The Witness [Kindle Edition]

It all starts with Elizabeth in June 2000. She is 16, a genius, caught in a strict life and wants to have some fun, but then tragedy strikes. 12 years later Elizabeth is no longer and Abigail has taken her place. She lives secluded and always in fear that the bad guys will find her again. Then Brooks enters her life. Brooks is a cop and he's like a charming bulldozer. He is interested in finding more about Abigail, who she is, what makes her happy and what she fears. Together they can't change the past, but they might be able to change the future.

Right from the start on I loved reading about Elizabeth/Abigail. Her life was fascinating and there were several times in the book when I just wanted to hug her. She is such a strong heroine, a heroine who learns the hard way that one careless night can be deadly. I loved how she managed to build a good life for herself. And I loved that she was always looking for a way to get justice.

At times Abigail reminded me a bit of Temperence Brennan. Both know a lot of little facts about life but not a lot about how to interact with others. Brooks is the person who brings Abigail out of her shell. I loved how he brought fun and lightness into her life and that throughout the book they became a perfect team. Together they bring out the best in each other and I loved their little banters.

"The Witness" made me smile a lot, it made me laugh out loud and it entertained me. From beginning to end I was enthralled by Elizabeth's life, by the hard times she went through and by the new life she built for herself. She is a heroine I adore and I think I will reread her and Brooks' story many times.

I love reading Nora Roberts' stories, I really do. I pre-order new titles and count down the weeks until they drop through my letter box, and I am seldom disappointed by the characters or story-line, but with The Witness I am left feeling rather let-down.
Without going into too much detail (don't want to spoil the plot for other readers, who may absolutely love it), I feel that the main female character, Abigail, is one-dimensional and I didn't really warm to her at all. The 'hero' Brookes lives in a nice town, has a nice family and works in a nice police department - and any Nora Roberts fan will have encountered all of these in one guise or another in many of her other books - but that doesn't reallt matter as we hardly spend any time with them. Instead a whole lot of time is spent in Abigail's fortress in the forest.
For me, the main problem though, is in the pace and plot. Most of the drama and action happens in the first fifth of the book and after that it is pretty one-paced until the ending, where it tries to become exciting again. The ending itself though is rushed and I found myself reading the final page and thinking "Is that it?"

I am a huge Nora Roberts fan and her books are a must buy for me and I have read and re-read some over again, this was one of those books it is a simple story but grabs you in all the right places its got the romance but also a fab story had me smiling, choked up and savouring every moment, the main character reminds me of bones ( anyone whos seen it) a very clever woman who speaks her mind no matter what and has no way of understanding simple sayings or communicating well with people, after witnessing a murder Liz goes on the run and becomes Abigal, she meets Brook the police cheif and they begin a relationship and Abigal starts to have a life that even before the murder she never had, the characters are lovely and the town the book is set in is great, would love to see some of the characters get a book too really liked this recommended to all