Is it her next bestseller . . . Or her last words? In The Chase, award-winning author DiAnn Mills introduced you to the world of Kariss Walker, the bestselling suspense author with a nose for trouble. In The Survivor, Kariss gets the chance to tell her most powerful story yet. But will it revitalize her writing career? Or bring it to a violent end? Kariss meets Dr. Amy Garrett, who survived a brutal childhood attack in which the assailant was never found. Now Dr. Garrett wants her story written in a novel. Kariss wishes she could seek the advice of Special Agent Tigo Harris, but she broke off the relationship a few months prior and seeing him again would be too painful. She interviews Amy and conducts her own research, stepping unaware into danger. Tigo misses Kariss and wants her back, but he understands why she broke off their relationship. Instead, he concentrates on solving a car bombing and bringing the killer to justice. As Kariss's new story attracts an onslaught of danger that she never expected, can Tigo save the woman he loves and find out who wants her dead for writing about an unsolved cold case?
What I liked about this book was that it brought us back to Tigo and Kariss's lives--a couple I really enjoyed getting to know in The Chase. This is a continuation of their story, and it shows how love is not always easy. There are definite bumps in the road before these two can make it to their HEA. I also like the complexity of the plot. I didn't latch on right away to the guilty party, and I love suspense books that can keep me guessing.
However, I struggled with other parts of this book. Diann's writing didn't seem as close to the characters as she typically gets. Writers talk about something called deep POV, which basically is a style of writing that puts you right into the characters' skins. I didn't feel that in this book, but for most of the book felt like I was looking in on Kariss and Tigo. Add to that, their paths don't cross much for the first half of the book, and this gave the read a slower pace for me. At times I even struggled to finish the book. Which was a huge surprise for me as I typically enjoy Diann's stories.
Could it have just been me--of course. Will I read her again--of course. Diann is a great writer and this book has wonderful reviews on many sites. However, I have to give it my own personal review here and based on my star rating I give The Survivor 3 out of 5 stars.
If you'd like to see a break-down of what my stars equal, check out my page My Ratings System to the right there. And a big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
If you'd like to see a break-down of what my stars equal, check out my page My Ratings System to the right there. And a big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Great breakdown of this one, Susan! Sounds like one I need to read!
ReplyDeleteYour TBR pile grows;)
DeleteThanks for sharing. I usually like DiAnn Mills. Wonder what happened?
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.
Me, too. Though, like I said, it has 4 & 5 star ratings on most sites. So check it out for yourself...it just was not my personal favorite of hers. I will definitely read her again, though, because she's a great author:)
Delete