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Indivisible (Radcliff Colorado)

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 446 ratings · 101 reviews

An inseparable bond.
An insatiable force.

Battling his own personal demons, Police Chief Jonah Westfall knows the dark side of life and has committed himself to eradicating it. When a pair of raccoons are found mutilated in Redford, Colorado, Jonah investigates the gruesome act, knowing the strange event could escalate and destroy the tranquility of his small mountain town...more

Paperback, 336 pages

Published May 4th 2010 by WaterBrook Press (first published 2010)

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May 01, 2013 justablondemoment rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: forgiveness, small-town-life, mental-illness, rags-to-riches, twin-bond, read-2010, second-chances, christian-romance, suspense, arc, series

Jonah & Tia are two people living in a small town with a shared past try to stay out of each others way. However, when a series of crimes starts to escalate, they can no longer ignore each other nor the feelings that they have been trying to bury.

I really enjoyed this book. Was a first for me from this author and left me wanting to read others. Although I agree with other reviews, that the villain in the story was easy to figure out, for me it did not hurt the story. The characters were eng...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Shonna Froebel rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received a copy of an uncorrected proof of this novel through Library Journal. It will be released May 4. The book is set in a mountain town in Colorado. When a pair of mutilated raccoons is found the chief of police, Jonah Westfall, is worried about what this sort of crime can lead to. He is finding that as the town expands, more serious crimes, like drugs, are coming to it.
Piper is new in town, and working as Sarge's assistant in his bakery. She is renting a room from Tia, who runs a local...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, reviewed

The characters:
Jonah Westfall - chief of police in Redford Colorado. One where the kids actually stay instead of flee because of the nearby skiing resort. Jonah has alcohol problems, though he has been clean and sober for the last six years. Stumbles but keeps clean. Jonah has something of a bad past, more than just the tough father, former chief of police, who beat him and starved him as punishment. Jonah doesn’t think he is good enough for any woman, though he seems to be in love with Tia. Th...more The characters:
Jonah Westfall - chief of police in Redford Colorado. One where the kids actually stay instead of flee because of the nearby skiing resort. Jonah has alcohol problems, though he has been clean and sober for the last six years. Stumbles but keeps clean. Jonah has something of a bad past, more than just the tough father, former chief of police, who beat him and starved him as punishment. Jonah doesn’t think he is good enough for any woman, though he seems to be in love with Tia. There is a complicated back story, what with him having once been engaged to the sister Reba, and some horrible sinful interaction between Tia and Jonah. All three grew up near each other.

Tia is a fiery woman who is still scarred by her mother’s view of Tia as a bad seed, and the bad thing she and Jonah did. Has two degrees, works as a candle maker. Rents out a room to Piper, who works next door.

Piper talked her way into a job at the local long running bakery. Her boss, Sarge, is a twisted mean old git, 74+ years old. Always angry and yelling, Sarge that is. Piper is always trying to find new concoctions to sell, but Sarge is stuck in his ways and growls at her. Piper hasn’t lived a year in the same location, what with her parents and family being grifters, conmen.

Miles - well dressed, has OCD and “issues” when touched. Keeps turning up.

Liz, new vet in the area. Her sister Lucy is in the shadows and is suspiciously not seen by anyone. Conjoined twins, separated.

Flowery language, seemed to be an interesting choice when the book began, but it continued, each action very descriptive. Began to become annoying but it has either disappeared or the story picked up, overwhelming that irritation.

The story:
Piper finds a dead animal near a path she takes from Tia’s place to the bakery. Bumping into the chief she asks him who takes care of it. He investigates and finds that the dead animal was actually two raccoons that had been sown together. The raccoons had ripped each other apart in their attempt to get away from each other. More such dead animals appear, sown together.

The review:
Unexpectedly, there was a moment when everything felt quite real. That isn’t as rare as it might be expected, but I, for some reason, did not really expect to find that in this book. The characters seem deeper, more fully formed than I have found in a while. You can kind of get used to characters, thin, barely there, seen just to push the story forward, not real feeling.

I am somewhat reluctant to recommend the book, as it is somewhat outside my normal reading zone, somewhat inside. I liked it well enough. More emotional stuff going on that I normally like to read.
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May 24, 2011 Peggy Morgan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction

This review is the first in a series of reviews of the 2011 Christy-nominated titles. “Indivisible” is an enticing blend of mystery, psychological thriller and romance. Redford appears to be a quiet town nestled in the mountains of Colorado, offering a picturesque retreat to vacationing tourists. But beneath the surface currents between the inhabitants run deep. Police Chief Jonah Westfall struggles to maintain his sobriety. His childhood friend Tia, whom he now loves, has kept him at arm’s leng...more

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May 01, 2011 Tamara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kristen-heitzmann

INDIVISIBLE by Kristen Heitzmann is by far her most provocative novel. INDIVISIBLE deals with many facets of the human psyche. Rejection, self-inflicted hatred, phobias, betrayal, love, etc. Tia, the heroine, has sentenced herself to a life of solitude because of consequences in her past. Jonah, the hero, is working on his own demons inflicted on him by his iconic father. Both are trying to overcome their past, but do so on a solo journey refusing to let others in.

The main plot of INDIVISIBLE ha...more INDIVISIBLE by Kristen Heitzmann is by far her most provocative novel. INDIVISIBLE deals with many facets of the human psyche. Rejection, self-inflicted hatred, phobias, betrayal, love, etc. Tia, the heroine, has sentenced herself to a life of solitude because of consequences in her past. Jonah, the hero, is working on his own demons inflicted on him by his iconic father. Both are trying to overcome their past, but do so on a solo journey refusing to let others in.

The main plot of INDIVISIBLE has Police Chief, Jonah Westfall contemplating the fact that there may be a madman or cultic group in the sleepy town of Redford, Colorado. Finding the mutilated bodies of several animals has his time and energy spent on finding the culprit. But, his feelings for Tia are always there right below the service.

Tia Manning, who has punished herself for years because of her past indiscretion, holds up in a small candle shop doing penance for the deed she cannot erase from her mind. Desiring to be more than a simple shop-keeper, she pursues a degree in psychology, hoping to help others someday, even if she can’t help herself.

I had mixed emotions about INDIVISIBLE as a read. I started out with a skeptic attitude because one of my friends and fellow fans of Kristen Heitzmann told me of her disappointment. I agreed at first. The introduction of so many characters, flaws, and job descriptions had me confused. But, the more I got into the book. The more intrigued I became. I guessed early on who the culprit was responsible for the animal mutilations, but that didn’t deter me from reading. Unlike other readers who took offense to some of the language in the book, I cheered Kristen on. I have struggled in my own writing with the narrow-mindedness of some Christian readers. When an author writes a well-rounded book, she will include non-Christian characters, or even characters that have fallen away from their Christian roots. In such cases, we as readers should not hold these characters to a Christian discipline of language or actions. When readers write of their disapproval over a few blue words, I have to assume these same readers do not watch suspense shows on TV such as Bones, Criminal Minds, CSI, etc., because if they do, they hear far worse language than Kristen used to make her story and characters realistic. Yes, I know, we expect more from our Christian contemporaries, but again, a realistic story should be allowed these few allowances. In the end, I enjoyed the story. While some people might have thought the end tied up too quickly, without enough explanation of why someone would mutilate animals, I was fine with the ending. I felt Heitzmann did not belittle my intelligence. She did not feel as if she needed everything written out in order for me to understand the evil that lies in the minds of someone transfigured by their own tragedies.(less)

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Apr 30, 2011 Loraine Alcorn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book review Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann
I receive a copy of Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann through blogging for books and was excited to read it .

I'm only able to say a few things I liked about , it is a mystery and has a lot of suspense to it that most will find interesting if you can get passed the unlikeable characters .

I also thought the descriptions of the animal cruelty in this book was a bit much and it ended up depressing me quite a bit , it was hard for me to get passed this and e...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Bree rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: won-it

breesabookworm.com

Wow. Whoa. This book was really cool. I'm not one to normally read thrillers or mysteries, but I'm trying to mix up my reading list with everything. I'm very pleased that I did.

First, I'm going to comment on this author's amazing writing. It's just beautiful. A book that could have been written so plainly and simply was instead written lyrically, almost as if a poem. It's hard to describe, but I really love books written like this. Props to the author and her word pictures. It...more breesabookworm.com

Wow. Whoa. This book was really cool. I'm not one to normally read thrillers or mysteries, but I'm trying to mix up my reading list with everything. I'm very pleased that I did.

First, I'm going to comment on this author's amazing writing. It's just beautiful. A book that could have been written so plainly and simply was instead written lyrically, almost as if a poem. It's hard to describe, but I really love books written like this. Props to the author and her word pictures. It is written in third person from four different people's point of view, which was awesome.

Indivisible is about lots of people, though the main characters are Tia and Jonah. They have a past between them that consists of bitterness and regret but are forever connected.

Tia is bitter and withdrawn and just living in a blur letting her regrets and guilt keep her down, but forever, unfortunately in love with Jonah. Jonah is always in a dark place with too many personal demons. He's a recovering alcoholic who feels the pull every day of his life. He loves Tia, but she won't have him. I fell in love a little with Jonah, he was a great character in this book.

That's just the romance, which is rockin. But this book is also a mystery thriller. Someone is mutilating animals, but in a surgical kind of way. There's a meth lab that needs finding as well. All this is good, and the plot is excellent. But what I really enjoyed in the book were the people and their interactions. The book is chock full of great characters. My favorite ended up being Miles by the end. I just loved him.

I was really surprised when about half way through the book I realized it was actually Christian Fiction. I love Christian fiction but have never read anything like this in that genre. You don't have to be a Christian or anything to enjoy this book immensely.

I am most definitely going to be checking out this author's other books. I am thankful to WaterBrook Press for gifting me this book for review. The book was released in 2010, so go grab a copy and read it already! :)
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Mar 04, 2011 Deborah Sloan rated it 4 of 5 stars

A suspense thriller sure to please everyone with just a hint of Christian ethics included which I found to be refreshing in this psychological thriller mix. Who would have thought you could get so caught up in the lives of the people living in a small town that you couldn't put the book down. That's just how I felt reading Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann.

For Police Chief Jonah Westfall the recent animal mutilations in Redford, Colorado are weighing heavily amidst a backdrop of increased drug t...more

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Feb 27, 2011 Lenore Webb rated it 4 of 5 stars

in·di·vis·i·ble: consisting of one whole whose parts cannot be divided or treated individually

This coming April is going to mark the 5 year anniversary of Dear Hubby's sobriety. I am so very proud for him. But I am also understanding how this has at times been a day by day battle. Things are much easier for DH now. At first is was pretty hard for him. He says that stress is the hardest thing to handle for a problem drinker. To not let the stress take over and then hide with a bottle to keep fro...more

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Feb 14, 2011 Karina Harris rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Indivisible", by Kristen Heitzmann was riveting. Her breathtaking imagery, deep characters, and intriguing plot made this a book I couldn't put down. I especially appreciated the appropriate quotations at the beginning of each chapter...great literary touch.

This story is set in a small mountain town, where everyone has an inescapable history. Some characters have moved to this town to forget their past, others have been unable to leave because of it. We see glimpses of a painful story between P...more

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Jul 30, 2010 Jennifer Slattery rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kristen Heitzman is an excellent author and did a wonderful job of weaving multiple subplots into one cohesive story. Most of us have been warned extensively not to have too many characters in our novels, but Kristen is able to dive into the lives of four very different characters, invoking empathy in the reader for each one, although one point of view used was not as strong as the others. Piper seemed to mirror Tia in many ways and didn't come across as dynamic as I would have hoped.

For the mo...more

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May 11, 2010 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, waterbrook-press

Jonah and Tia share a haunted past--one they were both able to ignore. That is, until animals begin being mutilated by an unknown, yet seemingly human predator. The appearance of a drug ring and the involvement of one of his police officer's spouses in it's operation only adds to the stress in Chief of Police Jonah Westfall's life. In what seems to be the nick of time, Liz Ranier has set up residence in Redford and reopened the veterinary clinic there. She establishes herself as an invaluable re...more

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May 08, 2010 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, romance, suspense

"Indivisible" is a general fiction about abusive childhoods, forgiving oneself for past mistakes, and finding hope for the future. It also has two romances going on where the past is interfering with the couples' possible future. And it also has two mysteries going on--one of them a "who-done-it" that readers can try to solve.

It may sound complex, but this fast-paced story was woven together well. The main focus of the story--and the main source of the suspense--was the tension in the various re...more

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May 10, 2011 Lola4 rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It is said that every individual has at least one great book inside him--Indivisible shows that a great author can have one really lousy book inside of her. There was so much that I didn't like about this book that this review could end up as long as the novel itself if I'm not careful. First of all the plot was easy to figure out from the instant the sick twin was mentioned--hasn't this same plot been overdone in umpteen B movies already? In case you had any doubt it was going to be the same ol...more

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May 13, 2010 Amydeanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

A baker, candlestick maker, and the police chief all play roles in this phychological thriller. Jonah is always one step away from taking a drink while fighting off his demons, and Piper doesn't even know how to stay still since she's never stayed anywhere longer than a year. And Tia. Will Tia the candlestick maker ever get over her families hate for her? Will she ever be able to forgive herself? Oh and I can't forget Liz - the vet who has a twin sister who is an invalid. Then there is Miles -...more

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May 05, 2010 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Title: INDIVISIBLE
Author: Kristen Heitzmann
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
May 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4000-7309-2
Genre: Inspirational/contemporary suspense

Piper is walking to work at the bakery when she passes something foul smelling on the ground. She is frustrated at work because the owner has five things he makes and he will not allow Piper to experiment. Still, she does sneak in a dried tomato and cheese croissant before her boss gets to work, and then goes to visit her friend Tia to see what she thinks...more

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May 14, 2010 Molly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Recommended to Molly by: Waterbrook Multnomah

Shelves: book-review

Three words: Oh. My. Goodness. Where have I been hiding to not have read Kristin Heitzmann's work before? I have heard nothing but highest praises for Kristin's work and was anxious to read one of her books, so when the opportunity arose to review this book, I jumped on the chance! I was NOT disappointed!

Kristin's words drew my mind in immediately. I felt a strong connection with all of the characters. The skill in which Heitzmann writes with is astonishing. The plot, characters, and events tra...more

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May 12, 2010 Lydia Presley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, christian-lit, fiction, mystery

This was the first book I've read by Kristen Heitzmann. I wasn't sure what to expect and there were some aspects that pleasantly surprised me, but also a few things that disappointed me.

The biggest issue I had in reading this book was that I spent about 65% of it completely confused. The characters (especially the women) were so similar in personality I kept mixing them up with each other and had to go back and remind myself who was who a few times. Once I got them straightened out though things...more

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May 06, 2011 Book Him Danno rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-sent-by-author-publisher-for, mystery, 2011

I chose this book from a list on the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Site. A Christian based mystery/thriller with a small amount of romance thrown in for good measure. How could I pick anything else?

I liked this book, it kept my interest but took a bit to really get started. Meeting the characters and getting a feeling for them seemed to take a bit of time. When I got to know them better I cared what happened to them and I tried to figure out who was causing all the problems. I didn’t come up w...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Wendi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Indivisible
By Kristen Heitzmann
Published by Waterbrook Press

Indivisible is a novel of suspense set in a small mountain town in Colorado. Police Chief Jonah Westfall has his hands full with the growth of the community, a suspected drug lab, and disturbing animal mutilations. As if his own demons aren’t enough to deal with. Jonah is tall, rugged and brooding. The type of man women are drawn to, hoping to heal his clearly evident emotional wounds.

Tia Manning in not one of them. With emotional wound...more

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May 13, 2010 Staci rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Staci by: Tour Book

Shelves: 2010-reads

Heitzmann is a new to me author so I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but let me tell you that there was not a slow spot in this book. The author weaves a very intricate story between the past and the present, giving you little glimpses into how past actions of so-called upstanding people can damage and reshape innocent lives. The characters are very real and I felt that they came off as very authentic, especially Jonah battling his demons with alcohol. I always enjoy reading stories that ar...more

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Aug 28, 2010 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

I enjoyed this book in fact after the last sentence was read I had withdrawal pains. I wanted another book to tell me what happened to the characters next.
My only criticism is that this book seemed slow paced at the beginning so I am afraid some would quit on this book before the reader is hooked. Other than it was beautifully written. It was easy to smell and taste the bakery treats and to imagine what the handmade candles looked like.
The characters seemed real. There was the ruggedly handsome...more

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May 11, 2010 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

I found this book hard to enjoy as it was just too dark and disturbing for my own taste. All of the main characters are from dysfunctional families and have incredibly painful backgrounds and issues. Cruelty, mental illness, regrets, etc. I would say that is pretty realistic on one hand as the majority of us could probably point out dysfunction in our past/backgrounds but it was focused on so heavily in this book that it left me feeling awful and not really wanting to finish the book. I knew goi...more

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May 11, 2010 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Decent characters who are each struggling in one way or another with their past. Though the story line is not incredibly unique and not very hard to figure quite a bit of it out before any clues or answers are given to you, it is entertaining. At moments when detailing a crime it can be a bit squeamish, though important to the story line. There is a tad bit much going on. As much as I enjoyed the characters and what was going on with them it took away from the mystery/thriller part of the story....more

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Jan 19, 2011 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2011

Police Chief Jonah Westfall has a few problems on his hands. Someone is torturing and killing animals, then leaving them where they will be found. His past with Tia Manning looms over everything, and not necessarily in a good way. The owner of the coffee shop, Sarge, has a major health problem that Jonah and Piper try to help with. Then, there is “Lego” man with his interesting set of circumstances. Each of these contributes to his unsettledness, yet he is able to keep away from alcohol. But, ho...more

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May 10, 2010 Cafelilybookreviews rated it 1 of 5 stars

While this story offers some interesting characters, romance, suspense and plenty of twists and turns – I found it a bit gory and strange for my own reading preferences. The book was kind of all over the place for me and parts of it just didn’t work. Eviscerated (disemboweled) animals aren’t my idea of pleasure reading, but those who are looking for a gritty psychological thriller in the Christian arena, may very well enjoy this book.

Note: There are some uses of mild language in the book and a m...more

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May 10, 2010 Marci rated it 4 of 5 stars

Every once in a while I am extremely grateful for these Advanced Reader’s copies of books because they bring to my attention an author I was unfamiliar with. This is one of those times I want to give a big Thank You to WaterBrook Multnomah for the free book!. Actually, it may be more correct to say that the program finally got me off the fence about reading an author whose name I was familiar with but whose work I was not. Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann was a very pleasant surprise, a book in...more

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Nov 25, 2010 Leah rated it 4 of 5 stars

How refreshing to read a book about people with morals! My sister recently discovered this author and in a very short time read all of her books. This was my first Heitzmann read, but it won't be my last. I read Indivisible in a just a few hours and was pleasantly surprised by the plot progression, character development, and family/sibling motif.

The small town feel reminded me of Billie Letts, without the super sick, tragic element. In fact, this book does have a twisted side, but it's not some...more

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May 09, 2010 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. There was just enough intrigue, just enough mystery to keep you guessing, just enough romance, and certainly just enough about Christian living (without sounding preachy). I loved how the author described the characters in such a way that you knew them. I love how she dramatized the relationships weaving God into the everyday living. It's hard to describe everything I loved about this book. The struggles the characters in this book face are real. Alcoholism, selfishne...more

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May 13, 2010 Bridget rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jonah, the Police Chief, has seen his fair share of brutality. His latest investigation begins when a couple of raccoons have been tortured. It's a well known fact that murderers usually start off with animal cruelty which means this case turn over at any moment.

In the small town, drugs are on the rise and he is doing all he can to keep everyone safe. At the same time he is constantly battling a friend and the urge to drown his sorrows in a bottle.

Jonah is one of those people that meets the "kic...more

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About Kristen Heitzmann

Kristen learned to read at age four in the sit-on-the-floor school her father taught at home. That was the start of her love affair with stories. Skipping kindergarten, she went to first grade at five and dove into learning with a passion. In elementary school, she wrote and illustrated her own miniature books and the highlight of the week was the mile and a half walk to the book mobile.

A bit of a...more

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Indivisible (Radcliff Colorado)

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