The Witness Author:Nora Roberts NORA ROBERTS' 200th BOOK! — In her stunning new novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts proves why no one is better “when it comes to flawlessly fusing high-stakes suspense with red-hot romance" (Booklist, starred review). — Daughter of a cold, controlling mother and an anonymous donor, studious, obedient Elizabeth Fitch finally l... more »et loose one night, drinking too much at a nightclub and allowing a strange man?s seductive Russian accent to lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive.
Twelve years later, the woman now known as Abigail Lowery lives alone on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance security systems designer, her own protection is supplemented by a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing. Unfortunately, that seems to be the quickest way to get attention in a tiny southern town.
The mystery of Abigail Lowery and her sharp mind, secretive nature and unromantic viewpoint intrigues local police chief Brooks Gleason, on both a personal and professional level. And while he suspects that Abigail needs protection from something, Gleason is accustomed to two-bit troublemakers, not the powerful and dangerous men who are about to have him in their sights.
And Abigail Lowery, who has built a life based on security and self-control, is at risk of losing both.« less
I've never read about a character quite like Elizabeth before. Born to a mother using an unknown donor so she would have a child that is extremely intelligent, a genius really, but her mom didn't love her, she just wanted to control every area of her life.
Being 16 y/o she finally rebels against her mom and soon finds her life in danger from the Russian mafia.
Very suspenseful and exciting along with a love story that warms your heart. Highly recommend!
This book was soooo good! I've never read anything from her before. I've heard great things about her, but I've never tried to read anything of hers. I could not put this book down! It was really really good. This is definitely one of my top books. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
When sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Fitch rebels against her controlling mother who plans out every step of Elizabeth's life, everything goes wrong. Drinking and partying at a night club, a man with a Russian accent lures Elizabeth and her friend to his home. After that night, nothing was ever the same.
This is an excellent romantic suspense story. The heroine gets mixed up with the Russian Mafia who wants her dead. Now she is hiding in a backwater town in the mountains, hoping no one ever discovers her. I loved the story, and I loved Abigail and Brooks' relationship. I was so happy that the author didn't choose to write the "you're better off without me" relationship and let them work together. My rating: 5 Stars.
I knew this book was going to be special to me as soon as the heroine, Elizabeth Fitch is introduced. I quickly and easily connected with and could relate to her. On the outside, she comes across as a very lonely teenager who lives in her mothers shadow doing what shes told. On the inside is a young girl who aches to break free and find herself. A young girl on the brink of becoming a woman, she wants to live her life on her terms. After an argument with her mother, Elizabeth does what a lot of teens do. She rebels in a big way. She cuts and colors her hair, buys clothes and makeup that she knows her mother will disapprove of and makes plans with a girl she knows from high school to go to a trendy nightclub.
Liz is extremely intelligent. At sixteen, she is already attending Harvard and it is her mothers wish that Liz become a doctor like she is. Lizs wish is to join the FBI. Shes what a lot of people refer to as a geek, nerd or hacker. She has extraordinary computer skills and she uses her intelligence and computer skills to create fake identification for herself and Julie to get them into the nightclub. Initially, everything appears to be going well. Liz meets and dances and later kisses a man and makes plans to meet up with him later at the nightclub managers home. Unfortunately for Liz, she sees things she shouldnt and finds herself on the run with some very bad people after her. The people after Liz are very powerful and will stop at nothing to silence her. Protective custody doesnt keep her safe and she has to go on the run.
Twelve years later, Liz resurfaces, living in a small town in the Ozarks. She is using a different name, is loaded to the teeth with several types of firearms, installed high tech security and surveillance surrounding her property and has a very large dog. She is reclusive and tries to avoid most interactions with anyone. She is even reluctant to meet any of her security systems clients face to face.
Brooks Gleason has returned home to become the new police chief. I really liked Brooks. He goes on calls with his deputies and appears to have a good rapport with most of the folks in the area. A chance meeting with a woman named Abigail intrigues him to no end and hes determined to get to know her whether she wants to or not. I really enjoyed how real the tension between Abigail and Brooks was in the beginning. Abigails life depends on her keeping herself out of the spotlight and for the last twelve years, she has done very well and isnt willing to trust anyone. Brooks senses theres more to Abigail than meets the eye and he is determined to gain her trust and hopefully a lot more. I loved that even though Brooks is a mans man, he isnt afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. I also loved that he doesnt badger Abigail or dig around in her past looking for information. He wears down her defenses with honesty, compassion and love.
The criminals after Liz are still out there, still looking for her. She knows she will have to take a proactive step to bring this to an end so she can start living her life without looking over her shoulder every minute. I loved the whole book but when the story shifts to Liz/Abigail confiding in Brooks and as a team, they come up with a plan to resolve it, I couldnt put the book down but I was worried that the whole plan would blow up in their face.
My Final Verdict: Overall this was a fantastic book! Excellent pacing of the story, super intense plot and intriguing characters makes this book worthy of any keeper shelf. But Im not stopping there. This book deserves the highest rating because it pulled me out of a slump and continues to stay with me. I was feeling a lot of anticipation with how Ms. Roberts would wrap up the story and though I am extremely pleased at the outcome, I felt a sense of loss that its over. I heartily recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance that isnt mushy or sappy, suspense and action that keeps you guessing at what is coming next and characters who are written so realistically they seem to come alive on the pages.
I love Nora Roberts! This was one of her best books! I loved the characters and was sad to note it wasn't another trilogy, because I sooo wanted more just like this one!!!!! It is a keeper.
Another great troubled woman finds caring man love story, with a twist. I really loved the twist, too. The side story was also well developed and kept me interested until the very end.
