The Search [Paperback]

I really enjoyed this book. This book for me is Nora Roberts back on form from the slightly disappointing Bride Quartet series. Fiona Bristow is a strong woman, a feature of many of Ms Roberts books. She has a troubled past where she survived a kidnap attempt and the death of her boyfriend. She has settled on an island and trains search and rescue dogs. Simon the male hero in the book is a believable individual who doesn't spend his days being nice and supportive and is more realistic for it. He is a woodwork artist who meets Fiona when training his new dog.

When Fiona's life is threatened again the story develops into a thriller with the reader waiting to see what will happen next. This story is excellent it is definitely a new exciting read with something different. I would highly recommend it.

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.

Loved the book and the characters, I could not get into the storyline of last years release but this one is really good, the story unfolds as we get to know Fiona and Simon and their dogs and then rolls along, this year Ms Roberts has not included a second relationship in the story so while we get a small insight into other relationships it is not in the main focus and I think the storyline is stronger.