Untraceable

by S R Johannes

[inlibrisveritas]

Sometimes you just need to step away from all the paranormal fantasy and the magical plot and sit down with a good mystery. I honestly had no idea what kind of book this was when i bought it, the cover looked really awesome and I needed something different. Plus I met the author and she was a really nice, so I felt no issues with buying a book from her with little to go on. My trust and faith was well placed.

The plot of this is a true mystery novel, as the book snakes along there is a hint here and a hint there…pretty soon things start coming together and at the same time things are getting blurry. Who did it? Was it this guy or maybe it was someone she trusts? My suspect list pretty much included everyone by the time everything was revealed, and I had fun trying to piece all the evidence together. I loved the setting as well because it’s rare that you find a true outdoorsy book that includes camping and tracking, and even a bit of fishing. It appeals to my inner Georgia girl that loves to hike through the forest, and Johannes really captures the beauty of nature.

Grace is a strong and independent girl, and it can be argued that she’s a bit too much of both at times especially when it comes to finding out why her dad is missing. I kind of admire her strength to never give up on her dad when everyone else has written him off as dead, but I also felt really terrible for her because she couldn’t let go. Everyone in the book doubts her even if they don’t say it out right and as a reader I even kind of doubted her, I could see what all of the searching and clue finding was doing to her and I kind of wanted her to take a step back myself. I also admire that even though she’s going through a tough time she finds the time to be sarcastic and funny, and doesn’t just go completely cold. Wyn is a good best friend, but I wasn’t fond of his way of handling her or his feelings. He is supportive but in a way his support is kind of negative because he lets her know how little his faith is, even though he helps out. Also speaking from experience if a girl is hesitant and the guy keeps pushing his feelings, even in the smallest way, it doesn’t make the situation easy to deal with and thoughts get kind of muddled. So I was a bit rocky when it came to him. Mo never had my full trust as a character, I liked him but I stayed wary the whole time. He’s a good guy and he’s British but he is kind of shrouded in a bit of mystery, and never really opens up until about 70 percent through.

Overall I enjoyed the thrill and the journey that is Grace’s story, and since the ending was a bit open I can’t wait to see what happens in Uncontrollable. There is also a short story I’ll be reading that is from Mo’s point of view, so I’m sure that will be interesting. I totally recommend getting a copy of this and it’s worth the money without any doubt.