If you haven't read any of Jonnie Jacobs’ books, you’ve missed some really good reads. She writes stories that hold the reader’s interest and her language is very easy to follow. The plot of this one is bit unnerving…but the characters make you almost believe they are real people facing difficult problems and making difficult decisions. Paradise Falls finds the author giving us multiple suspects to pick from…all of which could be guilty. It was a fun trip and I had figured most of it out toward the end… but was still surprised. ( )

Paradise Falls opens with the disappearance of Caitlin Whittingly, a 15 year old sophomore. The quiet town of Paradise Falls is stunned as this is the 2nd disappearance of a high school girl within months and the first girl has yet to be located.

This book is more than a story about the search for Caitlin. It explores the dynamics of blended families in crisis. It follows the drama that unfolds between Grace (Caitlin’s mother), Carl (her stepfather) and his children (Adam and Lucy). In addition, we’ve got Jake (Caitlin’s father), Starr (his fiancée) and Mimi (Carl’s ex-wife) who all play a part.

While investigating the case, Rayna Godwin, the lead detective, has to put aside memories of her own tragic past, having lost both her husband and daughter.

The storyline itself was interesting and I wanted to know what happened to Caitlin but I couldn’t work up a lot of interest in most of the characters other than Rayna and Adam. There were points in the story that you disliked most of the characters – especially Grace – and I had a hard time getting past that.

The ending was both surprising and clichéd (but I can’t go into it as it is a spoiler). Part of it, the reader could see from a mile off but the other part came from left field leaving the reader a bit disappointed as there was no chance to “solve” the mystery along with Rayna.

The book was ok – mostly due to Rayna’s and Adam’s characters and Jacob’s writing style. I would be interested in other books by Jacobs if there characters were more likable/interesting.

Rating: 3.25 Stars ( )