Dead Run

Pastor Rachel Howard is on the run when her car crashes - and she disappears. In fact, her car is missing, too. Nobody knows where she is or if she is even alive, when her sister, Liz Ames, picks up roots and moves to Florida to track her down.

The two had become estranged but Liz still loves her sister and worries that not enough is being done to find her. She opens her therapist office on a main street in Key West and goes about investigating. I am imagining that she has adequate savings to sustain herself while she builds a practice and hunts down leads.

One of her first roadblocks is in the form of the police. The detective in charge prefers the belief that Rachel simply ran off. She had been acting oddly in the days before her show more disappearance, and nobody seemed to know why. It was easier to think she had just given it all up and run away.

Liz knew her sister. One thing she knew for sure is that Rachel would not give up her belief in God. Nor would she willingly give up caring about her congregation.

In her quest, Liz meets the police detective, Val, and his buddy Rick, who now owns a bar. She learns about Rick's tragic past, which led him away from detective work. The two seem to hit it off and start to work together to find Rachel.

There are twists aplenty, taking us down many a rabbit hole. Overarching it all is the God aspect. This is clearly a book for Christian believers. Although there is still a story there and no miracles (the sisters would dispute that), the religion part of it was a turnoff for me. show less

I don't remember when I bought this book, but it is a quick enjoyable read. If you like murder mysteries, with a touch of satanism you will probably enjoy this. You will probably figure out who the killer is before the characters in the book do, but. It is written well enough that you will still finish the book, to find out all of the how's and whys, and like me be surprised at the depth of deceit and infiltration the killer has amassed. I will be seeking out other books by this author, and recommendations?

I enjoyed this more than the Spindler I read right before it. It was okay and the heroine was believable. That doesn't mean I like her, but I believed she could exist. It was annoying having to read the same conversation a billion times. And I did not buy Val's character at all, or actually the whole Satan worship thing. Okay, I'm talking myself into 2 1/2 stars instead of 3. And I think Spindler needs to find a new editor. There were some very bizarre sentences in the book. And something about the "original Cuban inhabitants of Key West," which was confusing. I did some reading on the history of Key West, so I know what she meant, but it was not well formulated at all. I'm picky, I know. Défaut du métier!

I have read most of Erica Spindler's books and have enjoyed almost every one. I don't know what she was thinking when she wrote this one. I just couldn't get in tune with the characters. I thought Liz and Rick had no chemistry at all. I did find the ending to be exciting and was surprised to learn who one of the killers was. I thought this book was not as well written, or researched as some of her previous novels. I just didn't enjoy the story. I have never really enjoyed novels that have aspects of religion in them and that could be why I couldn't get into this novel.

When Rachel Ames - a pastor living in Key West, Florida - mysteriously disappears after leaving a desperate phone message on her sister's answering machine - Liz Ames travels to Key West to search for her. Within a few days of Liz's arrival, the area is rocked by the suicide of a successful businessman, another disappearance and the ritualistic murder of a teenage girl who Rachel was counselling. Frightened for her sister's safety and well-being, Liz teams up with a former Miami cop - Rick Wells - to uncover the dark and deadly secrets that are poisoning paradise.

This is the first book of Erica Spindler's that I've read and I must say that I really enjoyed it very much. I will certainly keep her in mind as an author for me to read again show more sometime. I give this book an A! show less

I read this book but was unable to complete it. It was a totally disjointed story. The characters were not well developed and it felt as if she was trying to throw in some action that she was uncomfortable with. It got to be too much trouble to finish. I would not recommend it. It is, however, the only one of hers I had ever read, so I did read another one of her books. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy that one either. Sorry, but this is not an author I would persue adding to my collection.

When Rachel Ames disappears after leaving a strange message on her sister''s answering machine, Liz Ames heads to Key West to find out what''s happened. With the help of a former cop, she begins to uncover an evil that they may not be able to escape, even at a dead run.