Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Witness

The Witness
The Witness
Author: Sandra Brown
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Romance
Book Type: Hardcover
MELNELYNN avatar reviewed on + 669 more book reviews


Small town secrets, bigotry, hatred and deception, THE WITNESS is the story about an idealist lawyer who gets tangled up in a web of lies.

The day she married Matt Burnwood, she thought that life couldn't get any more perfect. Not only has she caught the heart of the handsome and rich newspaper editor, she is also on her way to being the best public defender in Prosper, South Carolina. As a girl who dreamt of a perfect life, Kendall thought that she had it all. Until the night she stumbled upon the truth behind the town's perfection and the secrets that involve her very own husband. Now the lawyer has become a fugitive, wanted by the people who will stop at nothing to ensure that she is silenced forever.

That was a year ago. Now as she stares at the man lying in the hospital bed, who has no single memory of the deadly chain of events that brought them together, Kendall knows that deception is her only refuge. For if the man she calls John--the man she claims her husband--regains his memory, it will be all over for Kendall and her son.

From the time I started reading the prologue, I was caught by the mystery surrounding the car crash and the two main characters. The way the author set up the plot and each chapter had me glued to the story. What really happened, what is Kendall running away from, who is the amnesiac that she fears--these were the questions that continued to bug me and I found myself turning page after page, reading well into the night and until the early hours of the morning waiting for everything to unravel. Kendall is one of Sandra Brown's best heroines. Her courage, intelligence and absolute love for her child, the way she would do anything to protect Kevin makes you feel for her plight. I found myself getting nervous each time I thought that the bad guys were getting closer. As for John, although we don't really get to know the real him until halfway through, I thought the way the author kept up the truth surrounding his identity added strength to the mystery. And let's not forget the secondary characters. From the fun-loving Ricky Sue, the too-serious FBI agent Pepperdyne and the villains, no part of the story is wasted on any of these characters.

THE WITNESS is a compelling romance mystery that is bound to get you hooked from the start. Along with BREATH OF SCANDAL, this is one of Sandra Brown's best novels. Highly recommended.