220 of 230 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling, funny, lovely and just great., June 30, 2010 Reading a book by Nora Roberts is like gaining a whole set of new friends.
Fiona Bristow leads a quiet and fulfilled live on Orcas Island. She runs a dog school, leads a canine search and rescue group and adores living with her three dogs. When she meets Simon Doyle and his dog Jaws (you have to adore him!) she doesn't want to be interested in the moody and blunt wood artist. Ever since she nearly became the vicitm of the Red Scarf serial killer who later murdered her fiance she has been staying away from relationships with men. Simon is also not really interested in starting something with Fiona. Living on small Orcas Island and with his playful puppy is a new experience for him and he enjoys being single. However the more time Fiona and Simon spend together through obedience training for Jaws the more the attraction between them grows.
When a copycat killer starts to murder young woman and it seems that Fiona might be his final victim everything changes. Staying back is no longer an option for Simon and he will do everything to make sure that Fiona stays safe.
Once again Nora Roberts created a great and very entertaining novel. What I enjoyed about "The Search" are the likable, realistic characters and especially the detailed description of Fiona's job, her life on Orcas Island and her relationship with Simon.
IMO this book is the perfect choice for a quiet weekend when you have time for yourself and can really dip into the story. It took me some pages to get into the book but then I loved it. I always appreciate it when an author describes her characters and what is important to them in detail so I enjoyed reading all the little things about Fiona's life and her business. At the end of the book I felt like Fiona, Simon and co. were like friends. I would definitely have something to talk about with them because I learned so much of their life through this book.
I'm not really a dog lover (cats all the way!) but still I enjoyed reading about the dogs and especially the search and rescue missions fascinated me. The book starts with one of these missions and that really helped me to get a connection with Fiona and her dogs.
Fiona is a true survivor and she's a very strong woman. I enjoyed everything about her and Simon's relationship. Simon is a bit moody and says just what he thinks. He reminds me a bit of Brody from "Angels Fall" who is one of my favourite heroes ever. There are some really funny scenes when Simon tries to handle Jaws and also when tries to fight against his feelings for Fiona. I loved how protective he became of her even though he didn't really want to.
The mystery part of the book is not too dark and it's not about figuring out who the killer is. It's more like a character study of the murderers and how it affects the life of Fiona and the people close to her. I enjoyed that the book is not overly dramatic because that wouldn't have worked for me.
So, if you love a book full of multifaceted characters, an intelligent and thrilling mystery plot and a detailed way of writing then "The Search" by Nora Roberts is a book you should read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?30 of 34 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Dogs, Search-and-Rescue, Serial Killer, Romance - What's not to like?, July 13, 2010 I'm so glad each one of is different and weren't made in cookie cutter molds. I read through the other reviews and it seemed readers either loved "The Search" or disliked it for a myriad of reasons. That is as it should be, at least in my opinion, especially with a strongly romance-based novel. We all don't like the same things in our love lives so why should we in the books about romance. Yes, this is a mystery, too, and a thriller but when it comes down to it, it's a romance.
I loved the book. I loved the very strong female protagonist, Fiona. She wasn't the shy, retiring type at all. And because of that, she was able to stand up for herself with the male protagonist, Simon. Yes, he is egotistical, selfish, rude but NOT always. And the rare moments of tenderness are that much more appreciated because they are hard won.
I loved the dogs in the book. Warning: If you are simply not a dog person, you really might have a problem liking this book. But I enjoy the companionship and loyalty of the canine species and enjoyed all the doggish characters in the book. Fiona is a dog trainer so that is a strong component of the book but Roberts is knowledgeable and handled the training sequences well; I even learned some tidbits to use in the future. Fiona is also part of a K-9 Search-and-Rescue team and I truly enjoyed the different SAR adventures.
This actually turned out to be one of my favorite Roberts novels and I am sure I will read it again in the future (which is my standard for a good book - I read SO many books that rarely do I go back and reread one).
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?56 of 69 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Ok but wait for paper back!, July 9, 2010 I adore Nora Roberts and really love her In Death series. I really just sorta liked this book, primarily for the reasons others have mentioned....way too much detailed explanations about dog training. Midway through the audio book, I finally got annoyed enough at the lengthy dog training explanations and just started skimming through it. One dog training scene with a problem dog last 15 minutes...15 audio book minutes... That's just ridiculous in my opinion. There are parts that are really funny but there's hardly any suspense and the ending is a complete letdown. If you love Nora Roberts, read this just because it's by her but wait for paper back or get it from the library. If you're looking for a good romantic suspense, read some of her past stuff like Public Secrets, Private Scandals, Genuine Lies, Divine Evil, etc. Those are WAAAAAY better. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?
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