The Witness Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B007UWOY62 | Format: PDF
The Witness Description
Audie Award Nominee, Romance, 2013
Daughter of a cold, controlling mother and an anonymous donor, studious, obedient Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking too much at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent to lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever.
Twelve years later, the woman now known as Abigail Lowery lives alone on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she works at home designing sophisticated security systems. Her own security is supplemented by a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing. Unfortunately, that seems to be the quickest way to get attention in a tiny southern town.
The mystery of Abigail Lowery intrigues local police chief Brooks Gleason, on both a personal and a professional level. Her sharp, logical mind, her secretive nature, her unromantic viewpoints leave him fascinated but frustrated. He suspects that Abigail needs protection from something, even if he doesn't know what - and that her elaborate defenses hide a story that must be revealed.
Accustomed to two-bit troublemakers, Gleason is about to walk into the sights of very powerful and dangerous men. And Abigail Lowery, who has built a life based on security and self-control, is at risk of losing both.
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 16 hours and 18 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Brilliance Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: April 17, 2012
- Whispersync for Voice: Ready
- Language: English
- ASIN: B007UWOY62
Only Nora Roberts can make me sit down and devour a 500 page book in less than 24 hours. I enjoy her writing style, I love her characters, and I thought this was the best stand-alone novel that she has written in some time. Well worth the honor of her 200th publication!
Elizabeth Fitch leads a very sterile and pre-planned life: conceived from carefully planned artificial insemination to a woman lacking in emotion, a prodigy with an eidetic memory who is pre-med at Harvard at the age of 16, and still a teenage girl who feels the need to rebel as she struggles to become her own person. Her single act of rebellion results in death, being targeted by the Russian Mafia, and her entering into witness protection. Now, 12 years later, she is still hiding but as Abigail Lowry in a small Arkansas town. The Chief of Police, Brooks Gleason, has taken a professional - and personal - interest in her and Abigail has to decide if being alive is enough, or if she wants to actually live a life she never thought she could have.
Nora Roberts, in my mind, always spins a good tale. I will never claim her books are full of unexpected twists and turns or worthy of a National Book Award, but they have solid, well-developed plots, that are enjoyable to read. I thought this book was a cut above her normal. Not because of the plot, which was good, but because of the lead female character. I really liked her! She was incredibly smart, unbelievably courageous, and just a little socially awkward as truly brilliant people can be. My heart broke for the 16 year old girl and cheered for the 29 year old woman - both of whom made difficult decisions.
And now, I am left with the same feeling I always have after finishing one of Nora's books: why did I read that so fast?!
Oh, well done Ms. Roberts. Well done!
I usually like NR's single title suspense books, but not as much as I used to. They are comfort reads because I always know the writing is technically proficient and the story is usually well constructed. Lately I haven't found them overly exciting or stupendously groundbreaking, but they are still very much dependable -- like a homemade baked Mac & Cheese. So imagine my surprise when I closed this book (after whipping through it in mere hours) with a huge contented sigh that comes not from mac & cheese, but rather from the an exquisitely seasoned and bold penne alla vodka!
In a word, this story was excellent.
Elizabeth Fitch is the genius daughter of a genius brain surgeon. Her life has been meticulously planned since even before she was born. All her meals are created and approved by a certified nutritionist. All her clothes -- the best quality and befitting the daughter of a chief of surgery -- are chosen by her mother. Even her career has been completely charted by her controlling mother. At age sixteen, Elizabeth is already a college freshmen finishing her first year in pre-med at Harvard. Her mother plans for Elizabeth to be a brain surgeon too.
A dutiful daughter, Elizabeth has gone along quietly with all this structure even if internally she laments not being like other girls her age. it isn't until a promised vacation at the beach is jettisoned in favor of an internship that Elizabeth finally balks. Her one small act of teenage rebellion leads to a horrific night of murder that lands Elizabeth in Witness protection and finally on the run for her life.
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