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    Evidence of Life
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    Evidence of Life
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    Evidence of Life
    Ebook350 pages5 hours

    Evidence of Life

    By Barbara Taylor Sissel

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A mother's love. A wife's obsession. And the invisible fractures that can shatter a family . 

    As her husband, Nick, and daughter, Lindsey, embark on a weekend camping trip to the Texas Hill Country, Abby looks forward to having some time to herself. She kisses them goodbye, and thinks to herself that she has it all—a perfect marriage, a perfect life. Until a devastating storm rips through the region, and her family vanishes without a trace. 

    Though Nick and Lindsey are presumed dead, Abby refuses to give up hope. Consumed by grief and convinced her family is still alive, she sets out to find them. But as disturbing clues surface, Abby realizes that the truth may be more sinister than she imagined. Soon she finds herself caught in a current of lies that challenges everything she once believed about her marriage and family.

    www.BarbaraTaylorSissel.com

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin MIRA
    Release dateFeb 1, 2014
    ISBN9781460325315
    Unavailable
    Evidence of Life
    Author

    Barbara Taylor Sissel

    Barbara Taylor Sissel is the author of five novels, including Evidence of Life and Safe Keeping. With heartfelt emotion and page-turning suspense, her stories focus on ordinary families and what happens when they are abruptly confronted with extraordinary circumstances. In addition to writing, Barbara is an avid gardener and the mother of two sons. She lives and writes in a small garden cottage on a farm located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

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    Reviews for Evidence of Life

    3.5/5

    45 ratings17 reviews

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    • 4/5
      What do you do when something you can't imagine happening, happens? How do you continue to go on when you simply can not? How do you have hope when, it seems, all hope is gone? These questions and more are what kept me going with Evidence of Life.

      I was lucky enough to receive an ARC and I will recommend this to anyone that likes a little mystery and a little romance and a little struggling to get through life demands. Another reviewer compared Ms Sissel's writing to Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve. I don't disagree. She (Ms Sissel) has tackled some unusual life issues, signs of Picoult. She has written them with words that just flowed through the pages, signs of Shreve.

      This was my first, but certainly not my last book by this author. She was able to suck me in. I will be looking for more of her stories.

      Look for this one, Evidence of Life to be available March 2013.

    • 3/5
      When I first started reading this book, I thought it would end up being predictable. A fast, easy, but predictable read. I will admit it was a fast read, and it was easy to get through, but it doesn't fit the "predictable" bill that I'd expected it to. Just when I thought I knew exactly what was up and what was going on, the author tossed me a curve ball. I never expected how things would end up turning out!I will say that there were times when I was angry, and even disliked, pretty much every single character. I got frustrated with even the main character, and her support group. You know, the people you're supposed to like and root for? Yeah, they annoyed me on several occasions. But, then just when I thought I'd write somebody off and decide I just wasn't going to like them, something would happen and I'd change my mind. This is actually supremely unusual for me. With most books, if I decide I like a character it takes a lot to dissuade him from that, and the same is true once I decide I'm fed-up enough with a character that they and I are just not going to get along. But this book had me changing my mind several times, running the gamut, a lot of the time right along with the main character. I really did like that about this book, since it's so unusual for me. It's always refreshing when a book can get unusual reactions and emotions out of me.This is absolutely a fun, quick read that will have you on your toes and have you wondering what in the world is even going on and feeling like you absolutely have to keep with it because it's imperative that you know how things turn out, that you finally get the answers you thought you had a moment ago but the curve balls keep ruining.I found there were only two minor strings left untied from the bow at the end of the book, but they're not anything I couldn't deal with not knowing about. As I said, they're minor, but they do exist and I did take a star off for that. I might've given it a 3 1/2 star rating if that'd been possible, but since half stars aren't a thing it only got 3. I did get the important answers, though, and that's what matters.Another thing I knocked a star off for was the way mentally ill characters were treated. So watch out for that, maybe.
    • 5/5
      I just want to start by saying that I absolutely LOVED this book from the very beginning. I enjoyed reading every page that I turned.

      I could only dream of being as strong as the main character, Abby! I admired her strength and refusal to give up! All of the characters were so different from what you normally read and I really appreciated that.

      The author did a great job of writing an interesting twisted mystery. I found myself thinking of what I would do if I were in the situation throughout the whole book. I loved how the book had new twists and turns at every page turn! I certainly didn't expect that particular ending.

      Barbara Taylor Sissel amazed me with her writing abilities and I won't hesitate to pick up another one of her books real soon! I definitely would recommend this book to anyone!
    • 3/5
      It was a good story but too long and a little redundant. Probably could have left out about 25% and still had a good, cohesive tale.
    • 1/5
      The book dragged on, but I thought it must be going to have a good ending, I was wrong. Sorry, that I read it, now. Very disappointing ending.
    • 3/5
      I read this book because I wanted to try this author. The story was full of grief and human nature. Throw in one character who had some mental problems and the story ended up to be a page-turner. The story was not unique, but was worth reading. I respected the character of Jake because he truly cared about what was happening to his mom. I will put this author on my list to read again.
    • 4/5
      Abby's husband and daughter disappear on a camping trip, supposedly washed away by flood waters. As she tries to find out what happened, she feels that her son, her best friend and even the local sheriff are holding things back from her. The hinted-at air of betrayal and menace and the descriptions of the Texas Hill Country add mystery and atmosphere to the story. Frankly, I found this book to be far more intriguing and compelling than "The Girl on the Train" which I read right before it.
    • 5/5
      My rating: 5 of 5 starsThis book was provided for me by Harlequin MIRA and Edelweiss. The book was published in March 2013. This book is a thriller/mystery with just a mild touch of romance. Abby's daughter Lindsey and her husband Nick head off to Hill Country in Texas for a camping trip. Abby is looking forward to a little time to herself. But, when her daughter calls from a gas station sounding scared and crying, and then is disconnected, Abby panics. Heavy rains have fallen in Hill Country causing flooding and people died. All those were eventually accounted for except for Nick and Lindsey.Now Abby is having a terrible time coming to terms with the situation. She falls into a black depression, unable to even function. Her mother, mother-in-law , her son Jake, and her good friend Kate all try to be supportive, but they want Abby to give up hope of ever finding out what happened to Nick and Lindsey. Nick is an enigma. He is a principled lawyer, but is also under suspicion of embezzlement. He had been under a lot of pressure before he took off on the camping trip. The cops seem to be treating this disappearance a little differently even though Nick had been cleared of a all charges. Jake is Abby's college aged son. He and Nick were at odds with each other over Jake's career choices. Jake is so worried about his mother but he is also an enigma. Does he know more than he is telling his mom? This storyline is always absorbing for me. When someone disappears without a trace and the family is left in a kind of limbo wondering if they should move on, but unable to without knowing what happened one way or the other. While Nick's law firm is ready to take measures to move on without Nick and Nick's mother also wishing to have some kind of memorial service for her son, Abby resist taking these measures because it would be admitting they were dead. It would be incredibly hard to give up on your husband and daughter even when the evidence is making it clear that something bad happened and they aren't coming back. Nick harbored many secrets and now everyone is Abby's life seems to hold a piece to the puzzle, but unable or unwilling to help her find closure, while pressuring her at the same time to move forward and start a new life for herself. The story peels back a layer at a time the relationship between Abbey and her husband and the friendship between herself and Kate and the situation with Nick's law firm. The story has an unsettling atmosphere. The weird way people treat Abby, her son's support, then his withdrawal. The secrets Nick had, the police investigation, the reporter stalking Abby, and Abby's flashbacks of her life with Nick and her past with Kate had me riveted. I rarely ever let a book keep me up late at night unable to let it go until the next day, but his one did. I just couldn't stop until I knew what had happened to Lindsey and Nick. The ending is shocking and I never saw it coming. I would recommend this book to lovers of mystery, suspense and psychological suspense. A+
    • 5/5
      EVIDENCE OF LIFE was, literally, a book I couldn't put down. I know authors sort of cringe when the book they labored over for quite a long time is devoured in just a couple of hours by a reader. But, Ms. Sissel, your book is going to stay in my mind for quite a long time.More than a mystery, this story explores a woman's guilt and grief. When Abby Bennett's husband and fifteen-year-old daughter head off to the Texas Hill Country for some camping, Abby's first thought is that she will get some alone time. But when pounding rain and thunderstorms cause flooding and when she gets a mysterious call from her daughter, things change for Abby.Abby is determined to go to the Hill Country to find her husband and daughter. She goes to the home of her childhood best friend which has turned into rescue central and begins her search. When they aren't found and when the sheriff starts asking questions that indicate that her husband's disappearance may relate to some embezzled money, Abby doesn't know what to think.Abby searches long past when others have given up. Her life is falling apart. What makes it worse is that everyone—her son, her best friend, the sheriff, her husband's colleagues—are keeping information from her because they think she isn't strong enough to handle it. Then a name and a fax number on a matchbook cover in one of her husband's jackets leads to answers that she would rather not have. This was an excellent story about a woman who was a homebody, who was quiet, who was not adventurous, finding the hidden strength within her that she needs to unravel the disappearance of her husband and daughter and who grows and changes in her search. While both her mother and mother-in-law are urging her to give up, to hold a memorial service, and to move on, Abby is determined to find her own sort of closure. Just a note: My ARC had book club discussion questions in the back that a reader might want to avoid until after they have finished the book. There are some spoilers there. Thoughtful readers will greatly enjoy this mystery and will love getting to know Abby Bennett as she deals with something no wife or mother should ever have to deal with.
    • 3/5
      While Abby Bennett is initially presented as a character the reader can admire for her strength and her perseverance, the repetitive aspects of the story tend to limit the moments in which the reader is able to connect in a meaningful way with Abby and the situation in which she finds herself. The plot drags on much too long with essentially nothing new happening to move the story forward and, as a result, Abby’s strength seems to dissolve into an annoying stubbornness.Buried in far too many belabored descriptions of Abby’s thoughts and feelings regarding the disappearance of her husband, Nick and their daughter, Lindsey, is one true gem. “Abby began losing time. . . . she would find herself in the barn with no memory of having gone there . . . and she would not know how long she had been there.” Unfortunately, this one true-to-life paragraph is overwhelmed by Abby’s ultimately annoying behavior; by the time the not-very-unexpected reveals occur, the reader has long since ceased to care about any of it.
    • 3/5
      This book does very little to distinguish itself in this genre. A husband and daughter come up missing presumed killed in flooding caused be torrential rain. The wife, Abby goes on a quest to find them with very few twists or turns in the plot, My problems here are threefold. First, Abby and the main characters around her rehash the same information over and over again. ( We didn't tell you this because we didn't want to trouble you etc.) Secondly, Abby sits on obvious clues for a long period of time without following up like when she finds a woman's name, Sondra< and number in her husband's stuff and doesn't think to contact her immediately. I know if my wife was missing and I found a man's number in her stuff I would be on that in a nanosecond. Lastly, Abby ebbs and flows in her enthusiasm to find her family. At one point she is hot on the trail and for no apparent reason decides to go home and get back into teaching with the mystery unsolved. Duh!
    • 5/5
      Evidence Of LifeByBarbara Taylor SisselMy " in a nutshell" summary...Nick and Lindsay...father and daughter...go camping...and just don't return home...hmmm...My thoughts after reading this book...Pretty much this was a book that I could not put down. Not for a single moment...It had everything that makes a book fast paced and oh so juicy good. Innocent trusting wife, unfaithful handsome husband, questionable business practices, best friend betrayal and ultimately a new love interest. Great writing made every aspect of this story come together beautifully. Oh...did I mention a sort of evil mother in law? No? Mentioning it now. Did I mention the innocent trusting wife determined to find out the truth? If I didn't...mentioning that now, too...What I loved about this book...The writing and the pace of this novel were perfect...utterly perfect!What I did not love about this book...It might have been just a touch predictable but it was so good that I hardly noticed!Final thoughts...A delightful sinfully absorbing book. I loved every word!
    • 3/5
      In simple and very clear prose, Sissel does a good job with this suspense/mystery of a missing father and daughter. The mother/wife is naturally beyond distraught and refuses to believe that they are actually dead and this is where the author alternately shines and falls down a little. She does an admirable job with the character of Abby, the breakdown, the refusal to believe they are gone but it also slows the story down a little too much. I think it would have better served the story line had there been just a little less of this. Anyway this is a good solid read, a little predictable but I did want to find out the where did they go and the why, so that to me is a success.
    • 4/5
      The cover is what drew me to the book, and then the bbb (back book blurb) was what hooked me.A wonderful read with twists and turns I did not see coming. The end was a …what the heck Just happened to the ending I was ready for?!?Abby is your average wife and mom sending her husband and daughter off on a camping trip one day and then wondering would she ever see them alive the next.Abby and her husband Nick live in the Texas Hill country and with reports of flash flooding coming in before Nick and Lindsey even leave for the camping trip starts the tension building, you know something is going to happen…but what? Her family is feared lost in the flood, with help from friends, family and law enforcement Abby starts to put together a picture that is not exactly what she was thinking. Does she really know her husband or her friends, or even herself for that matter? This book had one of the creepiest characters, or I should say siblings I have read about in a while, really had me going into “nail biting territory.” A fun page turner that kept me up late into the night.
    • 4/5
      The cover is what drew me to the book, and then the bbb (back book blurb) was what hooked me.A wonderful read with twists and turns I did not see coming. The end was a …what the heck Just happened to the ending I was ready for?!?Abby is your average wife and mom sending her husband and daughter off on a camping trip one day and then wondering would she ever see them alive the next.Abby and her husband Nick live in the Texas Hill country and with reports of flash flooding coming in before Nick and Lindsey even leave for the camping trip starts the tension building, you know something is going to happen…but what? Her family is feared lost in the flood, with help from friends, family and law enforcement Abby starts to put together a picture that is not exactly what she was thinking. Does she really know her husband or her friends, or even herself for that matter? This book had one of the creepiest characters, or I should say siblings I have read about in a while, really had me going into “nail biting territory.” A fun page turner that kept me up late into the night.
    • 3/5
      ARC. A quick, easy read; characters with real flaws that actual people might have to work through. The plot is not unusual, but kept interesting by the author. I'll look for more books by her.
    • 5/5
      FIrst off, I have to give a disclaimer here... I share an editor with Barbara at MIRA books. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this novel, but was not asked to rate or review it.

      I'm not a fan of contemporary mysteries. Usually. But the premise of this novel was so intriguing I felt I had to read it. I'm so glad I did! Barbara does a wonderful job of creating a fast paced mystery at the same time as she is able to create real characters who have flaws but are truly likable. This book kept me guessing, and each time I was SURE I knew what happened, I was wrong! It was a great read. I strongly recommend it.