Such a righteous man standing up on the pulpit reciting
scripture -- such a wonderful family man with a doting
wife and respectful children -- his face said it all as he
gracefully spoke of God and the importance of following
that righteous path. Such bull. What he was, was the
consummate actor whose façade had everyone around him
fooled. What he was, was a serial rapist and murderer --
and he was her father.
Raise your hand if you are a diehard Nora Roberts fan --
go ahead you know who you are. With every book I fall
more in love with Roberts so it was only natural that THE
OBSESSION was on my must read list. Now I'm telling all
of you Nora Roberts's fans THE OBSESSION has to be on
your wish list. It's that good: riveting, storytelling at
its best. THE OBSESSION is a prize winning novel so gets
your hands on a copy.
This might sound rather clichéd but I am absolutely
obsessed with THE OBSESSION as I'm sure Nora Roberts
meant to accomplish when penning one of the best crime
novels of 2016. Roberts wants us to feel and think about
these characters whose very lives are centered around the
unthinkable. It's one thing to be related to cold and
nasty. It's quite another to be related to a beast. And
that is exactly what Naomi and Mason's father Thomas is --
a brutal sadistical killing beast. The fact that his
outward public demeanor hid the beast in him for so many
years is what makes this story even more terrifying. How
many times have people interviewed remarked that the
culprit seemed so normal -- likeable -- neighborly? A wolf
in sheep's clothing -- nothing remotely biblical about
something so tragic.
What's unforeseeable is the core of THE OBSESSION. Naomi
and her brother Mason have fashioned lives and careers
for themselves. He is FBI concentrating on the one type
of crime you would think he would shy away from -- serial
killers. Naomi is a photographer who spends her life
looking at the world through a viewfinder. She
photographs beauty and nature. You could say that is how
she diminishes the images of her past.
Naomi has relocated to a quiet serene little place. It
called to her and has started to give her hope that this
place could really become a home. Perhaps here she can
put down roots and stop her wandering years. But even in
this little hamlet there is tragedy. Naomi loves her new
home, friends and her plans include having her family
visit her here. This could finally bring some security
and peace. But Naomi's new life is being invaded with new
images and scenes that are once again having her think of
running. Life on the road as a photographer had become a
sort of habit. Perhaps that is the only life she can
have.
THE OBSESSION is fashioned like intricately built tiers.
Each tier brings you closer to discovering the central
structure of this well-built story. Nora Roberts does not
waste words. Keep that in mind. Everything, every nuance
in the pages of THE OBSESSION are there for a reason. You
just have to keep turning those pages to find out just
what Nora Roberts planned for us and her characters. THE
OBSESSION is a remarkable drama sprinkled with just
enough humor and humanity to keep you on the edge of your
seats. Well done.
The riveting new novel from the #1 New York Times
bestselling author of The Liar.“She stood in the deep, dark woods, breath shallow and
cold prickling over her skin despite the hot, heavy air. She
took a step back, then two, as the urge to run fell over
her.”
Naomi Bowes lost her innocence the night she followed her
father into the woods. In freeing the girl trapped in the
root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her
father's crimes and made him infamous. No matter how close
she gets to happiness, she can't outrun the sins of Thomas
David Bowes.
Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi
Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, a rambling
old house in need of repair, thousands of miles away from
everything she's ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the
solitude, but the kindly residents of Sunrise Cove keep
forcing her to open up—especially the determined Xander Keaton.
Naomi can feel her defenses failing, and knows that the
connection her new life offers is something she's always
secretly craved. But the sins of her father can become an
obsession, and, as she's learned time and again, her past is
never more than a nightmare away.