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The Search
Young private investigator Jayden Spaulding has cracked his share of tough cases, but nothing like this.
When stunning professional basketball player Nadia Fairchild walks through his door, her story seems simple enough: two days ago, her mother disappeared along with a member of the women’s college basketball team she coached. Jayden and Nadia delve into a baffling maze of motive and opportunity with a lengthy list of possible suspects.
As they work together amid their growing attraction to one another, the unlikely duo seems no closer to discovering the truth. Then the threats begin. Soon, the pair begins to suspect that this case is much more complicated than a simple disappearance—they have unwittingly stumbled on a conspiracy of corruption, greed, and murder far more deadly than they ever imagined. Others are also searching for the missing women, and they will eliminate anyone who stands in their way . . .
When stunning professional basketball player Nadia Fairchild walks through his door, her story seems simple enough: two days ago, her mother disappeared along with a member of the women’s college basketball team she coached. Jayden and Nadia delve into a baffling maze of motive and opportunity with a lengthy list of possible suspects.
As they work together amid their growing attraction to one another, the unlikely duo seems no closer to discovering the truth. Then the threats begin. Soon, the pair begins to suspect that this case is much more complicated than a simple disappearance—they have unwittingly stumbled on a conspiracy of corruption, greed, and murder far more deadly than they ever imagined. Others are also searching for the missing women, and they will eliminate anyone who stands in their way . . .
240 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2017
31 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Clair M. Poulson
55 books296 followersClair M. Poulson was born and raised in Duchesne, Utah. His father was a rancher and farmer, his mother a librarian. Clair has always been an avid reader, having found his love for books as a very young boy.
He has served for forty years in the criminal justice system. Twenty years were spent in law enforcement, ending his police career with eight years as the Duchesne County Sheriff. For the past twenty years Clair has worked as a justice court judge for Duchesne County. Clair is also a veteran of the US Army where he was a military policeman. He has served on various boards and councils during his professional career, including the Justice Court Board of Judges, Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Utah Judicial Council, Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, an FBI advisory board and others.
In addition to his criminal justice work, Clair has farmed and ranched all of his life. He has raised many kinds of animals, but his greatest interest is horses.
Clair has served in many capacities in the LDS church, including fulltime missionary (California Mission) bishop, counselor to bishop, young men president, high councilor, stake mission president, scoutmaster, High Priest group leader, etc. He currently serves as a Sunday School teacher.
Clair is married to Ruth, and together, they have five children, all of whom are married: Alan (Vicena) Poulson, Kelly Ann (Wade) Hatch, Amanda (Ben) Semadeni, Wade (Brooke) Poulson, and Mary (Tyler) Hicken. Between them they have twenty-three children. Clair and Ruth met while both were students at Snow College and were married in the Manti temple.
Clair has always loved telling his children, and later his grandchildren, make-up stories. His vast experience in life and his love of literature has always contributed to both his telling stories to children and his writing of adventure and suspense novels.
He has served for forty years in the criminal justice system. Twenty years were spent in law enforcement, ending his police career with eight years as the Duchesne County Sheriff. For the past twenty years Clair has worked as a justice court judge for Duchesne County. Clair is also a veteran of the US Army where he was a military policeman. He has served on various boards and councils during his professional career, including the Justice Court Board of Judges, Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Utah Judicial Council, Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, an FBI advisory board and others.
In addition to his criminal justice work, Clair has farmed and ranched all of his life. He has raised many kinds of animals, but his greatest interest is horses.
Clair has served in many capacities in the LDS church, including fulltime missionary (California Mission) bishop, counselor to bishop, young men president, high councilor, stake mission president, scoutmaster, High Priest group leader, etc. He currently serves as a Sunday School teacher.
Clair is married to Ruth, and together, they have five children, all of whom are married: Alan (Vicena) Poulson, Kelly Ann (Wade) Hatch, Amanda (Ben) Semadeni, Wade (Brooke) Poulson, and Mary (Tyler) Hicken. Between them they have twenty-three children. Clair and Ruth met while both were students at Snow College and were married in the Manti temple.
Clair has always loved telling his children, and later his grandchildren, make-up stories. His vast experience in life and his love of literature has always contributed to both his telling stories to children and his writing of adventure and suspense novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
August 14, 2017
3.5, rounding up
I've been reading Clair Poulson books for a long time. He is great at writing light mystery/suspense stories that capture the essence of the genre without going overboard on the gruesome or violent details which I appreciate.
Clair Poulson is know for writing tell it like it is, no nonsense kind of characters and this story is no different. I did appreciate the attempt at light humor from the main character, Jayden. It helped give him a bit more personality which is something I sometimes struggle with in Poulaon's books. The plot is always excellent and moves forward at a fantastic pace, but it's the emotional connection with the characters that I am usually missing.
The relationship between Jayden and Nadia is almost instant. The attraction is definitely there and it progresses to a familiarity within hours. I'm not sure I buy how quickly that moved, but I guess when you are adults in perilous circumstances, emotions are heightened and connections can be made more quickly. I wish I had Jayden's dog. He sort of stole the show a few times!
Overall, another good book from Clair Poulson. I enjoyed the pacing and the constant feeling I had of wondering how all the "bad" guys came into play and connected to what was going on. It was a fun story!
Content: mild violence, LDS fiction so some mention of religious things although nothing overly preachy.
- I received a copy of this book for free. All opinions expressed are my own.
I've been reading Clair Poulson books for a long time. He is great at writing light mystery/suspense stories that capture the essence of the genre without going overboard on the gruesome or violent details which I appreciate.
Clair Poulson is know for writing tell it like it is, no nonsense kind of characters and this story is no different. I did appreciate the attempt at light humor from the main character, Jayden. It helped give him a bit more personality which is something I sometimes struggle with in Poulaon's books. The plot is always excellent and moves forward at a fantastic pace, but it's the emotional connection with the characters that I am usually missing.
The relationship between Jayden and Nadia is almost instant. The attraction is definitely there and it progresses to a familiarity within hours. I'm not sure I buy how quickly that moved, but I guess when you are adults in perilous circumstances, emotions are heightened and connections can be made more quickly. I wish I had Jayden's dog. He sort of stole the show a few times!
Overall, another good book from Clair Poulson. I enjoyed the pacing and the constant feeling I had of wondering how all the "bad" guys came into play and connected to what was going on. It was a fun story!
Content: mild violence, LDS fiction so some mention of religious things although nothing overly preachy.
- I received a copy of this book for free. All opinions expressed are my own.
September 17, 2017
This is another great book by author Clair M. Poulson. It immediately hooks you in during the prologue with a huge scene of a death caused by a mob hit-man and the girlfriend of the victim on the run. You don't hear much more about this girl until a little later in the story. Instead, we meet pro ladies basketball player Nadia Fairchild whose mother a college basketball coach, and one of her players, have disappeared. Nadia hires PI Jayden Spaulding who is one of the best in town to help Nadia find her mom. Jayden and Nadia hit it off right from the beginning and a relationship starts developing. I really like both characters but I REALLy liked Jayden's partner his German Shepherd, Bullet. His dog is trained to protect Jayden and follows commands very well. He actually has a great personality for a dog. There are also some awesome side characters I enjoyed like Nadia's grandfather Marley, parole officer Booker, and police chief Owens. They all contributed a lot to the story and in helping solve the case.
I like the way that Poulson develops the story leaving great clues without making it too easy to solve. You are steered in one direction to only be turned another in the next chapter. This keeps it interesting and keeps you guessing. The romance is developed quickly but everything is kept clean. The main characters are LDS so they occasionally talk about their religion but nothing along the lines of being preachy.There is some violence as there are attacks on people by the bad guys and then Bullet taking care of those same bad guys. There is nothing there though that I wouldn't let me teen read.
If you like mysteries, a budding romance, and plenty of suspense...and a truly loyal and amazing German Shepherd, then you'll enjoy reading The Search.
I like the way that Poulson develops the story leaving great clues without making it too easy to solve. You are steered in one direction to only be turned another in the next chapter. This keeps it interesting and keeps you guessing. The romance is developed quickly but everything is kept clean. The main characters are LDS so they occasionally talk about their religion but nothing along the lines of being preachy.There is some violence as there are attacks on people by the bad guys and then Bullet taking care of those same bad guys. There is nothing there though that I wouldn't let me teen read.
If you like mysteries, a budding romance, and plenty of suspense...and a truly loyal and amazing German Shepherd, then you'll enjoy reading The Search.
August 14, 2017
A great suspence novel novel. I love the characters. Jayden is a private investigator,whose partner is a dog named Bullet. Together they make a great team. Nadia is a member of the WMBA and lives in Phoenix. Her mother is missing and Nadia hires Jayden and Bullet to find her. Jayden is very good at his job, he has a surprising sense of humor I enjoyed through the whole book. The end was unexpected and for that reason alone, I loved it.!!
August 16, 2017
I do so love a GREAT suspense/mystery!
Jayden and Nadia are perfect together-- you will love learning about them-- and wait until you meet Bullet :)
This book will keep you guessing until the very end and it also has a scene about a nose that you will never forget--
GREAT IMAGERY! WONDERFUL WRITING!
A fantastic must-read! I highly recommend this one!
Jayden and Nadia are perfect together-- you will love learning about them-- and wait until you meet Bullet :)
This book will keep you guessing until the very end and it also has a scene about a nose that you will never forget--
GREAT IMAGERY! WONDERFUL WRITING!
A fantastic must-read! I highly recommend this one!
November 8, 2017
Oh wow, I did not like this book. Where to begin?
1. The characters, dialogue, and writing all had a juvenile feel. Conversations felt clunky. For example, a character would be talking to someone and would refer to that person by name in their comment to that person. Does that make sense? If you are talking to a friend would you tack on their name to a remark you made in the conversation? I listened to the book, so I can't give you a direct quote as an example, but this is an imaginary example of what I mean:
"Were you able to track down the car?"
"Not yet, but I think we will check the stadium parking lot."
"That's a good place to start, Mark. How about I come along?"
See? It feels unnatural. Unless you are getting someone's attention, you don't randomly use their name in the middle of your conversation with them. This happened all the time and it always felt manufactured. Another example, when talking to other people the girl kept referring to her mother and grandpa as "Mom" and "Grandpa." Who does that? If I'm telling my friend about my mom, I call her "my mom." If I'm talking to someone about my grandpa I refer to him as "my grandpa."
There wasn't any chemistry in the romance. And there absolutely CAN be chemistry, even in a "clean" romance! But this one fell flat for me. It also felt rushed and cheesy. At what point do you reach up and gently touch a guy's face, when you aren't dating? Perhaps a book CAN pull that off if there's good chemistry between them (sparks are flying and all that), but that wasn't the case with this book, at least not for me, so it just seemed weird.
The way Jayden reacts when he sees Nadia laying on the bloody floor seemed melodramatic. He's practically a cop, and I just don't buy that he would melt at that sight in the middle of an intense adrenalin-pumping chase, notwithstanding his past traumatic experiences. And when Nadia talks to her mom on the phone and faints? Again, that struck me as melodramatic. Many parts of the book were like that... unnatural and unconvincing at times.
2. The main guy, Jayden, was dorky. In the first chapter he meets his client (the love interest) and they have a conversation, and he was cracking cheesy jokes left and right. Like, lame jokes and dorky comments about how pretty she was, etc. (Unprofessional AND dorky is an embarrassing combination.) When you feel embarrassed by the main hero, that's not a good sign. It was so bad, I decided I couldn't take an entire book with this guy. But I have never not finished a book, and I wanted to give it a fair chance before I rated it, so I finished the whole thing. He never got better. He was dorky the entire time. He would make a cheesy joke and then stick with it the entire book, like dumb nick-names for people ("Marley sir") and he wouldn't drop what had become an old joke. On multiple occasions he insisted that a jerk FBI agent should apologize to his dog because he hurt his dog's feelings. The way he kept up with the charade that his dog had hurt feelings got old fast, but it kept coming. He would say inane things like that all the time. (And why would he make Nadia his partner on a whim? She has no expertise. An assistant, sure, but a partner? That rash decision was just socially... weird.) He was not a cool, swoon worthy guy at all. Bummer.
3. Some parts of the story were silly. How is it that the private investigator says to Nadia, "I'm not sure how they found out you were staying at this hotel" when she drives a red jaguar? Um, hmmm, let's think about this for a minute. !! Like a previous reviewer pointed out, why would Nadia ditch her police escort to go therapy shopping alone when just a day or two ago her mother went missing, she was brutally attacked in her apartment, and so much more? It was borderline absurd. And then after a subsequent traumatic experience the first words she murmurs are something along the lines of, "Are my new red high heels okay?" There's nothing more to say here. It was typical of this silly book. (Now, maybe other readers wouldn't mind that; maybe they would consider it an enjoyable light-hearted book and that is great.)
4. The religious references felt out of place to me, even though I totally agreed with the Christian messages that were shared. Sometimes books can add stuff like that and it totally works and sometimes it just distracts. Unfortunately I think in this case it was the latter.
5. What sealed the coffin on this book was the narrator. I have never had issues with audiobook narrators before, but this narrator was super distracting for me. Sure, the main guy, Jayden, was dorky, but the narrator made him sound like a MAJOR DORK. The narrator read the conversations with a lot of inflection and feeling... in a very unnatural, affected way. At least that is how it sounded to me. Maybe other people really like that in a narrator, though. In my opinion, the variety of inflection and animation in character's voices only exacerbated the cheesiness of their words and the socially awkwardness that was already present. It felt like I was listening to someone read a children's book to a group of kids. Each character had a very different voice - thick accent, or deep gruff voices for men, or artificially high pitched voices for women. I think it ruined the book for me. Again, this might be just my personal preference. Maybe if I had read it in my mind then the characters would not have seemed so dorky and awkward.
The author did a good job with making lots of twists and turns in the mystery. And she introduced lots of characters but was able to make it so the reader could keep them all straight, and the large cast made it a better book. It was interesting to see how a private investigator works with the police and FBI.
1. The characters, dialogue, and writing all had a juvenile feel. Conversations felt clunky. For example, a character would be talking to someone and would refer to that person by name in their comment to that person. Does that make sense? If you are talking to a friend would you tack on their name to a remark you made in the conversation? I listened to the book, so I can't give you a direct quote as an example, but this is an imaginary example of what I mean:
"Were you able to track down the car?"
"Not yet, but I think we will check the stadium parking lot."
"That's a good place to start, Mark. How about I come along?"
See? It feels unnatural. Unless you are getting someone's attention, you don't randomly use their name in the middle of your conversation with them. This happened all the time and it always felt manufactured. Another example, when talking to other people the girl kept referring to her mother and grandpa as "Mom" and "Grandpa." Who does that? If I'm telling my friend about my mom, I call her "my mom." If I'm talking to someone about my grandpa I refer to him as "my grandpa."
There wasn't any chemistry in the romance. And there absolutely CAN be chemistry, even in a "clean" romance! But this one fell flat for me. It also felt rushed and cheesy. At what point do you reach up and gently touch a guy's face, when you aren't dating? Perhaps a book CAN pull that off if there's good chemistry between them (sparks are flying and all that), but that wasn't the case with this book, at least not for me, so it just seemed weird.
The way Jayden reacts when he sees Nadia laying on the bloody floor seemed melodramatic. He's practically a cop, and I just don't buy that he would melt at that sight in the middle of an intense adrenalin-pumping chase, notwithstanding his past traumatic experiences. And when Nadia talks to her mom on the phone and faints? Again, that struck me as melodramatic. Many parts of the book were like that... unnatural and unconvincing at times.
2. The main guy, Jayden, was dorky. In the first chapter he meets his client (the love interest) and they have a conversation, and he was cracking cheesy jokes left and right. Like, lame jokes and dorky comments about how pretty she was, etc. (Unprofessional AND dorky is an embarrassing combination.) When you feel embarrassed by the main hero, that's not a good sign. It was so bad, I decided I couldn't take an entire book with this guy. But I have never not finished a book, and I wanted to give it a fair chance before I rated it, so I finished the whole thing. He never got better. He was dorky the entire time. He would make a cheesy joke and then stick with it the entire book, like dumb nick-names for people ("Marley sir") and he wouldn't drop what had become an old joke. On multiple occasions he insisted that a jerk FBI agent should apologize to his dog because he hurt his dog's feelings. The way he kept up with the charade that his dog had hurt feelings got old fast, but it kept coming. He would say inane things like that all the time. (And why would he make Nadia his partner on a whim? She has no expertise. An assistant, sure, but a partner? That rash decision was just socially... weird.) He was not a cool, swoon worthy guy at all. Bummer.
3. Some parts of the story were silly. How is it that the private investigator says to Nadia, "I'm not sure how they found out you were staying at this hotel" when she drives a red jaguar? Um, hmmm, let's think about this for a minute. !! Like a previous reviewer pointed out, why would Nadia ditch her police escort to go therapy shopping alone when just a day or two ago her mother went missing, she was brutally attacked in her apartment, and so much more? It was borderline absurd. And then after a subsequent traumatic experience the first words she murmurs are something along the lines of, "Are my new red high heels okay?" There's nothing more to say here. It was typical of this silly book. (Now, maybe other readers wouldn't mind that; maybe they would consider it an enjoyable light-hearted book and that is great.)
4. The religious references felt out of place to me, even though I totally agreed with the Christian messages that were shared. Sometimes books can add stuff like that and it totally works and sometimes it just distracts. Unfortunately I think in this case it was the latter.
5. What sealed the coffin on this book was the narrator. I have never had issues with audiobook narrators before, but this narrator was super distracting for me. Sure, the main guy, Jayden, was dorky, but the narrator made him sound like a MAJOR DORK. The narrator read the conversations with a lot of inflection and feeling... in a very unnatural, affected way. At least that is how it sounded to me. Maybe other people really like that in a narrator, though. In my opinion, the variety of inflection and animation in character's voices only exacerbated the cheesiness of their words and the socially awkwardness that was already present. It felt like I was listening to someone read a children's book to a group of kids. Each character had a very different voice - thick accent, or deep gruff voices for men, or artificially high pitched voices for women. I think it ruined the book for me. Again, this might be just my personal preference. Maybe if I had read it in my mind then the characters would not have seemed so dorky and awkward.
The author did a good job with making lots of twists and turns in the mystery. And she introduced lots of characters but was able to make it so the reader could keep them all straight, and the large cast made it a better book. It was interesting to see how a private investigator works with the police and FBI.
August 17, 2017
This book was so good! I loved everything about it, I loved the danger, the suspense, the characters, and the way the ending turned out. Clair Poulson really is a master at this kind of book!
I really liked the way this one starts, with Allyah and the whole crime that put the whole plot into motion. That's the prologue. And then chapter 1 starts with totally different characters and the problem of the missing mother/coach. I thought it was a fun and different way to have done this book.
I really liked Jayden's character. Jayden is clever, smart, funny and I love his dog Bullet as well! I liked the way he immediately starts to care for his client, Nadia, and the way things just fall into place for them in a relationship. I liked the way he wanted to make sure nothing happened to her, even though he'd just met her. I liked that he treated everyone kindly, even the annoying FBI agent who didn't deserve it. He just seems like a good guy!
Then there's Nadia. Wow, if I had been in her place, I would have been running around screaming or something. But she's a strong character and just takes everything how it comes. I loved the way she was always doing well if someone asked her, no matter the circumstances and she had some crazy things happen to her.
The plot of this one is fast paced and interesting. It kept my interest, I didn't want to stop reading until I'd read all of it. It's a suspense book with a touch of romance, and I love the way the author writes these!
I really liked the way this one starts, with Allyah and the whole crime that put the whole plot into motion. That's the prologue. And then chapter 1 starts with totally different characters and the problem of the missing mother/coach. I thought it was a fun and different way to have done this book.
I really liked Jayden's character. Jayden is clever, smart, funny and I love his dog Bullet as well! I liked the way he immediately starts to care for his client, Nadia, and the way things just fall into place for them in a relationship. I liked the way he wanted to make sure nothing happened to her, even though he'd just met her. I liked that he treated everyone kindly, even the annoying FBI agent who didn't deserve it. He just seems like a good guy!
Then there's Nadia. Wow, if I had been in her place, I would have been running around screaming or something. But she's a strong character and just takes everything how it comes. I loved the way she was always doing well if someone asked her, no matter the circumstances and she had some crazy things happen to her.
The plot of this one is fast paced and interesting. It kept my interest, I didn't want to stop reading until I'd read all of it. It's a suspense book with a touch of romance, and I love the way the author writes these!
June 2, 2022
I primarily read suspense and thrillers, but every now and then I like to pick up a book that's not in my favored genre when the world around me is already full of suspense. This is the book I chose and was very pleased with it. Even though the book is LDS, but I am not, it gave my whole being a restful feeling with enough shades of suspense to accommodate my mood.
Nadia Fairchild, a professional basketball player, walks into the office of a young P.I., Jayden Spaulding, stating that her single mother is missing and she needs help locating her. Her mother, who is a women's professional basketball coach, recently disappeared along with a member of the team she coached. The P.I. has little doubt that he'll eventually be able to find her, but things become more complicated than he expected as he begins to delve into the mystery. As his inquiries go deeper, he soon learns that the Chicago mafia is hot on his heels because of his involvement in the situation. Add to that the fact that Nadia's biological father has recently been released from prison.
Nadia and Jayden experience a mutual attraction, though they've only known each other for a few days. Nadia's wealthy grandfather seems to be pushing the two of them together, though neither one of them is objecting.
This is a feel-good read for anyone who wants a relaxing, yet page-turning, novel.
Nadia Fairchild, a professional basketball player, walks into the office of a young P.I., Jayden Spaulding, stating that her single mother is missing and she needs help locating her. Her mother, who is a women's professional basketball coach, recently disappeared along with a member of the team she coached. The P.I. has little doubt that he'll eventually be able to find her, but things become more complicated than he expected as he begins to delve into the mystery. As his inquiries go deeper, he soon learns that the Chicago mafia is hot on his heels because of his involvement in the situation. Add to that the fact that Nadia's biological father has recently been released from prison.
Nadia and Jayden experience a mutual attraction, though they've only known each other for a few days. Nadia's wealthy grandfather seems to be pushing the two of them together, though neither one of them is objecting.
This is a feel-good read for anyone who wants a relaxing, yet page-turning, novel.
August 22, 2022
I was kinda into the story but the ending just didn't make sense. There are a lot of major things that are brought up throughout the book and then just completely forgotten about. Like at one point Jayden talks about feeling guilty about his feelings towards Nadia because of what happened with his first wife, but I guess he got over that because it was never mentioned again. Also I was confused as to what Layda and Allyah were doing the whole time they were missing. They said they were afraid of people finding them and they had to go, and everyone seemed to take that as a good enough explanation. No need to know exactly why they had to go, or where they went, or what they were doing the whole time. Also is no one gonna call Allyah's best friend and tell her that Allyah is alive and well?
Long story short I found this book very frustrating because it opened up a lot of questions and never really answered any of them.
Long story short I found this book very frustrating because it opened up a lot of questions and never really answered any of them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2017
This is one of the better suspense novels I've read of Poulson's. The prologue was incredible gripping and I couldn't wait to get into the story. The next few chapters were on the slow side. It felt info dumpy, yet at the same time it was done in the way of an interview and the information was necessary for the story. Part of me wishes he would have done it in a different way though. Once the story got moving, it was great. I loved the snarkiness of Jayden, and the relationship between Jayden and Nadia felt real. I especially loved reading about Bullet, Jayden's partner. The list of suspects is long, but as they weave through each one, it left me wondering until the very end, if I had gotten it correct. This is a great suspense novel that has a little bit of romantic elements in it. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good suspense.
August 16, 2017
I absolutely loved reading this book! It is a clean christian fiction with lots of suspense, drama and some romance. The story was written in the view of male private investigator Jayden. His dry sense of humor, especially about this service dog Bullet, was hysterical. Jayden is a private investigator and along with his highly trained and smart guard dog Bullet, they are hired to find a missing basketball coach and one of her players that have both gone missing.
There are alot of bad guys, blood, suspense and lots of action in this book. This story was very well written, kept my interest from beginning to end, loved the characters, and hope to see another book involving Jayden, Bullet and Nadia!
I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.
There are alot of bad guys, blood, suspense and lots of action in this book. This story was very well written, kept my interest from beginning to end, loved the characters, and hope to see another book involving Jayden, Bullet and Nadia!
I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.
May 24, 2018
Clair seems like he's back in sinc with his writing on this one. In fact, it almost seems like a different writer. With the exception of one major error where the main character should immediately recognize another character, she doesn't. It made for a big glitch in the story. But as for the story line, character development and really good continuity, this is one of his better books. It's been awhile and I enjoyed it a lot. I must admit, it my mother were missing I think I would be a little more focused on that and more upset than the character shows, but again, a big improvement over the last several of his I've read and I really liked the plot.
October 6, 2017
I listened to this as an audio book and I might've liked it better if I read it myself. Whenever the person gets attacked so much within a short period of time I am turned off some, especially when the person stupidly goes off on their own when someone is after them. In this book it's supposed to take place over just a few days so it was even more dumb - therapy shopping when there's maybe a mob person after you?? Overall though a good mystery & I love that the language and morality are clean.
March 13, 2020
Humor, Sports, Suspense
Nadia is the star of the Phoenix women's basketball team. Her mother coaches the university women's basketball team. Mom and a university team member disappear. Nadia becomes very worried because her father has just been released after many years in jail and fears he has kidnapped her mother. She hires top-notch detective, Jayden Spaulding, to find her mother. This leads both Nadia and Jayden on a series of dead ends and start overs that build a suspenseful story with a surprise ending. Good story.
Nadia is the star of the Phoenix women's basketball team. Her mother coaches the university women's basketball team. Mom and a university team member disappear. Nadia becomes very worried because her father has just been released after many years in jail and fears he has kidnapped her mother. She hires top-notch detective, Jayden Spaulding, to find her mother. This leads both Nadia and Jayden on a series of dead ends and start overs that build a suspenseful story with a surprise ending. Good story.
September 5, 2025
It's fun that some of the names and places Mr. Poulson writes his stories about are names of people I know by that name and places I have been, brings the story to life. It makes you wonder what is going to happen next and if your ending is what really happens. It's a story of a "Young private investigator Jayden Spaulding has cracked his share of tough cases, but nothing like this. When stunning professional basketball player, Nadia Fairchild walks through his door, her story seems simple enough:...."
September 10, 2017
Really 3.5 stars. This was my first Clair Poulson book. For the most part, I really enjoyed it. I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed. I still had questions. I had figured out early on what had really happened, but there were some hows that were left unanswered for me. I listened to it, and I thought the narrator was okay, but he certainly wasn't my all-time favorite. However, I will definitely read more Poulson books.
December 11, 2017
A young college basketball player and her coach are both missing in Arizona. They are being sought by the FBI and by someone else far more deadly. A young private investigator has to sort out who the "bad guys" really are, why the FBI won't cooperate, and of course where the two women are. a fast, easy read.
February 8, 2018
Solid 3.5 star book. Written by an LDS author, so it's a clean one. Great mystery book, even though the reader has info the characters don't, so I totally knew the ending from the very beginning. Interesting though to see the process of the characters getting there. I'd recommend this one, and I'd read another one by this author.
March 2, 2023
This was one of the books I picked up from my grandmother’s book shelf. I love stories where they talk about solving & investigating a disappearance, & this did just that. However, I was kind of disappointed in the ending. I wish it talked more about Coach Fairchild & her athlete, & their experience while they were missing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2024
I got 1/4 into this audiobook. It was cheesy and the narrator was annoying. I couldn’t get attached to any of the characters. So I gave it up. Reading might have been better but I didn’t want to waste anymore valuable reading or listening time to this story. No idea 🤷♀️ who recommended it but sorry….
September 27, 2017
The girl's mother is missing and she hires a detective to find her. The girl is a professional basketball player and the mother is a coach at a college. The dad is just let out of jail. The detective is everything the girl is looking for.
December 12, 2017
Disappointed
I have read many books by this author, which I have enjoyed, but was disappointed with this one. It seemed to have many things that were more fictional, and hard to believe. I was often bored, and at times didn't even want to finish the book.
I have read many books by this author, which I have enjoyed, but was disappointed with this one. It seemed to have many things that were more fictional, and hard to believe. I was often bored, and at times didn't even want to finish the book.
October 18, 2019
I enjoyed this story. I always feel like Poulson knows his law enforcement details and puts together a good story. The romance is always a bit different than I’m used to since it is from a guy’s perspective but still okay.
September 18, 2022
It was an interesting and fast paced story. I got a little annoyed with the main character 's sense of humor at first, but he grew on me. I was bugged that a minor character kept changing names in one of the chapters. This should have been caught in editing the book.
October 15, 2024
There were some good parts, but I just don’t really love the audiobook reader or really the writing by the author. They made the main character a little too funny and it bordered on ridiculous. Many instances where the “humor” fell flat.
August 23, 2017
Enjoyed it!
September 2, 2017
I love Clair's books!
September 29, 2017
Interesting but predictable
Some of the dialog seemed too simple predictable I enjoyed some of his other works more the ending was a little bit of a surprise
Some of the dialog seemed too simple predictable I enjoyed some of his other works more the ending was a little bit of a surprise
October 24, 2017
Loved the suspense/mystery, truly Clair at his best. The romance aspect was a little contrived and lacked real emotion. The relatioship of Jayden and his partner Bullet was a true delight.
November 3, 2017
After all the events and adventure leading up to the conclusion, I felt that it was a little rushed.
The rest of the book was exceptional.
The rest of the book was exceptional.
November 18, 2017
Disappointing. The dog, Bullet, was the best character.
So glad Bullet was there . . . he saved my day.
I condensed my review to the above.
So glad Bullet was there . . . he saved my day.
I condensed my review to the above.
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