Review: The Search by Nora Roberts

The Search
Author: Nora Roberts
Publication: Putnam Adult (July 6, 2010)


Description: To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle's coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare...

Several years ago, Fiona was the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer, who shot and killed Fiona's cop fiancé and his K-9 partner. 

On Orcas Island, Fiona found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. But all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He's the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon's house, and he's at his wit's end. 

To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can't handle. Simon, however, is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he's a rugged and in-tensely private artist, known for the exquisite furniture he creates from wood. Simon never wanted a puppy-and he most definitely doesn't want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to his hormones. 

As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona's life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands...



My Thoughts: This book is Nora Roberts at her best. The main characters - Fiona and Simon - are quirky and interesting. The banter is entertaining. The serial killer is wonderfully creepy. And the dogs are fascinating characters too. The book was a wonderful combination of light-hearted humor and heart-pounding suspense.


I recommend this book to all lovers of Nora Roberts or romantic suspense.


Favorite Quote:

In the exam room of her office in her home just outside Eastwood, Mai helped Fiona heft seventy-five pounds of trembling Peck onto the table. The dog, who had once courageously negotiated smoldering rubble to locate victims after an earthquake in Oregon, who tirelessly searched for the lost, the fallen and the dead through bitter winds, flooding rain and scorching heat, feared the needle.


"You'd think I hammered spikes into his brain. Come on now, Peck." Mai stroked, even as she checked out joints and fur and skin. "Man up."

Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge