I struggled to continue with this book after reading the firest few chapters. The descriptions of the characters seemed somewhat stilted and I didn't find myself connecting with either of the main characters.

The storyline itself had potential but for lack of interest in the character, it was extremely difficult to care about the plotline as well. The complexity of the plot seemed to cause the author problems in trying to resolve all issues and a lot of the time, it just felt as though... it fell flat on it's face.

It was ok - but I'm not going to go out of my way to find her earlier books. ( )

As I hang my head in shame somewhat, I will admit I have put off reviewing this book because I don't relish writing negative reviews. This book is called Doubleback: a Novel of Suspense. To me, it was anything but suspenseful. The author, Libby Fischer Hellman, has written other books (two series' actually) with both of her main characters in this book as the "stars". In this book, she brings them together and pairs them into an unlikely friendship as she describes it. One of the huge problems for me was that the two main characters seemed like the same person. Libby switches back and forth between their voices. Aside from the fact that one has a child and they had different names, of course, I really couldn't tell the characters apart. Another problem was that I did not care for either character. I think this stems from Libby attempting to make them too tough. I believe the author is trying to make her female characters similar to Patricia Cornwell's or Sara Paretsky's lead characters...but for me, it fails. Her leads simply wind up being dull. And what personality they have isn't likeable. Case in point, one of the leads (I don't even remember their names which is unusual..that's how little I felt invested in caring for them), the childless lead let's call her, has amazing sex with a man that she suspects may be on the "wrong" side. About 1/2 hr after their extraordinary encounter, the man winds up getting his head blown off in view of her. She is so detached and uncaring when she moves his body from the road that it made me dislike her intensely as opposed to thinking "wow, she is soo strong". The author needs to work on giving her characters more personality. One can be strong and still have a heart.
Also the plot. Dulllll....had I not committed to reading it for the website, I might have been tempted not to finish it. The author attempts to make a convoluted plotline that starts with a power outtage, hacking into a company, and a kidnapping of a little girl. It evolves into several murders, fraud, drug running, illegal immigration and mysterious going-ons at a military outpost. It is just a mess basically. I think the author was trying to make it complex and it just falls flat. It didn't keep my interest much. I could not wait to finish the book simply so I could be finished with my boredom.
Lastly, "a novel of suspense" really is false advertising for this book. I hate when I figure out who the "bad guy" is, lol, before the ending. That is why I consider Elizabeth George a master of the mystery genre. She keeps you guessing. I figured out the villian ahead of the reveal which, of course, made for an anticlimactic ending also.
Perhaps readers of Libby Fischer Hellmann's other books would enjoy it. For that reason, I gave it a rating of two stars. ( )

I am not typically interested in mystery novels. However, I found this one to be decent. It had enough suspense to keep me interested but I'm not jumping at the chance to read another mystery. ( )

Libby Fischer Hellmann has written a novel of suspense, including kidnapping, bank fraud, drugs, cartels, people smuggling, murder, mayhem, and assorted bad guys.

When little Molly Messenger is kidnapped, and returned 3 days later, her parents are very closed mouthed about the circumstances. PI Georgia Davis and video producer Ellie Foreman are suspicious, and when Molly's mother is mysteriously killed in a car accident, they are on the case. Their search for answers take Georgia to Arizona, where a strange security company seems to be heavily involved.

Cartels, tunnels,people smuggling, and more murders follow, as the ladies refuse to give up.
The answers will surprise everyone.

This is the first time I have read any of this series, and I am not sure I will look for the others. It was somewhat disjointed for my taste, but followers of the series will probably enjoy it.

I received this book from Library Thing Early Reviewers. ( )

I thought this book was okay. There was enough mystery and curiosity to keep me going, but I wasn't enthralled by the plot or the characters. The plot seemed a little stretched, especially when the kidnapping turned out to be a small part of the whole book. The kidnapping aspect was not very exciting at all, and I thought the author was stretching to both explain and expand the storyline, especially the last third of the story. A little too much going on, and the characters were not as believable as I would have liked.

However, it's fine if you read a lot and need to feed your booklust. I may or may not pick up one of her earlier books. If there's a copy lying aroung and I need something, then yes. But I won't run out to get one. ( )