Product Description
New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding delivers a riveting tale of suspense about a young woman caught in a nightmare somewhere between life and death.

Beautiful, happily married, and the owner of a successful interior design business, Casey Marshall couldn't be more content with her life, until a car slams into her at almost fifty miles an hour, breaking nearly every bone in her body and plunging her into a coma. Lying in her hospital bed, Casey realizes that although she is unable to see or communicate, she can hear everything. She quickly discovers that her friends aren't necessarily the people she thought them to be -- and that her accident might not have been an accident at all. As she struggles to break free from her living death, she begins to wonder if what lies ahead could be even worse.

"It is Fielding's ability to get under the skin of her characters -- and her readers -- that has made her such a dependably bestselling author," says the Calgary Herald. Smart, suspenseful, and overwhelmingly addictive, Still Life is a novel her fans won't soon forget. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (89)

A nightmare brilliantly told
The title of my review says it all, there is nothing more to say about this novel.

It is a new storyline, unpredictable, and page turner.
Being an avid reader and writer, I can usually anticipate where a book is going, but this one kept me guessing. The most interesting thing was the perspective. I wouldn't have thought you could write a story where the narrator was in a coma. I liked the perspective. As another reviewer said, it was as if she were a fly on the wall because she was aware and could hear, but couldn't move or see.

I got so caught up in the last quarter of the book, that I couldn't put it down. Fielding combined mystery with intrigue and suspense.

It's a great read and I recommend it for writers to see how a story can be written.

Dont buy. take it out of library.
Glad I didnt buy this one. Started out great but just fizzled out towards the end. Not her best work.

Still Boring
I was very disappointed with this. It's the second book I've read by Ms. Fielding...I'm trying to get a "feel" for this new author in my sphere. (Didn't particularly care for THE WILD ZONE but have to admit I was wowed by the ending.)

From the start in this book, I suspected the suspect. I expected some kind of "twist" to prove me wrong, but was disappointed at the end. The sister was too over-the-top to be believed so it was no surprise that she kinda saved the day. I felt there was too much digressing into Casey's past...details that really did not propel the story or make it more interesting.

Am about to start MAD RIVER ROAD and HEARTSTOPPER. If I'm not satisfied, that's it for me.

Suspenseful
I loved this book.I had no clue how it would end until the last few pages!!!This is a must read! ... Read more

Product 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 (47)

REASSEMBLING THE PIECES OF THE PAST....
Therapist Kate Sinclair seeks to repair other people's lives.Her own stable marriage and handsome home are like the icing on the cake of a perfect life.

But when Kate's emotionally fragile sister Jo Lynn develops an obsession with alleged serial killer Colin Friendly, the first signs of trouble begin to appear.At around the same time, an old love interest from Kate's past surfaces and starts making overtures, even tempting Kate with her own call-in radio show (he owns several radio stations).Adolescent hijinks from Kate's oldest daughter Sara add just enough high drama to the mix to tear into the now fragile fabric of Kate's stable life.

As her life begins to unravel, missing pieces of a puzzle about the past begin to trouble Kate, with nightmares interrupting her sleep.Her mother's symptoms of Alzheimer's add to the confusion.Meanwhile, Jo Lynn and Sara become bosom buddies, both lashing out at everyone around them.

Once Colin Friendly is convicted and given the death sentence, Kate believes that things will finally calm down.Unfortunately, the trouble is only beginning.

What new pieces of the puzzle from Kate and Jo Lynn's past will come to the forefront?What surprising move will Jo Lynn make, and what will finally bring the whole family to the point of crisis?

The suspense builds while all the characters are suddenly thrust into a highly dangerous situation.Missing Pieces, told in the first person voice of Kate, is one of those books that you cannot put down.(If you do put it down, like I did briefly, it may disappear; that is why I had to get the book from the library to finish it).It was well worth the slight delay in my reading momentum.Once I picked it up again, though, I was drawn again into the very real world of the characters that is believable and memorable.

Five stars.

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. ... Read more

Product Description

From New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding comes the suspenseful story of a seemingly casual bet among friends gone terrifyingly awry.

This is how it starts. With a joke. Two brothers -- Will and Jeff -- and their friend Tom are out one night at their favorite South Beach bar, the Wild Zone, and decide to make a bet on who can be the fi rst to seduce a mysterious-looking young woman drinking by herself. Pretty, dark-haired, blue-eyed Suzy has an innocent, almost ordinary girl-next-door way about her. "Just waiting for Prince Charming to hit on her," Jeff says.

Little do they know the secrets she hides from the outside world, particularly those having to do with the daily horror she experiences under the watchful eye of her abusive husband. Little do they know she has an agenda of her own. Little do they know their harmless bet is about to take on a life of its own, a life full of deadly consequences for all concerned.

Fielding is continually praised for her "heart-pounding" (Booklist) brand of storytelling, full of "chillingly satisfying twists" (People). There's certainly no going back once you've entered The Wild Zone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

A WILD AND HIDDEN AGENDA
It begins one night in a South Beach bar called The Wild Zone.The players include a bartender (Kristin); a mysterious woman who orders Pomegranate martinis (Suzy); and three guys with various vulnerabilities, axes to grind, and history:Jeff, Tom, and Tom's younger half-brother Will.

Jeff and Tom have been friends for a long time and served in Afghanistan together, returning home with very different records:Jeff, with a medal, and Tom, a dishonorable discharge.

When the three men first catch a glimpse of the mysterious Suzy that night, they bet with one another about who can bed the woman.

Hours later, the beginnings of a very convoluted plan is set in motion.

What agenda is dictating Suzy's actions?And what rivalries between Jeff, Tom, and Will define their actions over the next few days?Who will win Suzy's heart and help her escape from her abusive husband?And what does Kristin have to do with everything that soon happens?

As events begin to escalate, everything falls into place and the complete agenda is revealed.

Without spoiling the plot, this is about all I can say, except that the plot was suspenseful and totally captivated my attention; the characters were realistic, vulnerable, and flawed.How the puzzle finally fits together was surprising to me, although there were certainly clues along the way.

I enjoyed The Wild Zone: A Novel, but it's not my favorite by this author, which is why I'm giving this one four stars.

I LOVED IT!!
This has got to be the most controversial Joy Fielding book yet.Either you hate it or love it-that is so hard to fathom because I found that this book was captivatingand highly entertaining.The characters were well drawn, the storyline was engrossing - so much so that it was "un-put-downable" until the final page.This story has a fantastic climax and an even better anti-climax.

Much has been written about the final surprise, but I saw it coming - not to say it wasn't great - but if one pays attention to the small details, one will "get it" also.

CANNOT understand the negative reviews - This is a barn burner!

Truly Awful
A truly awful book with truly awful and despicable characters.What was the point of writing such drivel?

WOW!NOT FIELDINGS BEST WORK BUT WHAT A HOOT.
First let me say, that like my wife, I am a big Joy Fielding fan.She has brought a lot of reading pleasure over the years to both of us.Of her more than twenty books so far, I cannot remember on of them that was a clunker.I would encourage anyone interested in a good read to pick any of her work.Her books are a wonderful way to kill a long winter weekend.

Now as to this novel:There is not a bit of a doubt in my mind that this is a far cry from her normal work.It is not, I fear, her best novel by far.As a matter of fact, I would have to put it at the bottom of the heap...as like in last place.

But that is okay in this case as far as we were concerned.

As we travel my wife and I read to each other to pass the time.We do a lot of traveling so we go through a lot of books.Some of the best reads we have had are not, by any standard, literary masterpieces.We go for the simple and simplistic.Often times the worse the book is the more we enjoy it.We both have rather strong opinions when it comes to literature, both have a pretty good sense of humor, and my wife in particular has a very sarcastic tongue.We quite often spend more time bantering and laughing than we do actual reading.

This novel, bless Fielding's heart, and I mean no disrespect, falls into that category.

The book begins with three guys in a bar making a bet on who will bed the new girl that has walked in.Two brothers, quite different, and a completely crazy (probably psychotic) friend are the leading characters of many.The story evolves from here with a pretty good cast of stereotyped characters. Hint:Read the first of this book very, very carefully...no spoiler here, but by paying close attention, your reading pleasure will be enhanced.

The characters of this book are indeed, as other have pointed out, quite contrived, predictable and way over the top as to stereo-typing.Again, this is good.This is what we, my wife and I, were looking for.

The plot is indeed, despite what you may read here, on the complicated side and you have to pay some attention.The book is a page turner no doubt because as bad as it gets in places, you develop, as you read, an unquenchable thirst to find out what happens next.You find yourself thinking "I cannot believe she wrote this stuff."Ms. Fielding throws in little bits here and little bits there, that simply make for interesting reading...keeping in mind that you do not have to give the entire work much thought.I was able to drive fine, as was my wife, during the entire reading.

The bad guys in this novel are really a bunch of pathetic wretches; the kind you love to hate.This is always a pleasing aspect of our traveling reads and we delight when we come across one.

To enjoy this work you will have to sort of put your mind on hold, ignore your perceptions of this author, and just enjoy the book for the third rate story it is.I suspect that Fielding knocked this one out purely for the dollars...and in this day and time, who can blame her?

I would strongly recommend though that you do not spend your hard earned money for this one.Like us, you should check this one out at the library.

I am tempted to give this one five stars simply because it met our needs, but that would be unfair to readers and quite misleading.I am though going to be overly generous and give it three stars with great reservations.

And by the way, being a bit eccentric myself, as is my wife, we loved the quirky ending.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

as always a great book!
I have read everyone of Joy Fielding's books and I have never been dissapointed with any of them. A page turner that is hard to put down to the end. I always try to figure out what is going on, and as usual I didn't see it coming.
Loved "Tom" the most.He was a simple character and I found him quite interesting. Keep em coming Joy. YOU are one of the best! ... Read more

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

The warning draws Bonnie Wheeler to a place she has never been--To the brutally slain body of her husband's ex-wife. . . To the shattering of her perfect world by a murdered woman's secrets. . . To a place where every truth becomes a lie--and every loved one is a stranger. . . To gathering darkness that threatens her innocent child--and herself . . .To a home where nothing is safe, and there's no one she can trust. . .No one.

The warning draws Bonnie Wheeler to a place she has never been--To the brutally slain body of her husband's ex-wife. . . To the shattering of her perfect world by a murdered woman's secrets. . . To a place where every truth becomes a lie--and every loved one is a stranger. . . To gathering darkness that threatens her innocent child--and herself . . .To a home where nothing is safe, and there's no one she can trust. . .No one. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Keeps you guessing
This book goes along nicely with lots of guessing who are the bad guys and who are the good guys.Just when you think you have figured it out, nope you don't.After you have suspected everyone possible, you find out you have been fooled by a master of misdirection--This was a really good read but was given only 4 stars because the heroine was a little dense - other than that, good escapism.

A"Joy" Ride of a Read
Once again, Joy Fielding has given us a rollercoaster ride of the highest magnitude. Many of the other reviews printed here give you the plot and character analysis, so I won't regurgitate it once again. If you look at my other reviews you will see that I have read several of Fieldings efforts and this one is among the best of them. I believe it's one of her earlier efforts and if you are not a JF fan as of yet, I highly recommend this one as your initial selection, it's 385 pages of thrilling, suspenseful, reading. It is what we should expect from a book of this genre. Great job! En"Joy"!

Speedy service
Wow, you order the book one day and the very next day, the book is sitting in your mailbox. Prompt and speedy service - I like it. I look forward to doing business with you again.

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! ... Read more

Product 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

Customer Reviews (33)

Where was the editor?
This is the first book by Joy Fielding I've picked up, and it will definitely be my last. The writing is all over the place, and the editor was obviously asleep at the wheel, because this novel can't even decide what genre it wants to fall into. Is it a crime thriller? A family drama? A romance? The fact this book has an average rating of four stars is simply deplorable. I got about halfway through, just out of sheer desperation to see if there was actually a real plot, but by the time I uncovered it, I found I wasn't interested anymore. Pointless publishing.

If You Spin a Web, You Just Might Catch Yourself
This book caught my attention due to the name - who can't help but think of the old classic Charlotte's Web even though they are not related in any way or not of the same type of style. Charly's Web is about a Florida columnist and single mom at thirty, who has been battling emotional scars due to family turmoil. Her mother abandoned her family to start her own new one, leaving her emotionally distraught and setting her family further and further apart from one another.

She then gets an exciting new proposition, when she gets contracted by a woman on death row to write a biography of the crime, telling her involvement in the killings of three children and the promise of her telling something that has never been told before - the identity of the other murderer. This was a great chance and exciting for her. So as Charly Web gets interviewing this clever sociopath, learning dangerous details the closer she comes to the second killer, she's putting her own life in danger.

The two woman make for an interesting read. Joy Fielding has a way of writing thrillers and mysteries that keep you engrossed in the book. I really liked it and I think you will too.

Charley's Web
One of her better books.I was sad when it ended.A must read for Joy Fielding fans!

Tangled Webs or Fiber & Roughage
"Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive."-- Sir Walter Scott from "Marmion" "(1st ed. -1808) in re Flodden Field

Charlene (Charley) Webb is a reporter carved from stone and dipped in iron.Her job as a writer is her way of living up to her name.Her sisters are Ann and Emily and her brother, Bram (instead of Branwell) are named in honor of the Bronte family.It should come as no surprise that one of Charley's sisters has an illustrious literary career and the other a toehold in the acting world.Charley's mother has left the family for another woman and Charley and her siblings see neither hide nor hair of her for many years.The Webb children were aged 2-10 when their mother left their bitter father, a self-pitying, unloving man who is determined to wallow in misery for her partner in Australia.

Charley spoofs on her name as well, by linking the literary thread to "Charlotte's Web," a classic in children's literature.Her own two children, Franny, 8 and James, 5 have different fathers and Charley was not married to either man.She remains cordial with them.As another reviewer on the US boards pointed out, Charley is the object of every man's desire whenever she follows leads about Jill's case.That was very implausible to me.Readers are tacitly expected to table reality and buy into Charley's sexual magnetism that draws every man she meets like the magnet attracts metal.

Jill Rohmer, who is jailed for child molestation and murder contacts Charley as she wants a book written about her case. She directs Charley to a lawyer she feels can write a book about the case.Jailed and awaiting her 15 minutes of fame, Jill slithers throughout the book like a serpent.She drops hints that she had a partner whom she calls "Jack."Whether or not such a partner existed and who he might really be is Charley's job to discover.

As another reporter on the US boards stated, I was dismayed with Charley.I also didn't like the obvious dependence upon the Bronte family to prop up the identities and careers of these characters.Bram (as in "Dracula's" creator Bram Stoker) like his real counterpart Branwell Bronte is a substance abuser.He has the triplet challeges of alcohol and drug abuse and his own unresolved problems with their mother re-entering their lives.He has no memory of her as he was 2 when she left the family.Charley, on the other hand and to her credit was able to accept their mother and install her in their lives.Their mother was an especially doting grandmother to Charley's children.

As that same reviewer noted, most of the characters degenerated into stereotypes.The growling and snapping sisters; the precocious kids; the unfriendly neighbors and even Jill.A pure psychopath, Jill would stop at nothing to secure her goals, one of which was to draw all she encountered into her net of deception.She would also show a remarkable ability to survive in any environment, regardless of how adverse.She is like a diamondback, one of the more deadly serpents.

I thought this book was mediocre.The title, as noted by another reviewer is trite and just a way to keep reiterating that the characters were named after the Brontes.While I, too failed to find that clever, the story was like fiber and roughage - it kept things moving along to a fitting end.

A good pick for the beach or a stormy day spent inside
Charley Webb is the product of a dysfunctional family who has somewhat made it on her own by authoring a newspaper column column, though she is still in the shadow of her more accomplished siblings.She has not had as much success in love, though her relationships did give her two children she adores from two different men with whom she is still friendly.Her writing attracts the attention of Jill Rohmer, a woman on death row for killing 3 children she was a caretaker for.Jill offers Charley the opportunity to interview her exclusively in hope of a book deal - Jill wants her side of the story to be told.Charley sees this as her opportunity to make it big, but when emails start arriving which contain threats to her children, Charley realizes that there is more to Jill's story than she has been told and she is in over her head.

This was the first book I have read by Joy Fielding.Though not exactly War and Peace, it is very good for what it is:a psychological thriller geared towards women.There are elements of romance, suspense, and family drama.The story is entertaining, the characters (especially Charley's troubled brother Bram) are interesting, and the subplots concerning Charley's efforts to repair the broken relationships between her siblings and parents keep the story moving during the sections that do not focus on Jill.I read this book in one day - Charley's Webb perfect as escapist fiction. ... Read more

Product Description
After sixteen years of marriage, Mattie Hart discovers that her husband, Jake -- a high-profile Chicago attorney -- is involved in yet another love affair. But a far greater crisis descends upon the Hart family after Jake leaves home: Mattie receives devastating news that will alter their lives. Wracked by guilt, Jake returns to the wife he has never really loved and the teenage daughter who wants nothing to do with him. Here, in a novel bearing all the distinctive qualities of a contemporary classic, Joy Fielding deftly ushers her characters through a poignant drama about love's astonishing power to heal the deepest wounds. The First Time is a dazzling illumination of a marriage at the crossroads, where a long-estranged husband and wife discover, for the first time, what love really means. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (74)

Now I want to read all of her books
I am an avid reader and a friend gave me the book. Excellent. Mother and daughter always loved each other, but brought a father and grandmother in on this amazing story. Be prepared to let the tears roll, but you don't want to put it down.

The First Time
I just finished this book and I thought it was ok but not as good as some of her earlier books.I loved See Jane Run etc.This book just didn't grab me.Yes it is a sad story of an illness and how a family copes and the love it requires to live through something like ALS, but it feft contrived. Very explicit sex which I had not remembered from her other books.

A First Time for me! (possible spoilers)
A truly excellent read. Very well written and covers fairly believably the anguish of marriage issues compounded by fatal disease. This is "the first time" I've read a book where an unfaithful husband really does honestly change and grow.Inspiring and heartbreaking.

Fantastic Book - Just Be Ready to Cry
I got into this book not realizing that it would contain one of those rare stories where it's almost too hard to read because of the emotions it evokes.I almost stopped reading it because it was actually depressing me but knew I couldn't put it down without finishing it. I'm glad to say I did finish the book, had a good cry and felt that I was actually a better person for reading this story of how a family deals with devastating news.It certainly made me realize that I, like so many others, trivialize my many blessings while overlooking the fact that millions of people deal with heartbreaking news of a terminal illness every day.The author is so good at creating real characters and situations, the story hooks you in from the beginning and never lets you go.Just be ready to shed a few tears.

speedy service
Wow, you order the book one day and the very next day, the book is sitting in your mailbox. Prompt and speedy service - I like it. I look forward to doing business with you again. ... Read more

Product Description

Looking back, it seemed like paradise: livesfilled with the blessings of friendship, marriage, children, and career. For twenty years, four friends -- Chris, Barbara, Susan, and Vicki -- shared everything and faced the challenges of life and love head-on. Now, one sits alone to ponder the strange twists of fate and circumstance. Now, she must sift through the past to discover exactly what went wrong, how dreams turned to nightmares as friendships faded and lives were destroyed....

Joy Fielding unlocks the secrets hidden within even the closest relationships in a powerful and mesmerizing novel that explores the meaning of unconditional love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (77)

Depressing Drivel
I like to read about relationships between female friends. Stories with humor, depth, emotion. So I expected to like this book. But, I found it depressing and very poorly written. Flat and amateurish. Glad I got it from the library and didn't waste any money on it. (P.S. - If you like books in this genre, you might want to read Barbara Raskin, who, in my opinion, is a much, much better writer.)

Grand Avenue Book Review
This book was a fun read. I was sick one day and had nothing to do, so I decided to pick up one of my mother's books. I generally try to avoid books that's front cover has the author's name in bigger font than the title (with a few exceptions: Jodi Picoult, Stephen King) because many times, they are not quality books. However, with Grand Avenue, I was pleasantly surprised. Joy Fielding, who generally writes suspenseful mystery type books changes her pace in this one- but don't worry, she still adds quite a bit of drama. It is about four best friends: Vicki, Chris, Susan, and Barbara, all slightly different and all slightly alike, who live in the Cincinnati suburbs (although it could be any American town) and go through the trials and tribulations of friendship and family together. Fielding, in the beginning does a great job developing the relationship between the four women; you can tell they are best friends. There is also a touching story line of domestic abuse between one of the women and how it makes the friends even closer. However, there also seemed to be a few topics added into the story line where they were not needed purely for shock value. For example, sexual orientation and sexual molestation. Sure, these are intense topics, but did not fit well in the context they were used in.
In retrospect, I really enjoyed Grand Avenue. Like any good book does, it made me laugh, cry, gasp, awww and most importantly, think.

One of the best I have EVER read
I have just discovered Joy Fielding.If this book is any indication of her talent then I can not wait.I have already ordered SEE JANE RUN because of the many good reviews I read.I read alot of thriller/mystery, etc. and this is by far one of the best.I almost did not buy this because of the information on the back of the book.It sounded like what I call a"fluffy book".Boy was I wrong.I can't wait until Amazon ships me my next book by this author.

stunned
I put in an order for Lisa Gardner's book and they sent me Joy Fielding's Grand Avenue by mistake. I am so happy that they did as this book gave me another author to enjoy.
I have read hundreds of books and some of my favorite authors are burned out as their books are not as good as they used to be.
This book was so interesting that I just could not put it down. There was one character named Chris that upset me because of the abuse she kept taking from her husbandbut that was the only disappointment in the book.
Although I figured out the murderer towards the end I almost fell off my chair as to what took place at the end of the book.I highly recommend this to all readers.I now found a new author in Joy Fielding and am now reading First Light and it is proving to be an excellent read.
Marian Nanni

You won't be disappointed
Grand Ave. has got it all. It's an emotional realistic life story of four women friends. One gets murdered.

I've read
Puppet, BAD
Don't Cry Now, SOSO
SeeJaneRun, BAD
Still Life, BAD
Grand Avenue GREAT!

... Read more

Product Description
A newly-divorced woman embarks on a desperate search for her daughter, believed to have drowned two years earlier.  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
Typical Joy Fielding book only not one at the top of the "great" list.Worth your time if only to teach the lesson that what goes around eventually comes around. ( I keep waiting for one of her main male characters to be honorable and true to his wife! )

************Added after watching Lifetime Movie***************

The Lifetime movie directed by Jason Priestly and starring Josie Bisset was quite stylish and was actually better than the book.
In general, books seem to be better at telling the story, but in this case, the movie was a better choice.With a few exceptions the movie storyline stayed true but this was probably due to the fact that Joy Fielding herself produced the film.

Other reviewers have related the story so I will just say that if you have a chance, catch this on Lifetime rather than reading the book because it is much more enjoyable.

I won?I guess that depends on just what you think you've won?
This is a story about a woman who was originally the other woman.She believes she has a happy, healthy, strong marriage.Then at a company picnic a woman, Nicole, who is at least 10 years younger and very beautiful approaches her and tells her that she is going to marry David, her husband.

Jill goes through the typical scenarios of an abused woman.She blames herself.Everything is her fault.She gives up her traveling for her job and eventually takes a teaching position at a local university all for her husband, David.She seems to always apologize for things.Some how he turns things around and makes her feel like it's her fault.Her pride is totally gone.She believes she is ugly and that everyone else feels that way too.She thinks her hair is too curly, frizzy, kinky . . . And wishes that she had the straight lovely hair of others.She thinks her body is lacking, etc. etc. etc. She is losing her common sense.It's almost as though her whole identity is getting lost.Pieces of her are dropping off and she will soon just be an empty shell looking for someone or something else to feel her up.If she is not careful soon her soul will be dead!

This story uses the tragedy of a physically abused woman and her ultimate choice to open Jill's eyes to what is slowly happening to her.Although her abuse is emotional it is still there and very real however she never noticed.She was willing to give up so much for David: her dream job, her dreams of having a family, letting David control what her work hours, to live with his children, his ex-wife, and all she asks in return is that David give up the other woman.

Jill has to ask herself what she wants?Is he asking too much of her?She needed to stop living in limbo, waiting for her husband to give up his mistress and make a decision and move on with her life.It was that simple.She knew what she didn't want.She didn't want to live in bitterness as David's ex-wife did, she didn't want to be driven beyond endurance, she didn't want to destroy what good there had been in her marriage . . . She wanted herself back!

Prompt service
Wow, you order the book one day and the very next day, the book is sitting in your mailbox. Prompt and speedy service - I like it. I look forward to doing business with you again.

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! ... Read more

Product 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 (42)

Clever plot, interesting read
Enjoyable reading with suspense and caring for the characters.Being a mystery fan for many many years, I did figure out the "baddie" fairly early on.Waiting for the final pages was still exciting and pleasurable.Fielding's books are a good way to spend down time and just enjoy the written word.

Read the book
I am reviewing the MP3 audio version of this book. Unfortunately, I couldn't get beyond the 4th chapter of this book due to the narrator's (Judith West) interpretation of the various characters.They were terrible.I will eventually read this in print form as I am a real fan of Ms Fielding's novels.But when I found myself 'tsk'ing and rolling my eyes with each overly-emoted word coming out of the speakers, I decided I didn't need to waste my time this way - I have other audiobooks.

Mindnumbing
I have to agree with most of the negative reviews.Though I won't give away the ending, and I admit I did keep reading to see whether I was right, I figured out whodunnit by about the second or third chapter.It seemed to me like Ms. Fielding honestly felt that the revelation would be a huge shocker to her readers.

If you enjoy Danielle Steel's cliched and hackneyed writing style, you might enjoy this book.If you're the cynical type who thinks there aren't any honest, upstanding, good guys out there, you might enjoy the male characters in this book.If you enjoy alliterations, you might enjoy the many samples of it in this book - and you'll enjoy the way each and every sample is pointed out as such.

As for myself, I think I'd rather read a riveting railroad schedule that recommend this revolting book to anyone.

Loved it!!!
This is the 3rd Joy Fielding book I have read in the last month and I love them all!Heartstopper, however, was the most enjoyable so far, because she got me at the end, but good!I have read a lot of mystery/thrillers over the years and usually can deduce the villain before the end, but she got me with this one.I love when that happens!Can hardly wait until more are available on Kindle!I'm on my 4th and the last that I can get now, but have requested a bunch more.Why have I not found you until now?!

Review of HeartStopper
Heartstopper: A Novel


HeartStopper By Joy Fielding

Seal Books/Doubleday, 442 pp.

Joy Fielding has spent her career peeling back the skin of ordinary people. From her novel See Jane Run to Don't Cry Now, I've always found myself drawn into the lives of the people she writes about. While HeartStopper may seem to be a departure from the rest of her works, I would beg to differ; In HeartStopper, Fielding rips off the face of a small town and gives us look into the true nature of the people who live there.

Welcome to Torrance, Florida. Population: 4,160. Deputy sheriff, John Weber, 20 years on the job is having his competence questioned because of a serial killer who's targeting beautiful young women. The town, the mayor, even John himself are worried he can't protect these Heartstoppers. With a wife and a daughter he doesn't like, John throws everything he has into his job. Teacher, Sandy Crosbie, an emotional wreck--thanks to a straying husband--is too caught up in rebuilding her life. She may not be watching her own daughter, Megan, (one of Torrance's heartstoppers) as closely as she should. We also get to peer into the lives of a number of highschool students who show such a tendency for cruelty that you just have to shake your head. Then there's Kerri, Sandy's husband's new girlfriend, a veteran of so many cosmetic surgeries no one knows where the fake stops and the real begins. And Fielding doesn't stop there. We get to read the serial killer's journal and witness the violence of one of the main suspects for the murders.

HeartStopper is the first of the Fielding books I've read which falls into the category of popular fiction, and she does it with style. I certainly enjoyed the novel. Couldn't put it down.

If all mainstream novels delved into character as well as Joy Fielding does, the landscape of popular fiction would look much different--and I would have to say better.

Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2008 ... Read more

Product Description
As certain people in her life begin mysteriously vanishing without a trace, Chicago prosecutor Jess Koster soon discovers that a shadow from her past--a maniac--is stalking her. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Tell Me No Secrets--Tell Me No Lies
Other reviewers have said that the main character is not very likable. While that is pretty much the case, there are reasons for her social flaws, and as you dig deeper in to the book, some will become apparent.

Joy Fielding is the master (or is it mistress?) of making you guess who the baddies are and making you second guess yourself.Not until the final few pages will you know just what is really happening and who is doing it all.

This book is just about par for the course when it comes to Ms Fielding's novels so buckle up and settle in for an interesting ride.

The characters are vivid, the plot interestingly twisty and some very good courtroom action gives you a fun time curled up in your most comfortable chair.It is a good read as most of her books are.Recommended

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. ... Read more

Product Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of See Jane Run comes the ultimate tale of domestic terror. Joanne's husband leaves her, and her best friend becomes a stranger. Just when Joanne thinks it can't get any worse, the phone calls begin. "You've been a bad girl . . . I'm going to kill you." Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Disgusting
I closed the cover on this book and returned it to the library after finishing only the second chapter. The scene with the eleven-year-old daughter catching her mother in the bathroom was revolting. How can a woman write such disgusting filth? Aside from that, the story in itself (what little of it I read) wasn't even well written in my opinion (as a writer myself). It seemed too light and intending to be amusing, not at all suspense. If this book could have been given no stars, it would have been a more appropriate rating. Disgusting.

The Deep End by Joy Fielding
The Deep End is one of Joy Fielding's earlier works. I love all her books- they are always filled with suspense. This book is no exception.I haven't finished reading it yet, but I'm enjoying the first third...and look forward to the shocker she always has at the end.If you are looking for a great read by Fielding try Mad River Road....

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. ... Read more

Product Description
Now in trade paperback for the first time from Anchor Canada, Joy Fielding's first thriller!

Those goodbye kisses Donna received from her children when ex-husband Victor picked them up for their day's outing with him were for all time . . . forever. Only Donna did not know that, and the memory of her children's kisses on the day they disappeared come back to haunt her, for Victor did not return. Instead, this handsome, twisted man, who had destroyed their marriage and almost destroyed Donna's sanity, vanished with her little boy and girl. And Donna was left with a lover whose love was no longer enough, a new life that had suddenly turned agonizingly empty, and a terror-filled quest to find her children that would take her across the country and beyond the law . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

DISAPPOINTING FIELDING ENTRY
Having read most of Ms. Fielding's novels, I was very disappointed in this earlier work.Maybe if I had started with this one it would have seemed better than it actually was but her later novels were so very tense and gripping that this one just didn't measure up to expectations.As usual though, it was a female in jeopardy with a menacing husband/ex-husband kind of a story which is her main plot line.It was not BAD but if I had my druthers, I would druther have skipped this one.

Joy Fielding
The book looked older than I was expecting, but it was in good condition & I can't wait to read it!

GREAT AUTHOR!
I HAVE READ MOST OF MS. FIELDING'S BOOKS AND THIS ONE WAS GOOD, VERY SUSPENSEFUL, BUT I DON'T THINK IT WAS ONE OF HER BEST. WITH THAT SAID, I WILL SAY THAT IF SHE COMES OUT WITH ANOTHER NEW RELEASE I SURE WOULD GRAB IT.

Prompt service
Wow, you order the book one day and the very next day, the book is sitting in your mailbox. Prompt and speedy service - I like it. I look forward to doing business with you again.

SUSPENSEFUL PAGE-TURNER...
This is a well written novel of suspense. The plot is expertly crafted and well nuanced, keeping the reader turning the pages. With dialogue that rings true, it makes for a riveting read.

The story revolves around a young woman, Donna Edmunds, who works for an advertising agency. She meets a very handsome man, Victor Cressy, at a company party, and he wines and dines her in dramatic fashion, sweeping her off her feet. Finding him to be a fantastic and attentive lover, as well, he is the man of her dreams. When he proposes two months later, she accepts, thinking that she has died and gone to heaven. What she does not know is that she in on her way to living a hell on earth. You see, Victor Cressy is a sociopath.

At first, the change in Victor and their relationship was imperceptible. It began subtly with a question here, a question there, a suggestion here, a suggestion there. It then escalated to demands that had to be met, assertions of imagined slights, rules that had to be obeyed. Victor separated Donna from her old friends and family, until her isolation was total. It finally culminated in a control so complete that Donna, as a person in her own right, no longer existed. The cycle of extreme and profound psychological abuse had attained its goal. The old Donna was merely a memory, as the new Donna was too afraid to say anything, do anything, or opine on anything. Instead, a Stepford wife with two children had replaced her.

In reality, Donna was a woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown, an enigma to all who would meet her, asserting herself in bizarre ways which were only a cry for help . One day, Donna meets a man who recognizes her profound despair and treats her as a human being. She begins an affair with him, which enables her to reach deep into herself and come to terms with her life and her marriage. She asks Victor for a divorce and custody of the children.

The court scenes for the ensuing divorce and custody action are wonderfully drawn, as they are the setting for explaining the deterioration of the marriage. The points of truths in their respective accounts are told from different perspectives in a three dimensional, well fleshed narrative that is tautly drawn. One gets a very definite sense of the psychological horror of the marriage and the reason for Donna's almost total annihilation of self.

The divorce is granted, but she retains custody of the children. Donna soon finds out that even though she won, she lost, just as Victor had promised. Five months after the divorce, with the visitation arrangements in place, all had been going smoothly. Victor seemed to have adjusted to the situation and, when they met, treated her with civility. One weekend, he picked up the children, as usual, and admonished them to kiss their mother goodbye. It was not until they failed to return as promised, that she realized the import of his admonishment. Victor had merely lulled her into a false sense of complacency. In reality, her nightmare was far from over and was, in fact, just beginning. ... Read more

Product Description
Joy Fielding offers yet another riveting suspense, this time from the point-of-view of a young woman fighting for her life while trapped in a coma. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (89)

A nightmare brilliantly told
The title of my review says it all, there is nothing more to say about this novel.

It is a new storyline, unpredictable, and page turner.
Being an avid reader and writer, I can usually anticipate where a book is going, but this one kept me guessing. The most interesting thing was the perspective. I wouldn't have thought you could write a story where the narrator was in a coma. I liked the perspective. As another reviewer said, it was as if she were a fly on the wall because she was aware and could hear, but couldn't move or see.

I got so caught up in the last quarter of the book, that I couldn't put it down. Fielding combined mystery with intrigue and suspense.

It's a great read and I recommend it for writers to see how a story can be written.

Dont buy. take it out of library.
Glad I didnt buy this one. Started out great but just fizzled out towards the end. Not her best work.

Still Boring
I was very disappointed with this. It's the second book I've read by Ms. Fielding...I'm trying to get a "feel" for this new author in my sphere. (Didn't particularly care for THE WILD ZONE but have to admit I was wowed by the ending.)

From the start in this book, I suspected the suspect. I expected some kind of "twist" to prove me wrong, but was disappointed at the end. The sister was too over-the-top to be believed so it was no surprise that she kinda saved the day. I felt there was too much digressing into Casey's past...details that really did not propel the story or make it more interesting.

Am about to start MAD RIVER ROAD and HEARTSTOPPER. If I'm not satisfied, that's it for me.

Suspenseful
I loved this book.I had no clue how it would end until the last few pages!!!This is a must read! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (51)

Fun Read!
I really enjoyed this book. Yes, you will find yourself aggravated the main character allows herself to be drugged and pushed around like a rag doll. But, you do end up liking her, and are curious how things will resolve. And, I admit, at the end, I let out an audible, "Yesssssssss!" Was sad to see it end.

See Jane Run
Like any Joy Fielding book, this was one you could not put down from front to back. Around each corner there was more suspense. I did not guess the ending and was very suprised at the final chapter. I highly recommend any Joy Fielding book to anyone who loves mystery and suspense.

Excellent book!
I love Joy Fielding. I can't wait for each new book to come out. Even though this isn't a new title - it did not disappoint. Suspenseful, entertaining, quick read - highly recommend.

Loved it
I was drawn into this book from the very beginning.It is very well written and I couldn't put it down, staying up way past my bedtime!I will say I thought it slowed in pace a little toward the end, but I'm still giving it 5 stars because I enjoyed it very much.There were a couple parts where the main character was "this close" to figuring things out only to be pulled back into the mess she finds herself in.Joy Fielding became my new favorite author after having read one of her other novels.I hope to see much more from her in the future!

Excellent suspense throughout, but disappointing ending
Most of the book provides a great deal of psychological suspense as Jane - and the reader - vascillates between what they believe to be real or not. Most of the book forces you to question whether or not you can ever take your own identity, memory, or very sanity for granted.

Once you find out what's really going on, however, the books departs from the psychological horror, loses most of its suspense and intrigue, and begins to follow a far more predictabe woman-in-peril sort of plot. The final two chapters are particularly sudden and somewhat unbelievable.

In my opinion, a more ambiguous ending - or one that leaves us some more room to doubt in Jane's reliability - would have been more interesting and been more effective in impressing upon the readers how subjective reality and memory can be. In turning the book into a thriller with a very clear resolution, the author succeeds in satisfying our curiosity, but is still somehow feels as though she - and we - have taken the easy and overly-simplified way out.

That said, much of the book remains quite an enjoyable and thrilling read, and it is easy to forgive the author the ending when you remember how much you enjoyed getting to it.
It is particularly interesting to re-read the first few chapers and catch on to all the clues that you may have missed the first time around.
... Read more

Product Description
She's searching for the man who killed her daughter.But will he find her first?

In a novel that grips like a waking nightmare, master storyteller Joy Fielding creates a searing examination of a horrifying crime, the limits of the law, and a woman's terrifying journey into a killer's twisted mind.

In one tragic afternoon everything changed.Until then, Gail Walton had considered herself lucky.With a successful husband, two daughters, and a house in the New Jersey suburbs, Gail lived a safe and predictable life.Then the unthinkable happened: her six-year-old daughter Cindy was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered.

Consumed by grief and rage, Gail has retreated into herself.Her family and friends fear she's losing her grip on reality.The police warn her to let them handle the investigation.But not one of them knows the truth: that Gail has a description of the killer, a plan to set herself up as a decoy, and a room in a run-down boardinghouse.And Gail Walton has just bought herself a gun.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Great Book!
I read this book several years ago and loved it. The ending was the best. Too bad our society doesn't give death sentences to murderers
all the time instead of life in prison. The victim received a death sentence. Murderers are given too easy a sentence and one day I hope it will be changed.

Why this book is getting bad reviews I can only think that there are many readers who don't believe as I do. I would recommend this book to all who want
a good book to read.

Interesting, except for a few flaws...
I read "Life Penalty," by Joy Fielding, and found this book interesting enough to give it four stars. I would have given it all five stars, but the story, although reasonably interesting, was less than perfect. Unlike most of the negative reviews, however, I did not dislike the character of Gail. I agree that the lengths she went to in trying to find her young daughter's killer was extreme, yet in a way it could also be understandable. Gail was a mother who was outraged by the senseless killing of her little girl, as most normal mothers would be. In fact, in reading the story, the character interaction gave the essence that Gail seemed to be the only one who was so deeply affected by Cindy's murder. Gail's so-called friends were unbelievably callous at times and I really didn't get the sense that Gail's husband or teenaged daughter were as affected. The story seemed a bit abrupt after Cindy's murder, and it seemed everyone (except for Gail) "got on with" their lives a little too quickly, without much outrage or determination to find the killer. Gail's family and friends should have been more comforting to her, but reading this book, I just had the sense that Gail was grieving alone. Other than these character flaws, I found "Life Penalty" to be a reasonably easy, quick, and interesting read.

Not so good
A book about a woman's obsession.Poorly developed plot -- unbelievable in places and the ending was surprising and disappointing.

Disturbing
This is the first of Ms. Fielding's books I've read, and it will probably be the last.I found the characters to be pushing the envelope of unbelievability, and the plot line was nearly disturbing.While I'm sure the pain of losing a child to murder in unbearable, to me it seemed like the book came very close to promoting suicide and vigilante justice.Granted, the book was written in 1984 and much has changed since then.I just couldn't get past the yucky (for lack of a better word) feeling when I finished the book.

not one of her best....
But, as a die-hard Joy Fielding fan, it was still worth the read. The main character, Gail, did some pretty irratating things, some would call really stupid things, but noone really knows how one would react being faced with the same situation she found herself in, I think Joy did a fantastic job creating the otherwise true-to-life scenario. this was my least favorite book of hers, but I am not sorry I bought it. ... Read more

Product 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 (101)

1st Joy Fielding book I've read-Loved it
After reading all of the negative reviews of this book, I had to put in my opinion.This was the 1st of Fielding's books I have ever read, and when finished I (a) sent it to my friend out of state, (b) got on Amazon and ordered more of her books.Was so very happy to find another author to fit my particular tastes.Since reading this book, I am well on my way to reading everything and find her an excellent choice to entertain and thrill.

To describe this novel --it is like wearing a blindfold, turning around and around and then ripping off the blindfold.You are dizzy and stunned, but eventually figure out where you are and you love the feeling.

Could not even get half way on this one
And I am a Joy Fielding fan.The protagonist in Whispers and Lies is such a dang numbskull I just could not stand reading to the end to find out what happens to her.I think she is a few sandwiches short of a picnic, and a moron to boot.I could not relate to her on any level and certainly could not sympathize with her.

Not a book that would create a Joy Fielding fan
I picked this up off a resort bookshelf when I needed something to read that could be read without much concentration.I had no experience with Joy Fielding's books, nor do I read many mysteries.I am interested to read reviews that claim this author has written some compelling books, because this was fairly sophomoric and inane.Loose ends like crazy, main events that were absurdly unbelievable,unrealistic characters and a final plot twist that came off as a desperate attempt to make something out of nothing--plus the book is poorly written. Perhaps this author has reached a point where her fans will read anything she writes, good or bad?I assume this book was left at the resort because it wasn't worth taking back home.

Prompt service
Wow, you order the book one day and the very next day, the book is sitting in your mailbox. Prompt and speedy service - I like it. I look forward to doing business with you again.

Excellent Page Turner - Unpredictable Ending
Finally, a thriller with an unpredictable ending and one that does NOT have everything tied up in a neat little bow. I've enjoyed all of Joy Fielding's books, some more than others and I include this one at the top of my list.

I highly recommend this book, if you are looking for a thriller that doesn't give away too much and doesn't string you along with a red herring. ... Read more

Product Description
Ever since she was a child, Julia Carver has tested her mother Cindy's nerves and tried her patience. Forever willful and self-absorbed, Julia, now twenty-one and an aspiring actress, moves back home when her father remarries -- and turns Cindy's household into chaos. But when Julia doesn't return after a promising audition with a Hollywood film director, Cindy knows it's more than just typical Julia dramatics -- and a frantic search begins. Now, secrets are revealed, lives are forever altered, and Cindy is forced to acknowledge the disturbing truth about the daughter she realizes she never really knew. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (57)

LOST IN LOVE
Ok, so it wasnt the best book I ever read, but i did enjoy it. I found this book at goodwill for 25 cents so I dn expect much. But I really found myself engrossed. I thought the writing was at a high school level, she had so many oppertunities to really choke u up with a "who did it" nail biter but she blew it. I was so disappointed in the terrible end. Julia's charachter really irritated me. And the way she treated her mother? She needed slapped. I did however find myself engrossed and dying to know what happened to her daughter. Dont look forward to a good suprise ending. Still a fun read.

She's Lost?What a break!!
I'm just to page 78 and I am already tired of this book.When is Julia expected to grow up? She's 21 for pete's sake.Cindy get's an award for the most ditsy mom.
Agonizing over a 21 year old that stayed out all night without calling and allowing her 18 year old daughter to live at home with her boyfriend.

When I was 21 I had been married for 3 years had 2 children by choice and stayed married to my husband faithfully until he died. I know this is not your average story these days, but is everyone as dysfunctional as Ms Fielding portrays?

Only my time is invested in books as I use the library exclusively or receive books from friends.

Disappointed as well
I always enjoy Joy Fielding's books for a light read. I didn't care for this one, though. As a couple other reviewers already said; after reading about halfway through the book it wasn't hard to figure out what the ending would be. There was a lot of useless info; I felt like there were a lot of pages but not a lot actually happened. Basically it was hashing and rehashing of the relationship between an overly worried mother and an overly self-centered daughter. If you like Joy Fielding, stick with her other books. I'm glad I only got it from the library, but I was so disappointed in it that I had to do a review of it here. I'm not surprised that so many others have the same opinion.

AVERAGE FIELDING BOOK
We are all dysfunctional in our own way so don't judge this too harshly. The back and forth between mother and teenage daughter is painful, but anyone who has raised teen girls can attest that it can get brutal at times.This is a page turner because you care what happens, but not much does, so the book becomes just an average read.Borrow from the library or from a friend and don't purchase--not good enough to keep and re-read in a few years.

Do not waste your time
I definitely should have listened to the negative reviews & not have wasted my time reading this terrible book.It was not suspenseful, as the back cover would lead you to believe, the characters were not likeable & the ending (that I ended up skipping to with 100 pages left) was absolutely ridiculous & will even make you mad.This will go in the garbage, since I'd be embarrassed loaning it to someone else. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

If you can get past the ick factor....
you will like this suspensful story.Although by reading the back cover excerpt you certainly can get the impression that this is going to be a "closed case" as the book is all about a lady who shoots a total stranger in the lobby of hotel.When confronted by her daughter, the mother clams up and wants to plead guilty.Now you really know that she is hiding something from her estranged daughter who happens to be a lawyer.The daughter lawyer who resents her mother for the way she was treated growing up can't help herself and starts digging into the mystery of who was the total stranger that her mother shot in cold blood.Once she starts digging, each layer is revealed and somewhere along the line the ick factor comes in.Some people might not like this book because of the ick factor but since we live in such a crazy world and I have watched all the crime drama shows on TV, I was surprised by the shocking revelations but not disgusted as some of my co-workers were.I think this another great read by one of the masters of suspense.

A Fun Ride
This is from a guy.Actually, I liked the book.I listened to it and thoroughly enjoyed it.Yeah, I yelled at her a dozen times that she was being stupid and a teeny-bopper, but I still enjoyed the read/listen.I am a lawyer and the way she reacts as a lawyer is quite realistic, but being a guy I cannot tell you if her swoon over her ex is real or contrived (it feels a bit much to me).I found the gimmick of the ancient business cards a bit -- well -- gimmicky.Still, all in all, enjoy the read read or, better yet, listen to Hick's reading of it.

Another Treat From Fielding !
I have now read several of Fielding's novels. Some of her earlier work remains among my favorites, while "Whisper and Lies" (see my reviews) has one of the best endings of most books I have read. Anyway, "Puppet" was a hard one to put down, I read it in one sitting. Ms. Fielding always guarantees a page turner, and this one didn't disappoint in that regard. As usual the author also almost always presents us with a great ending as well, this ending was more than interesting to say the least, however, a little peculiar for most tastes, hence the four star rating instead of the five. I still love you Joy! Next up...Heartstopper.

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. ... Read more