For Those Who Love Mystery and Suspense!

"desperate measures"
  By Sandra Orchard

Synopsis:

Researcher Kate Adams has finally pinpointed the medicinal plant responsible for tearing her family apart. She's certain that discovering its secrets is her only hope of solving the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her father. Kate will risk anything to find the truth--even her budding relationship with Detective Tom Parker. But more people than she can fathom are after the plants and going it alone just might prove to be a fatal mistake.

Award-winning author Sandra Orchard pulls out all the stops in this breakneck and breathtaking conclusion to the Port Aster series. Fans will not be disappointed by the surprises they find inside.

My Thoughts:

This a romantic suspense that immediately grabs you and pulls you into the story. The elements of drama are strong and carry you away into a strange mystery with the hectic actions.  I had a bit of a problem getting the plot and characters figured out. Sandra Orchard is a new author to me and I had not previously read the first two books in her series, "Port Aster Secrets". I think it would have beneficial to have become more familiar with the characters. It took me a while to figure out who everyone was. It seemed as if the villain appeared very suddenly.

The characters were well developed and realistic. Kate, the main character, was on a quest to reunite with her father who had been missing for twenty years. Her desire to protect the secret, powerful plant by the name of amendoso from Columbia was evident from the beginning of this novel. A detective, Tom Parker, appears on the scene, searching for a missing young man who may or may not be involved  in the mystery of the unusual and perhaps dangerous plant.  You perceive immediately that he is very much in love with Kate. Why was this teen missing? Did he see something that he shouldn't have? Is he really involved with the mystery or is he a simple runaway?? You become immersed in this very different mysterious romance. The characters all become your friends and their enemies become your's .

Thre plot moves quickly , sometimes a bit too quickly for the reader to figure out the new twists and turns. I found myself rereading to make sure that I kept my thoughts straight on the new events occuring. This book is definitely a thriller but does not include the gory details of others. There is suspense on every page, involving attempted murders , kidnapping, as well as espionage. The surprise ending was just that!! A SURPRISE! Not at all what I expected!

There was a strong element of faith throughout the story., involving being able to trust and have faith in others as well as in the Lord. Kate must learn to put her trust in Him, not in the people around her . This theme was clearly evident throughout the book.

Definitely a good read!!

This book was supplied by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing House, in exchange for a fair and honest review.