Forget Me Not: A Novel (Crossroads Crisis Center) [Paperback]

Vicki Hinze (Author)

Book Description

Series: Crossroads Crisis Center | Publication Date: March 16, 2010

THEIR ELUSIVE ENEMIES TOOK EVERYTHING.  NOW THEY WANT MORE.
 
Crossroads Crisis Center owner Benjamin Brandt was a content man—in his faith, his work, and his family.  Then in a flash, everything he loved was snatched away.  His wife and son were murdered, and grief-stricken Ben lost faith.  Determination to find their killers keeps him going, but after three years of dead ends and torment, his hope is dying too.  Why had he survived?  He’d failed to protect his family.  
 
Now, a mysterious woman appears at Crossroads seeking answers and help—a victim who eerily resembles Ben’s deceased wife, Susan.  A woman robbed of her identity, her life, of everything except her faith—and Susan’s necklace.  
 
The connections between the two women mount, exceeding coincidence, and to keep the truth hidden, someone is willing to kill.  Finding out who and why turns Ben and the mystery woman’s situation from dangerous to deadly.  Their only hope for survival is to work together, trust each other, and face whatever they discover head on, no matter how painful. But will that be enough to save their lives and heal their tattered hearts?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Author of more than 20 novels of romance and suspense and three works of nonfiction, Hinze has written a masterful, complicated tale of suspense that gains momentum with each turn of a page. Her writing flows surely, moving from one character to the next, one setting to another, with readers keeping the swift pace. . Benjamin Brandt, owner of the Crossroads Crisis Center, hasn't set foot in the center since his wife and son were murdered a few years earlier. Then Susan comes to the center, beaten and battered, suffering a case of amnesia, and also bearing a close resemblance to Benjamin's deceased wife, also named Susan, and wearing the dead woman's cross necklace. The two clash at first, but even as murders occur around them, the tension between them relaxes. Still, there is a mystery to be solved involving Susan's identity and a past that must be reckoned with before either can move ahead. Hinze's plot may have readers puzzling over how this tangled tale will ever resolve itself, but that underestimates the author's talent for transforming the unlikely into something beautiful. (Mar.)
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Review

“Forget Me Not is edge-of-your-seat suspense. Each page left me breathless with anticipation for the next page. This book is non-put-downable.”
–Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Written with equal parts grace and passion, Vicki Hinze’s latest thriller Forget Me Not delves deeply into a the chilling world of twisted loyalties, amnesia, and the struggle of a woman to expose a terrorist plot. Romantic, suspenseful, and ultimately uplifting, this story proves that what is buried in the past never stays buried forever. A great read by a writer who continues to amaze”
–James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Doomsday Key

“I literally couldn’t put down Forget Me Not by Vicki Hinze. The suspense kept me flipping pages until long after midnight and I loved the plot twists. Highly recommended!”
–Colleen Coble, author of The Lightkeeper’s Bride and the Rock Harbor series

“Vicki Hinze is a masterful storyteller who has weaved unique and rich characters into a compelling, thought-provoking novel. Forget Me Not is a fabulous page-turner with incredible plot twists that will keep you guessing until the very end.   Highly recommended!”
–Mark Mynheir, homicide detective and author of The Night Watchman

“Vicki Hinze’s Forget Me Not is a novel I couldn’t put down. The fast pace makes for a quick read, the story is full of action and intrigue while the romance flows naturally from the plot. The message of God’s presence in our everyday lives provides an emotional uplifting long after the story ends. I highly recommend Forget Me Not.
–Robin Caroll, author of the bayou series and Deliver Us From Evil

“The always-entertaining Vicki Hinze breaks new ground with this intriguing tale, filled with nail-biting suspense, emotional turmoil and heartfelt redemption. This novel celebrates the sturdiness of the human spirit and the healing power of faith. Don’t miss it!”
–Susan Wiggs, author of Just Breathe

“Forget Me Not took off like a bullet from a shotgun and gripped me all the way to the exciting end.  With tight plotting, twists and turns, a sweet romance and lots of action, I’ll be making room on my romantic suspense shelf for more books from Vicki Hinze!”
–Susan May Warren, award-winning author of Nothing But Trouble

“Forget Me Not is a season of the television show 24 in print, with a long list of surprises, a good love story, and a great inspirational uplift. An excellent read!”
–Hannah Alexander, author of A Killing Frost

“One of the best romantic suspense novels I've read this year! The mysterious, intriguing opening hooked me right away, and Vicki's characters made me root for them. I can't recommend this book enough!”
–Camy Tang, author of Deadly Intent and the Sushi series

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (March 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601422059
• ISBN-13: 978-1601422057
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was raised in New Orleans. After I married a Hurricane Hunter/Special Ops officer, we and our children moved every few years. Some of those places? Mississippi (recently devastated by Hurricane Katrina); California; Illinois and Florida.

I've been writing full-time since 1987, have written over thirty books--novels and nonfiction--and for the last ten years or so, I've spent a lot of time teaching new writers or running mentoring programs like [e-mail], when I answer questions on the craft, business and writing life, sharing what I can to help. I also have a free online writers' library, ON WRITING, on my website:(www.vickihinze.com)that WritersZone members and others are welcome to use. Additional podcasts and feature articles are available there, too. I'm a sponsor of As a Mom--love their project teaching history--The Book Club Network, and of International Thriller Writers.

Between family and writing commitments, I don't have as much time for hobbies as I once did. My favorite? Home-improvement projects. I'm active in ITW, MWA, RWA, ACFW, NINC, ACRA, AG, AWSA and other writing organizations.

Blogs? Oh, yes. My Kitchen Table for chatting, On Writing about craft, business and the writing life. VICKI HINZE'S FAITH ZONE, on spirituality. THINKING ALOUD--a thought per day to ponder for the busiest among us. All are on my website at www.vickihinze.com/blog I love hearing from readers, typically via my website or Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vicki-Hinze/197809543636310) and Twitter ( http://twitter.com/vickihinze ).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Story With An Intriguing Plot, March 16, 2010

By 

Melissa (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Forget Me Not: A Novel (Crossroads Crisis Center) (Paperback)

When she awoke in the middle of a field, beaten and with a head injury, she had little memory of her identity or her life. She remembered being in New Orleans and she remembered being car jacked, but she couldn't remember her name, where she came from, or other details of her life. She only had two items in her possession, a card from Crossroads Crisis Center with the name Susan written on the back and a gold cross necklace. Assuming she must be a resident or at least known by people at the center, that is where she decided to begin searching for her identity. When she reached the center, she saw a picture of the founder of the center, Susan, who looks remarkably like herself. Can she really be this Susan, who people believe died three years earlier? With few memories of her past, she's forced to rely on the only certainty she has, her faith in God.

Since Susan died, her husband Ben has struggled with not only his faith, but with consuming guilt. When he meets this mysterious woman, who looks remarkably similar to his deceased wife, he immediately suspects she's a con artist. However, as he spends time with her and pieces of her memory returns, he begins to see how Susan and this woman's lives intersected. Perhaps after three years of searching for answers, he'll finally understand why his wife and son were killed and by whom. With a cast of influential, double crossing villains, Forget Me Not is an entertaining story that is both touching and uplifting.

I normally avoid books with an obvious romantic storyline. Usually they come across as a bit cheesy and unrealistic. There are times, though, when I'm in the mood for a sweet story that's more in the vein of a typical Christian novel with a love story as a portion of the plot. Forget Me Not was a nice fit for my current mood. While parts of it were somewhat unrealistic and idealistic, the main storyline was extremely interesting and presented a bit of a challenge to untangle the web of deceit the villains had spun.

I really enjoyed Hinze's main plot. It was complex, well thought out and developed. How each character's life intersected with another was written superbly and enhanced the intrigue. Good attention to detail was given to make sure that each villain, though plotting only for their best interest, was challenged by another villain plotting for their own best interest. This total consumption with self was not only fun to read, but contrasted nicely with the heroes in the story. The scheming among individuals and the deceit between allies was the best part of this story.

An interesting part of the story was the three philanthropists and how their background affected their work. All three people were independently wealthy and worked hard to help others, but their motivations were different. One used charity as a front for his illegal activities. Another person used their wealth to help others due to a difficult childhood and deep faith in God. While another person began helping others because of their faith, but due to tragedy was struggling to continue. It was a subtle glimpse into how faith and background affects actions and the benefits of properly used wealth. I really enjoyed this portion of the story and Hinze did a nice job of integrating it into the story without it being a focal point.

I read a lot of Christian fiction and I'm a fan of suspenseful books with subtle Christian themes. I like the characters to live their faith more than to tell me or others about their faith. Forget Me Not is much more in the vein of traditional Christian fiction, with overt Christian elements, than the books I normally read. The leading character is a devout Christian and she's partnered with someone struggling with their faith. As expected the interaction and character development of these two characters is pretty typical of most Christian novels. I would love to have this character's faith and I would love for God to always provide calm in the way this woman received it. However, it's not particularly realistic. As I said earlier, I was in the mood for this type of book, so I was prepared for and expected to get some pretty strong dialog and moments of faith lessons, but it is more idealistic than what I usually enjoy.

Forget Me Not is similar in many ways to Teri Blackstock and Dee Henderson's novels. Fans of their books will enjoy this one as well. It has a really good storyline and was a perfect choice when I wanted something on the lighter, more encouraging side. With a gentle touch and a sweet romantic angle, they reader is left with great affirmation of God's omnipotence and a reminder that even when we don't know where God is, He has not forgotten us.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect beach read, April 6, 2010

By 

C. Miller (Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forget Me Not: A Novel (Crossroads Crisis Center) (Paperback)

I loved this book. I received a copy from Waterbrook Multinomah for review and what a fun book to review.
Seriously, I got so engrossed in this novel, I literally forget to fix dinner for the family.

The faith lessons in this book: believable without being preachy.
The adventure: enthralling
The characters: believable and entertaining

At the end, I really wondered "Hey, what happens next?"

This is the perfect beach-read. Grab a sand chair, a cold glass of water and enjoy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hold On To Your SEAT!, April 12, 2010

By 

Mommx9 "mommx9" (California's Mojave Desert) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forget Me Not: A Novel (Crossroads Crisis Center) (Paperback)

WOW. What a page turner! I loved this book. I've never read anything by Vicki Hinze before this, but I'll be looking for more. This book starts you off on the edge of your seat and won't let you up until the end. I couldn't stop reading, even when I wanted to. When forced to do it, I went to bed and dreamed up scenarios.

The main character's faith is wonderful. She has that kind of faith that all of us want, need, and respect. She also, thankfully, is real. She's not perfect, she has her moments, but she's CHARACTERIZED by a complete and abiding faith in the goodness of God. Oh, and I didn't mind having my theory that a person with memory loss would still have the Holy Spirit in them and they'd know that they knew the Lord. My own character, Ella, was just validated by this book.

This isn't an easy book to read. There are several subplots going on at one time and she literally drops you into them all almost at once. As you read, you peel back the layers of this story until, at the end, you see the whole picture. I found myself rereading portions to be sure I understood what I read and to find out who someone was again. There are a lot of characters. There are a lot of plots. She does a great job of juggling it and keeping the book moving forward, but this is not a lazy read for a hot summer afternoon. Save it for a day when you're ready to engage your thought process as well as your heart.

I loved how the relationships developed, but I'll admit, it did feel awfully sudden. It's a personal pet peeve of mine to read about people falling for each other within hours/days of meeting... particularly when there are murder attempts, amnesia, and deep grief in play. Just sayin'. That part seemed a bit implausible to me, but I'm not a natural romantic, so what do I know? Aside from that little quibble, and a few places where the writing was awkward (minor minor quibble but I tend to tell all), Ms. Hinze did a masterful job of telling this story in a way that kept you reading... long after you should have been sleeping.

Would I recommend it? OH YES! I definitely do. Without caveat. Buy. The. Book. Period. If you don't like tension and suspense, well then maybe not, but otherwise, you'll be entertained, your mind engaged, your sympathy alerted, and your soul nourished by the example of Susan/Kelly/Karen's faith.