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Salty Like Blood
When his young daughter goes missing, a desperate father will do anything to get her back, no matter what he has to sacrfice along the way.
David Conners, M.D., is on the fast track to creating a perfect life when his seven-year-old daughter disappears. David's all-consuming quest to find her—dead or alive—threatens to destroy everything he has his medical practice, his marriage, his integrity, and even his soul.
If Rachel is Can a parent forgive someone who has done the unthinkable?
Can David forgive himself?
If she's Can David find her in time to save her?
David Conners, M.D., is on the fast track to creating a perfect life when his seven-year-old daughter disappears. David's all-consuming quest to find her—dead or alive—threatens to destroy everything he has his medical practice, his marriage, his integrity, and even his soul.
If Rachel is Can a parent forgive someone who has done the unthinkable?
Can David forgive himself?
If she's Can David find her in time to save her?
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
2 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Harry Kraus
21 books112 followersHarry Kraus, M.D. is a board-certified surgeon, medical missionary to East Africa, and accomplished writer of both non-fiction and fiction. Medical realism and gripping plotlines distinguish his writing, as he gets most of his ideas with a scalpel in hand. Dr. Kraus resides in Virginia with his wife Kris and the youngest of his three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 24, 2017
Another great medically-themed novel from Harry Kraus.
April 10, 2022
Interesting plot- a doctors daughter is MIA presumed Drowned. Mom seemed to “move on” a bit quicker than expected but dad keeps looking for answers. Odd web of lies but happy ending
March 27, 2019
Inside look of a couple who have weathered from a courtship during medical school, of her dating two guys. With David coming out taking Jo as his bride, then came Rachel their little daddy girl. Finally things are going smooth, he is making partner a year earlier. Things are on an even keel for Jo. A trip to see his dad who wasn’t doing good, a red car seems to be fallowing them, Then at the water edge calls are being yelled they can’t find Rachel. David insist she is alive, but is she. A look at holding their lives together, and how the pieces unfold of what happen. Intense and a good plot of when a child is taken by water or a person.
July 18, 2018
A great book about choices and forgiveness - and the story keeps you guessing until the end! Powerful!
September 13, 2018
The story itself was okay, but I had trouble connecting with the people in the book, even before the child disappeared. Even the end had no closure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2019
Another incredible novel by a gifted story teller!
March 16, 2019
Pretty average read for me. I found the story line rather inconsistent and the plot twists - confusing and contrived.
August 25, 2025
This book had everything and the kitchen sink which was overwhelming and caused lack of characters that felt real to the story.
May 29, 2009
Story Overview
Dr. David Conners has a good life -- a successful medical practice, a stable marriage (although it has had its ups and downs in the past) and a young daughter. But when he travels to the coastal town of Tippins (off the Chesapeake in Virginia) to assist his ailing father, his life comes to a halt when his 7-year-old daughter Rachel disappears. His wife and the local police believe Rachel was swept away by the Chesapeake tide, but David is unwilling to believe that. He becomes obsessed with finding out Rachel's fate. This obsession threatens to cost him his marriage and his profession. It also forces him to face his past and his lifelong guilt over the death of his sister.
As his marriage to his wife Joanne disintegrates, David moves to Tippins to conduct his own investigation into Rachel's disappearance. This leads him to work at a correctional facility -- where he comes face to face with the man who he believes has abducted his daughter. Can David forgive the abductor? Can he forgive himself? Can he repair his marriage?
My Thoughts
I got this book as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program, and I am sad to say that this book was not one of favorites. Perhaps part of the problem was that I had read a similarly themed book earlier this year (Efrem Sigel's The Disappearance) and, unfortunately, this book suffered by comparison. One of my biggest problems was that I just did not like or believe in David or Joanne's reactions when Rachel disappears. David immediately starts conducting his own half-cocked investigation driven by revenge, and Joanne doesn't want to admit that perhaps Rachel might be alive. To me, they were both unsympathetic and I just didn't get enough of a feeling of grief from them over the loss of their daughter. In a way, it felt like Rachel's disappearance was more of a plot twist to keep the story moving than the focus of the book.
The fact that this is a Christian fiction book might have something to do with this as the primary theme of the book is forgiveness. Can David forgive the man who he thinks killed his daughter? Can David forgive himself for the role he played in his sister's death years ago? Can Joanne and David forgive each other and find love again? Although there is nothing wrong with this theme and I understand why it might be the focus of the book, I just think the story itself is sloppily executed. To me, many of the story threads seem designed to accomplish certain goals or agendas of the author rather than contribute to the overall story.
The book is stuffed full of subplots -- the reappearance of Joanne's former fiance, Rachel's true parentage, the racial targeting of David's Muslim neighbors in Tippins, David's lust for his neighbor, the ill will between the Conners and Joanne's family (a senator and his scheming, politically driven wife). In addition, the book flashes back to the past -- to David's childhood, his mother's battle with breast cancer, his courtship with Joanne, and Rachel's birth. In many of these plots, I felt very unsympathetic to David. He comes off as a bit of an ass, to tell you the truth. Plus many of the subplots just felt plain unbelievable to me -- such as when David takes a job at the correctional facility where the inmate he believes killed his daughter is being held. It just seemed to me this would not be allowed to happen in this day and age. Yet he waltzes right in there and immediately starts getting involved with the inmate.
On the plus side, the books moves along at a good clip. There is always something going on and some new "fly in the ointment." It certainly wasn't boring, but it did feel a bit overstuffed for my tastes. It also makes you think about the topic of forgiveness. Could you forgive someone who killed your child? Could you forgive yourself for playing a role in a loved one's death? These questions are the central focus of the book, and you can't help but think about them.
My Final Recommendation
I wasn't a big fan of this book -- mostly because I felt it was overstuffed with plotting and didn't have enough sympathetic characters. In addition, I felt most of the characters were one-dimensional. However, I'm not a big fan of James Patterson's books either, and plenty of people love his stuff. I would say I have the same problem with Patterson's books (too much plotting, not enough character development)! So although this book was not my cup of tea, it might be yours. If the story I described appeals to you, then this might be a good fit for you.
Also, after I wrote my review, I looked at some other reviews and discovered I am in the minority in feeling this way about the book. There are quite a few positive reviews.
Dr. David Conners has a good life -- a successful medical practice, a stable marriage (although it has had its ups and downs in the past) and a young daughter. But when he travels to the coastal town of Tippins (off the Chesapeake in Virginia) to assist his ailing father, his life comes to a halt when his 7-year-old daughter Rachel disappears. His wife and the local police believe Rachel was swept away by the Chesapeake tide, but David is unwilling to believe that. He becomes obsessed with finding out Rachel's fate. This obsession threatens to cost him his marriage and his profession. It also forces him to face his past and his lifelong guilt over the death of his sister.
As his marriage to his wife Joanne disintegrates, David moves to Tippins to conduct his own investigation into Rachel's disappearance. This leads him to work at a correctional facility -- where he comes face to face with the man who he believes has abducted his daughter. Can David forgive the abductor? Can he forgive himself? Can he repair his marriage?
My Thoughts
I got this book as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program, and I am sad to say that this book was not one of favorites. Perhaps part of the problem was that I had read a similarly themed book earlier this year (Efrem Sigel's The Disappearance) and, unfortunately, this book suffered by comparison. One of my biggest problems was that I just did not like or believe in David or Joanne's reactions when Rachel disappears. David immediately starts conducting his own half-cocked investigation driven by revenge, and Joanne doesn't want to admit that perhaps Rachel might be alive. To me, they were both unsympathetic and I just didn't get enough of a feeling of grief from them over the loss of their daughter. In a way, it felt like Rachel's disappearance was more of a plot twist to keep the story moving than the focus of the book.
The fact that this is a Christian fiction book might have something to do with this as the primary theme of the book is forgiveness. Can David forgive the man who he thinks killed his daughter? Can David forgive himself for the role he played in his sister's death years ago? Can Joanne and David forgive each other and find love again? Although there is nothing wrong with this theme and I understand why it might be the focus of the book, I just think the story itself is sloppily executed. To me, many of the story threads seem designed to accomplish certain goals or agendas of the author rather than contribute to the overall story.
The book is stuffed full of subplots -- the reappearance of Joanne's former fiance, Rachel's true parentage, the racial targeting of David's Muslim neighbors in Tippins, David's lust for his neighbor, the ill will between the Conners and Joanne's family (a senator and his scheming, politically driven wife). In addition, the book flashes back to the past -- to David's childhood, his mother's battle with breast cancer, his courtship with Joanne, and Rachel's birth. In many of these plots, I felt very unsympathetic to David. He comes off as a bit of an ass, to tell you the truth. Plus many of the subplots just felt plain unbelievable to me -- such as when David takes a job at the correctional facility where the inmate he believes killed his daughter is being held. It just seemed to me this would not be allowed to happen in this day and age. Yet he waltzes right in there and immediately starts getting involved with the inmate.
On the plus side, the books moves along at a good clip. There is always something going on and some new "fly in the ointment." It certainly wasn't boring, but it did feel a bit overstuffed for my tastes. It also makes you think about the topic of forgiveness. Could you forgive someone who killed your child? Could you forgive yourself for playing a role in a loved one's death? These questions are the central focus of the book, and you can't help but think about them.
My Final Recommendation
I wasn't a big fan of this book -- mostly because I felt it was overstuffed with plotting and didn't have enough sympathetic characters. In addition, I felt most of the characters were one-dimensional. However, I'm not a big fan of James Patterson's books either, and plenty of people love his stuff. I would say I have the same problem with Patterson's books (too much plotting, not enough character development)! So although this book was not my cup of tea, it might be yours. If the story I described appeals to you, then this might be a good fit for you.
Also, after I wrote my review, I looked at some other reviews and discovered I am in the minority in feeling this way about the book. There are quite a few positive reviews.
October 4, 2009
Salty like blood is not your typical suspense novel. It's a story written with deep insight into the human soul and is one of the most emotionally moving suspense stories I've ever read. There is such a deep point of view and gut-wrenching honesty throughout the pages that it's totally engrossing.
While I identified most with the main character, the husband, I found it easy to slip into other characters' points of view when needed. I appreciate that ease of transition in a novel. I also appreciated the painful memories that slowly came back and how well the author brought them in and out of the novel. I was so immersed in everything as I read along that I winced and held my breath along with the characters. That's great writing.
I also loved how complex the plot was and how many twists and turns occurred that the unexpected kept me turning the pages late into the evening. This book is very hard to put down. It wasn't dark, though, despite the plot and the situations in the novel. I didn't feel depressed, just intrigued. And the thing with the Lupron drug totally cracked me up even though it was so wrong.
I loved how real the author made these characters and how he kept me at the edge of my seat. The author had me sweating. Will she do it? Oh my goodness. He didn't just do that...what are they going to do next? How will they get out of this? And the mini-twists and the end made me smile because it's so like real life.
The spiritual transition was not huge, but very real and very well-done. If you want to read a suspense that is not just a bunch of chasing scenes with little depth, then you will love this book. If you don't mind a hero who isn't afraid to cry when something truly hurts, you'll really enjoy this story. I loved it.
While I identified most with the main character, the husband, I found it easy to slip into other characters' points of view when needed. I appreciate that ease of transition in a novel. I also appreciated the painful memories that slowly came back and how well the author brought them in and out of the novel. I was so immersed in everything as I read along that I winced and held my breath along with the characters. That's great writing.
I also loved how complex the plot was and how many twists and turns occurred that the unexpected kept me turning the pages late into the evening. This book is very hard to put down. It wasn't dark, though, despite the plot and the situations in the novel. I didn't feel depressed, just intrigued. And the thing with the Lupron drug totally cracked me up even though it was so wrong.
I loved how real the author made these characters and how he kept me at the edge of my seat. The author had me sweating. Will she do it? Oh my goodness. He didn't just do that...what are they going to do next? How will they get out of this? And the mini-twists and the end made me smile because it's so like real life.
The spiritual transition was not huge, but very real and very well-done. If you want to read a suspense that is not just a bunch of chasing scenes with little depth, then you will love this book. If you don't mind a hero who isn't afraid to cry when something truly hurts, you'll really enjoy this story. I loved it.
January 17, 2012
I was a little confused by this book. I really enjoyed the whole book as I was reading it and I wanted to know what happened at the end, but when I got there I was confused and disappointed. With the way the book ended (trying not to give away spoilers) it should've resolved itself better or ended another way. It was just very frustrating to me not to know what happened and to have everything just be ok. Also there were way too many story lines going on, you really didn't need the whole thing with the neighbors and his father's boat because that never went anywhere, just left you hanging waiting to see if that would resolve itself too. I guess from the standpoint who likes a book with twists and interwoven plots I usually expect them all to come together somehow in the end, this did not happen which was weird. I wasn't happy that I ended up with another christian literature book from ER without knowing it was chistian lit, but this one wasn't as bad, although you could just take out all his talking to god and it wouldn't have to be christian lit anymore. I wouldn't recommend this book because it left me unsatisfied, but it was very close to being a good book.
June 20, 2009
From the back cover: When does a parent’s love for a child who’s missing cross the line into obsession?
When the daughter of David and Joanne Conners disappears from her grandfather’s waterfront property on the Chesapeake Bay, panic and shock turn quickly to grief and despair. David is convinced his child didn’t drown, but his wife, Joanne, refuses to hold on to false hope. Their search for closure leads them down different paths, threatens their already strained marriage, and brings them both to the brink of ruin. Of course I won’t tell you what happens, but I will tell you that just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story twists in a new direction. Intelligently written in an very readable style, grief, mercy, and forgiveness are explored brilliantly by the author. He takes you to the edge of reason, where only a fine line separates revenge and justice. The Chesapeake Bay setting, the smell of the salty air, and the piles of cooked crabs were extra touches that really connected me to the characters and the story. Delightful book!
When the daughter of David and Joanne Conners disappears from her grandfather’s waterfront property on the Chesapeake Bay, panic and shock turn quickly to grief and despair. David is convinced his child didn’t drown, but his wife, Joanne, refuses to hold on to false hope. Their search for closure leads them down different paths, threatens their already strained marriage, and brings them both to the brink of ruin. Of course I won’t tell you what happens, but I will tell you that just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story twists in a new direction. Intelligently written in an very readable style, grief, mercy, and forgiveness are explored brilliantly by the author. He takes you to the edge of reason, where only a fine line separates revenge and justice. The Chesapeake Bay setting, the smell of the salty air, and the piles of cooked crabs were extra touches that really connected me to the characters and the story. Delightful book!
September 26, 2012
I've read many of Harry Kraus's books over the years; he is a local doctor who has become a popular writer. His books usually deal with some part of medicine, whether research, abortion, gene manipulation, Huntington's disease, etc. I would say this book was a bit different than others; the main character, David, is a doctor, but that is not the focus. David's daughter disappears and with that, David's marriage becomes rocky, he loses his job, etc. The book is interesting because some of the sections are written in first person; others are in third person. We really follow David's spiritual journey as he struggles with vengeance for the kidnapper and planning revenge. He thinks about God's forgiveness, but can't understand how God could let awful things like this happen. The ending is a surprise in some ways, but thoughtful and causes the reader to examine their thoughts about revenge, forgiveness and a relationship with God.
November 1, 2009
I received this book at the end of March and put off reading it for reasons unknown except that it just wasn't calling me. The cover wasn't inviting and neither was the title. Once I picked it up though and got into it I read it quite quickly. It was a nicely written suspense story with characters I liked and ones that I hated. The book did have a little bit of what I call "fluff" though..paragraphs that didn't contribute to the story, but just seemed to draw it out. I did do some skimming in the second half of the book, I think it could have been "tighter" and come to a conclusion quicker than it did. Overall, not bad, it was a good story and I was happy with the outcome.
October 19, 2012
This book tackles the horrifying prospect of losing a child and the uncertainty that comes with a disappearance. David and Joanne’s marriage was in trouble and it was shown, warts and all. It shows happens when two partners need to grieve or fight in two different ways.
There were so many storylines that it was almost too much. Losing a parent, losing a child, racial prejudice, small town expectations, betraying a friend, and social pressures are just some of the main themes. The multiple storylines kept the story moving, although I’m not sure they all came together for me.
there's more on my blog http://stacybuckeye.wordpress.com/200...
There were so many storylines that it was almost too much. Losing a parent, losing a child, racial prejudice, small town expectations, betraying a friend, and social pressures are just some of the main themes. The multiple storylines kept the story moving, although I’m not sure they all came together for me.
there's more on my blog http://stacybuckeye.wordpress.com/200...
Read
June 3, 2009I won this book from Librarything, and very much enjoyed it. I have never read any of Harry Kraus' books before, but look forward to reading them in the future.
I loved that the ending was unexpected and surprising. The book had a nice cast of characters and a beautiful setting. I loved that is not a preachy Christian fiction book, but a regular people struggling with their faith throughout the circumstances.
I loved that the ending was unexpected and surprising. The book had a nice cast of characters and a beautiful setting. I loved that is not a preachy Christian fiction book, but a regular people struggling with their faith throughout the circumstances.
Read
February 23, 2009From the best-selling author of the Claire McCall novels comes a page-turner of a story about loss, hope, and forgiveness. After the horrific abduction of his young daughter, Dr. David Conner struggles to keep his marriage, and his faith, intact.
March 25, 2009
I would love to give this 4.5 stars but that's not an option.
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July 31, 2011
great mystery with a surprise ending and a faith lesson
October 7, 2012
was really good.. kind of like the shack but I liked this one better...
September 8, 2015
Excellent, exciting, page turner....so many surprises, but also left with a few frustrating questions at the end. Overall a very good book and would recommend.
August 5, 2009
A good book. A little predictable, but decent.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews