I requested this book from Rebecca Forster, the author, because I loved her novel, Hostile Witness. I give this novel 3.5 stars.

Before Her Eyes focuses on two protagonists, Dove, a hard-boiled small town policeman, and Tessa, the beautiful model that has vanished. The setup is interesting--there is a dead man in a convenience store, which is the last place Tessa was seen before she vanished. We see alternating perspectives between Dove in a tight third person, and Tessa in first person. As Dove tries to track down Tessa, he finds himself uncovering mysteries that others hoped to keep hidden.

The strengths of this novel include some of the great description and some interesting plot twists. Forster excels at revealing secrets and bringing the unexpected.

However, I had some difficulties with this novel. The pacing is a little off-- I found myself uncertain why we were following Tessa at all. The middle drags some as we wander around with Dove trying to figure out what is going on. And although I really enjoyed the twists, particularly at the end, some of them still don't quite make sense to me.

That said, I still think Forster is one to watch-- and her Witness series is excellent. This was not my favorite of her books, but still a fun read. ( )

"with death chasing behind what will she see...Before Her Eyes"

That's a product description that makes you want to read the book. I found "Before Her Eyes" very ingeniously engaging, believable in plot as well as the rich character development throughout. You find yourself guessing what the outcome will be but you will continue to read on because it becomes evident that things are not what they seem. Rebecca gives an attention-grabbing ebb and flow to the writing style that keeps your attention throughout as you find yourself right next to Sheriff Connelly helping him along his path to find Tessa alive, her kidnappers, murder suspects as well as encounter corruption along the way that threatens to deter him from doing his job. You won't even begin to know how it will end until every last word is read. ( )