Review – Shadows on the River

Fourteen-year-old Ally Roarke witnessed a horrific murder. When she came forward to tell others that Larry Fremont, one of the most popular and wealthy boys in the town pushed her best friend off a bridge, no one would believe her story and Larry was never tried for his crime. Many years later, Ally discovers that Larry may have killed again. But Ally is not fourteen any longer and she can’t let Larry get away with murder again.

Ally, though wanting to do the right thing, is fearful of facing the powerful Fremont family after all this time. She might be a successful and respected boat designer as well as a mother of a ten-year-old daughter, but Ally finds herself dreading the confrontation. Enter fellow designer, Mark Bishop, who is more than willing to help Ally face her past and face her reasons for turning her back on God.

Linda Hall’s books hold such wonderful characters and Shadows on the River is no exception. They are emotionally scarred, yet so real and vivid you invest all your energy and emotions into their lives and want them to succeed. She also paints such intense scenes with her descriptions that you feel like you are present. She combines all of this with suspense plots that are creative, not easy to solve and keep you turning the pages.

Hall’s books have the power to grab you from the first page and keep you reading regardless of what’s going on in the world around you. The only thing I do not like about Hall’s books is that I find myself at the end of the book long before I want to get there. The good news is she keeps writing more of them so I can delve into the pages and get wrapped up in her characters again.