Veena’s review of Taken by Dee Henderson
Christian Romantic Suspense published by Bethany House Publishers 28 Apr 15
Dee Henderson writes stories that grip my emotions and squeeze them tight. I am not Catholic or even super religious, but I really enjoy her conversations with God, and, in an odd way, they help restore my own faith in a greater power in the universe. This story moves quickly from the moment Mathew Dane finds Shannon Bliss sitting on the floor outside his hotel room. As he quickly and efficiently goes about the process of proving her identity, my adrenaline was spiking, along with the characters’ whom he brings into the early stages of the story.
Shannon is a delightful character. Her faith and perseverance amaze me. She survived against all odds and the few facts that the author lets drop are horrific, such as the incident when she’s dropped overboard to sink or swim. In some ways I am so glad that we don’t delve into her diaries but only experience them secondhand through Mathew’s pain.
Mathew has had his own share of challenges when his daughter was kidnapped and then eventually, after his ceaseless searching, she was ultimately restored to him. His experiences make him perfect to help Shannon reintegrate into her family and the world that his continued to move forward during the years of her captivity.
This is a stand-alone book and yet it incorporates some of the characters from Ms. Henderson’s previous books. Paul Falcon, the FBI director, continues to be stalwart as he takes the key role in helping to bring the Jacoby family, who kidnapped and held Shannon hostage, to justice. His wife Ann and their friends, Charlotte and Bryce Bishop, who become instrumental in befriending Shannon and providing their friendship to both Mathew and Shannon to help ease Shannon’s journey. We even get a brief glimpse of Rachel O’Malley.
Perhaps it is inevitable that the story lead to a light romance between Shannon and Mathew, considering he is widowed, even if he is a lot older than she is. He’s her anchor in a stormy sea, so the fact that she sees him as her future is somewhat inevitable. As the story started, I had thought Mathew would take on a role more like John holds in Charlotte’s life, but all’s well that ends well.
While the story leaves the reader breathless as one surprise after another is unveiled, I feel a bit cheated on not truly understanding why Shannon was kidnapped in the first case. Mathew offers his conjecture many times, but I don’t feel that I got proper closure here. Perhaps I do like my i’s dotted and my t’s crossed.
It’s a great book with great pacing. Ms. Henderson continues to be on the top of my buy and TBR lists.
Grade: B
Summary:
An investigator who knows tragic loss firsthand,
and his new client, missing far too long…Abducted at the age of sixteen and coerced into assisting the Jacoby crime family, Shannon Bliss has finally found a way out. She desperately wants to resume some semblance of normal life, but she also knows she has some unfinished business to attend to. She might have enough evidence to put her captors behind bars for a very long time.
When Shannon contacts private investigator Matthew Dane, a former cop, to help her navigate her reentry into society, he quickly discovers that gaining her freedom doesn’t mean her troubles are over. If the Jacoby family learns she is still alive, they’ll stop at nothing to silence her.
If justice is to be done, and if Shannon’s life is ever to get on track again, Matthew will need to discover exactly what happened to her–even if it means stirring up a hornet’s nest of secrets.
