Customer Reviews

Target

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The infamous, bone-chilling mental images of Heaven's Gate and Jones Town mass murders comes to mind as one ventures deep into Stella Cameron latest sinister tale.

The main characters, Nick, Sarah, and Aurelie were somehow spared from the mass murder of a pretend peace commune, "The Refuge."

They lived together as a factitious family to protect their true identities and tried to forget the painful memories but alas the horror of their pasts has caught up with them.

Their lives are once again in grave danger!

This story serves as a ghostly reminder of the American cult culture phenomenon and reflects our own deep rooted desires to belong and be loved.

This is a must read especially if one is a fan of Body of Evidence!
Body Of Evidence (MIRA)

I picked up Stella Cameron's book because of the cover - its very cool looking. Then, after reading the blurb I decided to read it while on a long flight. Its really good. The two main characters are NOT related so I am not sure what bothered the first reviewer. I wonder if she read the book. Anyway, the suspense runs throughout and I didn't get any sleep on my flight because I couldn't put this book down. I'm going to look for other Stella Cameron books. I noticed there are several other books in the series when I logged in. OH, also, Louisiana comes alive in this book.

I have been a fan of Ms. Cameron for many year. Her first book set in Louisiana, not sure if it could be called a prequel, 'French Quarter' was suspenseful and wonderfully written. I've read every book in the subsequent series (not to give anything away but one of the characters from 'French Quarter' is a recurring character in the Pt. Judah books).

I enjoyed 'Target' so much that I just bought 3 copies to give to friends who have never read Ms. Cameron. The book is tightly written and the suspense keeps you reading long after you should turn the lights out and go to sleep.

The hero and heroine so deserve some peace and happiness that you will find yourself rooting for them to persevere the entire book.

This is a good introduction to the Pt. Judah books. Once you are sucked in, go back and start with 'French Quarter' and work your way through the series. You won't regret it.

When I began to read this novel from the romance section, as a first time reader of Stella Cameron, I expected it to be filled with steamy scenes of love. I was surprisingly delighted to find that it should almost be classified as a suspense novel.

Without revealing too much of the story, the main theme of the novel was the suspenseful plot of hidden identities of 3 teenagers who escaped a horrible tragedy and who grow closer together because of the need of family, protection, and strength. With every turn of the page, you are not sure what could be coming next...or who. The bayou setting just adds to the mystery and the loving relationships that develop are a natural progression in people who have shared tragedy and common experiences.

Add me to the list of reviewers who just didn't care enough to finish this book. The typos were probably the only reason to really pay attention to the story! While the back cover blurb seemed promising, the characters did indeed possess the stiffness their last name suggested.
Delia's dialogue, continually referring to the 'kids' by their full names, was 'stereotypically southern', as if it was uttered by Scarlett O'Hara or 'The Golden Girls' Blanche Devereaux! ("Nick BOARD, don't you DARE walk away from me when I'm giving a harsh review, do you HEAR me?")

None of the three 'survivors' seemed to have any personality, and even the murder of another character in the early stages failed to generate any excitement, because of a poorly-timed scene change that kills the momentum when the killer makes his first appearance.
After 6 chapters, I'd had enough. As another reviewer noted, it was all too superficial.
Since this is part of an ongoing series, then it usually helps to introduce the recurring characters early on, so that new readers can figure out who's who.
Of course, that advice usually works better for books that are worth reading. I 'd never heard of Cameron or the 'Bayou' series before, and nothing I read has convinced me to give it another try.
Bye-bye, Boring Bayou Boards!

I was hooked by the prologue, then the book itself started. The Boards, foster siblings, spend several chapters incoherently bickering, and someone gets killed in the mean time. Nick Stiff-As-A-Board has the hots for his not sister Aurelie/Aurelia Dumb-As-A-Board and chaos ensues. Typos and inane dialogue choke up an already badly presented plot, making this book impossible to finish.

Near San Francisco, high in a remote mountainous area Colin controls the members of the isolated commune Refuge. In spite of his strict rule, people join to escape from American materialism in order to return to nature. However, the egomaniacal avaricious leader has a different plan for his followers than a simpler lifestyle. He turns The Refuge into a giant cemetery killing everyone except three children, Nick and two sisters Sarah and Aurelie.

Trying to forget the tragedy, the three survivors live quiet lives in Point Judah, Louisiana. However, the mass graves hidden by their remoteness for nearly two decades has just been found. The threesome realizes they will not be able to stay concealed much longer as names are tied to corpses. They also know Colin still waits for their surfacing so he can finish the job he started as he wants no survivors testifying what he did to his cult followers.

The eerie opening sequence stays with readers throughout sort of the way the mass suicides and murders at the Jonesville compound orchestrated by Reverend Jones still haunts people. Thus the plot provides an interesting look at the impact a cult has on escapees long after they have left the compound. Although, why the avaricious Colin needed to come after the three survivors, why his targets surface, and how the small town Bayou residents ignore strangers in their midst seem a bit nebulous, Stella Cameron provides her fans with a tense and exciting suspense cat and mice thriller.

Harriet Klausner

This book, like all of Cameron's books, is well written, fast moving and doesn't give much time for breathing between events. Love the characters and the complicated love story. Love Delia, Nick, Sarah and Aurelie--and their struggle to deal with almost overwhelming obstacles. Ms. Cameron is fortunate, she obviously enjoys what she does.

While I have never loved Cameron's other novels, I have enjoyed them nevertheless. This book, however, was simply horrible. First of all, the author and her editors should be ashamed of themselves for letting such shoddy writing get to press. A number of times, the characters names were spelled incorrectly, sentences made no sense, and conversations flowed against all logic. The plot was so-so and certainly did not make up for the terrible writing. The love scenes were mediocre and I just couldn't bring myself to like or care about the characters. The main characters were supposed to comprise a family, yet Cameron failed to portray an ounce of true familial emotion between them--the characters and their problems were completely superficial. I recommend skipping this book.

I usually enjoy Stella Cameron's writing, and I enjoyed the books that came before and after Target in the series. Target, however, was one of the few books that I have ever stopped reading because of horrible writing. The plot had a lot of potential, but the dialogue was difficult to follow at the best points and the action was so confusing I often had to reread whole chapters to make sense of things. The characters were unlikeable despite a history that should have garnered sympathy, and the relationship between the two main characters was creepy despite the fact that they are not actually related by blood. A more streamlined writing style could have made me finish this book, but for now I can't recommend this to anyone.