ROMANTIC
SUSPENSE
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SUSPENSE
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Photo Credit:
Walter J. Pilsak
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One of the most enduring historical references to what some consider to
be psychic ability is the prophecies of Michel de Nostredame (1503 –
1566), often Latinized to Nostradamus, published during the French
Renaissance period.
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BOOK
ILLUMINATIONS
From Merrimon Book Reviews
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ROMANCE
FICTION SUSPENSE & THRILLERS
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The Missing
by Shiloh Walker
The darkness of
evil and the power of love
As
an adolescent, Taige Branch's psychic powers always makes her feel
separate from others. As a teenager, her boyfriend Cullen Morgan
was the one person who seems to understand her. Together they
share the intensity of a first love. He alone stands by her side
and cherishes her when the darkness overwhelms her. Then, one
day, Cullen's family experiences a tragedy, a tragedy Taige has not
foreseen. He blames her for not preventing the turn of
events. Although the two go their separate ways, each thinks of
the other during the intervening years. Year later and now
widowed, Cullen finds himself relying on Taige when his daughter turns
up missing. Can Taige help locate his kidnapped daughter or will
her psychic abilities fail again when she most needs them? Now
working together, Taige and Cullen find that the passion of their youth
still burns just as hot as it ever was. Can Taige and Cullen work
through the past wounds to find a love that that also understands one
another more deeply? Can they save his daughter in time?
Shiloh Walker's THE MISSING
is a work of romantic suspense that explores the darkness of evil and
the power of love to heal. Precise, well-chosen vignettes from
different periods of time in the first part of this romance set up the
conflict while pinpointing the focus of the emotional dimension and the
passion that unites Paige and Cullen. From the very beginning,
Shiloh Walker allows readers to see inside her characters' souls.
One
feels the darkness within as Taige's unique gift which separates her
from her
family and others, others who seek to stamp out the one thing that
makes her stand out as special. Against this background, the
innocence and
passion of a first love breaks through with a freshness and
energy. As the romance progresses, bringing Taige and Cullen into
the present day, Shiloh Walker paints an amazing portrait of two
individuals who, having now experienced the brokenness and pain of the
world before them, now discover a deeper love, a love able to withstand
not only time but a love that recognizes a fuller vision of the
whole person.
THE MISSING is not
a typical work of romantic suspense in which the hunt to identity of
the villain provides the suspense. Most readers will guess the
motive and the culprit before the final pages, although Shiloh Walker
also gives readers a surprising twist at the end that adds a whole
other chilling dimension to this romance. The power of this
romance and the suspense resides in the chilling portrait she paints of
the villain and how evil often cloaks itself in goodness while
destroying beauty and uniqueness. Unlike some other works of
suspense, Shiloh Walker does not use Taige's psychic powers as a
way to simplify the hunt for villain but rather looks into the
complications and difficulties that these powers present to Taige,
adding depth to her character and bringing the reader deeper inside the
story. Shiloh Walker's excellent use of imagery crystallizes the
very chilling portrait of the villain. Indeed, the very heart of THE MISSING resides in Shiloh
Walker's ability to take the reader into the twistedness of her
villains, unmasking the devious, destructive dynamics within the mind
and to juxtapose that darkness against the heart of her hero and
heroine. Throughout the romance, Shiloh Walker has a unique skill
in choosing which scenes to include to maximize the impact of her
story. The ending of the romance takes this one step further,
creating an image of Taige and of love itself that inspires the
imagination.
Publisher: Berkley
Sensation (November
2008)
Author
web site
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
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