From the Bookshelf of J.D. Robb …

The Witness

Nora Roberts

Start date: August 1, 2014

Finish date: August 29, 2014

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What Members Thought

Dec 29, 2011 Shawna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense, best-top-favorites, hero-mix-of-alpha-beta, hero-southern-boy-charmer, cop-bodyguard-govop-merc-military, 5-stars, favorites, villain-uber-bad-nasty, hh-smart-intellectual-brainy-geek, heroine-miss-independent

5 stars – Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense

It’s hard to deny the talent and mass appeal of Nora Roberts considering The Witness is her 200th book. I mean...wow! That is quite an impressive achievement and a boon for romance readers. I consider myself a fan of hers, and I especially loved her Bride Quartet series and the few J.D. Robb In Death books that I’ve read. Some of her books tend to be a little bit too generic and plain vanilla for my taste, but I occasionally enjoy their comfort lik 5 stars – Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense

It’s hard to deny the talent and mass appeal of Nora Roberts considering The Witness is her 200th book. I mean...wow! That is quite an impressive achievement and a boon for romance readers. I consider myself a fan of hers, and I especially loved her Bride Quartet series and the few J.D. Robb In Death books that I’ve read. Some of her books tend to be a little bit too generic and plain vanilla for my taste, but I occasionally enjoy their comfort like good old vanilla ice cream, even if it doesn’t make them all that memorable.

The Witness is one of the better NR books that I’ve read. It’s a great contemporary suspense with satisfying romance between an extraordinary heroine and a protective cop hero. Often I find that my reading enjoyment tends to hinge on my feelings about the hero, but this time it was primarily the unique, unforgettable heroine who made me like the book so much.

I loved the heroine, Elizabeth/Liz, right from the start and my heart ached for her. It’s told in four parts/acts with the first involving her as a sixteen-year-old girl, and the ending of the first act (page 100 in the Hardcover edition) was intense, pulse-pounding, and emotionally distressing. I admired the strong, formidable, self-reliant woman she became. Abigail is a kick-ass survivor in hiding with so many interesting, veiled layers, and it’s impossible not to like her, especially when her social awkwardness and gruff loner persona make her unintentionally funny and glimpses of that vulnerable girl yearning for affection and normalcy are revealed. (view spoiler)

Police Chief Brooks Gleason is a great hero, and he’s pushy and unyielding in his pursuit of Abigail yet remarkably patient and understanding of her as well. And I couldn’t possibly forget to mention Abigail’s loyal friend and guard dog, Bert, since their relationship adds so much to the story. Bert definitely deserves top dog honors for favorite animal companion.

My one complaint is that I wanted more from the epilogue, but otherwise I really enjoyed this. So kudos to Ms. Roberts for her notable 200th release! 5 stars!

...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Anne OK rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012-reads

"The Witness" showcases the creative and imaginative writing talents of Nora Roberts. Just when my faith was beginning to wane, here she comes packing a wallop with her 200th publication infused with originality in a refreshing and unforgettable story.

One minor complaint from my corner of the peanut gallery is that there were a few dangling questions left unanswered. By expanding the epilogue to include a few additional details, the author could have tidied up loose ends and wrapped this one up ...more

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Nov 29, 2011 TinaNoir rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, favorites, thiller-suspense, audiobook, z2012-reads

Oh, well done Ms. Roberts. Well done!

I usually like NR's single title suspense books, but not as much as I used to. They are comfort reads because I always know the writing is technically proficient and the story is usually well constructed. Lately I haven't found them overly exciting or stupendously groundbreaking, but they are still very much dependable -- like a homemade baked Mac & Cheese. So imagine my surprise when I closed this book (after whipping through it in mere hours) with a huge co Oh, well done Ms. Roberts. Well done!

I usually like NR's single title suspense books, but not as much as I used to. They are comfort reads because I always know the writing is technically proficient and the story is usually well constructed. Lately I haven't found them overly exciting or stupendously groundbreaking, but they are still very much dependable -- like a homemade baked Mac & Cheese. So imagine my surprise when I closed this book (after whipping through it in mere hours) with a huge contented sigh that comes not from mac & cheese, but rather from the an exquisitely seasoned and bold penne alla vodka!

In a word, this story was excellent.

Elizabeth Fitch is the genius daughter of a genius brain surgeon. Her life has been meticulously planned since even before she was born. All her meals are created and approved by a certified nutritionist. All her clothes -- the best quality and befitting the daughter of a chief of surgery -- are chosen by her mother. Even her career has been completely charted by her controlling mother. At age sixteen, Elizabeth is already a college freshmen finishing her first year in pre-med at Harvard. Her mother plans for Elizabeth to be a brain surgeon too.

A dutiful daughter, Elizabeth has gone along quietly with all this structure even if internally she laments not being like other girls her age. it isn't until a promised vacation at the beach is jettisoned in favor of an internship that Elizabeth finally balks. Her one small act of teenage rebellion leads to a horrific night of murder that lands Elizabeth in Witness protection and finally on the run for her life.

One of the reasons I enjoyed this one so much rests a lot on the shoulders of the main character Elizabeth -- who resurfaces after twelve years underground as Abby. Abby is both completely awesome and heartbreaking. Awesome, because she is a bit of a bad-ass, she has relocated to the Ozarks and created a high-tech security abode. She knows and handles guns well, can do hand-to-hand combat, has learned to take hacking to an art form and has the absolute best dog (who knows commands in at least four languages) who would rip your throat out at her least command. Heartbreaking because the sixteen year-old Elizabeth is not far from the surface and she is alone and very lonely with her burden.

Roberts does a great job with Abby. She is incredibly brilliant but also incredibly socially awkward. She doesn't know how to really relate to people and can't read social cues very well. Additionally, Roberts gives Abby these speech cadences that sounds like she's reciting things that she's read, even when she is simply conversing with people. It completely works for this character in a way no amount of description would. She practices what she wants to say or she's a few beats behind in realizing that someone is making a joke or even using a metaphor.

The heroes in NR's more recent books are usually much more well drawn and likeable than the heroines, imo. And if Abby hadn't completely won me from the minute I met her I might have liked Brooks even better than I already did. He is a Southern sheriff who ambles, greets everyone in the small town with a 'Hey' and he converses in a round-about circular fashion that just about drives the literal minded Abby crazy. But he pushes his way into her life and pushes her to stop running.

The romance was well done and took up a lion's share of the middle of the book. But this is a suspense novel as well and the suspense was,well, killing me. Abby is on the run from the Russian Mafia and they consider it a blight to their honor that she got away. They are still looking for her even though she has covered her tracks really, really well.

An entire star of this rating is devoted to the fact that Roberts avoided cliche with how she resolved the suspense part of the novel. As you are reading along, you might have some expectations of how things will go when Abby and the bad guys finally confront each other. Well, forget it. It doesn't happen that way. I loved how it was resolved because it was neat, clever and on Abby's terms. I only wish that we had gotten a reaction from the bad guys.

And finally, I liked the main bad guy. Even the relatively smallish glimpse you get of him made me actually kinda like him, even while acknowledging he was a cold blooded ruthless killer.

All in all, great balance of romance and suspense with well defined characters and a totally awesome dog named Bert. Highly recommended! ...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Nicky rated it really liked it

This was really good. I'll admit I haven't enjoyed the past couple of Nora Roberts book as much as usual, but this one brings back all the elements of her books I loved in the first place. I loved the hero. Brooks was one of the best romantic leads. Abigail was ... Indescribable. I enjoyed her character so much. Great and interesting read. 4 stars. ...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Sheery rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense, read-in-2012

4/22 - I started this book last night and I am completely loving it! I'm trying not to read it too fast but at the same time - find it difficult to put it down.

4/27 - I finished this book early this morning and actually give it 4.5 stars. I loved the story, the characters and just thought NR really outdid herself with this one. ...more

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Apr 30, 2012 TC rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, nora-roberts, audiobooks

Not bad, this was an engaging enough story, though I don't think it was one of her strongest. The backstory is long and I think she put too many different elements into the plot, so the final resolution felt a little rushed. The "twist" at the end really didn't take me by surprise, but it kept me going until I finished the book. ...more

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