Within the small town of Kanesville, Utah, two popular
cheerleaders commit suicide, but when a third body is found
dead by the same method, Detective Samantha Montgomery
begins to suspect that there's more to these deaths than
first suspected. As more teens die, Sam digs deeper into
the secrets of this Mormon community, exposing the dark and
unspoken evils harbored within.
TIES THAT BIND by Natalie R. Collins is a fantastic novel.
Tense, gritty, and real, it gives us a flawed protagonist
who struggles to balance her family and work inside a
community she no longer fits into. As Collins was born and
raised within the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints,
she knows the culture and the people and portrays them with
realism.
The moral attitude of the Latter-day Saints is very much an
intricate part of the plot and Collins teases out these
threads without harsh criticism and condemnation. While the
characters stand on both sides of the line between faith
and rejection, Collins gives both believable and real
motivation. I'm impressed with how she's handled these
polar opposite attitudes.
Like most thrillers, the plot exposes the extremes within
human nature. We see the best and worst within humanity and
struggle to come to terms with the worst while clinging to
the best. Each person contains these extremes and Collins
shows us this duality. No character is completely good.
None is completely bad. All are real in their motivation
and struggles.
Sam is herself a wonderful example of the extremes within
us. She's self-destructive, intelligent, dedicated,
stubborn, and fragile and yet, she continues to cling to
her beliefs without regret or shame. She drives this story
very much like she drives herself, pushing us to the brink
of our boundaries and then going just a bit further into
that uncomfortable place where we have to question our
beliefs and actions.
I can't say enough how wonderful this story is. The
suspense continues to build to the last second, revealing
each clue at the perfect time. Every character becomes an
intricate piece to the story and every action becomes
suspect. TIES THAT BIND will keep you guessing while you
hold your breath to see what happens next. If you like
thrillers which delve into the darkest corners of our
minds, then you will love TIES THAT BIND by Natalie R.
Collins.
In her acclaimed thrillers, Natalie R. Collins reveals
the secrets that lurk in every town, the darkness that lies
in every heart, and the ties that bind every family—till
death…
TIES THAT BIND
The
first victim is found hanging from a tree in her backyard. A
popular cheerleader in the small town of Kanesville, Utah,
she appears to have committed suicide. As does the next
girl…Then comes a third death, and a growing suspicion that
these are not suicides at all. Police Detective Samantha
Montgomery has seen her share of tragedy back in Salt Lake
City—but this is different. This is methodical, planned,
perfectly executed. This is the work of a serial
killer.
SECRETS THAT
KILL
Visiting Detective Gage Flint knows Sam from
her Salt Lake City days. After a brutal case left her
traumatized—and Gage broke her heart—Sam decided to return
to her hometown, never thinking she’d have another chance to
work with Gage…or that another case would hit so close to
home. The deeper she digs into the murders, the more she
uncovers about her own family’s past. Somehow, the two seem
connected—and Sam could be the next target of a killer’s
obsession…
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