Good Story but a Lonely Journey
586427
"Nothing to Hide" by J. Mark Bertrand. This is the third Roland March Mystery. I read and reviewed the previous book, "Pattern of Wounds". Roland is very much a loner. In this book, it seems like he is isolating himself even more. Even the chaos over changes in the police station, begin to isolate Roland as his leadership changes. Even if he didn't like or agree with the leadership, he finds comfort in the security and boundaries of it. In the previous book, Roland's wife Charlotte is his anchor. She always there to comfort him and give guidance. Their mutual grief over their daughter's death bonds them. Charlotte seems to be moving away from Roland. She has a spiritual faith that he doesn't share: she is busy with her law career and on the road all the time. Her appearances in this novel are limited to times of tragedy. Even the young neighbors who are Roland's safety and family have not only moved but are busy preparing for their first child. Again Roland is all alone.

So in this context, Roland is called to the murder scene. The victim's head is missing and his finger points to a clue. This case leads Roland into a messy maze. He follows one lead which he ends up stumbling and getting hurt. This is just a foreshadowing of what is to come. He stumbles his way into an undercover intelligence community where no one is really telling the truth. He puts people into jeopardy that he shouldn't, too easily trusts people that do have something to hide. He even learns that his own past is tied up into what is going on. He takes justice into his own hands and though he thinks he has nothing to lose and nothing to hide. I think in the end, he realizes that in his pursuit of justice, he risks way more than he should. In the end, the police community and his family are really what matter and honoring them.
 Plus we all have something to hide, there is more to the story than we all are willing to reveal. This is a good mystery and I was intrigued until the very end. I begin to have my suspicions about the killer, but only right before they are revealed.

I received no compensation for this review, other than a copy of this book form Bethany House, a division of Baker publishing.
3365950
The author really brought the characters to life by adding stories within the story.  I felt heartbroken about her beloved pet but did not understand why the writer needed to go where she did with the best friend unless there will be a sequel about her.  The story just ended too abruptly for me.  I would have liked to see more of a conclusion then just simply "The End".
2723625
Not my favorite book but It was a good story I think the disconnect for me was that I didn't relate to the characters and so it was just a story not something I could really see play out in my mind while reading
1044573
As its title indicates, Crowd of Sorrows is a melancholy narrative. Zora is a single mother, alone with her daughter, Anar, in Cambridge. After leaving her husband, Martin, Zora moves into a small apartment complex that seems perfect. Here she will meet other young parents and their children. But the place is hardly the happy environment she had hoped for. Couples fight, an adultery begins, one child has encephalitis, another child acts peculiar. Even her moving man, who leaves a note asking her out, is a threat to Zora. She is essentially alone, except for the people she meets as a Turkish/English translator. As a child, she had lived for many years in Istanbul, and in many ways she is a foreigner in the US. When five-year-old Anar goes missing, Zoras isolation is compounded by the terror she feels. Written in simple, classic prose, this is a beautiful novella about loneliness -- with  an unexpectedly hopeful ending
1438720
Although the story ended quite nicely, I did not enjoy the journey along the way.  Mostly sad and depressing and not the best choice for before bed reading.
2923316
I like this book for the story as you read along. I don't like it for the fact that there are so many loose ends and it is so inconclusive. I still really enjoyed reading it, though. The way the world is described is beautiful and magical and I could live in it forever. But I feel like nothing really is properly explained.
2870425
I liked the story. I am always more impressed by sad ending of a story, but for this one I was wishing for a happy ending!. I even google the characters looking for a sequel but I couldn't find. A real piece of art, but a depressive in same time.
4049899
Some of the book was really beautiful and descriptive which I liked. The author did a good job of helping you understand how being all alone on a tiny island was both appealing and lonely. I didn't care for the characters all that much though. It seemed like for a married couple who only had each other to talk to, they didn't communicate their thoughts to each other. At times they seemed like distant friends rather than husband and wife.
1100605
Although billed as "the" party night of the year, New Year's Eve can be a depressing occasion for many people. For Arkie the close of 2014 is so dismal she spends it on a railway platform with every intention of leaping in front of the next train. Fortunately for her trains no longer run to Byron Bay and instead Arkie finds herself in the company of a quirky young Japanese woman who steers her life in a completely unexpected direction - a pilgrimage to all of Australia's "Big" things.

I really liked the premise of this book. Pilgrimages have always been a part of human society, undertaken by few but believed to hold great rewards for those who make the effort to complete one. I loved the way Arkie's pilgrimage was to our quintessentially Australian Big Things - ie The Big Cow, Pineapple, Prawn, Banana, Mower etc rather than having to go somewhere spiritually significant and/or geographically remote. Arkie's quest to renew and rebuild herself is understandable and being of a similar age to Arkie I could relate to that concept on many levels. Having grown up close to the Big Pineapple and Big Cow, this book was also a nostalgic journey for me.

Having said that, there were some elements of the story that just didn't work for me. Unfortunately one of these was right at the beginning of the book. The likelihood that a ten year old train timetable was still in existence is far fetched enough but going beyond that surely railway stations that are no longer is use would not be open for people to walk onto the platform? Or even if somehow they did would there not be other signs that the station was no longer in use - eg the fact there was no lighting or ticket machine?? I'm not sure if this clouded my view of Arkie, but I just couldn't warm to her, although I did understand where she was in her life. She was the type of character you just wanted to shake at times and tell her to get on with it - I will say I liked her more as the story went on.

On a separate note, Arkie's Pilgrimage to the Next Big Thing showed just how our society has changed and evolved within the past few decades and had me yearning just a little for a time when a "big" fibreglass object on the side of the highway was a genuine tourist destination.

Overall I did like this book. Although I found some of the elements a little too quirky for my taste, there were many positive and inspirational messages intertwined within the story and ultimately it did work. I think I would have probably liked it more if the beginning was a bit more believable. The story did get better as it moved along and the conclusion was both satisfying and realistic.
3857707
I gave some thought to giving this 3 stars but only because there is a lot of history and pages devoted to it that if the reader is not a follower of this series then you are pretty much lost on those pages BUT that does not affect the enjoyment of the reader in the main story here.

There is obviously some bit of past betrayal between Gabriel and Olivia but we are not really told exactly what it was, we do know he is sorry for it BUT again when the book ended I was not sure what their relationship is since it was not clear to me if either wanted a romantic relationship or just good friends but again, still did not keep me from enjoying the basic ghost story which is quite a mystery.

Bottom Line:  A well written story, a opening that grabs your attention, sadly a lot of history I had no clue about that had a bearing on the relationship but not really on the main story here.  So when I consider everything and my enjoyment of the story and almost immediate liking of the characters (although Gabriel needs some hard core lessons in how to deal with women since he seems clueless) I had to give it 4 Stars but even though I seldom consider it for a rating, I feel compelled to mention that the $6 cost is about double what this story should have cost.
1639969
A good read. I liked the story but the only thing that got me a bit is sometime I felt lost and I end up having to go back a few pages to know what was going on or to remember who was who. But beside that, it was good.
4761113
The Search by James F Foster is about a man named Tony who is looking for a spiritual guide named John. He is shown a fable about a woman named Louise who is searching for her own spiritual enlightenment. In this tale, evil is overcome by circumstances. Enlightenment is attained by losing the desire for worldly possessions and family ties.
I give this story a three out of a possible five. Louises journey did capture me as the story progressed, but it failed to pull all the parts together and I was not sure what conclusions I should draw from it to apply to Tonys situation.
55985
There is a lot of potential in this story, but for some reason I just didn't fully connect with it. I like the first person narration and the way in which the story was dictated. I just felt no sympathy for the main character I couldn't connect with her.
4309752
I really enjoyed the story, but lack of chapters and breaks in the story made it difficult at times to figure out where or who's was speaking. Characters were likable
4172928
I enjoyed this book but there were times when I felt like it kind of rambled or just dragged along not saying much. In some areas could have improved the story by being left out.
2911202
overall, this is a pretty good story. at first i believed it was going to be an artemis fowl ripoff (evil genius grows a consience and saves the day) but it truly stood on its own as a story and its firm basis in reality was refreshing. however the story became tedious and hard to follow after a while, and the reader feels as if he/she is just going through the motions
4714296
the story is good but it leaves a few holes. nothing important but it makes you wonder why there was empathise on some characters when they didn't lead to anything.