Lost and Found

by Clair M. Poulson

For months, a striking young woman has traveled alone through the western United States, working at diners, cleaning hotel rooms, doing whatever odd jobs she can find. None have lasted more than a few days. As soon as her employers learn she has no social security number, no identification, and no past except a name she gave herself after waking in a hospital in New Mexico, Coleen Whitman, they send her on her way. Another person is traveling as well, a picture in one hand, a generic FBI badge in the other, a gun under his coat. His journeys leading him along a trail, where each stop yields little more information. Coleen is hunting for the past that has been erased from her memory; and the man is hunting for Coleen because her memory is the one thing, the only thing, that can put him behind bars. When Coleen meets Luke Osborn, she finds a man who might be able to help her discover who she is, a man who, a man who can introduce her to a new way of life. But the tracker is closing in.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Romance, Lds, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Clair M. Poulson was born and raised in Duchesne, Utah. His father was a rancher and farmer, his mother a librarian. Clair has always been an avid reader, having found his love for books as a very young boy.

He has served for forty years in the criminal justice system. Twenty years were spent in law enforcement, ending his police career with eight years as the Duchesne County Sheriff. For the past twenty years Clair has worked as a justice court judge for Duchesne County. Clair is also a veteran of the US Army where he was a military policeman. He has served on various boards and councils during his professional career, including the Justice Court Board of Judges, Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Utah Judicial Council, Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, an FBI advisory board and others.

In addition to his criminal justice work, Clair has farmed and ranched all of his life. He has raised many kinds of animals, but his greatest interest is horses.

Clair has served in many capacities in the LDS church, including fulltime missionary (California Mission) bishop, counselor to bishop, young men president, high councilor, stake mission president, scoutmaster, High Priest group leader, etc. He currently serves as a Sunday School teacher.

Clair is married to Ruth, and together, they have five children, all of whom are married: Alan (Vicena) Poulson, Kelly Ann (Wade) Hatch, Amanda (Ben) Semadeni, Wade (Brooke) Poulson, and Mary (Tyler) Hicken. Between them they have twenty-three children. Clair and Ruth met while both were students at Snow College and were married in the Manti temple.

Clair has always loved telling his children, and later his grandchildren, make-up stories. His vast experience in life and his love of literature has always contributed to both his telling stories to children and his writing of adventure and suspense novels.

Reviews

[Kylee · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot of this book is really interesting - a young woman loses her memory and doesn't even know who she is. Someone is after her and we don't know why. It has a lot of promise, but the actual writing is so flat. The characters are uninteresting, and even up to chapter 4, I kept asking myself if I wanted to stick with it, and finally realized it wasn't going to get any better. The attempt at an LDS angle was cheesy at best. Didn't finish and wouldn't recommend.

[Kaela Batson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of those books that you just cannot wait for it to be over.
Within 2 minutes of meeting each other the couple is head over heals in love. They seem to travel at the speed of light across Utah, Ohio, Kentucky, and other locations. One sentence they are in Kentucky, next one they are in Ohio.
The writing just moves too quickly, there isn't any filler. It is literally the bones of the story. Which the plot is good but it needs meat. I could NEVER recommend this book to any one. Even as a time waster. It just was so blah. And the add of being LDS was so cheesy. Typically I like that. This was weak at best. Mention it here or there and then use it as a way for him to get out of the relationship.
Biancas character felt beyond fake, her roommate was just as bad as her.
Not mention plot points happen and then are completely ignored or totally irrelevant to the story. Honestly the entire Utah drug dealer storyline was unneeded and if taken out would have been much better.
The aunt character was so bad. The private detective was just weird "no one will know its me if I put on a mustache. I am a master of disguises."
I honestly don't know why I kept listening. It was just terrible. Which is a bummer since I love Clair M Poulson's other works. I was excited to listen to this and the plot seemed fun, but it was a waste of time.

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man on a 4-wheeler is chasing a girl on horseback through a sage-brush desert and the horse stumbles. The girl tries to to kick free of the saddle but her foot gets caught in the stirrup and she hits her head on a rock. She lives but loses her memory-who she is, where she's from, what's she has done and why she was riding a horse thru the desert. She ends up traveling around from job to job because she has no social security number, no driver's license, and no way to find out who she really is until she ends up in small Utah town where the sheriff is determined to find out who she is. And who she is proves to be dangerous.

[Ranee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story but I didn't like that the main guy assumed he would automatically dump the girl if she had a bad past. When the aunt FINALLY points out that the church teaches forgiveness (and she's not even a church member) you finally see what I've been yelling at the guy all along. I like the imagery of amnesia & forgiveness, though it's not the same. The jealous secretary and her friend were pretty immature.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worth the read. There were parts that were good and the story had great potential but Luke was an idiot. His 5 year old son was smarter than he was. Coleen deserved better. Bianca’s character was totally unrealistic. This author makes religion such a significant part of the story but fails to develop characters that actually live what that religion teaches and makes them way too full of themselves as they stand on their rameumptom.

[Malinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would classify this as a “soft thriller”- which is just what I like because I’m a wimp. I enjoy thrillers but need to know they aren’t too intense or have a guarantee that nothing too bad will happen. I usually stick to cost mysteries but on occasion a good soft thriller is what I want. Clair M. Paulson writes great soft thrillers. (So does Traci Hunter Abramson.)

[Daisy Dandelion · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mystery about a girl who has suffered from amnesia, new beginnings, suspense, horses, and little romance.
A Mormon romance written by a male author? That gives it a different perspective than what I'm used to.

[Susan Forsgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do to be able to get back all your memories and life from the past?
After a dangerous chase a young girl wakes up in the hospital not knowing who she is or remembering anything from her past life.
She goes on a quest to create a new one.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t normally read books that have a lot of mystery to them. But I was told that I would like this by a friend. I didn’t mind this, but not the typical books I read. However I did like that Luke was willing to give Coleen a chance even after he read and heard the terrible rumors about her.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super cheesy, and it got a bit boring. Lots of action, but the writing was very simple. I'm probably going to try another book by Poulson, but I'm going to look for a newer one that hopefully shows some growth in his writing. (LDS characters, with mentions of prayer, temple marriage, etc.)

[Jamille Parks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book kinda had a slow start, but I was really invested in Coleen and Luke’s romance. You can see the growth of the writing in this book and the story was better than the other two that have read so far.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for the 52 books in 52 weeks reading challenge. I used the 2023 summer reading challenge prompt read a book with the word lost or missing on the cover. It was a real Hallmark movie of a book. A fun read.

[Swhe641200 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read June 2017. Good book. Girl lost memory being hunted by man.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fast paced story was a little predictable but the characters were great. Very enjoyable.

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kevin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Clair's first books I found this to keep me interested through out the story. The love interest's were well thought out and ended as I thought they would finally. A Good read.

[Angieluila Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite. I found the main character too cheesy.

[04rachels · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Lost and Found, a mysterious girl came to town who's name she went by was Coleen. She didn't know anything from her past. Luke Osborne tried to find out who she was. When they did, it wasn't what he had expected.
It needs to be in Duchesne because some of the problems are western and on farms. Those things couldn't happen in the city. They also used cellphones, which in some time periods, others didn't have.
Luke Osborne is a protagonist and really likes Coleen. Coleen Whitman, or Carly Crocket, was a protagonist when she entered Duchesne. Before she lost her memory, people thought that she and her twin sister were drug pushers. They later found out that some of the things were true and some weren't. Vic and Sharps are antagonists. They tried killing Luke. Gil Stedman was after "Carly" and is an antagonist.
This book was really good, but some of the characters really bugged me. Bianca really wanted Luke and tried to get rid of Coleen. Bianca was so cruel to her. That all changed at the end of the book. I didn't like how people were spreading rumors about "Carly" and her twin sister Kyla. I really liked how at the end of every chapter it was a cliff hanger. I really liked it and it was hard to put the book down.
When an unidentified box/letter comes in the mail that has no return address or no name, it's most likely a death threat or a bomb.
I would recommend this book to anybody who likes a good cliff hanger at the end of every chapter. This book was always leaving me antsy and really wanting to know what the next chapter was about. When I read this book, I had to be careful when I thought who was who. Sometimes the people weren't who they really seemed to be.

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coleen Whitman has amnesia caused by a head injury. Since being released from the hospital she has been drifting from place to place, unable to hold a job due to the lack of ID and SS#. When she shows up in Duchesne, UT, Deputy Luke Osborn helps her find a job and a temporary place to stay. There is something about her that makes him want to help her find her identity. As they start inquiring, she meets his 5 year old son and begins to learn about his faith (LDS). However, the inquiries bring a few other people to town. There is definitely something in Coleen's past. The story also revolves around Luke's pursuit of the man responsible for his wife's death 4 years prior. Victor got out of jail after a few months, but Luke is sure he is into other illegal activities. A decent inspirational suspense novel.

[Rachael Dorronsoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a girl who loses her memory, after being chased by someone, she tries to pick herself back up, but with no Social Security and only the name she gave herself, life is really hard for her, she meets a Detective that shows an interest and really wants to help her, but he has problems of his own. This story is another great read, the depth in which the characters have is truly amazing, the author gives you an insight into what it would be like to lose your memory and to not have anything or anyone to rely on. This story leads you through some hard problems and brings you out with a happy ending. This is a clean read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of Clair Poulson's books, except his books for youth (the Samuel series). This was the first one I read, and is probably still my favorite. It's about a woman who has lost her memory, and moves from town to town working as a waitress under an assumed name. She stays in one place only until her employers find she has no social security number, and they let her go. She ends up in rural Utah, and starts to fall for a widowed sheriff's deputy. Her lost memory catches up with her about the same time as events from the deputy's past come to a head.

[Sharee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The love story was pretty cheesy and repetitive. The plot was also predictable - but I knew that going in. My mom buys all these types of books and they are all the same. I still wonder how she can continue to read them over and over. Of course I enjoy a book I can read in one day that is clean and has a happy ending. I am reading the books that my little sister picked out for me and I have several more to finish in the next two weeks. I will let you know how they go.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, he is a good LDS author. I do tire of the characters, in the middle of a tense moment, stopping to think about how much they want to be loved or held by the other person. I think if I was in a tense moment I would be thinking "run, get away, how do I get out of this?" not, "Oh, I am being chased, but I want to be loved and married to samantha." Other then that, his story line is interesting. Not his best book but not bad.

[Kaiti Mccurdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost and Found is a great book filled with adventure, romance and mystery. This book was a great insight to the life of a young woman who lost her memory and is being hunted for something she does not remember. Meanwhile she meets a young detective who will stop at nothing to put his deceased wife's killer behind bars. This is definitely a good book to read full of excitement and many unexpected twists, even a little romance jealousy.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband, daughter and I listened to this on CD. The story was fine and we were certainly interested in hearing the end. I like the "amnesia" story line--having the girl's identity unfold for her as it does for the reader/listener. Hearing the romantic side of the story out loud made it seem a little bit sappy.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The adventure in the book was good for the genre, but I really didn't end up liking the end. I thought the plot twist with the father was unnecessary and didn't make much sense either. It's still an OK read, but I prefer some of his other books much more.

[Janet Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good listening book. This was especially well done, and the plot a little less predictable. Mystery, romance, horses, cops, and rural Utah setting. Checked out of the Blanding library. They have lots of good choices.

[Hilary Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I forgot to write about this book right when I finished. :( I remember I loved the story line -- girl loses memory, finds guy who wants to help her. I didn't like the ending as much as I thought I would; not as dramatic and exciting as it could have been. Good book, though!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

LDS references but not overly cheesy as some LDS media can be. I could, however, totally relate to the attitude of the catty Utah women.

I really enjoyed the pace of the book, the story, and the characters seemed like real people. I think it could've been a little longer, in fact.

[Madi · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book I read by Poulson, and it was a delight! I read it in an evening. A familiar story line, but with a wonderful knew aspect to it that I can't quite put my finger on. Wonderful for an evening at home if you're in for good read!