Customer Reviews

Over Her Head: A Novel (Faithwords)

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I recently travelled from Dallas to Phoenix by bus. I took four books with me. The first one I pulled from my bag as I settled back into those not-so-comfy Grayhound seats was Over Her Head by Shelley Bates. I chose it first because I knew it would be good. I wasn't disappointed. This book deals with the quest to have the perfect family only to find that everything is no so perfect. The heroine is developed and likable, especially for her flaws. What mother wouldn't wish the shoe was on the other foot. One of the most charming threads in a book that cannot be described as charming (death of a teenager, blackmail, rife in the church)is how the person you least consider 'friend' material is sometimes the 'friend' you need most. If Christian fiction continues to deliver as this book did, I may have to change my buying habits.

Once drawn in, I could not put this novel down. I found Over Her Head to be a satisfying read, and identified with the heroine who puts herself out for church and community, finds herself questioning her own faith and the friendships of others. Shelley Bates does a masterful job weaving all the elements of inspiration and conflict, from the adult level to the teens. I highly recommend this book.

Laurie Hale as the perfect life - and the perfect family. Her husband has a great job, she's active in leadership at her church, and her children seem happy. Then a girl dies in a freak episode that soon has the town buzzing with gossip and animosity. Rumors fly that Laurie's daughter was somehow involved in the death. What if Anna really was involved in Randi's murder?

I couldn't read without wondering how I would react. I like to think I have rock solid faith in God, my family, my friends. But how often has that faith been tested? I could also imagine all too well what it would be like to have a child go through an experience like Anna's. This book falls in the women's fiction genre. It is haunting and worth your time.

I just finished OVER HER HEAD (read in one sitting - COULDN'T put it down!) When I read something this well written, this thought provoking, this entertaining...I have to send kudos to the one who crafted it, and recommend it to everyone.


Over Her Head by Shelley Bates was a delicious read. I was lost in the story from page one. The first chapter grabbed. The following start to chapter two with the 911 call report was brilliant. The emails haunting. I simply was transported to another time/place and my emotions were drained by the time...oops. Don't want to spoil it. This is a MUST READ for the summer!

Shelley Bates' Laurie reminds me of a lot of women I know, have known, and have been. And to be honest, Laurie hit way too close to home.

I suppose it is of the order of highest praise to have issues with a character who convicts you. Shelley should take it as such.

Anna, well, I have some issues with her, too.

Overall, I need to tell you that this is not an easy read if you are in the process of discovering that you are offended, or if your church relationships aren't quite meeting your needs. If you wrestle with a difficult teenager and you've recently ripped a few bald spots on your scalp, the struggles within this novel may stir you up.

The story could be torn from newspaper headlines. Bates handles spirituality and faith realistically. The story flows. The suspense is moderate, and there is a bit of gore.

Over Her Head by Shelley Bates is a fantastic read in an unusual way. Most Christian fiction books put a sympathetic character at their heart. Laurie Hale was the girl you hated in high school who was pretty and popular and homecoming queen. Then she grew up to be the woman you hate: leader in the church and community, perfect family, part of every club and function. Laurie has the perfect life with her two children: 14-year-old Anna and 10-year-old Tim. But on her morning run, Laurie comes across the body of a young girl Anna's age on a sandbar in the river. Questions race through town about the girl's mysterious death, and soon evidence comes to light that Anna may be involved. Laurie's pretenses and pride are stripped away as her friends and even family turn on her. The killer in the story is fairly obvious, but that's not what's important in this suspense tale. Laurie's quest for the truth about her daughter and all of the things she held dear is what matters here. I was very impressed by Bates' ability to make Laurie human while showing her falseness openly. Laurie doesn't understand the growing gap between her and Anna and that only causes them both to pull farther apart. Bates doesn't settle for a happy ending where all plotlines are neatly tied up, and that makes the story believable. This is a great book for suspense lovers, and it has a terrific message that even when we are lost, God is always there to help us find our way home.

In the Pittsburgh commuting suburb of Glendale, Laurie Hale believes she is blessed by God. Her marriage is solid and their two perfect children seem contented and adjusted; so much so Laurie has high hopes for the futures of her fourteen year old daughter Anna and ten year old son Tim. She enjoys attending the women's Bible study group as she is friends with all the members.

Perhaps her only "sin" is pride as she is proud of her family members, her Bible club group, and her community. In fact pride drives her to jog as size sixteen looms. However, the run ends abruptly when Laurie finds the murdered body of Randi, a student in Anna's class. She calls the police who investigate and soon Anna and several other teens emerge as the prime suspects. Shattered as her perfect illusion vanished in a blink, Laurie questions everything she believed in including God and her marriage.

This is a strong inspirational whodunit in which the heroine has her cocoon ripped apart by the police suspecting her daughter as the killer. The shock to Laurie is a form of battle fatigue syndrome as she evaluates the validity of all she thought were universal truisms, but now proves unreliable. Laurie is a great protagonist holding the deep thriller together as the townsfolk are stunned and want vengeance while she and the other moms have no place to hide as their offspring are in deep trouble. OVER HER HEAD affirms that strong Christian messages can be interwoven into a powerful entertaining mystery.

Harriet Klausner