Nick Marcello has been asked to design the stained glass windows for his old hometown church, forcing him to return and face his past. He has chosen none other than Brooke Martin to assist him in this endevour, causing gossip to ripple across the small town of Hayden. Because of their supposed "scandal" nearly ten years prior, Alice Hemphill is going to do everything within her power to fire the both of them, since her money keeps the church afloat. Even though Nick and Brooke both know they never did anything deserving the treatment they are receiving, they also both know that they are falling for each other in a way that will keep the whole town talking...
Emerald Windows echoes from Terri Blackstock's past directly after she left her secular career. Though there are some well-developed characters, the plot is generally typical with a typical end and few original elements. Though this plot is better than the typical romance model, it is still not original.
At least Nick is not a perfect male lead. Brooke, Alice, and several other characters are also well developed. Though Alice is portrayed as an evil villain, she still has a personality. However, there is a lot of imperfection in Hayden, which is the only thing that makes this book worth reading.
The plot is generally more entertaining than a typical romance not only because of the characters but also because of the circumstances. Though the results are expected, the circumstances are not. Terri added several surprises throughout the plot the changed things up, yet in the end, Terri did nothing terribly original save for the loss of a sentimental object.
All in all, the book was interesting to read, but I would not recommend it to somone as an example of Terri Blackstock.
3 stars
Showing posts with label terri blackstock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terri blackstock. Show all posts
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Monday, November 29, 2010
Blind Trust by Terri Blackstock
Sherry Cranston has tried to move on and find a new purpose for her life after her fiance, Clint, abruptly disappeared from her life just days before their impending wedding. Now, eight months later, Clint has suddenly reappeared in her life with an urgency to keep her safe from an unknown foe. However, he will not tell her any helpful information, yet only wants her to trust him. Sherry and her roommate Madeline suddenly find themselves dragged across the country with Clint and his bodyguard Sam, heading to unknown locations with the enemy on their tails. Despite all of the danger and intrigue, can Sherry and Clint find once again the love they lost?
If one wants to learn how to write a completely run-of-the-mill suspense plot, one should read Blind Trust and write accordingly. Not only does this book borrow the same old, worn out plot; it borrows it in an unprofessional fashion that does not reflect well on Christian fiction as a whole.
Sherry, Clint, Madeline, and Sam are the core characters of this plot, but they are not characters that carry the story along with their personalities. Though the character count is few, the quality of the characters is lacking. Terri Blackstock has done better with character development in her career; obviously this book was written before she established this talent. The villain is not as bad as they could have been, but still not very intriguing.
This plot is definitely not lacking in potential. At any point, Terri could have changed up the pace and surprised her readers. There are plenty of opportunities for surprises and plot twists. However, Terri Blackstock took the safe way out by writing a predictable novel. Two, not one, romantic subplots are formed by the time the book is over. A typical showdown at the end makes for a boring read. However, despite these wasted opportunities, I know that the Terri Blackstock today would not write such a plot in the same fashion.
These are the types of books that make one appreciate how far an author has come in their career since they started.
2 stars
If one wants to learn how to write a completely run-of-the-mill suspense plot, one should read Blind Trust and write accordingly. Not only does this book borrow the same old, worn out plot; it borrows it in an unprofessional fashion that does not reflect well on Christian fiction as a whole.
Sherry, Clint, Madeline, and Sam are the core characters of this plot, but they are not characters that carry the story along with their personalities. Though the character count is few, the quality of the characters is lacking. Terri Blackstock has done better with character development in her career; obviously this book was written before she established this talent. The villain is not as bad as they could have been, but still not very intriguing.
This plot is definitely not lacking in potential. At any point, Terri could have changed up the pace and surprised her readers. There are plenty of opportunities for surprises and plot twists. However, Terri Blackstock took the safe way out by writing a predictable novel. Two, not one, romantic subplots are formed by the time the book is over. A typical showdown at the end makes for a boring read. However, despite these wasted opportunities, I know that the Terri Blackstock today would not write such a plot in the same fashion.
These are the types of books that make one appreciate how far an author has come in their career since they started.
2 stars
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Breaker's Reef by Terri Blackstock
A Cape Refuge rookie police officer has found the body of a Cape Refuge teenage girl floating in the bay. However, thanks to his carelessness in moving the body without gloves, Chief Matthew Cade cannot identify the killer. Besides having another killer on his hands, Cade is trying to figure out how he can ask Blair Owens to marry him-but it can't just be a simple question. However, he did not expect that his romantic scheme would get him into trouble with the law. A popular mystery author has moved to Cape Refuge and Sheila Caruso has taken a job with him typing his old novels onto his computer for him. His eccentric nature almost scares her off the job, but the longer she stays with him, the more she wonders if this strange man is the killer everyone is looking for, especially since all his books are from the viewpoints of killers. With more uncertainty on Cape Refuge, will everything ever get back to normal?
Even though Terri Blackstock should have departed from Cape Refuge killings several books ago, she actually found a way to make this final installment in the series interesting. The case is up to Terri Blackstock par, and maybe even above. But most of all, she finally wrote an interesting showdown. However, as I expected with this last book of the series, impending wedding bells put a damper on things.
The miracle of the Cape Refuge cast of characters is the fact that they never changed throughout the entire series. Cade, Blair, Morgan, Jonathan, and Sadie never changed. This is not necessarily a good thing, but it is not a bad thing either. In this final book, Terri finally created a good villain whose identity is hidden until the last chapters. The Cape Refuge characters have not always been model characters, but they are not disgraceful either.
Terri Blackstock has always been able to build a strong case in her mysteries, and Breaker's Reef is no exception. Her unique multiple point of view plots get the story at all angles and through different perspectives. As a side bar, this title actually makes sense. However, the ongoing relationship between Cade and Blair finally came to a head at an inopportune time for the series. This is the main problem with the book. However, Terri actually created an interesting showdown-two of them actually-fueled by true surprise and ambiguity. This book rivals Cape Refuge for the best book of the series.
At least Terri Blackstock found a way to end this series on a good note, which was the best thing she could have done. The Cape Refuge series was not the best series in the world, but neither was it the worst series in the world. Terri Blackstock remains to be one of the best suspense authors on the market.
4 stars
Even though Terri Blackstock should have departed from Cape Refuge killings several books ago, she actually found a way to make this final installment in the series interesting. The case is up to Terri Blackstock par, and maybe even above. But most of all, she finally wrote an interesting showdown. However, as I expected with this last book of the series, impending wedding bells put a damper on things.
The miracle of the Cape Refuge cast of characters is the fact that they never changed throughout the entire series. Cade, Blair, Morgan, Jonathan, and Sadie never changed. This is not necessarily a good thing, but it is not a bad thing either. In this final book, Terri finally created a good villain whose identity is hidden until the last chapters. The Cape Refuge characters have not always been model characters, but they are not disgraceful either.
Terri Blackstock has always been able to build a strong case in her mysteries, and Breaker's Reef is no exception. Her unique multiple point of view plots get the story at all angles and through different perspectives. As a side bar, this title actually makes sense. However, the ongoing relationship between Cade and Blair finally came to a head at an inopportune time for the series. This is the main problem with the book. However, Terri actually created an interesting showdown-two of them actually-fueled by true surprise and ambiguity. This book rivals Cape Refuge for the best book of the series.
At least Terri Blackstock found a way to end this series on a good note, which was the best thing she could have done. The Cape Refuge series was not the best series in the world, but neither was it the worst series in the world. Terri Blackstock remains to be one of the best suspense authors on the market.
4 stars
Friday, September 3, 2010
River's Edge by Terri Blackstock
With the Cape Refuge mayoral race in full swing, the last thing Chief Matthew Cade wants is a missing person to deal with. The wife of mayoral candidate Ben Jackson has disappeared, causing the race to pause. But the case gets even more interesting when a psychic on the island claims that he knows where the woman's body is-and turns out to be correct. This causes new Christian Blair Owens to ask questions about the supernatural-questions with immediate answers. Cade openly denies any supposed power of the psychic, but Blair wants to whole story. Besides all this, the third mayoral candidate wants to continue the race without Jackson at all. Also, Sadie's mother Sheila has been released from prison ahead of time and as joined her children on the island, but has not kept herself out of trouble. With so much uncertainty on Cape Refuge, it's enough to drive one to madness. When will someone make sense of all the messes and answer some questions?
As expected, the Cape Refuge series isn't getting any better as it wears on. It seems to me that the biggest problem is the island's death count. How many people could possibly die on the same island? Why can't Terri Blackstock write a different plot? So far it's been all deaths and kidnapping. This is probably the series' biggest problem. Unfortunately, this problem is not alleviated in River's Edge.
The main miracle of this series is the consistency of the characters. None of them have changed much, except for maybe Jonathan, who is inching toward perfection upon his mayoral campaign. Otherwise, Morgan, Blair, Cade, and Sadie remain the same. Sheila provides an interesting flavor to the story as well. The identity of the villain is well concealed by the many suspects. Perhaps the biggest issue here is the lack of progress. These characters are stuck in a rut. Characters in a series should progress and become better and deeper as the series progresses, and I have yet to see that in the Cape Refuge series.
Terri wrote an extremely average and mediocre mystery in River's Edge that is only spiced up by the culprit confusion. Otherwise, it is quite cut-and-dry. Besides this, the surrounding elements, such as the mayoral race and the eternal romantic subplot between Blair and Cade are predictable and mediocre. Sheila's subplot provides a counter to this mediocrity, but it is not enough to alleviate this book's low rating. As I said before, if this series is to go anywhere from here, Terri has to invent a more creative plot pattern. She needs to make a change of pace before this series goes down the tubes.
Perhaps there is hope for Breaker's Reef, but hopes are dim with wedding bells tolling.
2.5 stars
As expected, the Cape Refuge series isn't getting any better as it wears on. It seems to me that the biggest problem is the island's death count. How many people could possibly die on the same island? Why can't Terri Blackstock write a different plot? So far it's been all deaths and kidnapping. This is probably the series' biggest problem. Unfortunately, this problem is not alleviated in River's Edge.
The main miracle of this series is the consistency of the characters. None of them have changed much, except for maybe Jonathan, who is inching toward perfection upon his mayoral campaign. Otherwise, Morgan, Blair, Cade, and Sadie remain the same. Sheila provides an interesting flavor to the story as well. The identity of the villain is well concealed by the many suspects. Perhaps the biggest issue here is the lack of progress. These characters are stuck in a rut. Characters in a series should progress and become better and deeper as the series progresses, and I have yet to see that in the Cape Refuge series.
Terri wrote an extremely average and mediocre mystery in River's Edge that is only spiced up by the culprit confusion. Otherwise, it is quite cut-and-dry. Besides this, the surrounding elements, such as the mayoral race and the eternal romantic subplot between Blair and Cade are predictable and mediocre. Sheila's subplot provides a counter to this mediocrity, but it is not enough to alleviate this book's low rating. As I said before, if this series is to go anywhere from here, Terri has to invent a more creative plot pattern. She needs to make a change of pace before this series goes down the tubes.
Perhaps there is hope for Breaker's Reef, but hopes are dim with wedding bells tolling.
2.5 stars
Friday, August 27, 2010
Last Light by Terri Blackstock
In one second, planes begin falling from the sky, vehicles stall out on the road, no electronic device or equipment works, and no power functions. Suddenly everything America depends on is ripped away from them and they are forced to go back to the basics in order to survive. The Branning family has found themselves caught in the middle of unrest and crime throughout their neighborhood since the local police force has been crippled. They attempt to band together with their neighbors, but many of them are tight-fisted. On top of this, there is a killer among the neighborhood who has killed two whole families for the goods they had been hoarding. This only incites more fear and uncertainty. How could people become so dependant on electronics that they have become desperate in their absence?
While the idea of the gift of electricity and electronics being taken away from the world is nothing new, Terri Blackstock has put her own spin to the idea and actually refrained from the usual quest plot pattern most authors use when dealing with this subject. However, Terri stills falls into her old suspense traps in the end, causing this book to only be a little above average.
The characters are no better or worse than typical Terri Blackstock characters-they are all imperfect yet without personalities. Terri continues her trend of a split point of view, but there seems to be too many points of view because it is difficult for the reader to follow all the characters at once. The villain is not as bad as they could have been, at least. Terri still has some work to do with her characters.
Terri accurately captured what would happen if electricity and electronics were suddenly taken away, namely the effect this would have on the economy and on crime rates. The killing is justified and expected in this type of situation, as is amateur crime solving. There is really nothing wrong with the body of the plot, but the cheesy showdown with the killer at the end tarnishes this book's image. It appears that Terri cannot invent a creative end and always resorts to a predictable showdown. When will she ever come up with something different?
On most points, Terri Blackstock is one of the better suspense authors on the market, yet she almost always does the same thing in her books. The day that she refrains from a showdown or actually kills off a key character in the showdown, I will be happy.
3 stars
While the idea of the gift of electricity and electronics being taken away from the world is nothing new, Terri Blackstock has put her own spin to the idea and actually refrained from the usual quest plot pattern most authors use when dealing with this subject. However, Terri stills falls into her old suspense traps in the end, causing this book to only be a little above average.
The characters are no better or worse than typical Terri Blackstock characters-they are all imperfect yet without personalities. Terri continues her trend of a split point of view, but there seems to be too many points of view because it is difficult for the reader to follow all the characters at once. The villain is not as bad as they could have been, at least. Terri still has some work to do with her characters.
Terri accurately captured what would happen if electricity and electronics were suddenly taken away, namely the effect this would have on the economy and on crime rates. The killing is justified and expected in this type of situation, as is amateur crime solving. There is really nothing wrong with the body of the plot, but the cheesy showdown with the killer at the end tarnishes this book's image. It appears that Terri cannot invent a creative end and always resorts to a predictable showdown. When will she ever come up with something different?
On most points, Terri Blackstock is one of the better suspense authors on the market, yet she almost always does the same thing in her books. The day that she refrains from a showdown or actually kills off a key character in the showdown, I will be happy.
3 stars
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Southern Storm by Terri Blackstock
Matthew Cade has invited unwanted trouble upon himself by running down a dying man with his police cruiser one rainy evening on the island of Cape Refuge. The man died shortly after his arrival at the hospital, and Cade is blaming himself. This is not helped by the gossip circulating the island upon the event. However, Blair Owens knows Cade didn't kill the man because he was already bleeding of a gunshot wound. But when Cade disappears from the island mysteriously, suspicion mounts against the police chief. Blair is furious and launches a reckless campaign for Cade's innocence, quitting her job as island librarian in the process. The facts don't add up to her, even when a note supposedly sent by Cade arrives saying he has eloped with an unknown girlfriend. Or maybe Blair is just trying to keep her heart from being let down...
In the second installment of the Cape Refuge series, Terri Blackstock does little to instill confidence that this series will avoid decreasing in value as it wears on. She started the series out with a four-star, and now a three-star. At least plot structure is the main problem in Southern Storm rather than character development. Needless to say, I don't have high hopes for the remainder of this series.
Morgan and Blair remain the characters they were in Cape Refuge. Blair may even be better than before; her reckless nature and methods for solving the mystery are entertaining and promising. Jonathan is not the character he was in the first book, mostly because he is not shown enough. Cade remains to be the same-a neutral, gray character with a little imperfection but no personality. Sadie also remains to be the same as she was, yet does not develop a personality. Basically, Terri's Cape Refuge characters took no steps in either direction, however this is better than most authors regarding series characters.
Terri did not resist the urge to connect all her subplots with convenient connections. Blair's subplot, Cade's subplot, Morgan's subplot, and Sadie's subplot are all connected in one way or another, by believable connections or by convenient connections. Convenient connections are never advantageous to use when writing a mystery because they are amateurish and cause the author to look as such. There are no obvious romantic subplots, except for the ongoing silent one between Cade and Blair. This is another reason I do not have high hopes for the remainder of this series. Sadie's overlooked subplot is better than it could have been and should have only served to provide a distraction from the mystery. The mystery itself is not well written because the reader knows the entire time where Cade is and why. Besides this, Cade's disappearance is for typical reasons, reasons that Terri has shown herself better than before. To top this all off, she throws in a cheesy showdown that ends predictably.
Basically, the only thing that saved this book from complete disaster was the character development, an uncharacteristic move for her. Now, if only she will develop good characters as well as returning to her superb mystery development of old, she will be a sight to behold.
3 stars
In the second installment of the Cape Refuge series, Terri Blackstock does little to instill confidence that this series will avoid decreasing in value as it wears on. She started the series out with a four-star, and now a three-star. At least plot structure is the main problem in Southern Storm rather than character development. Needless to say, I don't have high hopes for the remainder of this series.
Morgan and Blair remain the characters they were in Cape Refuge. Blair may even be better than before; her reckless nature and methods for solving the mystery are entertaining and promising. Jonathan is not the character he was in the first book, mostly because he is not shown enough. Cade remains to be the same-a neutral, gray character with a little imperfection but no personality. Sadie also remains to be the same as she was, yet does not develop a personality. Basically, Terri's Cape Refuge characters took no steps in either direction, however this is better than most authors regarding series characters.
Terri did not resist the urge to connect all her subplots with convenient connections. Blair's subplot, Cade's subplot, Morgan's subplot, and Sadie's subplot are all connected in one way or another, by believable connections or by convenient connections. Convenient connections are never advantageous to use when writing a mystery because they are amateurish and cause the author to look as such. There are no obvious romantic subplots, except for the ongoing silent one between Cade and Blair. This is another reason I do not have high hopes for the remainder of this series. Sadie's overlooked subplot is better than it could have been and should have only served to provide a distraction from the mystery. The mystery itself is not well written because the reader knows the entire time where Cade is and why. Besides this, Cade's disappearance is for typical reasons, reasons that Terri has shown herself better than before. To top this all off, she throws in a cheesy showdown that ends predictably.
Basically, the only thing that saved this book from complete disaster was the character development, an uncharacteristic move for her. Now, if only she will develop good characters as well as returning to her superb mystery development of old, she will be a sight to behold.
3 stars
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Intervention by Terri Blackstock
Emily Covington has gotten herself in trouble before with her drug addictions, but now she's hit the bottom. Her mother, in a desperate attempt to save her life, sent her with a paid interventionist to a drub rehab center. But things went wrong and her interventionist was somehow murdered and Emily herself was kidnapped. Dragging her son along with her, Barbara Covington is now frantically trying to find her missing daughter before something worse happens to her, all while trying to refute speculations that Emily murdered the interventionist herself. Police detective Kent Harlan wants to get to the bottom of the case himself, but is having a hard time doing so with Barbara constantly meddling in his business. Many things about the strange case do not add up-including motive and ability. Whoever the killer is, they're still on the loose, ready to kill anyone who stands in their way or who has information to implicate them. In all the madness, Barbara and Kent are forced to evaluate the way they've been living their own lives before moving any further.
Terri Blackstock has written another book with good characters, a good case, and a bad end. One would think that after ten years of writing, she would have broken this vicious cycle by now. Perhaps Terri Blackstock is the one in need of intervention.
Barbara is one of the best leads of a suspense novel I have ever read about. Her constant meddling in the case adds an interesting flavor to the book that it probably needed. Emily is no saint, and there are plenty of reasons to pin the murder on her. Kent is no perfect male lead, but his character has room for improvement. The villain is not a mindless killing machine but instead has a good purpose and reason for what they do. There are few things Terri needs to improve regarding characters. She just needs to stay the course and not waver from her establishment as a good character developer.
The case is not simple or straightforward. Few authors can write a case like Terri Blackstock because of her ability to withhold important information from the reader until the right time. Intervention also brings an interesting issue to light that not many people want to discuss. Along with this are the usual elements-twists, turns, and false suspects. Also as usual, Terr Blackstock writes a cheesy showdown scene in which all "good" characters come out unscathed. However, there are several issues not addressed at the end, making for a more tasteful end than usual.
All in all, Terri Blackstock is a very consistent author-consistently almost five stars. However, this is not a bad thing because Terri brings her own thing to the Christian fiction table. That's something that most authors cannot claim.
4.5 stars
Cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock
Thelma and Wayne, the beloved parents of Morgan Cleary, have been found murdered with a spear gun. Morgan's husband Jonathan is the number one suspect in the murder, but no one on the small island town of Cape Refuge believe Jonathan would do such a thing. Morgan and her sister, Blair, are determined to find the real killer in order to convince police chief Matthew Cade that Jonathan is innocent. But Hanover House, the refuge for released convicts and runaways Thelma and Wayne operated, is under the fire of the city council on the grounds that it attracts criminals to Cape Refuge. A teenage girl with an unknown past has appeared on the island seeking refuge in Hanover House, but she seems to know more than she lets on. With so much uncertainty, Morgan does not know if she can carry on with her husband in jail. However, she and Blair must face alone a terrible secret in their parents' past.
Terri Blackstock is a not a cheap suspense author who scribbles down a cheesy story whose plot is borrowed from so many other authors and calls this story exciting and suspenseful. No, her fiction has meaning and purpose behind that is not found in just any suspense book. However, even with these strengths, Terri does not seem to want to shed some cliches of suspense-namely the showdown scene.
Morgan, Blair, Jonathan, Cade, even Thelma and Wayne are all imperfect characters. Some of these have better personalities than the others, but there is not a perfect character on Cape Refuge. Even though Thelma and Wayne are portrayed as saints at first, later information shows these reports to be false, thank God. Cade is not the perfect male lead he could have been, but he still does not show any personality. Jonathan is not the perfect victim he could have been; he still has a lot of issues, even though it is obvious early on that he is innocent of the deaths of his in-laws. The true villain is one of the better killers I have ever read because they actually have a purpose in their killing. This is often a cliche in suspense-a ruthless, killing-machine villain. However, this is not the case here.
Whatever her discrepancies with ends are, Terri Blackstock knows how to make the journey interesting. The case is as realistic as it could have been and is certainly not straightforward. There are many twists, turns, dead ends, false suspects, and key character deaths along the way. This elevates her another level above cheap suspense because she demonstrates the ability to actually write a creative plot. However, a showdown scene with a fake death keeps this book from all that it could have been. I fail to understand suspense authors' obsessions with showdown scenes. However, if they are going to write them, they should at least kill off a key character or two. Showdowns and hostage situations do not turn out squeaky clean in the real world.
Whatever her faults are, Terri Blackstock clearly knows what she is doing. She is a true author because she writes her own plots rather than borrow them from someone else. If she'll improve her ends, she'll be a flawless author.
4 stars
Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock
Amanda never thought she would have the love she had when she married the man of her dreams after only a week of knowing him. Now she has become a full-time mother of his twin daughters from a previous marriage. But when her new husband dies suddenly in a plane accident, his first wife's parents come calling, trying to claim the girls as their own. The judge tragically grants them custody, leaving Amanda with a hefty inheritance from her husband but an empty house. Kara and Lizzie grow up in the unstable home of their irresponsible grandparents and soon become shoplifting, drug-using teenagers who think they can make their own way in the world. But Amanda is still there, quietly trying to invite them back into her life, free of charge. They can learn how to run the family company and own the company one day-if they will only take the gift Amanda is offering them.
Terri Blackstock departs from her usual genre of suspense and writes something fresh-a parable. Allegorical fiction and parables can make very interesting novels when used correctly. In this case, the parable follows the concept of God's undying love for everyone, no matter how sinful. However, the biggest problem with this book is the fact that Terri took a shortcut at the end where she could have truly written a powerful parable. However, she did not, costing her a perfect rating.
When viewed in the correct light, the characters are appropriate for this parable. Amanda is a perfect character, yet she is modeled after God. This is evident because no other character is perfect. In fact, there are many imperfect characters. The story is told from the first-person perspective of Kara, making her the only character with a personality. This did not have to be, however. While the character development isn't horrible, Terri took some shortcuts by developing circumstances better than she developed characters.
Parables add fresh novels to Christian fiction mostly because they depart from cliched and worn-out plot patterns. While Terri did depart from the norm during the plot, she did not depart from the norm at the end of the plot. There was most definitely a better way she could have ended this book, one that would have taught the reader more. However, the end does not entirely ruin the book, it merely scars it.
The fact that Terri Blackstock was able to write this book so well shows that she is a true author-able to leave her comfort zone and try something different without thinking twice. More authors should at least experiment outside their comfortable genre, just to shake things up a bit.
4 stars
Monday, July 5, 2010
Predator by Terri Blackstock
Fourteen-year-old Ella Carmichael's corpse has been discovered buried in the woods. The suspect is a cyber stalker who found and kidnapped Ella as a result of her constant status updates on GrapeVyne, a social networking sight. Upon her sister's death, Krista Carmichael becomes obsessed with stopping the stalker before he kills more girls by becoming another person through GrapeVyne. Unfortunately, the stalker captures two more girls and kills one of them. The one who escaped thinks she can give the police an accurate description of the killer. David Carmichael, the girls' father becomes obsessed with finding the killer's face in public when he hears this. Ryan Adkins, founder and president of GrapeVyne is going crazy over his company's bad publicity and begins doing all he can to stop the stalker from striking again. Soon his path crosses with Krista's and the two of them join forces to stop the killer, but first they must discover his fake identity on GrapeVyne, which is not a simple task. While all this is transpiring, the killer is still on the loose...
Terri Blackstock crafts a realistic case addressing the dangers of Internet social networking, an interesting issue to me, because I know people like some of the characters in this book who constantly tell their friends what they're doing and where they are on such social networking sites. This begs the question: whose fault is it if you are kidnapped by a cyber stalker-yours or the website's? Terri explores this issue from different sides throughout the plot all while crafting an interesting case. Unfortunately, despite the good foundational idea, this book misses the Elite List because of borderline characters and typical suspense elements.
Krista, Ryan, David, and the others are all imperfect characters, yet without personalities. Not a single character in this book is perfect or is better than the next, yet Terri failed to take her characters to the next level by giving them personalities. Krista is the closest character to having a personality, but it is not finished. David is also an interesting character mostly because of the original role he plays in the plot. He is not an elderly grandfather character who spouts wisdom throughout the entire plot, thank God. His role is interesting and underused. The villain is probably the worst character because of his sheer normalcy. Most authors are not creative with their villains, allowing them to be monsters rather than people. Besides under-developed characters, the villain is Terri's biggest character problem.
There is a very low-key romantic subplot, one of the more background ones I have ever read. However, it is so insignificant to the plot as a whole, its very existence is unnecessary. But there are worse problems that this. The unfolding of the case is realistic, filled with dead ends and mistakes. This book could have been Elite minus full characters had Terri eliminated the showdown scene cliche or at least had a key character die as a result. Since she did neither of these things, the plot's rating suffered along with the character development's rating.
All in all, Predator is not a cheap suspense plot because it departs from some cliches. But the cliches it does not depart from end up to be its downfall. Terri Blackstock has potential as an author; she just needs to work out the kinks.
3 stars
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