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Jordyn Redwood

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Værker af Jordyn Redwood

Proof (2012) 70 eksemplarer
Peril: A Novel (Bloodline Trilogy) (2013) 28 eksemplarer
Eliminating the Witness (2023) 5 eksemplarer

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female
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USA

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The author starts this one off with a bang....Casper's partner is dying before his eyes. Armed with several vital pieces of information he starts out to find the first clue, only to be beaten within and inch of his life! With amnesia and less than trustworthy people trying to find him, Dr. Ashley Drager leaves the hospital taking Casper with her. As a result they find themselves in a whirlwind of intrigue, following each new clue of this mystery as bullets fly and buildings blow up behind them. Can they possibly stay alive long enough to solve this puzzle?… (mere)
 
Markeret
Eamace | 2 andre anmeldelser | Apr 8, 2019 |
A pediatric ICU nurse should be able to keep her own baby alive. Morgan Adams didn't. The loss cracked a rift between her and her husband Tyler, and it's been widening ever since. When kidney failure threatens her life and none of her loved ones are a donor match, Morgan can hardly muster the will to care. Her mom has other ideas, though, willing to go to her biological father for help ... if he'll give it.

This book puts the Bloodline in the Trilogy, because Morgan's father is none other than Dr. Thomas Reeves, also the father of Lilly Reeves (the protagonist of the first book). This time around, he's trying to create super soldiers via brain surgery--with covert approval from the Department of Defense. Beyond photographic memory, Reeves's neural graft blesses and curses his patients with flawless autobiographical recall (a definite plus for any spy). But some of these patients are strangely ill. When Reeves won't divulge why, three of them commandeer the PICU at gunpoint and threaten revenge on his daughter, as well as her staff and her young patients.

This is Ms. Redwood's best novel yet. Her prose is at its cleanest (despite too many similes, which oddly I don't remember in the previous books). Her author voice remains clinical and factual, but the reader isn't pushed to arm's length here. Also, as usual, an impressive amount of plot is jammed into this book. The murder mystery and the scientific mystery and the medical cases--everything is balanced so well. This story is a bumpy ride for the characters but never for the reader, as Redwood executes each twist with smooth skill.

And the pacing--the pacing! Stellar, really. The first half is a blur of buildup; the second deals with the hostage situation (and yes, I'd consider the hostages thing a spoiler, except the publisher included it in the blurb). In unskilled hands, the second half could have draggged a bit, but this author keeps tension high, and not in a static way. And just as I might have said, "I can't take any more--um--peril!" the climax exploded, then settled into a satisfying resolution for each character individually and the series as a whole.

Now, the characters. I loved seeing them all again. I expected more of Keelyn and Lee, but the book is brimming as it is, and they showed up long enough to play vital roles and for me to smile at their presence. Brett's perspective was unexpected and enjoyable. Nathan's action moment in the climax was cheer-worthy and perfect. And of all the recurring characters in this series, Lilly's arc is the most complete. She truly changes from the first book to the last, and the catalyst for that change is believable. I'm also grateful to Ms. Redwood for giving Nathan the closure he still needed at the end of [b:Poison: A Novel|15835514|Poison A Novel (Bloodline Trilogy, #2)|Jordyn Redwood|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345856095s/15835514.jpg|21573061], though I didn't see him as often as I wanted to (but where would he have fit more often with everything else going on?).

As for the new characters. The loss of Morgan's child could have strayed into a cliche, but instead, she feels like a genuine, fractured person. Her motivations make sense, as do those of Tyler and Dr. Reeves and even the villains. And how I loved Morgan's perception of the characters I already knew--meeting and admiring Lilly, talking to Nathan and Lee on the phone and mentally contrasting them.

Which brings me to point of view, the ultimate make-or-break for any novel. This one is Redwood's deepest yet, showing us the world through the eyes and thoughts and even emotions of her characters.

The themes of the novel weave organically through the events. This time around, we're challenged to define a few elementals: memory, family, duty, guilt, and humanness itself. Thankfully, Jordyn Redwood is still a believer in wrestling evil, not whitewashing it. She doesn't shy away from poking her reader's soft spots (or ramming a hot poker into them).

At the end of [b:Poison: A Novel|15835514|Poison A Novel (Bloodline Trilogy, #2)|Jordyn Redwood|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345856095s/15835514.jpg|21573061], I hoped the author would give all her damaged people an honest, non-formulaic dose of healing. She does. I can say goodbye to everyone, especially Nathan and Lilly (I mean, if I must), knowing they'll be okay in time. I can even imagine what's next in their lives together.

As a smart, suspenseful, hopeful, daring work of Christian fiction, I salute and recommend the Bloodline Trilogy.
… (mere)
 
Markeret
AmandaGStevens | 5 andre anmeldelser | Mar 2, 2019 |
Years ago, Keelyn Blake lost half her family and nearly her own life to her delusional stepfather's rampage. She's moved forward from the trauma admirably well, becoming a nonverbal communication consultant and developing an unlikely relationship with Lee Watson--unlikely because he's the S.W.A.T. leader who might have saved her whole family, if he'd breached the house sooner. It's a past that both links and divides them, a past they try not to discuss. But people associated with that lethal day are ending up dead or mysteriously ill. Keelyn's estranged sister Raven is somehow tangled in this sinister web. If they can't confront the past, Keelyn and Lee might not have a future.

I recommend reading Ms. Redwood's first book before tackling this one. As far as plot goes, it can be read on its own, but the secondary characters here are the protagonists of Proof, and it appears that Nathan's character arc will span all three books. Plus, if you're meeting all of this large cast for the first time, keeping track of everybody will be a challenge.

There's a lot going on in this book. Almost too much at times. The plot could be a fast-paced, multi-parted CSI episode, except it's more intricate than most TV shows. Attention has to be paid to every detail, because everything shows up again eventually.

As for the writing style, it's quite clinical for fiction. This makes sense, given the author's day job as a nurse. I enjoy her stories enough not to let this bother me much, and this book seems to read better than her first. Hopefully, the more fiction Ms. Redwood writes, the more natural her author voice (both dialogue and narration) will become and the more deeply she'll delve into character point of view.

Speaking of the author's day job, this book offers lots of excellent medical detail for readers like me (who own a Merck manual and a Red Cross first-aid-for-laypeople manual for no reason other than it's fascinating stuff). Keelyn's work in nonverbal communication is also intriguing.

As for the characters (a.k.a. Why I Read). I liked Lilly and Nathan from the first book, but I felt that the plot drove them, rather than vice versa. Keelyn and Lee, however, seem to drive their plot. There were a few secrets/decisions with downright murky motivation (at least one moment left me thinking, Wait a minute, THAT'S why? What about ...?). On the whole, though, I liked reading about these two, especially Lee. His character is quite different from Nathan (and the conflict between them is good stuff). It's great to see an author who isn't cutting all her male heroes from the same cloth. For example, Keelyn's asking Lilly if Nathan has ever kept secrets or deceived her, and Lilly's response that (unlike Lee) Nathan is too honest for his own good. Realistic, revealing conversation. Loved it. And I want to know about Lee's spider phobia backstory, dang it. I waited the whole book to find out, and ... no reveal. I hope it's part of the third book.

Actually, there's a lot I want to see in the third book. Raven's arc isn't finished. I still don't know who played whom between the villains. I still don't know who the arsonist is. (Trying to word these things vaguely to preclude spoilers.) And so far, all four of the series protagonists have issues left to work through. Um, quite a few issues.

Which brings me to another thing I like about this series: the unflinching issues. In the first book, we deal with rape and unplanned pregnancy and the nature of truth vs. evidence. In this book, between the main plot's murders, the secondary plot's murders, the backstory murders, and the question of the ethics of hypnosis--we get a quadruple dose of evil.

Forgiveness (of others and oneself) and redemption are ongoing themes in this series, as they are in a lot of Christian fiction, but they're not dealt with here in a quick-fix sort of way. In fact, some of these characters have been with us for two books and still haven't arrived at the ability to forgive or accept redemption. And this isn't but-I-hurt-a-girl-really-badly-in-high-school forgiveness. This is but-I-made-a-tactical-error-and-now-people-are-dead forgiveness. Deep, raw, gritty stuff. It's going to take God's grace for these characters to get the healing they need, and I'm trusting that the final book will pull this off in a way that is realistic and honest.

Ms. Redwood's work demonstrates how Christian fiction can (and should) shine most brightly. I kind of love it.
… (mere)
 
Markeret
AmandaGStevens | 6 andre anmeldelser | Mar 2, 2019 |
Basically, this book is like reading an episode of Law & Order. Or Without A Trace, except chronologically from the missing person's point of view. But here's an original twist: we know who the villain is only a third of the way through the book. From there, the stakes just keep rising, and the crime investigation is enriched by some fascinating medical details.

For me, the only things missing from this novel are deep point of view and deeper characterization. When the point of view stays on the surface, I can't engage on an emotional/character level, only an intellectual/plot level. That said, this is one of the most interesting, unexpected plots I've read from Christian fiction in ... practically ever. It never lets up, pretty much from page one. Kept me curious, and I will definitely read Ms. Redwood's next book. If she deepens point of view in subsequent books, I'll be even happier.

Recommended if: You enjoy plot-driven fiction, un-sanitized Christian fiction, crime and/or medical suspense.
… (mere)
 
Markeret
AmandaGStevens | 8 andre anmeldelser | Mar 2, 2019 |

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Værker
8
Medlemmer
205
Popularitet
#107,802
Vurdering
½ 4.5
Anmeldelser
29
ISBN
32

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