Book Description

"You're in danger. You and Amanda."

Customer Reviews (29)

Another excellent page turner
Although I've read enough Joy Fielding books to where I was able to figure out "who done it" pretty early on, "Don't Cry Now" still had surprises I didn't see coming.
Great book. A real page turner!

Great one
All of Joy's books are great, but this was one of her best. (See Jane Run is my personal favorite.
This has alot of mystery and some romance, just what her fans love!

The element of surprise
After the thrill of reading See Jane Run and the utter disappointment I felt after reading Lost, I thought I'd see which way the balance went after reading my third Joy Fielding.

It's great stuff, and the ending was a complete surprise! I must agree with some of the reviewers that there is some heavy man-hater stuff here...but in a way, this is greatly necessary in order for the plot to unfold.

I liked this a lot...but not sure I would have stayed up all night to read it. It's more than three stars, but less than a full four stars. Still, I give it four...just because I went to bed last night and fell asleep while contemplating who-dunit!

Her best yet
This was a great read.I was in suspense until the very last page.A must read

Unsatisfactory Ending
This book started out sprightly enough, but was ultimately tedious and ending with some plot holes totally unplugged. Escapist fiction shouldn't leave the reader depressed. Avoid the Brilliance Audio version, which includes plot details that don't show up until cassettes 7 and 8 on the cover blurb. ... Read more

Book Description
New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Joy Fielding tells the story of an ambitious journalist whose foray into the mind of a killer puts her own family in jeopardy.

Charley Webb is a beautiful single mother who writes a successful and controversial column for the Palm Beach Post. She's spent years building an emotional wall against scathing critics, snooty neighbors, and her disapproving family. But when she receives a letter from Jill Rohmer, a young woman serving time on death row for the murders of three small children, her boundaries slowly begin to fade. Jill wants Charley to write her biography so that she can share the many hidden truths about the case that failed to surface during her trial. Seeing this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Charley begins her jour-ney into the mind of this deeply troubled woman.

Her path takes a twisted turn, however, when the anonymous letters she's recently received from an angry reader evolve into threats, targeting her son and daughter. As Charley races against time to save her family, she begins to understand the value of her seemingly intru-sive neighbors, friends, and relatives. As she discovers, this network of flawed but loving people might just be her only hope of getting out alive.

Filled with complex characters and a plot rich with intrigue, Charley's Web is Joy Fielding at her heart-skipping, mesmerizing best. ... Read more

Book Description

Expanding the scope of her storytelling as never before, New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding delivers the novel that will captivate her devoted fans and win her countless new readers: an exquisitely tender and richly textured love story of astonishing emotional force.

Behind the shiny facade of her seemingly idyllic life in Chicago, Mattie Hart feels as if she is falling apart. After sixteen years of marriage, and one beautiful teenage daughter, Mattie has discovered that her husband, Jake, a high-profile defense attorney, is ensconced in yet another love affair.

It is only after Jake finally confesses his infidelity and leaves to live with his girlfriend that a far greater crisis descends upon the embattled Hart family -- Mattie receives some devastating news that will alter all their lives. Wracked by guilt at these unforeseen developments, Jake returns home to be with Mattie. Here, in this most daunting and unexpected of circumstances, Joy Fielding deftly ushers her characters through a poignant and heartbreaking drama about love's astonishing power to defy the greatest odds and to heal the deepest wounds.

Bearing all the distinctive qualities of a contemporary classic, The First Time is a dazzling illumination of a marriage at the crossroads, where the ties that bind become frayed but refuse to sever, and where a long estranged husband and wife discover, for the first time, exactly what love really means. At once profoundly cathartic and inspiring, The First Time finds Joy Fielding at the height of her powers as she explores the amazing resilience of the human spirit. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (67)

The First Time
This book was fantastic.I had a hard time putting it down!It was a beautiful story about love and life.I was sobbing by the end.

Wonderful, moving book
This is, in my opinion, the best book that Joy Fielding has written, and I've read them all. Truly a piece of wonderful fiction that will be as poignant today as far into the future. One of the very few books that has made me cry.

Deeply moving and touching a controversial issue
Unlike her other love & suspense novels, Joy Fielding has this time written a quite different book.

"The First Time" is the story about Mattie, her successful attorney husband Jake and their teenage daughter Kim. It's not Jake's first fling, but after 16 years of marriage, he has finally decided to leave Mattie and Kim for his mistress Honey.

Mattie is determined to carry on by herself. She has had enough of Jake's unfaithfulness and finds life as a single mother taking care of 15 year old Kim, better than a sham of a marriage.

Until tragedy strikes and life is changed overnight.

At first it may simply seem a situation too cruel and impossible to understand. A situation which necessarily calls for acceptance and duty, but which otherwise seems totally unreal. However, as the situation develops, "love works in mysterious ways", not only in a newly awakened love (it was probably never there), but love wakened for the first time.

The answer to many of Mattie and Jake's differencies during their marriage lie in their childhood. The situation they are all of a sudden facing, make them get closer to each other. As for the first time they share the ghosts they both carrie with them, feelings emerge and slowly a new and deep love grows between them.

Joy Fielding has written a serious book. This is not only a touching love story, it's a story about the strength of loyalty, care and love between two people.

I know many reviewers have reacted to Mattie's mother giving her daughter the medication she requests when "it's time". I understand the many objections. This is a very difficult and much discussed issue, where people not the least from the medical profession and the clergy highly disagree. It's also my only objection about this book. I think it would have been wiser to let the situation be solved differently than in this very controversial way. It opens for so many opinions, personal feelings - it's so enormously serious. This is a topic for a whole different book in itself, and should not be brought up lighthandedly.

In spite of this, I have given the book five stars. It is, after all, a matter of opinion also on the part of the author.

Otherwise, I felt very strongly about Mattie and Jake's story. "The first Time" reminds me of a Swedish poem I once read about newfound love in the middle of war - (badly translated) "How can love bloom so wonderfully beautiful?"

Emotions and Relationships
Not a mystery or romance, but this novel is full of emotions as the characters relate to each other.

It is worth reading but....
I gave it 4 stars because i didn't think it was as good as this author usually writes. I would still say it was a good read just didn't meet with the usual quality. ... Read more

Book Description

For four women, the bonds of friendship had sustained them for twenty years -- through marriage, motherhood, and murder....

Looking back, it seemed like paradise: lives filled with the blessings of friendship, marriage, children, and career. For twenty years, four friends -- Chris, Barbara, Susan, and Vicki -- shared everything through good times and bad, and faced the challenges of life and love head-on.

Now, one sits alone to ponder the strange twists and turns of fate and circumstance.

Now, she must sift through each of their pasts to discover exactly what went wrong, how dreams turned to nightmares as friendships faded and lives were destroyed.

Chris lived a contented life in her modest house with her growing family. It was her husband who never seemed satisfied -- and who expected her to sacrifice her happiness to cater to his whims.

Barbara prided herself on staying beautiful for her handsome professor husband. But it wasn't enough to keep him from dallying with his nubile young students.

Susan finished college after motherhood and became a successful magazine editor. But a casual flirtation threatened to shatter the harmonious life she had worked so hard to build.

Vicki's achievements as a stellar and sought-after trial lawyer came at a huge personal price: a marriage and family that always took second place.

Going deep inside the minds and hearts of her utterly believable characters, Joy Fielding unlocks the secrets hidden within even the closest relationships. This powerful and mesmerizing novel explores the bonds women forge, the nature of friendship, and the meaning of unconditional love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

Excellent
I loved the book and have read quite a few of this author's books. It is worth taking the time to read in my opinion.

A Grand Story!
I'd never heard of Joy Feilding when a friend lent me this book.It's the story of 4 women and how their friendships evolve over the course of their lives.Characters are well developed, the plot is fast paced, and the storyline is mostly delicious.While reading this book, I was reminded of the novels "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons," and "Saving Graces."All enjoyable reads.

The plot of "Grand Avenue" took sometimes wacky, rather unbelievable turns, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars.

Chicklit or mainstream?
When I picked up this novel by Joy Fielding, I did not have high expectations based on the cover blurb. However, I soon found myself absorbed in this story of four women and how their lives intersected and diverged. The characters are well developed and quite distinct, even though they are friends. At the outset we are told that two will die, one by foul play. From the onset you are misled into thinking that Chris, an abused wife, will die at the hand of her abusing husband, Tony. But this is not to be. All in all, this novel is a good read. I think I'll try another one of Fielding's novels to see if this is an anomaly or is characteristic of her work.

Amazing book! Has EVERYTHING covered! Bravo!
This book was absolutely amazing! I literally stayed up a full night to finish it, once I started I could not turn the pages fast enough. I found myself chuckling in one instant and then having to read a paragraph again due to blurred vision from crying. I grew to really care about the characters, finding myself rooting them on and feeling the emotions that were smoothly drawn out in the book. I truely believe that Ms. Fielding has a total masterpiece with this one! Although the book is finished I still feel myself thinking about the characters, so the book really stays with you long after the last page is turned. And, quite honestly..I feel I could read this book again, too..which is remarkable because I am usually not one to do that at all.

Absolutely amazing!
If you like melodramatic, soap opera-ey books, do NOT pass this one up!It has everything - marriage, kids, sex, friendship, betrayal (on several layers), mother-daughter relationships.You name it.

This book is an absolute tour de force.I loved (and lived) every page.Can't rate it high enough.

This is the 2nd Joy Fielding book I've read (you must read Whispers and Lies too).I'm on the lookout for more.Both of the novels I've read by Joy Fielding have had my jaw dropping at certain points.

Fantastic.

... Read more

Book Description
How far will a mother go to protect her family from a madman?

An unrivaled master of psychological suspense, Joy Fielding has written her most chilling and intricate novel yet--a compulsively readable look at the razor-thin line between daily domesticity and nerve-shattering terror.

It had to end in blood.  Family therapist Kate Sinclair, healer of lost souls, perfect wife and mother, has suddenly become trapped in a nightmare of her own.  Her teenage daughter has just discovered sex, lies, and rebellion.  Her ex-boyfriend has returned to threaten her marriage.  Her once-peaceful hometown is being awakened by chilling headlines: Another woman is missing.  Kate can sense the darkness gathering around her, can see the mistakes, the missteps, the missing pieces.  She is afraid of what tomorrow will bring.

Enter Colin Friendly, a man on trial for abducting and killing thirteen women--the handsome, "misunderstood" sociopath Kate's troubled sister plans to marry.  Colin loves women to death.  He can't wait to see Kate and the girls again.  One dark night when they are home alone, disarmed, ready for bed... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (46)

MINDLESS DRIBBLE

The book drones on with a lack of direction.The sister in the book is a mindless twit that decides to date an accused serial killer after seeing his picture in the paper????I gave up after page 100, it's just not worth my time.Where was the editor on this book?? He/She should have asked for a rewrite long before it hit the streets!!!

Fielding is Outstanding
This is one of the books that made Joy Fielding one of my favorite authors.It is never boring.She does a great job developing the characters.This is the story of a therapist and her family.It has suspense and humor.Definitely worth reading.

I actually liked this book!
MISSING PIECES by Joy Fielding
September 25, 2007


Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars

Here's another "can't put this down" book by Joy Fielding. In MISSING PIECES, family therapist Kate Sinclair has a family background that she is trying to forget. In chapter one, Kate's sister Jolynn tells everyone that she's going to marry Colin Friendly, who is making news at the moment for being a serial killer accused of raping and murdering women. Jolynn, who has never been known to make good choices when it comes to men, believes he's innocent, and is bent on going to the trial and finding a way to introduce herself.

Kate is flabbergasted and does not want to support her sister, but she ends up going to court with Jolynn anyway to witness this man who they find out is a charmer as well as very good looking. When the two go to court, Kate bumps into an old boyfriend, someone that she had been very much in love with, but had been dumped by him because she wouldn't put out, back when they were in high school. Robert now owns a radio station, courtesy of his wife's family, and he recognizes Kate and shows a renewed interest in her.

In the meantime, Kate is married and has a daughter, Sara, who seems to be following the same path of destruction just like her Aunt Jolynn. Kate is frustrated that she cannot control Sara's behavior, and it doesn't help that Sara idolizes her Aunt Jolynn who is as irresponsible and carefree as they come.

So, Kate is dealing with a troublesome teenage daughter, a sister who is destined to meet the wrong men, and now a mother who is living in a retirement home but is showing signs of Alzheimer's. It doesn't help that things at home with her husband aren't great, and Kate is now tempted to start something with Robert, a man that she thought she had loved years ago, and now has come back into her life.

MISSING PIECES, like some of Joy Fielding's previous books, has enough stuff going on that it reads like a soap opera. But it's also a type of book that you can't put down. The story is just too juicy. The main story line is that of Jolynn and her obsession with the serial killer, Colin Friendly, the man that she wants to marry and eventually does get to meet. She woos her way into Colin's life, and believe it or not they begin to see each other (behind bars, no less). The evidence shows that he is most likely guilty of the crimes he's being charged, but Jolynn insists that he's innocent, and will not listen to Kate's warnings.

But little by little, Kate picks up clues and hints that something isn't right, and while she hopes in the back of her mind that Jolynn is right, the more she gets to know Colin, the more worried she becomes. The ending had me on the edge of my seat, and while I think what happens may not be totally unexpected, I still found the book overall satisfying and worth the read. It was definitely one that kept me glued to the book, and I can see why I keep going back to Joy Fielding.

Very good-where would this dysfunctional family end?
Kate Sinclair is the main character in this book written mostly in the first person. She is a psychotherapist with many problems of her own in her family-that's for sure. And the worst thing is, she doesn't know how to solve her own. Her two daughters, Sara the belligerent one, is very very rebellious, while Michelle is the sweet and loving daughter. Sara is much like her aunt, Kate's sister, Jolynn who is beyond hope. Jolynn falls very hard for a serial killer, Colin Friendly, watching his trial take place in court. She immediately pines after this monster, and when he is found guilty and moved to Florida State Prison, travels all the way there once a week to visit him. They end up married in the prison chapel, and of course, Sara is the bridesmaid.

Kate is horror-struck by her older daughter and her sister with this whole scenario. And as if that is not enough, Kate's mother is coming down with Alzheimer's disease. She rapdily deteriorates, and has to move in with Kate and her family as she cannot be alone anymore.

On top of it all, Robert, Kate's old boyfriend from high school turns up and starts coming on to her. He's a reporter on the case for Colin, and this is how they connect. It seems an affair is on the horizon until Robert's wife pays Kate a visit to her office in order to find out about Robert.

The book climaxes when everything comes to a head and Colin escapes from prison, and Jolyn is missing. The last words she and Kate had were very bitter ones, and it may be too late to make amends.

Pure Entertainment
This improbable story is full of events that are so utterly unbelievable, you won't be able to help enjoying it.This book has great entertainment value. ... Read more

Book Description
Classic Joy Fielding, featuring the emotional struggle between a loving wife and the proverbial ‘other woman.’

The young woman was stunning, and her words couldn't have been more clear: "Hello, I'm Nicole Clark. I'm going to marry your husband." Jill Plumley thinks she has the perfect marriage, but how can she keep her attractive husband away from the younger, sexier Nicole? The frightening thing is that Jill knows that David can be stolen away. She had done it herself when she lured David from his wife. She, Jill, had once been the other woman. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Mother was right!
As an "other" woman herself, Jill Plumley should know only too well, the lies and excuses given by errant husbands to their wives and mistresses and taken heed of her mothers' warning that if a man cheats on one woman, he'll cheat on another. As a nationally famous tv journalist, Jill meets and is swept off her feet by an incredibly handsome lawyer who leaves his wife and children to marry her. Subjugating herself to his wishes, she gives up her formerly glamorous life to settle for teaching, falling in with her husbands' wishes that she devote herself to him and his career. As so often happens, once the glamour and novelty surrounding her has subsided into mere wifely duties, husband is lured by the latest model of feminine charm, and starts the old pattern over again. It takes the killing of her husbands' boss by his wife to give Jill the shake up she needs to put her back on track. It's an old story but one which is played out by even the smartest of women. It's a very quick read but an enjoyable one.

quick enjoyable read!
This is a short book and although it's not as deep as some of Ms. Fielding's books, it's highly entertaining. I mean, not everything has to have deep meaning, right?If you want a great beach book this is it.You like the protaganist, Jill, from the first page.I have never found a Joy Fielding protaganist I did not like or identify with yet.The story grabs you right off as a woman walks up to Jill at a company picnic and tells her she plans on stealing her husband.It is very bold and different and you hate this young, sexy woman with a passion! You want Jill to beat the stuffing out of her!It is a witty, endearing book and since I have read it twice, like many of this author's books, I highly recommend it.It won't take long to read through and it is a greatescape!

Interesting enough
I just finished reading this book by Joy Fielding.It is definately not her best, but it was a nice quick book to read.I found that I was pretty interested in the story because unfortunately there are many incidences of infidelity in the world today. Basically we start out with Jill Plumley who is the second wife of David.She is approached at a company picnic by a younger pretty girl named Nicole who says that she is going to steal David away from Jill.Well, with that remark the tale begins. Jill had been a previously strong woman with a great career who fell in love with a married man and got him for her own.It tells about her insecurities to keep him and flashes back to their affair.And as in real life all too often, once a cheater, definately don't count him out to do it again.The only thing left is for Jill to decide what to do next.

This was an easily read book, but by far not her best.

DON'T LET THESE CATS OUT OF THE BAG!
Jill, Nicole and Elaine are all masters of cat fighting.Jill and Nicole are at swords points because Nicole told Jill she was going to take Davidaway from her.Elaine is David's first wife and is bitter over thedivorce.She understandably resents Jill who had an affair with Davidprior to marrying him.Throw a sack over these cats -- they will leavetheir marks on you!

MEOW! HISS, HISS! A BADLY WRITTEN ROMANTIC NOVEL.
The back biting, clawing an scratching in this book is taken to a new level. The protagonist, Jill back bites, claws and scratches back when a young barracuda named Nicole tells her she's going to steal her husband. Nicole is a virtuoso in back biting, clawing and scratching. She is a trulyhateful character. David's former wife is an old pro at back biting,clawing and scratching and hones her teeth and nails when she lashes out atJill.This is understandable to an extent because prior to marrying David,Jill was half of an extramarital affair with David.Jill's friend Bethlearnes to backbite, claw and scratch with the best of them when she killsher abusive barbarian of a husband who just happens to be David's lawpartner.Put on your suit of armor, folks -- the back biting, clawing andscratching just get worse. The ending is actually funny.I laughed outloud when Jill, tired of David's two timing, packs his things and moves himin with Nicole, the Barracuda.Those two back biting, clawing andscratching beasts deserved each other.Remember that old adage -- ifs/he'll cheat WITH you, s/he'll cheat ON you.That is the only reallyconstructive message this book has to offer. ... Read more

Book Description

Jane Whittaker has awakened to a nightmare. She doesn't know her name, her age . . .or even what she looks like. Frightened and confused, she wanders the streets of Boston wearing a blood-soaked dress-and carrying $10,000 in her pocket. Her life has become a vacuum--her past vanished. . .or stolen. And all that remains is a handsome, unsettling stranger who claims to be her husband, whispered rumors about a dead child whom she cannot recall. . .and a terrifying premonition that something truly horrible is about to occur.

Customer Reviews (46)

Excellent Read
This book was recommended to me by a friend and I have to admit it's the most enjoyable book I have read in a long time.I have passed this on to at least 10 other people to read already and it's still going around!I would never have read thrillers before but this book has introduced me to another world of reading.

Engaging
A good solid read, fast storyline development. THe main character is well introduced and the other characters are integrated with balance into the story. The ending may or may not be a surprise but the story is tight.

A Very Effective Suspense Novel by an Underrated Writer
I read at least a hundred suspense novels a year, and I really believe that Joy Fielding is one of the best writers in the business.She is very gifted with language, and is able to create characters that are very realistic and three-dimensional.In some ways, her psychological thrillers resemble those of Mary Higgins Clark, but a little more graphic in the violence and sexual content.

SEE JANE RUN is probably Joy Fielding's most successful novel, written over fifteen years ago.Many fans consider it her best.The story is relatively simple, and deals with a woman with amnesia who is desperately trying to find out the truth about her past.The story starts with a bang and is very gripping until the very end.I really enjoyed it, and I found this book very difficult to put down.

If you've never read Joy Fielding before, I recommend starting with this novel.Some of her later work is uneven and sometimes features characters that are difficult to like.This novel does not have that problem, and is a great all around suspense story with a likable heroine.

Highly recommended.

Gaslighting!
One late afternoon, a young woman finds herself wandering around the shopping centre of her town, with no idea of who she is, where she is or how she happened to get there. She discovers to her horror that the expensive but simple dress she is wearing under her coat, is covered with blood and that nearly $10,000 in hundred dollar bills, is stuffed carelessly into her pockets. Overcoming her initial fright with a huge effort, she books into a hotel for the night but feels herself growing progressively more shaky and in danger of losing control, so she reports herself to a police station. The police send her to a public hospital for examination by a psychiatrist and while she is being examined, a staff member recognizes her as Jane Whittaker, the wife of a prominent and well respected pediatrician, Dr Michael Whittaker. Her husband shows great concern for her welfare and takes her home to be cared for by a housekeeper who, under Michael's instructions, keeps her constantly sedated. Michael does a great job of "gaslighting" her to the point that she willingly accepts the sedation, believing his story that she is violent,has an uncontrollable temper and was responsible for the deaths of her own daughter and mother. It's a terrifying scenario, the reason for which I luckily did not guess, which made iteven more horrifying.

What an amazing read :-)
This book is one of the best I've read.I actually re-read it every couple of years or so (my copy is so old, it has a different cover to this one).It gets you right from page one and doesn't let go.I personally didn't see the end coming, but I've read almost all of Joy's books and this is the best by far.It's so good and if you are a fan of a good thriller, this is what you are looking for.I highly recommend it.It's one of the few books I've read from front to back without stopping (except bathroom breaks). ... Read more

Book Description
Amanda Travis is a successful twenty-eight-year-old criminal attorney who races through her glamorous life with very few concerns. Her estranged mother, dead father, two ex-husbands and a past love that once consumed her are just distant memories now. But when ex-husband #1 calls to tell her that her mother has shot a man at point-blank range in the lobby of Toronto's Four Seasons hotel, Amanda knows she must return to her hometown to race her demons and uncover the hidden facts behind her mother's violent outburst. All too soon, she is drawn into the dark, strange power her mother seems to hold over everyone. Her childhood nickname, Puppet, echoing in her ears, Amanda must finally confront the past in order to be free of the ties that bind and learn to stand on her own. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Puppet
Although a good novel, it was not as spell binding as her previous. I enjoyed the book, but by no means was it a "can't put down,page turner".

Not the Best
Joy Fielding is one of the authors that I buy a book just by the author name alone.This book was not her best but still wasn't a waste of time.The plot was interesting.The angry daughter comes home because her estranged mother shoots and kills a complete stranger.The plot is interesting but not the sit on the edge of your seat suspense that is the norm in books by Joy Fielding.The ending was definitely a surprise so you can't call the book predictable.It was just slow moving and could have been condensed probably about 100 pages.

I couldn't put the book down
PUPPET by Joy Fielding
September 9, 2007

Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars

Amanda Travis is a high powered lawyer who will do what she can to win a case. Her latest client is accused of raping his girlfriend, and despite the evidence against him, she is successful and gets him off most of the charges. She always gets what she wants, and has been successful because she's aggressive and is not afraid to step on anyone that gets in her way.

Amanda has been married and divorced twice, and ex-husband #1 has been calling her constantly, almost to the point of harassment, asking her to call him back. While she's in the middle of having sex with a stranger she just met, she decides to pick up the phone and find out what is going on. She eventually learns that her mother has killed someone with a gun in the middle of a hotel lobby for no apparent reason. The man her mother murdered is a total stranger, and Amanda cannot for the life of her figure out why her mother would do something like this.

As Amanda explores her mother's crime, she begins to unravel secrets of her own life, including the connection the murdered man has to her mother and her family. PUPPET may read like a sensationalistic soap opera, but while some readers may find the events totally unbelievable, one has to agree this made one hell of a story, and I had a hard time putting the book down. Riveting with a lot of action and suspense, PUPPET is yet another book by Joy Fielding that I enjoyed a lot. I have only one negative comment about the book - I did not like the main character very much. I believe the author intentionally wrote the character of Amanda Travis as a very manipulative and self-centered woman, in order to arrive at the end of the book where her life takes a turn for the better, despite everything she's learned about her family history. With that said, PUPPET was definitely one of the better books by Joy Fielding that I've read, and recommend the book with the warning that the main character is highly unlikable.

Full of Mysteries
Although you might not like the main character, the storyline alone is enough to keep you guessing at every twist and turn.

Puppet
I think this book was pretty good.
It starts off a little slow but picks up as you read it does have a few twist that you will not expect. It is not one of her best but not bad. ... Read more

Book Description
People are inexplicably disappearing from Chicago prosecutor Jess Koster's life. First her mother vanished without a trace eight years ago. And now a client, the victim of a brutal, sadistic rapist, is also missing. Someone is disrupting Jess's neat, ordered existence with chaos and terror. And from the shadow of her past, a maniac is watching her . . .stalking her -- until there is no one Jess can trust her mysterious tormentor is perilously close -- and that the next person to vanish from the face of the Earth will be Jess Koster. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Suspenseful but sexist
I loved the first book I read by Joy Fielding, See Jane Run, and went on to read Kiss Mommy Good Bye and this one.
While it's a pretty good suspense thriller, I was bothered by the author's view of the world, where all men are villains and all women are their hapless victims. In all of her books, the female characters are depicted only in positive ways, while the male characters are insensitive and domineering at best, sadistic sociopaths at best. The relentless male--bashing spoiled my enjoyment of the novel.

Gripping
Contrary to what some other reviewers have said, I found this book to be totally absorbing and unputdownable, and can see it being made into a wonderful suspense/thriller movie. Jess Koster is a very troubled and flawed woman, rather unlikeable most of the time, with her arrogant views and prickly nature, but a very competent lawyer and States' attorney. Against her parents' wishes, she married her law tutor,Don, eleven years her senior, while still in law school and, even after the marriage had finished, stayed under his influence and protection. She meets an attractive shoe salesman who seems to be working at a job which is way below his mental and social capacities,and, for the first time in years, thinks that a romance might be possible. A client of Jess has been raped and terrorised by a sadistic monster, Rick Ferguson, but is convinced by Jess to testify against him in spite of repeated threats to her life. When her client is found, beaten and nearly decapitated, Jess faces her ex-husband across the courtroom where he is defending Ferguson, and so begins an horrific time for Jess, with Ferguson stalking her and horrible incidents becoming a daily part of her life. M/s Fielding weaves a suspenseful web and keeps up a breakneck pace which doesn't let up till the final page. This story kept me up into the small hours as I just couldn't put it down.

Verdict - Not Good!
Although this is not Fielding's best book, it fortunately is not her worst, either.This one is not the riveting read or the trashy "good for a long plane trip" that some of her others were.This didn't even serve the purpose of being a bad book that was simply a way to fill time like some of her others -- it was just plain bad.This was the kind of book you could put down for a week and pick up at will.

Her main character is Jess, a strident prosecutor who is also an inane whinebag.She has some grounds for going from whinebag to strident screamer - her client disappears just prior to a major trial.Her client is facing down a rapist in court and is expected to testify against him.Her former husband defends the rapist and adds fuel to Jess' fire.

Jess is just such an unpleasant character who was impossible to like.She acted a fool with her brother-in-law, Barry.She would hound and bait him and provoke him mercilessly.She acted like a child around him.She hounded and harassed her older sister, Maureen, who tabled a legal career to raise her young son and infant girl twins.She also acted a fool with her father and his new family.She just wasn't family friendly.

Just about when everybody's collective nerves have suffered from Jess, she meets a shoe salesclerk and starts a relationship.This is a step up from her inordinate attachment to her bird.Naturally, we have to have a little mystery going, so the main mystery, aside from why would anybody endure Jess if they didn't have to is where the heck is her missing mother?The woman has been missing in action for 8 years and Jess is high on her family's suspect list.Prior to her mother's disappearance, she and Jess had a battle royal.Jess was equal opportunity - she said vile, nasty things to anybody unlucky enough to cross her path.

Jess is a tiresome whinebag who never evolves into a sympathetic character.The ending was also a trite disappointment.You feel let down after a big build up.Yeah, this book will provide momentary diversion, but it is not up to Fielding's par."Grand Avenue" is her magnum opus and readers can hope she will write more books like "The First Time" and "Grand Avenue."

A Decent Read Though Not Her VERY Best Book.
I've always enjoy Fielding's work, and I liked this book maybe not quite as much as the others she has written. It focuses on a prosecuting attorney, Jess who is having many problems in her life concerning her mother who has been missing for several years, a stalker waiting to attack, and a client who ends up killed.

In the story, Jess has many moments of terrible panic attacks. And she has a lot of trouble keeping herself together. Her ex-husband's client Rick Fergerson, is trouble and not in jail where he should be. He stalks Jess everywhere, and is believed to be the one who killed Connie, Jess's client who was raped and beaten. When Connie appears missing, the first suspect of course is Rick, but there is not enough evidence in court yet to convict him.

In another of her situations, her brother-in-law Barry can't stand Jess and seems to make trouble for her as well. When Jess starts receiving threats by the mail, and break-ins at her apartment, she also believes her brother-in-law has a hand in it. This causes problems between she and her sister Maureen.

Then Jess also meets a shoe salesman who seems to like her very much, Adam. She isn't sure that with all the things happening to her, that she can really trust Adam. He seems to be a mystery himself, and has secrets from the past.

The book builds up slowly until the last portion. It is hard to write a great review on it, as there are so many situations happening at once. Jess finally resolves her past eventually about what happened to her mother so many years ago. She isn't able to go on with things until then, as it might have everything to do who is stalking her now-and of course I won't say.

All in all, it was worth reading.

It is definitely not her best!
But don't be discouraged if you're a fan of Fielding. This book isn't one of her best books ~~ normally, I can't put down her books and do something else. I was able to put it down several times and leave it be for a week before picking it back up. This book just wasn't as suspenseful and interesting as others were.

It's about Jess, a lawyer struggling to reconcile her past with her present. She is a prosecutor faced with several trials happening. First her client goes missing just before she is due to testify in court against her rapist. Her ex-husband defends the accused rapist and re-enters her life. Jess doesn't get along with her sister's husband ~~ and is sharply critical of her family. She meets a shoe-salesman and begins to wonder why he's in her life just when things start to fall apart. Her mother has disappeared 8 years ago ~~ and the memories of the last time she ever saw her mother begins to interfere with her life. No wonder she's a mess.

This is a story ~~ just not one of Fielding's best. It's not as well-written or well-thought out. It didn't tug at your heartstrings ~~ but it is entertaining. It's not the best buy of the summer but it is a good one. If you're a Fielding fan, you might enjoy it ~~ but don't expect it to be like Grand Avenue.

8-6-03 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Who's responsible for this break up/down
As this book was published in 1981, (it now being 2006), I thought that there would be oodles of reviews. Not so.

I took up the book based on the blurbs on the rear cover and I was in need for a page turner. Well it is a page turner. The point of view is that of the narrator, Donna. I must agree with those reviewers who wonder about the narrator. There seems to be a certain streak of madness in her. She does set up scenarios which are bound to fall unto her - it almost as if she wants to be a victim. She as narrator, does provide only her interpretation of events and I think that we as readers, should step back.
When Donna becomes "a street person", it is unclear how she is supporting herself and just how she is able to snap out of her "space". The book seems to run to its conclusion from there on it a hurry.
Yes it is a page turner, but I found the characterization of the main character too facile.

Good book, but...
This was unique in the plot, but I found it somewhat confusing because it hops around slightly from the past and the present. It starts out in a courtroom where the main character is fighting for custody of her young children from her very odd husband. I am glad I read the book because it does get very suspenseful when her husband, who loses custody vanishes with her children. I just found that, although her husband is mind controlling, the main character seems a tad on the unstable side, too. I just thought she should have seen it coming, but try it, maybe I was having a mind lapse. See what you think.

JOY has me hooked
Having read See Jane Run - this one lives up to the hype of Joy Fielding. I find her story line compelling and her characters fully thought out and described. her book is a complete page turner!!!!!!!! Buy it - you will not regret it!

BookWorm
I have read one other book by this author and I really liked it. However, this with Kiss Mommy Goodbye, I couldn't beven get through the first chapter.

What a white-knuckle read!
I don't know where Fielding gets it ~~ but she always manage to get me to keep turning the pages of her books! This one is so suspenseful that it was driving me nuts just to put the book down.

The book starts out with Donna Cressy fighting for the custody of her children. Her ex-husband Victor was painting a different sort of picture of Donna to get custody of the children. Then Fielding writes of the beginning of the marriage and it's downfall. Victor Cressy is the man who twists every single conversation that Donna carries with him into a raging psychological battle till you, the reader, begs for mercy! Donna begins to feel battered down and beaten ~~ not by flying fists but by the mental anguish she was going through. Nothing she did ever pleased the guy. So finally, she decided to end the marriage and the book gets even more interesting ~~ Victor told her that if she ever left him, he'd obliterate her. And he tried his best.

Fielding writes so convincingly of a broken marriage and a woman's fight for survival and fight for belief in herself. She writes so convincingly of Donna's plight when Victor kidnaps the children ~~ her fear and anger and helplessness. This book is every mother's nightmare. It is also every wife's nightmare.

I would not read this book at the beach or in front of the fireplace ~~ I would read it in bed with the covers over my head. This is a fright worse than monsters underneath the bed ~~ it could happen to you if it hasn't! And Fielding takes you right into a nightmarish marriage and its aftermath. She is well-known for her stories and the white-knuckle grip on the sheets, couch or wherever till the last page is turned. She won't fail you in this book!

2-7-03 ... Read more

Book Description

New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding takes readers on a terror-charged hunt for a serial killer holding a small South Florida town in a vice-like grip of fear, suspicion, and violence.

As Sheriff John Weber would attest, the deadliest predators in Torrance, Florida, were the alligators lurking in the nearby swamps. But that was before someone abducted and murdered a runaway teenage girl...and before the disappearance of popular and pretty Liana Martin. The pattern is chilling to Sandy Crosbie, the town's new high school English teacher. With a marriage on the rocks, thanks to her husband's online affairs, and a beautiful teenage daughter to protect, Sandy wishes she'd never come to the seemingly quiet town with shocking depths of scandal, sex, and brutality roiling beneath its surface. And as Sheriff Weber digs up more questions than answers in a dead-end investigation, one truth emerges: the prettiest ones are being targeted, the heartstoppers. And this killer intends to give them their due.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

An excellent suspenseful read-great work!
Heartstopper is centered around a certain group of high school kids. There has been trouble in Terrance Florida when girls disappear suddenly, and Liana Martin is found dead. The book begins with the killer trapping Liana inside a room and then shattering her body to pieces soon after. Sandy Crosbie, the english teacher is deeply concerned for her daughter Megan. Sandy and her kids moved from Rochester New York after a bitter divorce from her doctor husband. They thought it would be great place to live with her new teaching position at the school until the murders started happening beginning with Liann and continuing.

Sheriff John Weber tries to solve the case, but doesn't have any real leads. It seems this male killer is covering his tracks very well. It is not until near the end that a big surprise is in store. And Megan almost gets killed along with her boyfriend Greg.

Couldn't Stop Reading Heartstopper!
I always enjoy a good Joy Fielding book. This was no exception. Infact, I enjoyed all of the small town gossip bits just as much as the "Killer Journal".That said, it is a cracker-jack suspense thriller that kept me guessing until the end. Set in Florida, the story takes you into a small town and high school. A killer is on the loose, and of course, it's not who you think. A nice, fast read for before bedtime or on a plane.

I must not get "suspense novels" anymore
I love to read, but don't often pick up suspense novels. I used to devour everything Patricia Cornwell wrote, until after "The Last Precinct," which was the last Scarpetta novel I could stomach. I've never been a mystery fan like many people are.

But I was at the library and jonesing for some lighter fare instead of my usual non-fiction. So I grabbed this book.

I am so glad I did not pay any money for it. I can't believe I wasted 3 hours reading it. I only finished it to see if my suspicions about the killer were correct (they were).

Poorly-drawn, boring characters with no surprises to them, cliched situations, overt preaching about attitudes toward fat people and women's body issues, and a very ho-hum writing style made this book nearly unreadable. No, I was not expecting Jane Austen, T.C. Boyle or even Stephen King. But this was bad.

I cared not one whit for any of the characters, and the killer's journal entries were dumb. The whole thing was very formulaic--ironically, just like the forensic TV shows the killer derides--complete with "clues" meant to mislead you into thinking the killer was someone else. They were ridiculously obvious.

Gosh, I love reading and admire authors, and I hate to be negative, but save your money and read something--anything--else. The back of a cereal box is more suspenseful.

Not one of Joy Fielding's best works...
I don't like reviews that give away too much of the story, so will only stick with my opinion here.This is, to me, Joy Fielding's worst novel ever.Filled with enough references to teen idols to make a reader of Ok
gurgle with happiness, it seemed as if it was written in 60 days--or less.
Many writers get better as they mature it appears, as has been the case with John Saul and Tess Gerritsen (though Dean Koontz has stayed the same, superb...while Stephen King has gotten worse).Joy Fielding is not one of those writers, and I am saddened about this as she used to be one of my top 5 favorites.Perhaps next time she'll put out a better product.

Cliche all the way
While I always support women authors, Fielding's book was just too stereotypically predictable that I didn't even finish it.I figured out "who dunnit" in about the third chapter...maybe because the characters were flat as pancakes (cliche intended). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Betrayed
Social worker Lynn Schuster thought that she had the perfect life....a handsome, successful lawyer husband who loved her and two well adjusted children, until the day he tells her that he's fallen out of love with her and into love with another woman. The other woman's husband visits Lynn to talk over their mutual problem and an instant attraction happens. Lynn's lawyer, clever but overweight Renee, is continually trying to please her dominating, psychiatrist husband, in the same way that she was always trying, and never succeeding,to please her cold, unemotional father. As both Lynn and Renee fight to keep control of their lives, they are sadly confronted by the realisation that often, no matter how determinedly they try to please by grovelling, the grass is always greener elsewhere for the straying partner. Ok, it's a "chick" book but such an enjoyable read as these two women struggle to maintain and sense of self worth.

An oldie but a goodie
I have read many of Joy Fielding's latest novels, and had to dig deep to get this older one.It was different from the usual murder/suspense plots that Fielding usually writes.I enjoyed the in-depth look at 2 women's emotional states and needs (and desires).What a twist of how Marc and Lynn got together! The sexual tension theme did get a bit redundant after a while, however. I found the Renee pronunciation thing a tad annoying too, but I decided to read it as "Re-nay" and make it easier on myself!I despised both Debbie and Philip, but I think that Debbie finally helped Renee to snap out of her fantasy that Philip was perfect and that she was the problem. I think Debbie (perhaps unwittingly) did Renee a favor, but perhaps she did care for Renee enough to give her a dose of reality.I also read "See Jane Run" but I don't remember the Renee character from that novel.

A reader from California.
I have read all of Joys books and this one of the Best.Now looking forward to reading Whispers & Lies.

DECENT
I loved Lynn, her children and the man who eventually became her lover. Her husband jilts her and the husband of the woman who is having an affair with Lynn's husband becomes Lynn's lover. In short, they switch partners. Lynn's lover is a nice person, where as her husband paired off with a barracuda.

Renee Bowers (I agree with another reader -- I wish her name was pronounced like Renee, rhymes with day instead of Renee, rhymes with beanie) is the divorce attorney. Her husband is a cold, unloving and very cruel man who bears a mirror image to Renee's tyrannical father. His daughter Debbie from a previous marriage is no prize, either. Debbie is her daddy's daughter, all right.She is a step daughter to beware of! I didn't like Debbie from the start and she and her nasty father Philip deserved each other.Renee was a fool to put up with their tyranny and cruelty.

Debbie was sneaky, spoiled, spiteful and mean. For example, early in the book, 16-year-old Debbie cries about a nightmare she allegedly has about Renee killing her father in a car accident. It is hard to believe that a 16-year-old would wake up crying about a stupid dream. I, for one, don't believe she dreamed it. I was also disgusted with Philip's allowing himself to be taken in by his wretched daughter. All Debbie did was cause friction and try to pry Renee and Philip apart. I actually cheered when Renee finally slapped the loathsome, nasty girl good and hard across her face and told her where to go. I was glad that Renee appeared in a later book ("See Jane Run") and had the good sense to jump her father's ship, Philip's ship and disgusting Debbie's ship once and for good.

Interesting and Different
I found this book different from any of Joy Fielding's books that I have read before.I didn't love the book but I enjoyed the characters and the story line. ... Read more

Book Description
Joanne Hunter's secure suburban world is falling apart. Her husband's desertionafter twenty years of marriage leaves her stunned. Eve, her best friend, is strangely distant. Her grandfather, who has been a pillar of strength and support, lies ill and helpless in a nursing home. Lana and Robin, her teenage daughters, claim every ounce of her energy and devotion and all the love she feels she has lost.

Only one person seems to care -- a stranger with a rasping voice, a tormentor with a vicious mind. Danger and despair close in with each ring of the telephone. Each deadly message lures her inexorably towards the deep end… ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Well Written Story of Friendship
Joanne Hunter grew up in an era when a woman had succeeded if she married well and raised a happy, healthy family. Having done this, Joanne is satisfied and content with life. However, Joanne's restless husband is increasingly unhappy with the status quo, and leaves her to see if he can form a happier life without her.

Joanne is at first helpless on her own. She doesn't know where the fuse box is or what magazine subsciptions to renew. Further undermining her security is a series of threatening phone callsand a serial killer on the loose who preys on housewives. Her lifelong friend Eve is going through a crisis of her own. She is in terrible pain and the doctors cannot find the cause. Each woman secretly begins to wonder if the other is cracking up and imagining her troubles.

At bottom, this is a story of friendship and coping. Each woman is confronted with a life changing event and they react very differently.

If you read this book for its character development and psychological insights, you will find it very rewarding. I gave it only three stars because I thought the suspense was handled very poorly. The truth behind the mysterious phonecalls is very implausible and the final confrontation completely devoid of tension.

***WARNING***
The purpose of the present post is to warn those reading reviews of Fielding's "The Deep End" against one review, in particular. The review--against which I strongly advise anyone who has not yet read the book to read--was written by "A reader" on August 24, 2000 and is entitled "A Decent Book"; the review should NOT be read by anyone who has not yet read the book (please excuse the passive voice) because it contains the biggest possible spoiler associated with a who-dun-it thriller: who 'done' it! Anyone who is familiar with the plot of "The Deep End" knows that the protagonist, Joanne, receives threatening phone calls; however, only those of us who have read the book should know who makes those calls. The long and short is as follows: ***IF YOU HAVE NOT READ JOY FIELDING'S "THE DEEP END" (BUT WANT TO), DO NOT READ THE REVIEW ENTITLED "A DECENT BOOK", WRITTEN BY "A READER", ON AUGUST 24TH 2000***

The Deep End
This book was pretty entertaining, however, I think that Joanne's stalker should have been a bigger part of the plot.There was too much focus on her husband and daughters, and I think it could have been better if the stalker storyline was more developed.I did enjoy the suspense, however, and was surprised by the ending.

Mind Games
I couldn't put this book down and still didn't guess the ending. When Joanne Hunters husband tells her that he wants a break from marriage after 20 years, this almost perfect Stepford Wife stereotype, falls to pieces in disbelief...perfect housekeeping, perfect meals, caring only for him and the two girls..what could possibly be wrong? To add to her worries, her elder daughter develops a rebellious streak, her next dood neighbour and oldest friend Eve, is continoually complaining of illness which cannot be diagnosed, and her beloved grandfather who is in a nursing home, is descending into total senility. At about this time, she starts to recieve threatening phone calls, telling her that she's to be a murder victim, but recieves only token attention from police and friends. Joy Fielding has the ability to build up great tension without going over the top and I's recommend this book to any readers who love a bit of psycho drama.

A Great Read-A+! Fielding Does it Again!
I really have enjoyed all of Joy Fielding's books, and this is one of the older ones I really had fun reading!!

Joanne, the main character of the story is a housewife raising 2 girls. She and her husband Paul have temporarily separated, and Joanne would like nothing more than to get back together again.

Along with everything else though, is these scary obscene phone calls that Joanne has been getting over and over again. This caller keeps telling her to read the morning paper, page 13, where a woman was cut to pieces. As the calls go on, Joanne is terrified, but nobody believes her. The last person to believe Joanne is her best friend Eve, who lives next door and has her own set of problems it seems. Eve is battling many different types of ailments that the doctors don't know what it is. And as time goes along further, Eve gets to acting a little stranger each and every day.

Joanne begins to wonder what is really going on with her best friend, and tries to put what is really going on together between the phone calls, and Eve's strange actions. What she discovers might be surprising, but she may be fighting for her life. ... Read more

Book Description
Terry Painter enjoys her quiet life in tranquil Delray, Florida, where the single, forty-year-old nurse lives alone in the house she inherited from her mother. When young, vibrant Alison Simms rents the cottage on her property, the two women strike up a fast friendship -- and Terry is swept into a fantastic new life: dinners out, shopping, makeovers, even flirting with the handsome son of one of her elderly patients. But nothing about her newfound companion is as it appears, as Terry discovers when Alison's closely guarded past comes to light. Now Terry is locked into a race to reclaim her own life -- before she opens the door any further to the stranger she thought she knew...

... Read more

Customer Reviews (93)

A LITTLE SUSPICION LIKE A LITTLE WINE IS GOOD FOR YOU
When it comes to women mystery writers, I am truly devoted to Joy Fielding.She has the ability to probe into the psyches of her characters with the precision worthy of a gifted surgeon.She forces her readers to question their own feelings about love, trust, truth, friendship, and whether or not we should listen to the "little man in our heads" and follow our instincts.

Without sacrificing the plot line or giving away pertinent details, let me just say that this story of two women of divergent age and character living on a property in Delray Florida is guaranteed to hook you from the first page.You will find yourself being slowly reeled into this drama that begins as a light spring shower, builds to a thunderstorm and finally ramps up into a full scale hurricane. The unexpected twists and turns keep you continuously second-guessing the actions and decisions being made by the characters and the finale will leave you dumbfounded.

WARNING: Get out your rubber finger protector because if you fail to protect your digit you will, in all probability, develop a blister caused by the speed at which you will be turning the pages to see what happens next.

O M G
I READ THE BOOK AND IT BECAME MY FAVORITE BOOK. I HAVE RECOMENDED IT TO MANY PPL AND THEY AGREE. YOU WONT REGRET GETTING IT. THE BOMB.

Very Mysterious
If you like mystery, you will love this book. I finished it in one day and the only reason is because I kept waiting on that happy ending that never came. Then, I had to watch Nickelodeon, so I could go to bed and not think about this book. Very shocking!!!

Surprise Ending
The ending seems to come out of nowhere, and you'll be delightfully entertained by all the twists and turns in this novel.

I really liked it!
I bought this book on a sale rack at books-a-million. I was attracted to it b/c I have read a few of Joy's books in the past and loved them so I went ahead and got it. I read some reviews after I bought it and thought oh no, but I really enjoyed it. It was very entertaining and had a great twist that I didn't see coming. It is one of the better books I have read in awhile. If you have liked Joy's books before or just want to read something entertaining then I would highly recommend this book to you. ... Read more

Book Description

New York Times bestselling author

JOY FIELDING

puts suspense into high gear, taking readers on a seductively twisting thrill ride into the heart of danger and desire -- to a place where nothing is as it seems.

She found the perfect lover. . . . Jamie Kellogg's life is at a crossroads. Stuck in a dead-end job, the divorced twenty-nine-year-old has been ruled by the voices of her judgmental mother and her perfectionist sister long enough. Now she's hearing only the sexy whispers of the thrillingly handsome stranger in her bed, the man she met in a Florida bar. His name is Brad Fisher, and he's telling her everything she's been dying to hear: She's gorgeous. She's smart. She's adventurous. Quitting her job and joining Brad on a spontaneous road trip, Jamie's ready for the ride of her life. But this trip has one destination: a run-down Ohio house on Mad River Road, where vengeance will come home at last -- and where someone will pay for the secrets and lies of the past. . . .

... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

3.5 STARS......GOOD READ...............
Jamie Kellogg thinks that she may have finally found her Prince Charming.While drowning her sorrows in a local bar over her married boyfriend, she meets the handsome and gregarious Brad Fisher....who convinces her, after a night of passion, to throw caution to the wind and take to the road seeking adventure.So the two do just that...with the intent being to eventually end up seeing Brad's young son, who lives with his ex-wife.It is during the roadtrip, however, that Jamie finds out exactly how naive she has been.That Brad Fisher is nothing like he professed to be...and that she has now become an unwilling accomplice to burglary, murder....and quite possibly a whole host of others. What she does know now is that Brad is headed to Mad River Road, to exact his own revenge.Additionally, Jamie herself has become a victim...is there anything that she can do to redeem herself, and perhaps turn this entire nightmare around?
Read on, to see what happens.3.5 stars only, for me, however; the lead characters do nothing to endear themselves (with the possible exception of Lily), and Jamie's naivete can quite easily be viewed as mere stupidity.The storyline is strong throughout, however...until the end.To me, there was such a tremendous buildup, that the end was sort of a fizzle...rather than the resounding bang that I'd expected.A good read, nevertheless.


DYB

I am disappointed!!
Though it expected it, it was the book which it was very disappointed, and was dull.This book willyour time and money.

Terrific Story...Abrupt Ending!
I enjoy Fielding's writing. I have read a few of her other pieces and find her to keep the story moving at a very fast pace as she presents the reader with several twists and turns. This work was no different. After having read her "Whispers and Lies" (which has one of the best endings of modern day fiction) I turned the pages of this novel faster than the Pope passes out holy cards, and I was rather disappointed as I got to the climax because it was so abrupt (however, not bad), it left me with a sense of wanting more and asking myself...Is this it? That's OK Joy, you kept me going and I enjoyed the ride. I will look forward to reading another one of her novels in the near future.

I enjoyed it
I've been a Joy Fielding fan for many years.I've read all of her books.She's one of my favorite authors.I liked this book.It was not as good as "The First Time", "Missing Pieces" or "Whispers and Lies" but it was a lot better than the last two books she wrote.I read this book in one day - I couldn't put it down.Jamie was very dumb but I did feel sorry for her near the end of the book.I liked Lily and the detective. I did not like the ending at all.I agree with the reviewer who said it was too abrupt.I can't wait to read "Heartstopper."

Very Entertaining
I really loved this book. I can normally tell you what happens in the end by the 2nd chapter, but this one really threw me a curvball. I was happy with the ending and with the other characters viewpoints throughout the book. A little dark, but very hard to put down. ... Read more

Book Description
How far will a mother go to protect her family from a madman?

An unrivaled master of psychological suspense, Joy Fielding has written her most chilling and intricate novel yet--a compulsively readable look at the razor-thin line between daily domesticity and nerve-shattering terror.

It had to end in blood.  Family therapist Kate Sinclair, healer of lost souls, perfect wife and mother, has suddenly become trapped in a nightmare of her own.  Her teenage daughter has just discovered sex, lies, and rebellion.  Her ex-boyfriend has returned to threaten her marriage.  Her once-peaceful hometown is being awakened by chilling headlines: Another woman is missing.  Kate can sense the darkness gathering around her, can see the mistakes, the missteps, the missing pieces.  She is afraid of what tomorrow will bring.

Enter Colin Friendly, a man on trial for abducting and killing thirteen women--the handsome, "misunderstood" sociopath Kate's troubled sister plans to marry.  Colin loves women to death.  He can't wait to see Kate and the girls again.  One dark night when they are home alone, disarmed, ready for bed... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (46)

MINDLESS DRIBBLE

The book drones on with a lack of direction.The sister in the book is a mindless twit that decides to date an accused serial killer after seeing his picture in the paper????I gave up after page 100, it's just not worth my time.Where was the editor on this book?? He/She should have asked for a rewrite long before it hit the streets!!!

Fielding is Outstanding
This is one of the books that made Joy Fielding one of my favorite authors.It is never boring.She does a great job developing the characters.This is the story of a therapist and her family.It has suspense and humor.Definitely worth reading.

I actually liked this book!
MISSING PIECES by Joy Fielding
September 25, 2007


Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars

Here's another "can't put this down" book by Joy Fielding. In MISSING PIECES, family therapist Kate Sinclair has a family background that she is trying to forget. In chapter one, Kate's sister Jolynn tells everyone that she's going to marry Colin Friendly, who is making news at the moment for being a serial killer accused of raping and murdering women. Jolynn, who has never been known to make good choices when