Fourteen miles east of Peachtree, Alabama, a secret is hidden.
The secret's name is Annabel Lee.
She doesn't know why her enigmatic uncle has stowed her deep underground in a military-style bunker. He's left her with a few German words, a barely controlled guard dog, and a single command: "Don't open that door for anybody, you got it? Not even me."
Miles away in Atlanta, private investigator Trudi Coffey is visited by a mysterious older man calling himself Dr. Smith. He's been trailing a man for a decade--a man she met through her ex-partner Samuel Hill--and the trail has led him to her office. The last thing Trudi wants to do is to contact Samuel. But it will take both of them to unravel this mystery--before it's too late.
The secret's name is Annabel Lee.
She doesn't know why her enigmatic uncle has stowed her deep underground in a military-style bunker. He's left her with a few German words, a barely controlled guard dog, and a single command: "Don't open that door for anybody, you got it? Not even me."
Miles away in Atlanta, private investigator Trudi Coffey is visited by a mysterious older man calling himself Dr. Smith. He's been trailing a man for a decade--a man she met through her ex-partner Samuel Hill--and the trail has led him to her office. The last thing Trudi wants to do is to contact Samuel. But it will take both of them to unravel this mystery--before it's too late.
by Revell
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.....
~Edgar Allan Poe
My Thoughts:
As a child I remember my mother reading me the poem Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe and I loved it, but it was until my English teacher, Ms. Toler, introduced me to his other writings that I came to fully understand the poem. I must admit when I saw this book and the title I could see the dark mysteries of Poe's writings come to my mind.
In other words, yes I love this cover and the hint at the story it contains.
Let me start by saying this is a very fast paced thriller. It is a story that takes you on an adventure filled with lots of twists and turns plus an element of surprise. The author describes Annabel so vividly that the first few pages drew me in. The characters are both engaging and complex. The secondary characters are as engaging and well integrated into the story.
Annabel is an eleven year old girl who lives with her Uncle Truck, aka Leonard Truckson, on a farm just outside of Peachtree, Alabama on the edge of Conecuh National Forest. With the death of her mother Annabel and Uncle Truck have developed a trusting relationship. He has home schooled her for a variety of reason and she is very intelligent. Annabel is confused with the turn of events, but her trust in Uncle Truck is complete. My heart immediately went out to this character and I wanted to rescue her myself.
Trudi Sara Coffey lives in Atlanta and runs a private investigation firm, Coffey & Hill. She grew up in a typical household, went to college where she majored in English Literature and married her college sweetheart, Sam, that unfortunately ended in a bitter divorce 8 years later. She tugs on my heartstrings. Sam betrayal has cost her a lot, but she is trying to get on with her life the best she can. The one thing that sustains her is her faith in God.
Samuel Coffey is a man with both secrets and regrets. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in political science and married his college sweetheart, Trudi, 10 years ago. His work often took him away from home, but with the opening of Coffey & Hill Investigations he anticipated that to change. Unfortunately Trudi learned of secrets he was hiding and could no longer accept him for the man he was and divorced him. I will be honest in that I didn't like Sam at first, but after his secrets were revealed I developed a better understanding in his choices. He proves that he still loves Trudi time and again, but somethings are insurmountable.
The Mute met Leonard Truckson in Fallujah, Iraq when he arrived as a new Special Forces sniper. He had been a quiet man with very little words and had come by his nickname long before he was forced into silence by an IED. He and Truck developed a bond that had lasted, in fact when he left the military it was to come to Alabama to work as a sentry on Truck's farm. Truck gave his life a purpose.
This is a spectacular read.
The fast paced plot will pull you in immediately and keep you turning the pages. In fact after starting this book I could not put it down and finished it in one day. This story is a spine tingling thriller. As important factors are brought to the surface the characters find that things are more complicated than they ever imagined.
Mike Nappa is a new author for me. I have to admit I don't normally read male authors, but this is one I will definitely be looking forward to reading more of his books. In fact in Sept. 2016 Revell will release the next book in this series.
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| Available in Sept. 2016 |
This is a book I would recommend to anyone who love suspense and thrillers.
*I received this book from the publisher as part of their blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*I received this book from the publisher as part of their blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Annabel Lee is available for purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook
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Meet the Author:
Mike Nappa is an entertainment journalist at FamilyFans.com, as well as a bestselling and award-winning author with more than one million books sold worldwide. When he was a kid, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe scared him silly. Today he owns everything Poe ever wrote. A former fiction acquisitions editor, Mike earned his MA in English literature and now writes full time.
Connect Online:
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Revell
What a great review, Katrina! To read a book set in Alabama & Georgia, with locales I am familiar with, is a real strong draw, yet I'm not sure I would enjoy the suspense level. I'll have to think about this one!
ReplyDeleteI will be honest with you Carole, when I first received this book I kept putting it back and picking up others first. I had never read a mystery/thriller by a male author. Knowing he was a christian author was the only thing that prompted me to pick it up. I have to tell you though that once I did I truly couldn't put it down. I went to bed at 2 am after finishing it. To say it is an interesting story is an understatement. Thank you for your kind words and for stopping by.
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