Where The Road Ends (Mass Market Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The difference between love and obsession isn't easy to define, but Amy knows that sometime in the last five years her son Charles' nanny, Kathy, had crossed that line. Almost a year ago Amy's husband, Johnny, had suggested letting Kathy go, but then Johnny was killed in a boating accident, and Amy didn't want to lose another person close to Charles. Now convinced it's for the best, Amy lets Kathy go, but soon afterward, while Amy and her young son are at an amusement park, Charles disappears. Even though a police investigation clears Kathy of any involvement, Amy knows Kathy is the key to finding Charles. After hiring private investigator Brad, Amy insists on becoming involved in the search. Skillfully conveying the guilt, anger, and despair that haunt her protagonist, Quinn smoothly blends women's fiction with suspense and then adds a dash of romance to construct an emotionally intense, compelling story of the changes one mother goes through as she searches for her missing child. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Amy Wainscot had it all - wealth, control of her family's Chicago business, a handsome and loving husband, a child she adored. Then her husband was killed in a boating accident, and now five-year-old Charles has been kidnapped, apparently by the nanny she'd recently fired. Even though she hires one of the best private investigators around, Amy is determined to be part of the search. Following each road to its end, she and her detective grow close . . . --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira Books (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551667061
• ISBN-13: 978-1551667065
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,035,597 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as they say...., April 4, 2004

By A Customer

I was quite disappointed with this book and do not agree with the previous 5 star reviews.
This is my first Tara Taylor Quinn and I'm not eager to read another. Where The Road Ends is the story of a rich CEO Mom, who's only son is kidnapped. I found the first half to be long, drawn-out, boring and repetitive. Every town Amy went to sounded like the last one and they continued for at least 100 pages. Then, suddenly, about halfway through, the action picked up. I really only finished the book to see what would happen. In other words, the action and plot drove me, not the characters.
You may find this weird, but I can usually tell how much depth and character development there's going to be judging by the size of the print in a paperback. No, I'm serious! When the print is small and the pages packed, I know there's going to be good detail, great story and rich characters. I opened Quinn's book and I saw wide margins and lots of dialogue. Uh-oh, I thought. This may not be so good. And it wasn't. So many characters were made of cardboard, or so it seemed.
The character of Amy was decently done, in that she was a focused ( Ok, obsessed) guilt-ridden Mom, determined to get back her cute 5 year old son, who she feels she neglected. She runs herself into the ground looking for him but never gives up. I liked her and admired her.
But I had problems with many of the other characters, especially Brad. Who was he? We hardly found out a thing about him. He also seemed very cold and distant, and only a bit warmer than that to Amy. And he was supposed to be the Love Interest! Then her friendship with Kristen was soooo warm and cuddly, that I started to wonder if this was going to veer off into a girl-girl relationship. But no. It was just a Best Girlfriends scenario. And then this weird diversion with Josh and Danny - what a great couple of guys!! But they came out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly. Were they added strictly as a device for Amy to understand she still wanted to be part of a family?
Anyway - I found this novel to be slow, disjointed and certainly not romantic. Too bad - it had potential and could have been really good.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I cannot recommend this book., May 5, 2004

By	"arickards" (Ajax, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This book was very disappointing. All characters were wishy-washy and uninteresting. This story could have been told in a novel half the size. It was drawn out with meaningless dialogue. I've never seen a hero and heroine with less chemistry than the two in this book.

What exactly was the point of the heroine having sex with a man who contributed nothing to the story line? He and his son came in and out of the story without a purpose. If there was a purpose then Ms. Taylor Quinn failed to deliver it.

Ms. Taylor Quinn should stick to writing for Harlequin Superromance. This book was truly her worst work.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mother's worst nightmare -- Very highly recommended, August 5, 2003

By	C. Penn "WordWeaving" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A year after her husband dies, Amy Wainscoat reevaluates her priorities. Once she put work first, providing for her family and stepping into her deceased father's place. With Johnny gone, however, Amy comes to realize how precious her five-year-old son Charles is. Concerned how possessive her nanny Kathy Stead has become of Charles, Amy decides to step away from work responsibilities and devote herself to raising her son. Then the unthinkable occurs, and Charles disappears when she takes him to an amusement park.

After two lie detector tests, Kathy is exonerated of any wrong doing and disappears. Months of emotional torment send Amy searching for Kathy and searching for answers. Her quest brings her to Michigan showing pictures of her ex-nanny and son to anyone who might have seen them. But the road forces self-honesty. Where once the wealthy CEO wore designer clothes she now wears department store specials. Rather than five star hotels she stays in rat traps with rust drains. Soon her only tie to her former life is a voice on her cell phone -- at the other end is detective Brad Dorchester.

Amy discovers herself when she sees the truth of the world without the filters of privilege. She works off the guilt and self-loathing of her former life with every bathroom stall she cleans and with every customer she helps. Such amazing character development is the hallmark of author Tara Taylor Quinn's work. With mesmerizing prose, Quinn takes the reader through the darkest of shadows, weaving danger and intrigue into every step, until at last emerging into a dazzling world of new possibility and metamorphosis. Indeed, Taylor's profound observations of human nature and intimate understanding of values and priorities lends extraordinary psychological depth to all her work. WHERE THE ROAD ENDS comes very highly recommended.