Review: Missing Isaac by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Missing Isaac by Valerie Fraser Luesse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pete McLean is a young man living in Glory, Alabama during the mid 60's. After school each day and all summer long he helps his grandfather and his father work the farm they own. In his family, black and white work along together to get the job done. When Pete's father dies suddenly and tragically, Pete quickly befriends Isaac who was his dad's right hand man. Isaac helps Pete through his grief my taking him away from the farm to go fishing or to grab a bite to eat. When Isaac goes missing without a trace, Pete won't rest until he finds him. Over four years we hear Pete's story and the journey to find his friend. He will grow up a lot over that time and his life will change dramatically.

Thank you to NetGalley and Revell Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I don't know if Valerie Fraser Luesse has written any other books, but I want to read them. Watching Pete grow into a respectable young man that his whole community admires is what makes this book so great. When you think about the South, especially at this time in our history, it's amazing to me so see how well most of the people in this story treat them. They treat them like members of their family. Allowing the maid to drive the car and put her groceries on your tab, rebuilding homes and churches and never questioning anything.

I really enjoyed this book. It is important even in today's society to learn how to get along with all people no matter their race or gender. You can feel the emotions of each character in this book and each of them have quite strong personalities.

Pete--even though he is a young man, he is strong in his beliefs and his convictions.
Daddy Ballard--even though he is one of the richest men in town, he doesn't brag or boast about all he does for the community.
Lila--Through her grief, she is able to still raise her son to be the man his father would be proud of.
Isaac--his story is brief, but he is a strong man who cares for those around him even if they aren't his family.

I highly recommend this book.

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Review: Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon

Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amy Stevenson was seriously injured 15 years ago. The person who attacked her has never been caught. Alex Dale is a journalist who has suffered a lot of loss over the past few years, but she is determined to get her life back in order and try to help to find out who hurt Amy. Will Alex be able to solve the mystery? Will she be able to keep her health under control long enough?

There are so many unanswered questions when it comes to the night Amy was attacked. With the help of her ex-husband, Matt, a police officer and Amy's ex-boyfriend, Jake, will Alex be able to find out what really happened to Amy.

This is Holly Seddon's first book and she hit it out of the park. This mystery had you guessing who could have done it. There were a couple of times, when I was certain I knew who the culprit was, but at the end, I was wrong. I was shocked at the end by the turn of events. Alex, dives deep in to Amy's past to find out what is going on. She investigates the case more than the police did when they had the case.

This book had me intrigued from the very beginning. I was invested in Ale and was routing for her to accomplish her goal of helping Amy and the world find out who attacked her. I got worried when she hit a setback in the case, hoping it wouldn't be a setback in her quest to try to get healthy. When her doctor gives her a health update, that isn't quite what she hopes to hear, it puts a fire under her in my opinion, that makes her work harder on the case. Whether it's to beat the inevitable, or to prove that she can still do the job she loves, I'm not sure.

Working with Jacob(Jake) who has his own issues he is going through, proves to be most helpful. Jake has visited Amy quite a bit over the past 15 years. Unfortunately, his wife, Fiona has no idea. With his first child on the way, Jake has to make a decision about whether or not he can keep up this charade, but will Fiona find out before he has a chance to help Alex solve the mystery.

Overall, this was one of the best books I have read this year. It was hard to put down and it kept me captivated throughout the entire book. Highly recommended.


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