Reviews

Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer MidWest Book Review

Let me start this review by saying one thing, what a book! Slow at the start, this read picked up with such a pace I had to run to keep up.

The story's main characters are two women, Sara and Belinda, who have been friends since childhood.

Sara is adopted and at the onset of the story her adopted father has died, causing Sara to have a hunger to know who her true parents are. Little did she know that her father, an inventor, was also looking for her. Attending a party given by Belinda, Sara is made very uncomfortable by a drunken man who is following her around. Upon leaving the party, Sara finds the drunken man dead on the staircase and when he is identified she learns, to her horror, he is her father. His untimely death only complicates Sara's quest in her search for her identity, and now she must find answers to the mystery that is wrapped around the murder of her father.

Belinda is married to a wealthy doctor and has been overcome with an unknown illness. Stricken in the prime of her life she battles a foe that is baffling countless doctors. Both women are thrown into a quest to solve a mystery; one the murder of her father, and discovering her heritage, the other, the reason for her debilitating sickness.

It has been a long time since I have been so drawn into a storyline, but this book did it, keeping me up at night reading to find out the answers.

I had to know what was making Belinda so sick, and I had to know who killed Sara's father before she even had a chance to meet him. The suspects were never-ending and each character that you were introduced to seemed to be more guilty than the last. Outstanding!

Here is the good part, the author weaves the two mysteries together in a way you would not believe. You would think, just hearing the storyline, that having two separate mysteries going on would only throw confusion into the story, but somehow the author took you back and forth in the read keeping your interest peaked to the highest on both counts. Great job! That is the mark of a writer who knows their craft.

I was relieved to finally know what had been attacking Belinda's body, and the final outcome revealing the killer of Sara's father was so shocking, I am still surprised thinking about it. I would have never guessed, never! This is one of those books that you don't want to miss. Great storyline, deep shadows of mysteries, adventure, real life drama and very believable characters. Highest recommendation possible!

Brian D. Rubendall
FUTURES MYSTERIOUS ANTHOLOGY MAGAZINE
Review Title: A Daughter's Quest Turns Deadly

"Sara is searching for her father. Unfortunately, she finds him dead in a stairwell. She struggles to discover how her father found her and who would have killed to stop him." - story description

Any adopted child who goes looking for his or her birth parents is attempting to solve a mystery. Such a quest lies at the heart of author Jan Christensen's "Sara's Search." The Sara of the title is a young adult who has spent the previous two years looking for her natural father over the strong objections of her adopted mother. One night at a friend's party, she brushes off a drunken middle-aged man who tries to engage her in conversation. When his dead body is discovered later that evening, Sara is horrified to discover that he is her long lost father.

This opening premise leads to a deepening mystery as Sara endeavors to discover why her father had suddenly tried to contact her and, more importantly, why he was murdered. Events take an ominous turn when a stranger breaks into her apartment and ties her up. Meanwhile, her best friend is fighting a mysterious ailment that is causing her own life to unravel and a sleazy executive at her place of employment begins sexually harassing her. Her mother tries to dissuade her from continuing to delve into her past, but it becomes increasingly obvious that doing so is the only way she will ever be able to find peace of mind.

All of this sounds complicated, but the plot of "Sara's Search" moves along briskly with no wasted scenes or unnecessary detail. The character of Sara evolves over the course of the novel, becoming more sympathetic to the reader with each passing chapter. The supporting characters are well enough defined to keep the reader guessing as to the identity of the killer until the very end. There's enough action to keep the reader engaged, but the book is cozy enough for any mystery lover to enjoy.

Overall, "Sara's Search" is the kind of summertime book that makes an excellent beach companion; one that's crisp, lively and easy to read.

G. Miki Hayden
award-winning author of WRITING THE MYSTERY: A START-TO-FINISH GUIDE (Intrigue Press)

Sara is the type of protagonist we all enjoy--a good person faced with the shock of a terrible murder who will do anything to track down the killer. Jan Christensen is an accomplished writer who sets an utterly believable scene and who draws characters we can really get to know.

Lonnie Cruse
Author of MURDER IN METROPOLIS/Reviewer

"Sarah's Search" is a wonderfully written suspense novel about a woman's search into her past that suddenly casts shadows over her future. "Sarah's Search" touches on issues that concern a great many women. Terrific read!

Babs Lakey
Publisher FUTURES MYSTERIOUS ANTHOLOGY MAGAZINE and editor of DIME!

Jan Christensen has been giving mystery buffs chills with her short stories for years, and her fans will not be disappointed. In this full length tale she juggles eccentric and everyday characters in a masterful intrigue sure to enthrall you, while you flip those pages fast and faster, until the oh so satisfying, intoxicating, end. Christensen's debut novel, "Sara's Search," is a beautiful, shipshape plot to jump start a promising new novelist's career! "Sara's Search"--what a mystery lover's song! Move over Beethoven! Move over Agatha! Christensen has only just begun!