Mofina starts off with a frightening premise. Fourteen year old Riley decides to wait in the RV while the rest of her newly blended family heads into the truck stop. When they get back on the road, they assume she is taking a nap in the bedroom. It's not until they're miles down the road that anyone genuinely checks. And yup, you guessed it - she's missing....
The search for Riley is anything but easy. The police don't seem to believe Grace and husband John that it was an accident. Instead they're focusing on the family as suspects. The police work in Search for Her is busy, with many agencies involved as the case crosses state lines. Although all the right words are there, I had a hard time believing some of the investigation. Information or leads are discovered at fortuitous points in the story. Technology breaks down and isn't discovered for days. Mofina gives us lots of suspects right from the get go including the family. It seems every one of them is hiding something. The listener is given hints as to each family member's hidden secrets, but it takes a while before they are revealed. This does serve to keep the listener engaged. There are also lots of peripheral characters that may or may not have a bearing on the case. One caught my eye as the way they were portrayed was just too 'good' IMO.
Understandably, the family is panicked. Especially Grace. And I felt for her - I really did. But I got so tired of her caterwauling 'Where's Riley?' I know, I know, her child is missing. Character development takes a back seat in Search for Her. Instead, it action that propels the book forward. There are twists along the way, but some of them seemed awkward to me, including the reasoning and mind set of the initial suspect.
I chose to listen to Search for Her. The reader was Jennifer Jill Araya. This was a first listen of this narrator for me. She has a nice clear speaking voice, enunciates well, paces her speaking speed, and is, for the most part, really easy to listen to. She provides tones and voices for many, including males that are believable. She is indeed a very expressive reader and captures the tone of Mofina's book with her interpretation. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of Search For Her.
Mofina hits all the right notes for what I would call 'light suspense.' But, I prefer my suspense a little darker and my police procedures a little more believable. I encourage you to check out the other reviews on Goodreads. Overall, an easy read for the beach bag this summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment