Traces of Kara, Melissa Foster (4.5 stars)

About Traces of Kara

Kara Knight can't wait to leave her hometown for the promise of nursing school and a fresh start on her future--leaving behind an over protective mother, a broken heart and painful memories. However, twenty-five miles away, the brother she doesn't know is determined to be reunited with the sister he cannot forget. 

Kara is abducted and thrown into her obsessive captor's delusional world. As the past she thought she knew unravels around her, Kara struggles to make sense of the memories that come creeping back, threatening her sanity and her safety. Meanwhile, Kara's mother races against time to save the daughter she fears she will lose when a long-held secret is revealed. The hours tick away as Roland plays out his plan--to take Kara with him into death at the exact moment of their birth, never to be separated again.

TRACES OF KARA is an action packed, pulse pounding psychological thriller/suspense novel that features a determined killer who slowly loses his grip on reality as his carefully detailed plan starts to fall apart and a heroine determined to move forward with her life who now must reconcile everything she believed to be true about her family with the reality of their tragic past.

Releasing Early 2013.

Review

Kara Knight has dreams of escaping her small town and making a fresh start. Just as all of her dreams are about to come true, a terror from her past comes to town. And it's a past her mother helped her to forget, so she has no clue what's coming.

The brother she didn't know about is determined to have his sister back--permanently. His obsessive thoughts about his missing half have led him to one conclusion: they can only be together in death. When he abducts her, Kara's mother and step-father, the man she thought couldn't wait to be rid of her, risk everything to save her. But will they get there in time? Even if they do, will Kara ever be the same?

What makes a book an excellent read for me: characters who stay with me after the last page. And this book has several. Kara is a character most of us can relate to, one who is trying to overcome past mistakes and take control of her life. But then she has an extra obstacle, fighting a past she never even knew about. Her mom, originally portrayed as overprotective, comes through in true Mama-bear fashion--she's willing to lay her own life on the line to help her daughter. 

And I must give special kudos to Melissa Foster for creating such an interesting "bad guy". Although he's a killer, she doesn't craft him as a nothing-but-bad villain. Instead, she builds a background that allows the reader to have some compassion for him and his confusion.

I highly recommend this book to readers who appreciate well-developed characters and love heart-pounding action. Sometimes, the action is so intense it seems to leap off the page. Even better, there are several surprising twists and turns, right down to the very end. It's not just action for action's sake. Just as soon as I thought I had it figured it, it took another turn. A pure thrill.

Rating: 4.5 stars
Note: Worthy of rounding up to 5 on GoodReads and Amazon

About Melissa Foster

Melissa Foster is the bestselling, award-winning author of three novels. Her books have been recommended by USA Today's book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women's Nest, a social and support community for women, and the World Literary Cafe. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. 

Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children, she's written for Calgary's Child Magazine and Women Business Owners Magazine, and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa's interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.

Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on The Women's Nest or her personal website.

Note: I received a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

*****

I have had the pleasure of reading another of Melissa's books. Please see the 5-star review for Come Back to Me here.