Customer Reviews

Superstition

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Nicky Sullivan is a cub reporter and correspondent for the "24-Hour Investigates" news magazine (think 48-Hours), and is out to prove herself so she can attain her goal of co-host on a New York based morning news program. Sometimes her ambition clouds her judgment and sense of safety. In her hometown of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, a grisly unsolved mystery still haunts the residents. With the help of her psychic mother, she plans a live on-air seance to bring the dead teens back to solve the crime on national television. The problem is her psychic mom is blocked. But the show must go on, despite protestations of the town mayor and harried new police chief, Joe Franconi. Joe has his own set of issues, including discussions with a long-dead friend, Brian. Soon, another murder with the same MO occurs, and it looks like Nicky is another of the intended victims.

From the moment they meet, Joe is attracted to Nicky. She, on the other hand is quite surly since no one gets in her way of the story, even to the detriment of an on-going police investigation. Joe does his best to protect her, but she won't have it - she has to be at the crux of the action. He'd have been better off letting the killer take care of her. I never really felt like the connection was there on her end - she seemed to be using him to further her career, so the romance was lukewarm. Joe has a checkered past, which threatens his new position in the wrong hands (i.e., an ambitious reporter).

The story meanders for quite some time, then tosses in lots of last minute plot twists, and an implausible turn of events that makes you go "huh?" to end the story abruptly. The most interesting characters were Joe and Cleo the pork-eating pig (the scene where they are caught on camera is hysterical). The writing is clunky, the plot boring and drawn out, and the psychic aspects just overused. I wasn't too impressed - I expect a bit more from a Karen Robards thriller.

Nicole Sullivan is a host for a show similar to one on Court TV. She returns to her home island to investigate a 15 year old murder. She is hoping to revive a dying career. Her mother is a psychic and she wants to televise her mother trying to contact the spirits in the murder house.

Joe Franconi is the Police Chief of the Island. HE is a burnt out cop who got wounded when a bust went bad. He does not expect a murder to happen on his little island. He and Nicky seem to get together very quickly.

This sounds like a good plot, but beware, Nicky is a media vulture, out for the fame. And Joe is just burnt out. I wait a year for each new Karen Robards book and I was disappointed. The first 350 pages try to get you to empathize with the main characters, the last 65 you get all the action and explaination and let say it was not worth it.

With everyone seeing ghosts and old or possibly new murderers doing their best to kill Nicky, she is struggling for her 15 minutes of fame to catch the notice of a Morning News Show looking for a co-host. Joe is trying to live with a ghost he keeps seeing from his last bust. There was a great potential here for a great book. But the ending is so simple and straight forward ( even with two murderers ) that you just feel let down.

I could have had better feelings for the book if our two main characters had a little more character or integrity. The fact that they both got their best outcome was beside the point. I have been able to find something in everyone of Karen's previous characters. But Nicky was a total selfish fish. This one did not do it for me. Like I always say different strokes for different folks, so you may like it. But these are my thoughts and I hate to pay so much for a book and be let down. How about you?

It took me a bit of time to get into this book, as the author has a tendency to get a bit wordy and extensive on some less than critical descriptions at the beginning, but after a while, I started to feel closer to the characters and get more into the story. Once the story really gets going, the action picks up and you begin to get drawn in much more. I will agree with other reviewers that Joe and Cleo the pig are the most interested characters in the book. While this was not the best Karen Robards novel I've read, it was still good enough to keep me going through to the end and feel basically satisfied.

This book was so mediocre, it's hard to know where to start. The female protangantist wasn't quite likable. At times, she seemed too stupid to live. She's a journalist who broadcasts all the police leads that she comes across (even though this comprises the investigation of a serial killer) under the guise of "if I don't report it someone else will" - I believe this lack of morals is why everyone is disgusted with the media today. The ending was surprising - I was clearly surprised that all the loose ends would be so unbelievably tied up. Below par for Miss Robards.

The plot was great and this could have been a wonderful book, but the main female lead, Nicky, was TSTL (Too Stupid to Live). Why is it that reporters, particularly female reporters, in novels lately are portrayed as soulless, self involved, arrogant creatures who will use anyone and anything to get to the top? Even though Nicky is the target of a serial killer she uses one of the most inane lines rampant in literature and life; "I can take care of myself!" No, you can't. No one can take care of themselves all the time, in every situation and thinking that you can will get you killed. It's kind of hard to believe that Nicky, a regular average woman, can go against a knife wielding serial killer and come out the winner. Why isn't she smart enough to assume the worst and act accordingly? This killer has her next on his list so why go running around alone ringing the dinner bell and putting everyone else in danger?
She leaked information that she got from the police in a very underhanded way, completely compromised a police investigation, and used her relationship with the sheriff to snoop.
The sad truth is that because of Nicky's actions several people died brutally, including a police officer trying to protect her. She knew this could happen but apparently other peoples lives don't matter to her. Yet, she never felt one bit of guilt, nor did anyone else mention it. Apparently everything was acceptable if it furthered her career.

Although I have some complaints about this book, I still enjoyed it due to the likeable characters. There was the loveable pig, the kooky uncles, and the even kookier psychic mother. There were some very amusing scenes. However, I don't think it really completely succeeds as a thriller, mystery or romance. It had parts of all of those elements, but maybe it was all too much for one book. The romance felt a little forced, although the love scenes were great. But, those love scenes felt awkard with the other story going on--seriel killer possibly attacking at any moment, rushing to solve the mystery and catching said killer. I thought the main characters saved the romance because they were strong, intelligent, attractive and at times very amusing themselves. The story races to a finish that wrapped everything up with a nice neat bow. Maybe I've read too many of these types of books, but I wasn't really surprised by the ending. Again, even though I have these issues, I thought it was much better written than the average thriller/romance. It kept me up way late last night reading so I could finish it.

I was really disappointed with Karen Robards latest tale. I have read ALL of her books and I have never been disappointed before. Neither one of the characters did it for me, especially Nicky. She was just a little bit too gungho, ruthless and kinda pushy. She was also either stupid or had a death wish seeing as how she just didn't seem to care all that much about her welfare during most of the book. She kept taking crazy chances and came back to the island where she was attacked and almost killed all in the name of her job. It's great that she was ambitious and wanting to further her career, but that chick needed a help group for workaholics. Also I didn't like the way the story touched on the fact that she had psychic abilities as a child, but repressed them and then when she experienced psychic phenomena as an adult it went nowhere and wasn't mentioned again. The logical conclusion to that(to me at least)is that she would have once again begun to have psychic visions and such, being that she was no longer repressing and was pretty well open to the whole seeing ghosts thing. The whole plot just didn't seem well thought out and the ending was just a little to quick also.

I agree with the other reviewers who touched on the fact that Ms. Robards dragged the story at a snail's pace by cramming even the most insignificant of sentences full of ridiculous descriptions. Considering she took forever building up the suspense, the ending seemed outrageously short.
I did like certain aspects of the plot, I even liked the main characters and their relationship development but boy did this novel just not live up to its potential.

Location: Pawley's Island, South Carolina. This story opens in the past as a teenage girl, Tara Mitchell, is running for her life in the mansion of a friend. She and her two friends were to have a sleepover but something has gone terribly wrong and someone is after her and she doesn't know why. The opening chapter closes as she is brutally murdered.

Vince Capra, the Mayor of Pawley's Island informs his fairly new Police Chief, Joe Franconi, that a TV crew is setting up in the old mansion and he wants them out of there! The Mayor feels the publicity about a 15-year old murder/disappearance of 3 teenage girls will be bad for their tourist season starting the next month, June. Joe is an ex-vice cop from New Jersey who was wounded and seems to have left the force under a cloud so he settled in the "peaceful" town to recover and reduce his stress.

Meanwhile, Nicole (Nicky) Sullivan, a TV reporter for Chicago's "Twenty-four Hour Investigates", has returned home to help herself, her show's ratings and her mom. Nicky's mom is Leonora James, a renowned psychic and medium. It is the 15 year anniversary of the death of Tara Mitchell and the disappearance of her two friends. Nicky has persuaded her mom to walk through the house with the TV camera in the live portion of her show. Nicky's family is rather eccentric to say the least as it consists of her mom, her mom's third husband, her Uncle Ham, Uncle John, and her older sister, Livvy who is 7 months pregnant and separated from her two-timing husband plus various assistants and so on.

Leonora tells Nicky she is "blocked" and doesn't want to go on TV, but Nicky persists and brings her mom and the gang to the mansion where her TV crew awaits. Leonora is able to view what happened to Tara Mitchell and at the end of the broadcast, real screams are heard although no one knows the source. Nicky follows Karen, one of her crew, who she thinks she sees outside on her cell phone. Nicky herself is hit on the head and cut and dragged under the trees where she sees Karen's body. She is rescued just in time by Joe and others who were on their way down the drive. After this extremely close encounter with a murderer, Nicky is contacted by the murderer by phone and by email and for Nicky and the police, the hunt is on.

I loved Nicky's crazy family and also Joe's friend Dave and his pig Cleo and Joe's "friend", Brian. I felt Ms. Robards did an excellent job portraying the evil in this story that is involved in so many ways. Some people might thing there was a mishmash with the mystery, romance, comedy, suspense and paranormal but I felt the author did a good job pulling it together.

Karen Robards writes a spin tingling tale in her newest novel Superstition.

Nicky Sullivan, top reporter for a 24 hour Investigates is back in her hometown of Pawley Island SC. Fifteen years ago there was a brutal murder in town. Nicky has her mother a noted psychic to help solve the case. Another murder occurs on the night of the broadcast. This puts Nicky and her family and crew in danger.

Police chief Joe Franconi came to quiet Pawley Island to simplify his life. These TV people are making his life a three-ring circus. Plus he is attracted to its star Nicky. When the terror escalates Joe will protect Nicky with his life.

Superstition is a riveting tale of evil that lurks where you least expect it. The story pulls you and doesn't let go. The dynamics of Nicky's family is funny, sweet and touching. Nicky and Joe are two strong willed characters that deserve a chance at love.