The Search Author:Nora Roberts It’s been a few years since Fiona Bristow has moved to Orcas Island. Within the small, tight-knit island community she’s built up her business, a canine rescue centre that trains dogs to track missing persons. Whether they are lonely travellers on a hiking trip gone wrong or disappearances of a more sinister nature, more than once Fi... more »ona has been the last hope for those lost in Washington’s vast wilderness.
Other than her work, Fiona doesn’t ask for much: the peace of the landscape, the companionship of her dogs, the safe haven of friends and family. Romantic entanglements are very far down on her list -- and certainly not with Simon Doyle, an artist newly arrived from the mainland. Impossible rude, and impossibly handsome, he suddenly seems to be around an awful lot. But he doesn’t know that Fiona harbours a terrible secret, and as her past unexpectedly catches up with her, she has to decide whether past grief will keep her from ever loving again …« less
Just finished this one, it was another excellent read by Nora. I loved the parts about the dog training, and Simon was a great hero. Good story, it moved right along for me. I finished it one night.
This was a wonderful book! I enjoyed it from the very first page. I am a dog lover and Fiona having a Search and Rescue business was very interesting to me. It has a lot of mystery, a splash of romance, and a very strong main character, Fiona. She has been traumatized in the past but has struggled to rebuild her life. Nora Roberts has a GREAT one in The Search. Loved every page of it!!
Let me start off by saying that I am a Nora Roberts fan. Ever since the first and probably always will be.
I have to ask what went wrong with The Search? I love NR's books. However, The Search is really just an ok read. I wasn't excited about the suspense because to be honest there was very little. The characters were ok, but not one of them stood out in my mind to the point I was clamoring to know what was going to happen to them. I expect more from NR's books. She is one of the few authors I buy before I check out the reviews. But hey, we are all entitled to a few off days and so is Nora Roberts.
Interesting to see how search and rescue works. The dogs were great & fun, the training tips were spot on. I learned a lot about dog training, that's for sure. It helped with my Schnauzer.
Fiona meets a desperate Simon Doyle. Simon has a puppy named Jaws who is chewing everything in sight. Fiona agrees to train Jaws and Simon in proper behavior. As Fiona and Simon become friends, they are alerted by police that there may be a copycat killer on the loose. This brings back bad memories for Fiona who doesn't want her life turned upside down again.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tanya Eby. She does a fantastic job with this book. Fiona and Simon were well matched. They both were used to telling the other what they would do instead of asking. I think they both could have used classes on playing well with others. I loved the dog training and the search and rescue parts of the book. The suspense portion of the book was weak. I wish the author had used the Fiona and her dogs to search for victims of the copycat killer. I think the suspense would have been more interesting. Still, it was an entertaining book. My rating: 4 Stars.
This was a great read from Nora Roberts. Nothing like her romance novels, this had suspense, dogs and a little bit or romance. Lots of information about her dog training and search and rescue operation and that was presented in a fun way. The suspense was terrific and had you wondering until the end what was going to happen. The male "lead" was Simon and he was a lot of fun to get to know. Altogether a great book and a fun read.
This is one of her better books. There is something I can't get past though. I don't think it's her characters that I don't like... it's the repetitiveness in the structure of the characters and how they talk to each other. They almost talk in slang and sound like the cast of 'Gilmore Girls' or one of the newer young adult comedies on prime time TV.. I haven't been able to get into one of Roberts books since she adopted this harder-core lingo talk. She's always had it to some degree in her writing, but now it's almost like a new language. Great story lines, and even greater potential in the character structure. I hope she can soften this issue up. I really miss getting into her books.
Reading a book by Nora Roberts is like gaining a whole set of new friends.
Fiona Bristow leads a quiet and fulfilled live on Orcas Island. She runs a dog school, leads a canine search and rescue group and adores living with her three dogs. When she meets Simon Doyle and his dog Jaws (you have to adore him!) she doesn't want to be interested in the moody and blunt wood artist. Ever since she nearly became the vicitm of the Red Scarf serial killer who later murdered her fiance she has been staying away from relationships with men. Simon is also not really interested in starting something with Fiona. Living on small Orcas Island and with his playful puppy is a new experience for him and he enjoys being single. However the more time Fiona and Simon spend together through obedience training for Jaws the more the attraction between them grows.
When a copycat killer starts to murder young woman and it seems that Fiona might be his final victim everything changes. Staying back is no longer an option for Simon and he will do everything to make sure that Fiona stays safe.
Once again Nora Roberts created a great and very entertaining novel. What I enjoyed about "The Search" are the likable, realistic characters and especially the detailed description of Fiona's job, her life on Orcas Island and her relationship with Simon.
IMO this book is the perfect choice for a quiet weekend when you have time for yourself and can really dip into the story. It took me some pages to get into the book but then I loved it. I always appreciate it when an author describes her characters and what is important to them in detail so I enjoyed reading all the little things about Fiona's life and her business. At the end of the book I felt like Fiona, Simon and co. were like friends. I would definitely have something to talk about with them because I learned so much of their life through this book.
I'm not really a dog lover (cats all the way!) but still I enjoyed reading about the dogs and especially the search and rescue missions fascinated me. The book starts with one of these missions and that really helped me to get a connection with Fiona and her dogs.
Fiona is a true survivor and she's a very strong woman. I enjoyed everything about her and Simon's relationship. Simon is a bit moody and says just what he thinks. He reminds me a bit of Brody from "Angels Fall" who is one of my favourite heroes ever. There are some really funny scenes when Simon tries to handle Jaws and also when tries to fight against his feelings for Fiona. I loved how protective he became of her even though he didn't really want to.
The mystery part of the book is not too dark and it's not about figuring out who the killer is. It's more like a character study of the murderers and how it affects the life of Fiona and the people close to her. I enjoyed that the book is not overly dramatic because that wouldn't have worked for me.
So, if you love a book full of multifaceted characters, an intelligent and thrilling mystery plot and a detailed way of writing then "The Search" by Nora Roberts is a book you should read.
I usually enjoy the combination of a mystery/thriller and a romance, but The Search really fell flat with me. Simon Doyle, furniture craftsman, was developed with interesting details, as was Fiona Bristow, trainer of search and rescue dogs and survivor of a kidnapping and attempted murder. Unlike most romances, in which the couple must wait until after the main conflict of the novel is resolved until they can be together as a team, The Search has Fiona and Simon team up halfway through the book and join forces to thwart a serial killer.
As a couple, however, their romance doesn't ring very true. Simon is domineering and borderline verbally abusive. Fiona's strength and indepedence, her best traits, are annoying and infuriating to him. I found myself no longer rooting for them to stay together. Furthermore, there was little suspense in the apprehension of the "bad guy", making the second half of the book quite a disappointment. The first half, however, was enjoyable enough.
All in all, a book I'd have been happier to have gotten in a swap rather than purchased, but I'm happy to give it away knowing I don't have a desire to read it again.
