Customer Reviews

Without a Trace (Rock Harbor Series #1)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This first book of Colleen Coble's "Rock Harbor Series", "Without a Trace", will definitely leave you thirsting for the next in the series. I found the book by first experiencing #4, "Cry in the Night" (recommended, see my review). I recommend reading them in order, however. This author is fantastic. She can pack a lot of mystery and suspense into the pages.

"Without a Trace" is Christian Fiction, Murder Mystery, Search-dog Suspense, and Romance woven together so masterfully that it's really impossible to describe the book with only one classification. It is a good bit like life, having portions of it all throughout the chapters.

Bree Nichols, age 24, has lost her husband and son (Rob & Davy, age 4) in a downed plane that was never located. Bree, with search and rescue dog, Samson, spent all available free time continuing a private search in the forest for the crash site. She needs closure. Her friend, Naomi, and her search dog, also help when possible.

A complex series of events involving family members, friends, people of the Upper Michigan peninsula small community, and even outsiders create a mystery that soon involves murder, additional people lost in the woods, and investment-centered intrigue. Some of the characters are Christian. Some must surely be working for the devil. But who is who?

The Christian emphasis is low-key, demonstrated in the dialogue line from Naomi to Bree, "Being a Christian doesn't change the human nature we all still deal with." This is a story all can relate to.

The primary plot is Bree's never-ending year-long search for the downed plane that carried Bree's family. The journey of the search, sidelined with murders, lost kids, romance, business ventures, and family life, makes this one of the best book's I've ever read. You will feel so close to Bree and Naomi that by the end of the book the emotions will be honestly felt right along with the book's characters. I'd love to tell why that happens, and what the ending does to the reader, but that would destroy the sheer enjoyment of the reading.

Now I'm moving on to book #2 of the Rock Harbor Series. I've already bought the entire series. I considered a library loan but Coble's books are always checked out.

Bottom line: READ THIS BOOK and I'm sure you'll want the entire set.

Colleen Coble has given us everything that it takes to make a good Christian Mystery. It has a good message, a brave, but conflicted heroine, and a great mystery. Caught me totally by surprise.

I began reading Colleen Coble with the Lonestar Series and have been a fan ever since. Her Rock Harbor series has it all....mystery, romance, adventure, believable characters, lovable canines, small town charm, and picturesque settings. It doesn't take long before you get pulled into Bree's struggle to put the past behind her and move forward to a hopeful future. Along the way, you meet her family, friends and a man who might be just be too good to be true. You can't help but become as attached to them as you do to Bree.

So grab a cup of your favorite beverage, settle into a cozy place and get ready to be completely delighted with Bree and her faithful companion, Samson in the UP community of Rock Harbor. By the way, you better have Beyond a Doubt and Into the Deep (#2 and #3 in the series) handy; you won't rest easily until you complete the saga. Once you have finished Into the Deep, you will be hooked and want more which will be satisfied (at least for now) with Cry in the Night.

From the back of the book: "When a plane carrying Bree Nicholls' husband and son disappears, her life changes forever. Her relentless determination to find them starts an investigation that links their disappearance to a violent crime threatening to tear the peaceful town of Rock Harbor apart. Mystery fans will love this romantic suspense novel from best-selling author Colleen Coble. Set in the untamed beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Rock Harbor novels draw readers into the life and adventures of a canine search-and-rescue team as it unravels the secrets of an enchanting wildreness."

I love reading mysteries and had been searching for a Christian mystery book. I happened upon this book on sale at my local bookstore and decided to give it a try. I was a little skeptical at first as to how God would be tied into a mystery but Colleen Coble does a wonderful job of this. I was surprised at how much I enoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. We follow Bree Nicholls as she searches for the plane wreckage of her husband and son, along with her trained search-and-rescue dog Sampson. Colleen writes this book in a way that draws you in to the characters and keeps you guessing until the end. I don't want to give too much away because it is a great read so if you like mysteries you need to read this one! I am planning on going out and getting the rest of the books in this series.

"In the quiet town of Rock Harbor, lighthouse resident Bree Nichols' life is turned upside down when her husband and young son disappear in a plane crash. With her search-and-rescue dog, Samson, Bree sets about scouring the wilderness. There she unwittingly discovers a plot that threatens to tear her peaceful town apart.

Mystery fans will love this romantic suspense novel from best-selling author Colleen Coble. Set in the untamed beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Rock Harbor novels draw readers into the life and adventures of a canine search-and-rescue team as it unravels the secrets of an enchanting wilderness."

I liked the fact that this author kept your attention during her story; you keep asking yourself: Do they find the father and son? Who is the new ranger and will he develop a relationship with Bree? What is up with the nut in the cabin? -- Catch my drift; author does a good job "hooking" you to keep reading. However, I feel like there was so much more that could have been developed character-wise in this story.

RANT: The first time this author dropped the word "of" in a sentence, I thought it was a typographical or printing error. When I came across the drop of the word "of" again in the same context, and then again, and again, I then thought, uhmmm.

I then started discussing the dropping of the word "of" with friends and family; we joked, What, "get out the bed"...er, What, is the bed in the closet? is it in my pocket? where is the bed I should get out?

Most surely this author knows it should be:

"get out of the cabin", "get out of the house", "get out of the bedroom".

I love this series of books. I read Christian fiction a lot and this series is one of my favorites. It's not cheesy and sappy and not overly religious.

In desperate need of a new book, I somehow linked to this one. And the $1.99 price was too good to pass up. I am an avid/obsessive reader of romantic suspense, but prefer to leave religious beliefs and preachings to the non-fiction shelves. I was hesitant to read this once I realized it falls under Christian categories, but hey, $1.99....

And the high star rating for not only this one, but the rest of Coble's books, sealed the deal.

Who knew? While it didn't have the high-intensity suspense thrills or violence/adventure I enjoy, I found myself glued to the book. I don't care for romantic suspense books that are heavy on the romance, this was just the right amount. And I love how it wasn't all wrapped up in a tight package at the end (the relationship part). And as far as the christian undertones? Very innocuous. I found i could even glaze past these and it did not change the story one bit. I was sad to get to the end. But wait! Book #2 beckoned.

Now I have to read 3-5 because book #2 was just as good. I feel as though I now have a relationship developing with the characters, much like the relationships among the characters is developing as I read each book. Heck, by the end of book 5 I may find myself in UP looking up Bree or Kade to visit.

The only downside is that books 2-5 are $9 each. But they got their teeth in me and reading the series is it's own salve. I am beginning to understand and believe the many 5 star ratings in this series!

Let me say up front that I did not know that this was a Christian mystery. I guess I should have researched further. There was a little too much scripture quoted for me, but that really didn't detract from the story. That being said, I really enjoyed the mystery in this book. The main characters were likeable and the search dogs were great. The book was easy and quick to read and had a feel-good ending for most of the characters. The poor Kindle formatting was very distracting to me. It appears that the publisher and/or author never viewed this book on the Kindle. I'd like to read the remainder of the series but won't take a chance on the Kindle formatting being this terrible.

Just discovered this author & really enjoyed her book. The author keeps you guessing until the end! I have just finished the 5th book in the Rock Harbor Series and I hate to see it end!

I loved this book!! It was the first time I had read anything by this author, but it won't be my last. I want to get the other books in this series. It had suspense, romance, family and mystery all rolled into it. You will love it!!