Exhale and Reboot

by Joss Landry

Four years after the loss of her husband to the war in Iraq, and after the loss of her unborn child, Candice Newman allows the sun to dispel Tim’s ghost. Yet at times, when she walks along the beach, the ocean still echoes of him, and of their pleasant memories gone sour. Unexplained occurrences have her wonder what sort of message Tim might need to convey. Candice desperately needs to ignore the many strange happenings where her dead husband is concerned. With her mother’s help, she sets out to become whole again opting to get a degree in Graphics Design at the nearby Johns Hopkins University. First day on Campus Candice meets up with her cousin, Lisa Tyler whose visit six months prior was what gave her the push she needed to reboot her life. Lisa introduces her to a gang of eight students who hang together and make up an odd, but tight-knit clique. She also runs into Simon Bennett, a handsome professor, notorious as the Bluebeard of Homewood Campus. He is carrying on an investigation into the disappearance of a young medical student who vanished one cold February evening while running off to the lab in his shirt sleeves. The student in question happens to be his sister’s fiancé, so Simon will not rest until he finds out what happened to Jeremy. When one of the members of the ominous bunch of eight proposes she try a little experiment on Professor Bennett, since he has asked her out, Candice refuses. She finds them immature and so not the reason why she came to Johns Hopkins. When she turns down their little game yes sir, no sir, even when they promise they could rake in thousands of dollars on the outcome, she finds herself on Simon’s side of the debate while she slowly becomes entangled in his own game of seek and find. Candice gets caught up in Simon’s research of the case even police could not resolve. Authorities have too many suspects and as they have no body, no weapon, and Jeremy never turns up, they relay the file to Missing Persons. Candice soon realizes Simon Bennett is more tenacious than any deep and dark mystery, and that he will stop at nothing to get to the truth. The charismatic man has her mesmerized, and as Candice fears losing her heart to another dead possibility, she wonders if his quest might put her life in danger. Even more troubling, Candice doubts her hungry heart can survive another letdown. As she begins to do some poking of her own, she stirs the guilty party in motion and unwittingly sets the stage for murder…

420 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2014

Reviews

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
A lovely balenced mix of romance and mystery with just a hint of paranormal. I recommend to readers who enjoy these genres.
A young widow, Candice returns to college. There she falls for one of the professors, Simon. Full of bitterness after a failed marriage, Simon has a reputation for casual reationships and fills his own void by investigating the mysterious disappearance from the campus of a student called Jeremy two years ago. Candice involves herself in the investigation and without knowing it sparks a dangerous chain of events. As Candice digs deeper she comes into contact with one person prepared to kill to prevent the truth being known.
Although the book started a little slow the intrigue and suspense builds to a thrilling climax and I stayed up late to finish the book, desperate to know the identity of the killer.

[Dolores Ayotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhale and Reboot by Author Joss Landry

This is the second fictional novel that I have read and reviewed penned by talented Author Joss Landry and it is every bit as good as the first Mirror Deep. The protagonist in "Exhale and Reboot" is Candace Newman/Collier, a twenty-six year old widow who lost her husband Tim in the Iraqi war, after only one year of marriage.

At such loose ends, she moves in with her mother before she decides to further her studies at Johns Hopkins University in an effort to get her life back on track. Candace soon crosses paths with Professor Simon Bennett who has a notorious reputation with women...or is this merely a façade? Before you know it, she is entwined in the case of the baffling disappearance of a student that took place two years earlier. Jeremy Green was engaged to Simon's sister, Shauna, and Simon would like to know whether Jeremy left town on his own accord or if the unthinkable happened. His every desire is to help give his sister peace of mind and possible closure. After the trail appears to go dead, Simon decides to pursue the investigation on his own. With no explanation...no body...and no apparent assistance from the police who have since dropped this missing person case...Simon is determined to get to the bottom of Jeremy's untimely disappearance. He enlists Candace's help in this perplexing "whodunit" case and discovers that he has unintentionally put her at risk...

Great mystery novel...well written and refreshing with several unexpected twists and turns along with a dash of romance to spice up the captivating story line. I could hardly put this book down as I couldn't wait to see who had committed the crime. Totally unexpected ending...just could not see it coming. Good stuff!

Inspirational Author & Book Reviewer ~ Dolores Ayotte
http://www.amazon.com/Not-Perfect-Its...

[Ellie Midwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gripping story! “Exhale and Reboot” is one of those books that I couldn’t put down once I started reading it. It started on a sad note, from the first few scenes where we get to know Candice, the main protagonist, struggling to get her life back on track after the tragic loss of her husband Tim, who was killed in action. But soon the story transforms into a truly spellbinding thriller, as soon as Candice enrolls in college and meets Simon, one of the professors who is investigating the death (or disappearance?) of his sister’s fiancé. Multiple suspects, too many loose ends, conspiracy theories and old ugly secrets that are finally brought to light after the two join forces in their investigation, made me turn pages faster and faster to learn the truth at last.
The author did an amazing job in switching my attention from one suspect to another, throwing different clues here and there, and I applaud her ability to keep the mystery all the way to the end. Another treat for me personally was also the growing attraction between Candice and Simon, and I couldn’t help but root for them to finally come together and heal each other’s wounds. An amazing work! Highly recommended!

[Christoph Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Exhale and Reboot" by Joss Landry is a wonderful novel. The protagonist, Candice, loses the love of he life as he dies for his country in Iraq. She struggles hard to move on and has even unexplicable visions of him. She decides to get a degree at University, where she joins a group of friends, finds romantic potential in Professor Simon Bennett and gets involved in the investigation of an unsolved student disappearance.

Written with plenty of emotional wisdom and amazing warmth, this is a thoughtfyl, bittersweet and ultimately inspiring story of a woman overcoming grief and moving on with her life. Landry has created some excellent characters and plotlines to give the well conveyed message a good and very interesting background.

By blending mystery, some paranormal elements and character depth, the author has put a lot in this novel, which I devoured in almost one sitting. It is very easy and compelling to read with plenty of suspense and other interest. This is very enjoyable.

[Melissa McGhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn’t a place in the world I wouldn’t allow Joss Landry to take me. Each and every one of her books is an experience into the unknown with twists, turns and details that leave you playing detective long after the pages are hidden and the book is closed. Exhale and Reboot is no different. Joss pushes the envelope and her characters with deep emotion, powerful decisions and mysterious scenarios.
Candice Newman is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. Simon Bennett, doesn’t play those games or any other. He’s sure of himself; a man confident in his work, social life and in control of his love life. There is nothing stopping either one from living their lives, except for the truth.

[Sarah Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Candice, a young woman tragically widowed when her husband was killed in Iraq, decides to restart her life by completing her education. She reaches this decision after several chapters that bombard the reader with characters, only one of whom, Lisa, needs such a well-grounded introduction. When Candice arrives at university she has been given the wrong room number in the campus residence. This immediately brings her into contact with Professor Simon Bennett, whom she would have met at lectures anyway so a coincidence could have been avoided. Candice finds Simon extremely attractive, and this is mutual: a superb opportunity to introduce sexual tension is wasted, to a degree; Candice analyses every thought process at length.

Simon wants to find out why a promising young medical student went missing, a mystery in which the police have lost interest. Candice helps him and her feelings for the man who caused this event cleverly parallel her own for her dead husband. The pace gradually improves, but the author has a distracting habit of slipping out of one person’s head into another when the whole novel could so easily have remained Candice’s story. A proficient editor could reduce the length of this book by at least a quarter and give an outstanding, distinctive, basic plot the chance to shine.