deal with her shattering losses, while at the same time trying to shut out the quiet voice of God.

After alcohol fails to fill the void in her life, Debra turns to service, giving her time and energy to helping other children in need. However, at last forced to come face-to-face with her own needs, she turns to God and responds to His persistent call.

Although her new relationship with God gives her a fresh lease on life, Debra's problems are not over -- her children are still missing, along with her husband, Michael, who she struggles to forgive.

Footsteps takes the reader into the heart of the struggle, through the desperate first hours of searching, to the long, protracted efforts of first the FBI and, finally, a private investigator. Debra Patterson must rely on God and rebuild her trust in man if she is ever to see her lost children again.

Footsteps by DiAnn Mills will make you hold your children just a little tighter at bedtime. Highly recommended!

Craig Hart (...)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DiAnn Mills Promises -- and Delivers -- Adventure!, October 14, 2004

By 

persian sunrise (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Footsteps (Paperback)

Debra Patterson experiences every parent's worst nightmare - the disappearance of her children. When she discovers her husband plotted for months before snatching them, her world collapses. Debra's journey to locate her missing children leads her on a path of self-discovery and faith. Parents, you may want to cuddle your own children a little closer after reading this book. I could not put it down and highly recommend it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat Story!, October 11, 2004

By 

Pamela S. Meyers (Arlington Heights, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Footsteps (Paperback)

Before sitting down to read this book be sure all the lights are on in the house, the windows are locked and you have plenty of coffee handy because you won't want to sleep until you've finished the book. It's that good. When Debra Patterson discovers her children along with her controlling, perfectionistic husband have disappeared she feels she has no where to turn. Her only solace is the love and support of her best friend, a friend who helps her see that only God is the answer and not other means of dulling the pain. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed!