The River (Paperback)

by Cheryl Kaye Tardif (Author) "She always leads with her heart, a voice croaked..." (more)
Key Phrases: Nahanni River, Project Ankh, Jake Kerrigan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A gripping combination of suspense, sci-fi and adventure...a cross between Michael Crichton's Timeline and Dan Brown's Angels & Demons." -- Matt Scofield, a fan

"A killer of a thriller...settle in for a wild and captivating ride...a gritty, perfect-for-our-times, bestseller-quality novel. -- Beverly J. Scott ~ Author of Jenafs Choice, Ruth Fever and Righteous Revenge http://www.beverlyjscott.com

A wild river ride of tension, intrigue and romance...Hang on--it's going to be a bumpy ride! Excellent read! -- S.L. Bartlett, Silver Moon Magazine

Exciting and vivid. Tardiff's latest novel sweeps readers along into uncharted, wild Canadian territory. A thrilling adventure... -- Christina Francine, Midwest Book Review

Tardif has...captivated readers...The River combines intrigue, science, love and adventure...sure to keep readers clamoring for more. -- Heather Andrews Miller, Edmonton Sun

Product Description
Take the ride of your life on The River--a fast-paced suspense thriller that explores the controversial ethics of science and the search for longevity.

The River has captured readers of every generation, especially fans of Michael Crichton and Dan Brown.

High-octane action, "a conspiracy of unimaginable horror", and believeable nanotechnology advances will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning, leading you to the final twist of The River.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (September 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1412062292
• ISBN-13: 978-1412062299
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,182,062 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plunge into "The River" for a thrilling adventure! Get carried away by the flow of Tardif's magical prose!, March 15, 2008

By	Betty L. Dravis "[e-mail], autho... (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Before deciding to purchase The River, I read the author's blog. At first I thought this book was a true story because she wrote the blog synopsis in first person, but at the end she admitted this really didn't happen to her; it was simply a clever lure to garner more interest.

And it worked for me! Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif hooked me from the first sentence. I couldn't wait to read it. Having already read and raved over her later release, Whale Song: A Novel, I knew I would like The River, but didn't think anything could come up to Whale.

How wrong I was! This book is outstanding, too, and I'm learning that all of this author's works are brilliant.

The superb writing in The River flowed along smoothly, as naturally as the Mississippi River; then as the story progressed it picked up speed and energy like the turbulent white-water of the Colorado. All of that with some of the exotic features brought to mind by the mighty, mysterious Amazon River. Wow--what a book!

The story opens seven years after Professor of Anthropology Del Hawthorne learns of her father's disappearance and presumed death. Del is stunned when one of the men who went with him on a mysterious mission near Canada's legendary Nahanni River, stumbles into her University office. He's half-dead, but before passing out he manages to give her a coded journal and inform her that her father is still alive.

Even though Del is in remission from multiple sclerosis, she is determined to venture into the rugged territories surrounding the dangerous Nahanni River to find the truth and bring her father and any other survivors home. Along with a sturdy, hand-selected group of brainy men and women, they set off on the adventure of their lives--an adventure which some won't survive.

There are thrills aplenty in this novel: headless corpses on the banks of the Nahanni, hi-tech machinery, underground labs, secret caves, and time-travel into the near future. How does all that affect our brave adventurers? And who is trying to sabotage their rescue efforts? Could there be a spy in their midst? What happens to Del when someone steals her MS medication? What does the "fountain of youth" have to do with her father and his research? Will she find him alive? And how does the year 2031 fit into the scheme of things?

And YES, dear reader, there's a big romance! But is Jake to be trusted? Will they find true love, or is he working with the evil "Director," using Del for his own selfish purposes?

In order to give nothing of the plot away, I always advise you to RFY (and by now you should know that means Read For Yourself). I promise it will be an outstanding reading adventure.

Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a true wordsmith, writing fluently while making it seem easy. Her plot is well-paced, with characters so believable the reader cares what happens to them, and above all, her imagination soars. This is a true high-concept story.

I invite you to plunge into this intriguing story ... head-first or feet-first, it doesn't matter. You're in for an absorbing adventure--with more twists and turns than the Nahanni River itself--and a surprising, yet satisfying ending that leaves you gasping for more.

Reviewed by Betty Dravis, 2008
Millennium Babe: The Prophecy

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The chilling secret of the Nahanni, August 20, 2007

By	Amanda Richards "Modest to the extreme" (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Mix some Michael Crichton with a touch of Dean Koontz, add a generous dash of sci-fi and then distill the resulting mixture until all you have left is the good stuff. That, in a nutshell, is "The River".

The Nahanni River holds many secrets, but the headless bodies that occasionally appear on the shores and the people who vanish without a trace certainly weren't telling any tales. Del Hawthorne's father is part of a group that mysteriously goes missing, but when one of his supposedly departed friends returns with the news that her father is still alive, Del sets off on the adventure of her life, against all odds, to discover the truth. Her companions are an intriguingly mixed bunch of brains, brawn and raw animal magnetism, and it's not only the river that provides the challenges up ahead.

Thanks to a notebook with coded messages and a cryptic map, they find the secret of the river, but only at great personal cost. What transpires next is a swift and horrific descent into the lowest depths of humanity, the result of pure unadulterated greed and selfishness, combined with a peek into the fascinating world of science and discovery.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif manages to make her stories exciting and thought-provoking without including pages and pages of filler material, making her books ideal traveling and beach companions. Her book Whale Song is also a definite must-read.



Amanda Richards, August 20, 2007

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The River" by Canadian author Cheryl Kaye Tardif, June 13, 2008

By	Linda Mercier - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Del Hawthorne's dad had been dead these past 7 years. Del believed it. Everyone did! They'd even had a funeral. But when her father's closest friend unexpectedly shows up in her office, and has an incredible tale to tell, Del now knew her father was alive after all! A motley crew: Del's former lover; a handsome doctor and his assistant; Del's assistant; a cryptographer and a computer programmer; their Native guide, and of course, Del herself, travel to the Nahanni River in Canada's Northwest Territories to find her father. From the moment they first arrive at the Nahanni, to the final page, the book is a roller coaster ride, building momentum and going faster and faster. Then there's a loop-de-loop and you're sure the roller coaster has derailed. Nope. Within just a few pages it's back on track, and you're in for an even wilder and more thrilling ride! A definite "must read" from Cheryl Kaye Tardif!