Customer Reviews

Thread of Fear

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Laura Griffin strikes gold with her third book, Thread of Fear. Fiona Glass is a forensic artist, the best in the business. She no longer wants her job. The haunted faces of the killers and victims she's sketched over the years have taken their toll. But police chief Jack Bowman isn't an easy man to deny. Jack needs Fiona's expertise to help put a serial killer who's targeting young girls behind bars. He appeals to Fiona's sense of justice and successfully convinces her to help him. But as they work together, Fiona becomes more important to Jack than he ever imagined she could.~~~~~~~~~Thread of Fear is the first book I've ever read more than once. Yes, it is that good! The writing is tight, the story is explosive and the tension kept me turning pages long into the night. I had no choice. I had to find out what happened. Right from the start, Ms. Griffin's talent took me inside the story and gave me a front row seat to all the emotions Fiona and Jack experience while tracking the killer and fighting their attraction to each other. And I have to mention Fiona's sister, Courtney. Ms. Griffin created such a wonderfully complicated character in Courtney, I couldn't help liking her and I'm already looking forward to her story in Whisper of Warning. The next time you're in the bookstore, make sure to pick up Thread of Fear. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Forensic artist Fiona Glass is very good at what she does and the stress of hearing the victim's stories has made her quit the business and focus her talent in her art. But Graingerville police chief Jack Bowman has convinced her to take on one last case. A case that has roots going back 10 years with a personal link back to Jack. Together Fiona and Jack will do their best to hunt a serial killer who's targeting teenage girls. But what seems like a simple assignment is fraught with complications, including a searing attraction to Jack that's tempting Fiona to let her guard down in potentially dangerous ways.

Thread of Fear was a great suspense book and recommended for all suspense fans. The ending was a complete surprise and the book was never predictable. My first love in reading were suspense books but as of late I've read less and less just because the stories have become so predictable but Griffin's story has brought me back. The pacing of the story is perfect. Nothing is given away too early and you're left anxiously reading the next chapter. The characters seem so real and I was able to connect with them making the story all the more real to me. Thread of Fear is book one in Griffin's new Glass sisters series and I am anxiously awaiting book two, Whisper of Warning. In addition I will be going back and reading her earlier books One Last Breath and One Wrong Step.

Fiona Glass has tried hard to retire from her career as a forensic artist. Nearing emotional burnout from the job, she is determined to concentrate on her future as a commercial artist specializing in nature scenes.

But when tragedy strikes, Fiona can't find it in her heart to say no to a new case - especially when the man persuading her is the ruggedly handsome Jack Bowman. Jack is the kind of man who tempts her to break all of her rules, making him oh-so-dangerous.

Jack wants nothing more than to catch the serial killer who is stalking the women in his jurisdiction and will do whatever it takes to convince Fiona to take the job. Once he gets to know Fiona, however, his protective instincts kick in, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe and in his life.

That's easier said than done now that the killer has set his sights on Fiona...

Readers who love a great mystery with plenty of suspense will want to pick up a copy of Laura Griffin's novel THREAD OF FEAR. This is the kind of book that keeps you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages without cease until you reach the finale.

The suspense of the piece is definitely in the forefront, but the romance between Fiona and Jack is certainly there as well. Their love story provides a nice bit of light amidst the darkness of the criminal investigation.

Ms. Griffin delivers and intense storyline with plenty of oh-my-gosh moments that keep the reader guessing until the big reveal at the end. Along the way, we also experience some very emotional scenes with the story's lead characters and the key witnesses they work with.

THREAD OF FEAR is a gripping suspense story that will have readers eagerly anticipating the next book by the talented Laura Griffin!

**Courtesy of Wild on Books**

STORY BRIEF:
Fiona is an artist who draws pictures of criminals by interviewing victims and witnesses. The FBI uses her as much as possible because she is better than anyone else - she has a psychic intuition for this. She teaches college art classes and is painting pictures for a first gallery showing. She wants to stop working on FBI cases because they take tremendous energy and haunt her. But when she hears about new victims, she can't say no, she needs to help. Jack is a police chief in a small Texas town. He has a hunch that a recent local murder is linked to another attempted murder from 11 years earlier. He talks Fiona into helping him by interviewing Lucy, the victim from 11 years earlier and drawing a picture of Lucy's attacker. Fiona senses a relationship between Lucy and Jack. Most of the book is about the serial killer Jack is after. A lesser amount of time is spent with the FBI hunting another serial killer Fiona helped with.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
Many mysteries spend too much time on the mystery and not enough time developing a romantic relationship for me. But not so here. I loved the time spent developing the relationship, which was not predictable. My one complaint is that I wanted an epilogue to clarify who the bad guys were, why they did what they did, and how and why two of them were connected with each other. I also wanted to know what sentencing/jail time would happen. But even though I didn't get all my answers, it was still a great way to spend my time.

DATA:
Story length: 371 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 10. Setting: current day Austin and Graingerville, Texas. Copyright: 2007. Genre: romantic mystery suspense.

OTHER BOOKS:
Laura's books can be read as stand alones, but I recommend reading book 1 before 2, and reading book 3 before 4. Characters and events are introduced in books 1 and 3 which continue into the sequels. Besides, I think books 1 and 3 were slightly better than their sequels.

The Borderline Series:
4 stars. Book 1. One Last Breath. Copyrt 2007. Review Date 5-3-09.
3 stars. Book 2. One Wrong Step. Copyrt 2008. Review Date 5-10-09.

The Glass Sisters Series:
5 stars. Book 3. Thread of Fear. Copyrt 2007. Review Date 5-10-09.
4.5 stars. Book 4. Whisper of Warning. Copyrt 2009. Review Date 4-11-09.

The Tracers Trilogy:
4.5 stars. Book 5. Untraceable. Copyrt 2009. Review Date 11-27-09.


CAUTION MINOR SPOILERS:
One of the conversations intrigued me about the characters - when Jack lied to Fiona. She left him because of the lie. But she took him back again. I liked the following (edited). Fiona asks Jack "Do you know what she's talking about? Don't lie." Jack says "No idea. I wouldn't lie to you." Her eyebrows arched. "Going forward," he clarified. "I won't lie to you." Shoot, now what had he done? He'd just made a promise that would be hell to keep. Not that it mattered. She could tell when he was lying anyway.

The ending was not typical with one saying I love you and the other saying it back. In this story, one said it earlier, the other never said it, but at the end clearly showed it with some neat actions. It was different, a twist.

Forensic artist Fiona Glass wants to put an end to the nightmares that result from her ability to put a face on both suspect and victim. But small town police chief Jack Bowman won't let her. When a new case emerges in his jurisdiction that eerily resembles a long cold case, he calls Fiona in, and despite her best intentions, she lets herself get pulled into the case and immediately bonds with both a victim and witness, as well as Jack. As she and Jack close in on the case, it's apparent that someone doesn't want this case investigated and will do just about anything to see that his misdeeds go unpunished, including taking out the woman who can put a face on his crimes.

Griffin manages to take material that on the surface has a "been there, done that" feel to it, but gives it a fresh voice, largely due to her writing ability. Her characters are compelling and flawed without being too distracting; her dialogue is realistic, and she even manages to tack on a surprise ending that many jaded readers won't see coming. The quality of her novels is so consistent that she has quickly become an author whose work I automatically purchase.

© Tracy Vest, October 2008

The book roped me in, and I must confess that my Sunday chores were tabled to enjoy this book. It lost a star only because the bad guy was out of the blue. I'm not going to give any details in case someone else picks up clues that I missed, but the bad guy seemed to come a little out of left field to me. The mystery reader in me wanted to be able to connect the dots a little better, but when the culprit is revealed it's just as fast and furious for the hero as the reader. Maybe I missed the clues to the mystery, because I was focused on the hero/heroine relationship too much.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book, and I see there is another book in this series that will further the story by covering the heroine's sister Courtney. This is my second book by this author, and I look forward to reading more of her material.

Laura Griffin does it again. She delivers great characters and a fast paced thrill ride that grabs ahold and doesn't let go. Her characters feel real and you feel their upset, their pain. I love the way she weaves backstory into the story, making you keep turning the pages to find out what happened then AND what happens next. Can't wait for the sequel!

This is the first book I've read by Laura Griffin. I just finished the last page and can't wait to order more of her work. Not a single page of this book was wasted. It is packed with lifelike characters, breath- catching suspense, steamy love scenes, and a steadily building romance. Everything comes to an adrenaline pumping peak as the mystery unfolds. This book is excellent. As picky as I tend to be about romantic suspense novels, "Thread of Fear" kept me thoroughly rapt.

After finishing "Thread of Fear", read the sequel. It's just as good!
Whisper of Warning

I purchased all three of Ms. Griffin's novels based on the good reviews I read. Thread of Fear was the first book I read, and it was her characters that made me love this book. Ms. Griffin's has a talent for making her characters come alive. I felt as if there's more background to Fiona and Jack that has not been brought out. Although Courtney has a minor role in this novel, her attitude makes her stand out. I look forward anxiously to Mrs. Griffin's next novel in which Courtney will have a leading part in.

Loved this book! On to One Last Breath.

Fiona Glass is a forensic artist and one of the best in the business. She has seen and experienced a lot in her career. Fiona is ready to retire. Police Chief Jack Bowman of the Graingerville Police Department needs Fiona's help tracking down a psychopath who is kidnapping young teenage girls. Fiona can't resist Jack's plea, whether it be from his persistence or his irresistible charm; all Fiona knows is that she will do everything in her power to stop a serial killer.

Fiona may work in a guy dominated career but that doesn't mean she isn't deserving of her dues. She has helped the police in numerous cases to help bring down the bad guys. This is what I liked the most about Fiona; she can stick it out with the best of them; in addition to being very career driven. So when I think of men in uniform being sexy, police are the farthest from my mind. After having just said this, Jack Bowman has made me rethink where policemen fall on my list of men in uniform as he is one sexy man.

I have Laura Griffin to thank for this, because if she hadn't written the male lead Jack Bowman so H-O-T then policemen would still be closer to the bottom of my list. Plus the attraction Fiona and Jack had between them was really steamy. What I liked so much about Thread of Fear was that it was different from your usual thrillers that I read; it's not just the cops against the killer and the forensic artist has a small part in the storyline. No with this book, Fiona played a big part as the female lead. Laura Griffin made sure that the readers got to follow along every step of the way; from interviewing the victim to producing a stretch of the killer. I look forward to Laura Griffin's next release