Customer Reviews

Voices Carry

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

VOICES CARRY is the first Mariah Stewart book I have read. The cleverly suspenseful plot was entertaining and the characters believeable. I especially liked that Genna Snow was as smart, if not smarter, than her male counterparts. Often when the lead female character and the lead male character work for the FBI or some other exciting government position, the male character seems to always be smarter and more intuitive than the female character. The author did a great job of bringing out the professional strenghts of Genna and John and the understandable romantic tension between them. You won't go wrong purchasing this book.

Let me say first, I love Mariah Stewart. I'll read absolutely anything she writes, and I devoted the better part of an entire afternoon to 'Voices Carry'. After enjoying 'Brown Eyed Girl' as much as I did, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one to see how Genna and John's story would continue. There was lots of action here and a few twists I never even suspected. Thats the great thing about Ms. Stewart - she keeps you guessing !

I thought 'Voices' had just the right blend of suspense and mystery and, of course, romance. Ms. Stewart writes characters you just can't help rooting for. It might be good to read 'Brown Eyed Girl' first just to get a feel for the characters, but 'Voices' will stand proud all on its own. And while you're shopping, if you happen to see any other books by Mariah Stewart - grab 'em! You won't be dissappointed !

After reading and absolutely LOVING "Brown-eyed Girl," I waited for a year for the story of John Mancini and Genna Snow, FBI agents and ex-lovers, with great anticipation, but I was sorely disappointed by this book.

Unlike BEG, "Voices Carry" falls victim to the classic romantic suspense blunder. It tried too hard to be both a romance, and a mystery, and so did neither very well. The romance worked well in the beginning, creating a convincing tension between Genna and John. He left her to get his life straightened out after a brush w/ a serial killer, but he failed to tell her where he was going, or why. Genna has her own issues with abandonment, and she was crushed by his leaving. At the beginning of the book, we find them struggling to be friends and co-workers again. There is no bitterness, just a wary feeling between John, who loves her deeply, and Genna, who is cautious about getting involved again.

Then, in the middle of all of this, we follow the characters though a series of unrelated cases, none of which ends up having ANY bearing on the book later, losing any hope for a passable romantic tension. 3/4 of the way through the book, we finally pick up the main suspense plot, and the romantic angle resolves itself abotu fifty pages BEFORE the end! The entire conclusion was both anti-climatic and flat.

I was so impressed by BEG, I will give Mariah Stewart another chance, (though I might not rush out to by the next one new) and I hope that she is still getting an angle on romantic suspense. If she writes another like BEG, she will indeed be the new star of the genre, but she'll have to do much better than this one.

With her previous title, BROWN-EYED GIRL, Mariah Stewart started to make a name for herself in Romantic Suspense. With VOICES CARRY she has proven she is a force to be reckoned with and can compete with the likes of Sandra Brown, Tami Hoag, or Linda Howard any day.

This isn't a mystery --- the identity of the villain is known fairly early on, but it's the layer upon layer of suspense, building up to one of the most nail-bitingly suspenseful scenes I've ever read (ranks right up there with the pivotal scene in Tami Hoag's CRY WOLF), which makes this such a terrific read.

I loved these characters (Genna and John) as much as any I have in any book. In this story though, although there is romance, the suspense takes a front seat. And like I said, what suspense it is!

I won't go into a synopsis here, that is well documented in other comments, all I can say is this is an absolutely unputdownable, suspenseful read, and I don't see how anyone could be disappointed.

The Book Wizard, Publicist

What first was thought to be random kidnappings in different states changes when a twelfth woman turns up missing and the FBI is called in to assist. John Mancini is an agent with the reputation of getting inside a criminal's mind and is chosen to lead this assignment. After reviewing the individual case files, his instincts tell him this is a master plan being played out and that only one person is abducting the women. He selects a team of four agents, one of whom is Agent Genna Snow. He believes that it will be Genna who will break the case by finding a missing piece of the puzzle. She has an uncanny sixth sense and seems to be able to instinctively feel and think like one of the victims.

Genna and John share a past, one that John desires to rekindle. When he walked out of her life without a word, he left her shattered and feeling abandoned. An invitation to attend a baby's christening with his boisterous Italian family will reveal unknown facts to Genna, facts which begin to change her mind and open her heart again. They will have a second chance to find love as they work together to solve the mystery of the case they're working on. It's a case that allows John to learn the horror of Genna's past and help him understand her better, and also one to cause him great anxiety when he learns Genna could be the next target.

Genna and John were introduced in the winning novel BROWN-EYED GIRL and now it's their turn to have their story revealed. While BROWN-EYED GIRL was a thriller-chiller type of story, VOICES CARRY is what I consider a true romantic suspense, with both elements being equal.

Mariah Stewart offers much more than suspense and romance in this fictional work. She writes about parental abuse and child rape, but also shares how a foster-mother with a beautiful spirit changes a young girl's life by offering unconditional love and affection. This is a multi-plotted tale about good versus evil, where secondary characters play a major role and round out the story. One of the main points is the love story, but the thread of the mystery and the suspense in finding the criminal weaves throughout. Fans will swiftly turn pages to see if they have guessed correctly, and will be surprised with twists and turns along the way. Mariah Stewart is an author on the rise, destined to hit the best-seller list at any time. VOICES CARRY is an example of her creativity, and a title I highly recommend. I believe it will find a place on your keeper shelves, right along with her previous titles.

Carol Carter as written for Under The Covers

This was my 1st Mariah Stewart book and it will not be the last. I loved these characters and hated to see the book end. This story was fast-paced, never boring and the suspense picks up towards the end of the book. I highly recommend this one!

This was my first book by Mariah Stewart and I enjoyed it so much I can't wait to read the others she has written. Genna Snow and John Mancini were great characters and the book had a great plot with some surprises. I would highly recommend this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Voices Carry. The development of the characters was excellant--the author made me care about them. I thought John was just flawed enough to be human and Genna smart enough not to resume their relationship without question. I really liked the way Genna's past literally came back to haunt her. All in all, I think Voices Carry is Mariah Stewart's best book to date. In fact, I think she just gets better and better. I can't wait for her next release.

As many others have noted, this book has a large romantic element. Some say that it tries to hard to be a romance, while I say that it IS a romance novel trying hard to be something else. This book tries to fool you into thinking that there is any suspense or thrill while Stewart places all of the emphasis on the story on this ridiculous romance between the future head of the FBI's special investigations unit who is eager to investigate fellow agent Genna Snow's body rather than the crimes in question. If you are uncertain as to the type of book that this is, you merely need to flip to page 323-324 in order to find out exactly what kind of mindless dribble that Stewart is trying to pass off to readers. In these pages, you will obviously find a steamy sexual encounter between these two characters that would have a difficult time garnering an 'R' rating if it were a movie. In fact, it is so ridiculously descriptive that I would say that it borders on being soft-core porn. Stewart is not a suspense writer, she is a romance novelist at heart and it is obvious that many readers are fooled into thinking otherwise. This story is dull, boring and the characters are flat and predictable. This is yet another book that those who are gullible and socially stunted will enjoy...

Mariah never disappoints her readers. I found this book to be as great as all her others. Her characters are believable and so are her story lines. I highly recommend this book and any of her others. Having read one, you also will be "hooked".