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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spellbinding Romantic Suspense, January 29, 2009
This review is from: Seeing Red (Mass Market Paperback)
Any book that keeps me glued to the pages until 1:30am then keeps me awake thinking about all the twists and turns of the story for another hour after I turn that final page has more than earned my highest rating of 5 stars.
Life as she knew it was forever altered for thirteen-year-old Ellis Greene on the night her older cousin, Laura was kidnapped from the bedroom they shared then raped, beaten and left to die on the beach. Police quickly focused their attention on Nate Vance, Laura's boyfriend, and the poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks was convicted in the court of public opinion by everyone in the small town of Belle Island except Ellis. Nate and Laura had been her best friends and Ellis knew that Nate would never have hurt Laura. Ellis also knew that someone else had been outside their bedroom window that night. She had smelled his cheap cologne and sour body odor, had seen him on the path next to the house and it was her brave testimony during the trial that put Hollis Alexander in prison. But a steely gaze and two words - "You'll pay" - from Alexander had also put Ellis in prison, a prison of fear, her innocent, carefree life gone, along with Nate who disappeared from Belle Island the day Alexander was convicted.
Fifteen years later, the fallout from Laura's death still haunts Ellis's family. Her parents smother her with protection and Ellis employs every possible method to keep safe, including appearing at every parole hearing to insure Alexander remains in prison. But someone has removed her family from the parole board's notification list and now Alexander is free to return to Belle Island...on the very same day that Nate Vance reappears in town after a fifteen year absence. Suddenly, Ellis is receiving threatening notes, dead roses appear on her doorstep and sinister phone calls make it clear that "she's next" but police refuse to believe it's the work of Alexander. Then a young girl bearing a striking resemblance to Laura is brutally murdered and suspicion once again shifts to Nate. Suddenly, Ellis doesn't know who to trust. Is the true culprit Alexander who swears he's innocent of her cousin's murder? Her feelings for Nate have been intensifying but could she have been wrong about him all those years ago? He swears that he never forgot her, kept track of her during the years he was gone and has returned to town to protect her but he won't divulge anything about his life or what he's been doing all those years away. Or could these unspeakable acts be the work of Rory, the long-time boyfriend she recently broke up with who refuses to accept that their relationship has ended and grows angrier with each encounter? The mystery grows deeper with every page and people, and situations, are not always what they seem. The twists and turns of this spellbinding tale kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend Susan Crandall's SEEING RED.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow!, February 24, 2009
This review is from: Seeing Red (Mass Market Paperback)
Author Susan Crandall lived in Chicago and worked as a dental hygienist before pursuing her writing career. This title, Seeing Red, follows other titles: Pitch Black, A Kiss in Winter, On Blue Falls Pond, Promises to Keep, Magnolia Sky, The Road Home, and Back Roads. She resides in Indiana with her husband and two children.
Fifteen years ago, Ellis Greene was the only witness to the horrendous kidnapping and murder of her beloved cousin, a crime that still had her small town cautious and stumped. The man who she testified against and helped to convict is now out on parole and damned determined to get his revenge. Ellis was tired of living her life in terror, fearful to go out into the night or even form an attachment to anyone. She was lonely, guilt-stricken, and worse- scared senseless that her cousin's killer was going to come after her. When her childhood friend, Nate Vance, left town shortly before the trial, the small South Carolina community began to suspect that he played a part in the murder. So, he stayed away to keep her safe. Emerging from the shadows, Nate returns to the only person who believed him then, to protect the woman capturing his heart now. No longer the teenager of all knees and elbows, Ellis has grown into a beautiful and strong young woman. As two friends become reunited, startling secrets begin to unfold making everyone wonder what really happened that night fifteen years ago. And was the truth worth seeking if another girl would die?
First of all, I want to give the author a massive amount of credit for truly understanding what it is like to be a victim and able to portray that so the reader can feel that devastation, fear, and torment that they face. It doesn't end with a conviction and in some cases it never really goes away. That understanding gave these characters life in a realistic manner not often seen and had you relating to each word you read. The book was hard to put down and I didn't find any areas where I lost interest. The suspense was fast-paced and the romance was irresistible. The little bits of point-of-view change were clever, giving you just enough to bite. I found the secondary characters very intriguing, as well. Bravo for understanding the Carolinas and a southern mindset, too.
Seeing Red, by Susan Crandall, is a complex, compelling, and well-written book. Most definitely an author to keep your eye out for.
Kelly Moran,
Author and Reviewer
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well done romantic suspense - deserves 3.5 stars, March 11, 2009
This review is from: Seeing Red (Mass Market Paperback)
When I was a teenager, I saw the movie "Cape Fear," and it had me flinching and cowering in my seat every time Robert DeNiro appeared onscreen. That guy freaked me out! "Seeing Red" has the same premise; an ex-convict gets out on parole and returns to get revenge on those who put him in prison. This is a well crafted suspense that starts out really strong, finishes nicely, but left me wanting a bit more from the romance. Just based on the writing, I would bet $100 bucks that Crandall's other novels are pretty good too.
Between the hero and the heroine, I think Ellis leaves a bigger impression. When she was fourteen years-old her testimony put Hollis Alexander behind bars, and his vengeful promise, "You'll pay," motivated her to learn martial arts. Go girl! Unfortunately, it also gave her a phobia of being outdoors after dark. Not that I blame her one little bit. She's tough, vulnerable, and likable.
Nate, our hero, should be so bitter his face should pucker like he's sucking a lemon. Miraculously, he barely acts bothered at being ostracized and convicted in the eyes of his former town. Nate should have some serious angst, but it doesn't come through, and it's like a hole in his character. Otherwise, I found him to be appropriately protective and devoted to Ellis. I just didn't see fireworks when they kissed.
This is a nice, tight plot, and I'd give it a higher rating, but even though I enjoyed the ride, I'm not sure I'll remember this one.
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