Six Solitude Road

by Bethany Macmanus

Her husband is the prime suspect in the kidnapping of one of her students. Now she must prove him innocent. One morning, Kate Marset discovers her seven year old student Becca is missing, and all evidence in her disappearance points to Kate's husband Clint. At the Christian school where Becca disappeared, Kate finds more than one lead the detectives have overlooked. Armed with a Colt .45 and an incriminating flash drive file, Kate struggles to prove Clint innocent in this kidnapping. All the while, her own daughter Janna slips away emotionally. Is something dark at work in the little girl's life? Or is it just growing pains? The only way for Kate to find out is to dig into the layers of sin holding her town, her husband, and her own house captive.

Genres: Christian Fiction

274 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2013

About the author

Bethany lives in Houston with her husband, daughter and son. After practicing as an RN for five years, Bethany left the nursing field to pursue a fiction writing passion God planted in her heart when she was a child. And as Nancy Drew mysteries were her guilty pleasure during those early years, so she naturally gravitates her pen toward the things that go bump in the night.

She draws many interesting and perplexing facts from her former career. These come in handy when her characters get themselves into serious scrapes, and gives a psychological spin to many of her plots.

She's allergic to milk, Sulfa drugs, and people who stop in the middle of intersections while driving.

Member American Christian Fiction Writers since Jan. 2011
2011 ACFW Genesis Finalist for Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
2013 RWA Daphne du Maurier (unpublished) Winner for Inspirational Romantic Suspense

Reviews

[Lisa Godfrees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six Solitude Road is a beautifully written debut novel by Bethany MacManus. The story so captivated me that I had trouble walking away from the book. Swathed in mystery and set in the swamps of Louisiana, Six Solitude Road deals with every parent’s worst nightmare—child abduction. But there is more, so much more, than just child abduction in this book. The intricate plot weavings will leave you wanting more.

Kate feels responsible for the abduction of her daughter’s best friend Becca. When her husband stands accused of the crime, Kate also feels it is her duty to exonerate him.

Rating: PG-13

Mature audiences only, please. Not a cozy mystery, this book is Christian noir—dealing with child abduction and a few other unsavory scenes that are not suitable for younger audiences. One scene in particular had me cringing (let’s call that the ewwww factor).

Social Issues:

A large part of this book deals with trust. Can you trust someone that betrayed you? Can you trust strangers? Can you trust someone you love despite suspicion of wrongdoing? Can you trust someone that acts untrustworthy? Can you trust God?

Other:

Some of Kate’s actions in the book drove me crazy. I would *not* let my daughter out of my sight if one of her friends had been kidnapped, yet Kate does so routinely to go off exploring on her own and seems unconcerned about it. A necessary plot device, I suspect.

There was so much going on in Six Solitude Road that I sometimes got a little lost. It all worked out in the end, although the reveal seemed a little far-fetched and contrived for my personal taste (think Agatha Christie). But it was worth it for the closure. It would have driven me crazy otherwise.

[Voni Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so frustrated as I read Bethany Macmanus’s Christian suspense novel, Six Solitude Road. Everything I figured out kept turning out to be wrong.

Frustrated exactly like the main character, Louisiana school teacher Kate Marset, who finds herself in a maze of lies and seeming lies, truth and seeming truth. Macmanus has the incredible talent of bringing the reader right along for the ride with her heroine.

Don’t worry. The author ties it all up in the end, reminiscent of the old crime shows like Perry Mason or Agatha Christie.

In Six Solitude Road…

…you truly get a feel for life in the Louisiana bayous.

…you truly feel the oppression that Kate feels, the darkness of the mystery that entwines the story’s characters. The author thankfully does not tiptoe around the dark issues. (Nor does she wallow in them).

…you truly feel the release that the truth finally brings.

My favorite part of the book? Macmanus is the queen of the perfectly-placed metaphor.

My least favorite part? I didn’t think the main relationship in the book (I don’t want to give any spoilers) received much closure for the reader. However, I have to say, considering what happened in the book, that was probably appropriate and more true to life than any closure would provide. Perhaps there’ll be a Book 2 that will explore that relationship more.

I highly recommend this book!

Blessings,
Voni

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut novel held me spellbound. Even the cover is haunting and gripping in its own way. Granted, the subject matter and the genre itself aren't customarily what I read, but I couldn't stay away. I kept reaching for my Kindle because I had to see where this story went and what the characters would do next. Truly a thriller and I loved all the twists, turns and deft nuances. It takes a skilled writer to weave in all the elements as seamlessly as Bethany Macmanus did in this novel. To think it's her first published book is amazing. I look forward to the next book in this series and highly recommend Six Solitude Road.

[Heather Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt connected with the main character, Kate Marset, in this novel. She's a married woman thrown into a situation no one can imagine. The Louisiana setting strengthens the eerie vibes you get from Kate's house, Six Solitude Road. Kate moves from one dangerous event to the next, but she's determined to figure out the dark underbelly of what's going on. As she unravels the mystery surrounding a kidnapping and her old house, I was reading at lightning speed to figure out who was behind things. A satisfying and gripping read.

[Deb Brammer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a light, feel-good read. MacManus has high stakes and the story is pretty well written, but it seemed very dark to me and I didn't really enjoy it. If you are more of a cozy mystery reader, you might not like this one.

[Sharon Rudolph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was slow starting, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. It was a good book with twists and turns that I didn't see coming. It may be slow at first, but stick with it, it is worth it!