Review * Giveaway
By the River by Jennie Hansen
Book Description:
It was supposed to be a relaxing early-morning run, but the path along the river trail quickly turns into the scene of a nightmare for recent college graduate Kira Paxton. An unintended exploration of a secluded riverbank leads to a gruesome discovery that sets her on a collision course with danger: it is the body of a young woman. In shock, all Kira can manage to do is scream . . .
From the moment Ford Kettering hears cries for help along the trail, he is drawn irrevocably into a mystery in which he plays a shocking role. Ford, a local high school teacher, had a recent classroom clash with the victim-now, he's a person of interest. As Ford and Kira bond over their shared ordeal, they work together to prove Ford's innocence and soon, their attraction is undeniable. But it seems that Kira's nightmare is far from over. What begins as a series of close calls and acts of vandalism soon escalates, putting Kira's own life in jeopardy. It appears that Kira saw something that day along the trail, something that has made her a target. With Ford's help, she is determined to track down the killer before she becomes the next victim.
Tarah's Review:
I wonder why I'm drawn to books that have people who like to run. Seriously, I hate running, but reading books about running makes me think that I should be doing it, so I do, and yep...still hate running. That is neither here nor there, but mental note for myself....I don't have to go running when I read a book about runners....
If you are expecting a deep thoughtful read when you pick up By the River you might be disappointed. But if you are looking for a quick fluffy read with added suspense this is a good book to give a try.
I wasn't able to totally relate to the characters, and I'll admit Kira drove me nuts sometimes, but her character was spot on for what the author was trying to portray. I was also looking for more with the "after" part of the mystery. I can't say anything without spoilers, but one of the endings seemed a little abrupt, and the other didn't have the closure that I was looking for.
While it is a quick read, it did take me a couple days (and a few other books in between) to finish. But, it is clean and not preachy, so you gotta love that :)
Rorie's Review:
This book sounded so good, but it just didn't do it for me. The main hang-up I had was that the relationship between Kira and Ford didn't seem realistic to me. It just happened way too fast and it didn't have much depth to it. I like to read books where the people have to work at their relationship.
With mysteries, I always try to figure out who did it before the suspect is revealed, and this book was no exception. The author did a really good job of keeping the "whodunnit" under wraps until the end.
Andrea's Review:
By the River has an interesting premise, but sadly, it fell flat for me. I was curious about who the bad guy was, so I didn't completely give up; however, lots of skimming was involved.
My initial hangup came from Ford asking Kira out to lunch right after they'd come across the murder victim. He waited until they'd left the scene and were back at the parking lot, but seriously, who does that? They were complete strangers, and it was hard to believe that either of them would have been in the frame of mind to be attracted to each other in such a situation. Kira's job would have made a great opportunity for them to run into each other again.
I was also hung up on the news reporting that Kira had been the person who found the body. It seems very unlikely that the police would have given the media that information. I'm definitely not a law enforcement expert, but the willingness of the detective to work so closely with civilians (and not tell them to leave the investigation to the police) seemed a little unusual as well.
This was the kind of book I could put down for a few days at a time before picking it back up again. The last third of the book picked up a little for me, and the inclusion of some twists and turns helped me finish it a lot faster than I started.
Tour Schedule:
Nov 23rd: http://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/index.html, http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/
Nov 24th: http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/, http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/
Nov 25th: http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/
Nov 26th: http://melsshelves.blogspot.com/, http://www.bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://www.wishfulendings.com/
Nov 27th: http://www.littlelightdesigncollective.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/
Tour Giveaway:
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