Karen Young

Dear Readers,
After reading Karen Young's Blood Bayou, I could hardly wait for her next book to arrive. Missing Max came out just a few weeks ago and I finally had a chance to read it. I have to say that if you are a mystery reader who likes Colleen Coble, Terry Blackstock etc.. then you should definitely take a look at Karen.

Jane takes her teen step daughter, some friends and her young son Max to Marti Gras. She usually avoids Marti Gras, but Melanie wanted some of the junk food available and it sounded like fun. While Jane is in line to purchase food, Max disappears. Jane is frantic to find him and can't believe that someone would purposely take someone else's child.

The storyline jumps ahead 6 months and we are let into their house to see the effect this has had on the household. Everyone is holding on by their fingernails. Jane herself has become obsessed with helping at the local missing child charity. Kyle, her husband, had withdrawn from his family emotionally. Melanie blames herself and latches onto a solution to Max's disapperance that she thinks will solve her family's problems.

Then Jane starts getting strange phone calls and it seems to be leading to a reopening of the case. Does anyone dare think that Max is ok? Is it possible that someone did this just to toture Jane? Was it an act of revenge?
An interesting and good read. Karen's way of telling a story makes it very easy to disappear into the story. Her characters are easy to like or dislike as the case may be. Her mysteries are not easily solved and I like that. Now if I had to complain about something it is that this time she didn't actually give me the bad guy until the very end. But that is all I am going to say as anything else will help you figure it out quicker I certainly don't want to do that.
If any of you read my review from Blood Bayou you might remember that I said I didn't like the "preachy" pastor in the book. Well she didn't have such a character this time. The person doing the out reaching is just a friend trying to answer the questions the unbeliever has. It makes for a much better flow to the story.
Happy Reading

Karen Young

Dear Readers,

I know, three mysteries in a row. Sorry, but it is my favorite genre of books. I will try to do something beside that this weekend.

Karen Young is well known in the ABA market. She has written 34 books, with a total of over 10 million in print. I had not heard of her before, which is too bad, because I really liked her book.

Blood Bayou is set in a small town just north of New Orleans. 7 years ago Stephanie was brutally murdered. The BBPO thought they had caught the right guy and sent him to death row. That is until Camille St. James poked holes in their case and proved that they didn't. The problem that arises is that 3 days after Chester returns to Blood Bayou another young lady is murdered and he is discovered with her blood all over his clothes.

Camille returns to Blood Bayou to prove that Chester isn't guilty. No one believes her, until several strange things begin to happen. Jack, her ex-husband, now a pastor, lives in town and Camille isn't sure she is ready to deal with him and his problems again. But he and the town say he is a changed man. Can she believe him?

The mystery and story of this book are good. I enjoyed it a lot. The only problem I had with this book is the same one I have with several different ABA authors who start writing for the CBA market. They feel they must write out the complete plan of salvation in their books. I think it is a neat concept, but one that becomes tiresome if you read lots of Christian fiction. I find myself skipping those parts anyways. :-) I know it doesn't seem right, and yet it isn't necessarily part of the story and therefore something that can be skipped. It is something that you may share with someone who is asking those questions...

I do and will recommend this book to those looking for a great mystery, just next time I hope Pastor Karen stays out of the book and she sticks to writing really good stories.

Happy Reading.
Chris