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| “No! I want to go home!” She clawed at the dirt, kicking fiercely at her captor's face, “I'm not going back in there!” Tracey felt her arm being pulled and twisted behind her back. Her terrified screams were absorbed by the dirt walls of the tunnel. |
Chasing Amanda
By Melissa Foster
Melissa Foster hooked me from the first page and I stayed there reading until I finished it that evening! If you have the time, I'd recommend you plan to do the same...because Foster's second book is full of suspense, intrigue and a story that grabs you and holds on tight until you've read the final words! The subject matter is horrendous, of course, but I find that well-written novels with a tremendous impact, also serve to make more and more people aware of how easily, how very easily it is...to lose your child...
Molly, our lead character, had not only found that out, but had been traumatized by what she had seen. Amanda, a little girl had been abducted. Molly had seen her screaming and struggling with a man she thought was the father who had calmly told Molly she was upset about not getting her doll. Molly had driven away but later discovered that the girl had been abducted and later found murdered. Although years had passed, Molly had never forgotten, or forgiven herself. She had sunk so far into depression that her husband decided to relocate the family...
But little girls alone are not safe, no matter where you go...
Now, in Boyds, a little girl was missing. Her name was Tracey... And Molly was adamant she was going to do everything possible to help find her, even if it meant losing her husband...
Besides, she was tortured by visions of little Tracey."She called the powerful episodes the Knowing, as her mother had. Now, she'd give anything to be able to close her eyes against her ability, wash it away like dirt from a fall.Before Amanda, Molly's visions had been vague and sporadic, sand under a breaking wave, morphing from one second to the next in unclear shapes and patterns. Amanda's death had changed every aspect of her life, including the clarity and frequency of her visions..."
While Boyds was a quiet small town where Molly had become involved and gotten to know most of the members of the community, she found that people were not happy that she was diligently working to find Tracey. Asking questions had led to the fact that another little girl had disappeared there 20 years ago and never been found. Secrets of small towns may disrupt an entire community and the person asking questions may be in danger...
No! Not now! She closed her eyes and tried to will away the pressure in her head. There was no escape. She clenched her fists and brought them to her forehead, bracing herself for what she knew was happening. A fog enveloped her mind, and her legs became weak beneath her. A passerby, seeing her body shake and thrust, would have thought Molly was having a seizure. A passerby wouldn't have been able to distinguish between a seizure and the Knowing. Molly could...She felt like a puppet on a string. Visions flashed in her mind: A cavern-like room surrounded by shadowy darkness; a young girl huddled in a corner, scared and shivering; the smell of rancid, wet earth. Molly fell to the ground and cried out in fear and frustration, “No!”The police wouldn't support her; her husband didn't want her to become so involved. The one woman, her pastor, who had helped her through many discussions when she had first arrived, now seemed distant, secretive, and Molly had even seen her out in the night in strange places. But she wasn't the only one--another friend who had been out searching had stopped strangely in the middle of a cornfield and touched the ground, saw Molly and moved on. When Molly reached the spot, she bent down and "felt" that something was there...
But time was passing and Tracey had still not been found. Molly was finding clues, but kept them to herself, hoping that they would bring psychic connections...but when they did, nobody would go with her to the place where she knew Tracey was being held... Now she faced Tracey's abductor, and found that Tracey had been so traumatized that she no longer wanted to leave the one who had kidnapped her...
You DO NOT want to miss this one! I considered this a must-read...for many reasons! Readers--you know who you are! Melissa Foster is a true storyteller, able to create strong believable characters, provide riveting suspense, and, at the same time, spotlight the major issue of child abduction. Melissa, very well done!
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GABixlerReviews
I took one look at that picture and thought of Chasing Amanda! Very well-chosen. And clearly a book whose images have stayed with me since I read it.
ReplyDeleteSheila is right. The picture is perfect for the story! Well chosen! Thank you, Glenda, for such a marvelous review, and for the support.
ReplyDeleteXO,
Melissa
Thank you for posting your review of Chasing Amanda. I mistakenly thought Amanda was the mom, which made no sense at all. Very grateful to have *that* cleaned up.
ReplyDeleteAn intriguing novel with a middle-aged female protagonist, Melissa Foster's Chasing Amanda, blends a contemporary abduction mystery with touches of the paranormal to create a tale that's both scary and absorbing. Molly Tanner has never quite forgiven herself for not trusting her visions and saving a young girl she once saw abducted. But years have passed; she's recovered from the depression that kept her unavailable to husband and son, and now she's settling into that disjointed time when the nest empties and the world comes rushing in.
ReplyDelete