Have You Seen Her?
4 Stars

Synopsis
Investigating the horrific murder of a teenage cheerleader and coping with his traumatized 7 year old, Special Agent Steven Thatcher has his hands full. But things can always get worse and they do when another dead girl is found and Steven's eldest son, Brad, starts failing in school. Brad's teacher, Jenna Marshall reaches out to help, and she and Steven realize they have more in common than their concern for Brad. As they grow closer, however, so does the killer who seems to have turned his sights on Jenna.

Review
Even better than the first book.

The serial killer plot is well done with some excellent twists and turns although a careful reader will find it very easy to identify the culprit.

The romance is compelling mostly due to the amazing chemistry between Steven and Jenna. This makes their relationship believable despite the relatively short time span. Given his history, Steven is an extremely vulnerable hero, which may explain his trust issues and reservations where it comes to accepting Jenna wholeheartedly. Nevertheless, his jealousy can be annoying at times. Jenna is my favorite type of heroine, caring and sympathetic but also holds her own against hesitant policemen and diabolical serial killers.

A couple of issues are left open which mar the overall reading experience, such as Brad's sudden return to his affable self after being a typical obnoxious teen for half the story, and the dubious resolution of the vandalism subplot.

Nevertheless, Have You Seen Her? is a well-written and exciting thriller with just the right about of suspense and romance.

( )

One by one, young girls are being murdered. Now a killer has a different victim in his sights. HAVE YOU SEEN HER is an unforgettable thriller, part of bestselling author Karen Rose's Raleigh series.

Young girls are disappearing from their beds at night. Each one pretty with long dark hair. Each one found brutally murdered.

Special Agent Steven Thatcher knows that a serial killer is at work. Finding the murderer is his sole focus but it doesn't help that his teenage son, Brad, is behaving strangely.

Jenna Marshall is determined find out why Brad, her star pupil, has gone off the rails. But when she meets Steven, the watching murderer immediately turns his attention to her.

He craves Jenna. Can Steven find the killer before it's too late?

Karen Rose writes well crafted, layered stories that keep you guessing. Have You Seen Her is no exception! While I guessed the identity of the killer fairly early, I still found the story engaging. There are many red herrings that Rose throws out that made even me question my initial thoughts. Throughout it all you also have the building romance between Jenna and Steven.

Steven is a total moron when it comes to Jenna. There were so many times I wanted to throat punch him for his stupid actions. But, I forgave him, just like Jenna did because he is a good man. I loved seeing Steven's kids too! Nicky, Matt, Brad were endearing. You couldn't NOT love them. They are so desperate for love and attention. You get glimpses into their lives chronologically as the story progresses which adds to the dimensionality of all the characters.

The killer's acts are gruesome and disturbing, but Rose does not grotesquely describe them for shock value. The story progresses in an explicit chronological order, with time/date stamps indicating each switch of point of view to various characters. This allows the reader to experience various events from all the various characters in relation to what is going with all the events. This creates a compelling story because you are always moving from person to person, event to event as everything builds.

The narrator, Michael Ferraiuolo, does a pretty good job. I found many of his 'female voices' to be very irritating. The longer I listened, the less grating it became but I never really found it 'enjoyable'. However, the rest of his narration was excellent.

Overall if you enjoy murder mysteries, mature romance characters, and lots of interesting supporting characters, you will enjoy every moment of Have you seen Her by Karen Rose!

 

• POV: 3rd


• Tears: no


• Trope: serial killer, widow/widower, single parent


• Triggers: none


• Series/Standalone: stand alone


• Cliffhanger: no


• HEA: yes

Hanover House by Brenda Novak, Taken by Cynthia Eden...then you will probably like Have You Seen Her!

 


Have You Seen Her






 See full review on The Book Disciple ( )

Have You Seen Her?
4 Stars

Synopsis
Investigating the horrific murder of a teenage cheerleader and coping with his traumatized 7 year old, Special Agent Steven Thatcher has his hands full. But things can always get worse and they do when another dead girl is found and Steven's eldest son, Brad, starts failing in school. Brad's teacher, Jenna Marshall reaches out to help, and she and Steven realize they have more in common than their concern for Brad. As they grow closer, however, so does the killer who seems to have turned his sights on Jenna.

Review
Even better than the first book.

The serial killer plot is well done with some excellent twists and turns although a careful reader will find it very easy to identify the culprit.

The romance is compelling mostly due to the amazing chemistry between Steven and Jenna. This makes their relationship believable despite the relatively short time span. Given his history, Steven is an extremely vulnerable hero, which may explain his trust issues and reservations where it comes to accepting Jenna wholeheartedly. Nevertheless, his jealousy can be annoying at times. Jenna is my favorite type of heroine, caring and sympathetic but also holds her own against hesitant policemen and diabolical serial killers.

A couple of issues are left open which mar the overall reading experience, such as Brad's sudden return to his affable self after being a typical obnoxious teen for half the story, and the dubious resolution of the vandalism subplot.

Nevertheless, Have You Seen Her? is a well-written and exciting thriller with just the right about of suspense and romance.

( )

iHgh Point, North Carolina is gripped with fear as a serial killer is in action. State Bureau of Investigation Agent Steven Thatcher vows to bring down this predator killing children. He knows first hand how parents feel as his pre-adolescent son Nicky was abducted, but fortunately rescued though six months later mental scars remain on the lad, his dad, and his teenage brother Brad. The plot had some nice twists and turns. You have a pretty good idea who the bad guy is - there aren't many possible suspects, but Rose does manage to give you a nice surprise at the end. ( )