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Rachel Scott #1
Asylum Harbor
Amber Knowles, a beautiful high school senior and Florida governor John Knowles’s daughter, has everything going for her until she disappears during a cruise to the Bahamas. After an extensive search of the ship SeaStar, it’s clear that Amber has vanished without a trace. When Governor Knowles receives the distressing news, he asks for Rachel Scott’s help.
The teenager’s disappearance represents every parent’s worst fear, and Rachel, founder of Florida Omni Search, knows only too well what losing a daughter feels like. Her three-year-old, Mallory, went missing five years ago. As she works with FBI special agent, Drake Reynolds, Rachel discovers an organized crime ring linked to the cruise line. The last person known to see Amber aboard the ship was an incognito DEA agent, who also has vanished. Where is he? And where is Amber? Finally, where is Mallory?
Traci Hohenstein’s Asylum Harbor draws inspiration from the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in 2005 and delves deeply into the mysteries and suspense of missing-person investigations and organized crime detection. The first in a series, Asylum Harbor introduces Rachel Scott and her team and compels readers to follow Florida Omni Search and all their investigations.
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 20, 2011
132 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Traci Hohenstein
48 books127 followersTraci Hohenstein lives in NW Florida and divides her time between being a beachbum and writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
March 13, 2016
I try to save one stars for the truly dreadful books, but 2 is too generous here. It would have been a decent short story, but there was so much padding added that could have been written by a 12-year-old that slowed it down. Literally every character that was introduced was followed by a 1-2 sentence description of their looks: hair, height, clothes, eye color. Every few chapters the entire story of how Rachel Scott became a finder of lost people was reintroduced as if it had never been brought up before. Continuity problems happened in the same paragraph (I think my favorite was when the detective took out his cell phone to show a witness photographs, then later in the same sentence spread the photos out on the table). The worst part, though, was how every character - and every situation they faced - was a cliche, so it was pretty easy to see where everything would go.
The only redeeming feature is it was short enough to not waste much more time on!
The only redeeming feature is it was short enough to not waste much more time on!
September 24, 2017
Good start
This is a quick easy which kept my attention. It maybe a simple but thats why I like it. Sometimes you just need to read something that doesn't require a lot of thinking.
This is a quick easy which kept my attention. It maybe a simple but thats why I like it. Sometimes you just need to read something that doesn't require a lot of thinking.
July 4, 2012
Nice quick read. The first entry in Hohenstein's Rachel Scott series offers some suspense. But part of the reason that it's a fast read is that it gets a bit repetitive in the second half.
Rachel Scott formed a private search-and-rescue business after her young daughter goes missing. She's retained by the governor of Florida after his daughter disappears from a cruise to the Bahamas. Hohenstein introduces Rachel (although it wasn't necessary to go through the full details of her daughter's disappearance twice, the second version almost a cut-and-paste of the first description).
The groundwork was laid for the series, complete with brief introductions to some of Rachel's team, setting up a bit of tension with law enforcement officials who are likely to appear in later books, and introducing a potential new team member and possible romantic interest.
Good enough to warrant reading the next book in the series.
Rachel Scott formed a private search-and-rescue business after her young daughter goes missing. She's retained by the governor of Florida after his daughter disappears from a cruise to the Bahamas. Hohenstein introduces Rachel (although it wasn't necessary to go through the full details of her daughter's disappearance twice, the second version almost a cut-and-paste of the first description).
The groundwork was laid for the series, complete with brief introductions to some of Rachel's team, setting up a bit of tension with law enforcement officials who are likely to appear in later books, and introducing a potential new team member and possible romantic interest.
Good enough to warrant reading the next book in the series.
March 13, 2015
Rachel founded Omni Search Floria, after her daughter went missing as a young toddler, to help others find missing children and loved ones.
She just finished solving a big case of a missing boyscout in the everglades, when she gets a call from the Governor of Florida about his 18 daughter going missing from a cruise line. Rachel sets out with FBI agents Drake and Phipps to find her. While searching for her they get help from a reporter from the Sun, Stacy and undercover DEA agent, Mike. Rachel is immediately attracted to Mike, which is strange for her because she has never found herself to anyone like him before and he is completely opposite of her ex husband.
This is a quick read with short chapters. You will root for Rachel and her team to find Amber and hope she finds her daughter. The romance is not a big part of the book, but you will still feel the attraction between Rachel and Mike.
She just finished solving a big case of a missing boyscout in the everglades, when she gets a call from the Governor of Florida about his 18 daughter going missing from a cruise line. Rachel sets out with FBI agents Drake and Phipps to find her. While searching for her they get help from a reporter from the Sun, Stacy and undercover DEA agent, Mike. Rachel is immediately attracted to Mike, which is strange for her because she has never found herself to anyone like him before and he is completely opposite of her ex husband.
This is a quick read with short chapters. You will root for Rachel and her team to find Amber and hope she finds her daughter. The romance is not a big part of the book, but you will still feel the attraction between Rachel and Mike.
January 3, 2012
5-Stars. Asylum Harbor is a page-turner with a whirlwind pace. It had me hooked from the first page to the last. Rachael Scott is a well-rounded and sympathetic character—a woman whose child disappeared without a trace. To deal with her grief, she now helps hunt down missing persons, in this case, a high-profile politician’s teenaged daughter, who disappeared from a cruise ship. Was Amber the victim of foul play or did she fall overboard during the night? Chilling suspense, sexual tension (I hope Shawn makes another appearance in the next book), gut-wrenching emotion, all intertwined by a smooth and skilful writing style. I loved every word of Asylum Harbor, and look forward to reading more by this author.
February 18, 2012
The Daughter of the Florida Governor goes missing from a cruise ship while on a after high school vacation. Rachel Scott who runs a private volunteer organization the searches for missing kids is asked by the Governor to assist the FBI and local police in the Bahamas in the search. The investigation turns up disturbing information about the cruise line and crosses paths with a DEA investigation before resolution is reached. A reasonable tale and while not outstanding it was a decent read.
May 17, 2012
Typical genre stuff. There is a young girl, daughter of a rich Governor, who disappears from a cruise. He and his wife call in the heroine who heads a missing persons agency to assist the FBI in locating her. Lots of action, lots of "suspense". Good beach reading.
March 22, 2012
A real
exciting novel set on a cruise ship. Kidnapping and drug happened on the ship. It involved a Governors daughter because of her involvement wiith. a DEA man who was trying to find out where and how the drugs were being stowed on the ship and sent to the U.S.
exciting novel set on a cruise ship. Kidnapping and drug happened on the ship. It involved a Governors daughter because of her involvement wiith. a DEA man who was trying to find out where and how the drugs were being stowed on the ship and sent to the U.S.
January 18, 2012
it is really good
July 6, 2020
If I ever go missing
Rachel Scott is the woman you want trying to find you if you’re missing! With her past looming in the background you would think her skills would be lacking, but that is ultimately what drives her to do the best job possible.
Rachel Scott is the woman you want trying to find you if you’re missing! With her past looming in the background you would think her skills would be lacking, but that is ultimately what drives her to do the best job possible.
May 11, 2017
Good but not great
the basic premise was good but towards the end the story seemed a little chopped up and seemed to end abruptly.
the basic premise was good but towards the end the story seemed a little chopped up and seemed to end abruptly.
July 12, 2017
Good mystery
Good mystery occurring on a cruise ship. Makes me think twice about cruising. A little confusing at times as several agencies worked to solve the mystery
Good mystery occurring on a cruise ship. Makes me think twice about cruising. A little confusing at times as several agencies worked to solve the mystery
January 8, 2022
Very quick read. Set in the Bahamas. Otherwise, meh.
May 24, 2025
Traci Hohenstein
This was a great book! The Rachel Scott character is very interesting. Can’t wait to read the next book! Loved it!
This was a great book! The Rachel Scott character is very interesting. Can’t wait to read the next book! Loved it!
March 9, 2017
Good, easy read!!
I really liked this book because it was centered around the coast. Can't wait to read another one by this author.
I really liked this book because it was centered around the coast. Can't wait to read another one by this author.
February 12, 2012
This is the story of Rachel Scott. Her daughter went missing five years ago and she has been searching for her ever since. On meeting other parents whose children have also gone missing, she decides to sell up her Real Estate firm and set up Florida Omni Search. This is an organisation dedicated to searching for missing children. In this novel Rachel is personally asked by the Governor of Florida to search for his daughter. She has gone missing while on a cruise liner with two of her girlfriends. Thus begins a frantic search to find her before it's too late. With so little information to go on, can they find her?
I enjoyed this, it was a nice easy read, nothing complicated about it. Having read another Rachel Scott novel by the same author - Burn Out - I knew what to expect. I was not let down. The pace started slowly as we were introduced to the various characters but as the search for Amber began in earnest the book took off and left me panting! Amber shone as the victim and Rachel's determintion and drive to find her was admirable. She will stop at nothing to find her own daughter and it is this motivation she uses to find others.
A great book with a great ending. Give it a go - you will love it.
I enjoyed this, it was a nice easy read, nothing complicated about it. Having read another Rachel Scott novel by the same author - Burn Out - I knew what to expect. I was not let down. The pace started slowly as we were introduced to the various characters but as the search for Amber began in earnest the book took off and left me panting! Amber shone as the victim and Rachel's determintion and drive to find her was admirable. She will stop at nothing to find her own daughter and it is this motivation she uses to find others.
A great book with a great ending. Give it a go - you will love it.
July 31, 2013
Rachel Scott is like poor man's Eve Duncan, I'm sorry to say. Throughout the book I found similarities - both lost a daughter, they are both trying to solve the case and they help other people find their loved ones. It's not a bad way to build a story and I liked it quite a bit but there were things that seemed off. For instance, Rachel has a whole team to find missing people but in this story we don't see them working. And a very weird part - Rachel finds a witness, asks her some questions and let's her go. In every cop series the investigators point out how crucial it is to find the person as soon as possible, but Rachel is ready to wait the whole day before she can talk to the witness again. I understand why the FBI agent was so mad at her.
June 26, 2015
I read the prequel novella and book 1 and wasn't particularly impressed but thought the author could improve going forwards so I downloaded this book.
The story is okay Girl disappears on a cruise, ship is being used to smuggle drugs.... The disappointment was the book itself the writing is immature it reads like something you would read from a teenager there were typos bad grammer and silly mistakes. In one chapter Drake gets out his mobile phone to show a witness some photos and lays all the photos out on the table???? I haven't seen that functionality on even the latest smartphones. I got about 10% through and gave up.
I did eventually pick it up and finish it but my rating stands there are a few gripping chapters but overall disappointing
The story is okay Girl disappears on a cruise, ship is being used to smuggle drugs.... The disappointment was the book itself the writing is immature it reads like something you would read from a teenager there were typos bad grammer and silly mistakes. In one chapter Drake gets out his mobile phone to show a witness some photos and lays all the photos out on the table???? I haven't seen that functionality on even the latest smartphones. I got about 10% through and gave up.
I did eventually pick it up and finish it but my rating stands there are a few gripping chapters but overall disappointing
June 10, 2013
This is a new series by Traci revolved around Rachel Scott who runs the Florida Omni Search. In this book Amber Knowles disappears while on a cruise to the Bahamas. Rachel teams up with the FBI to find the missing girl. This story is filled with suspense and action. It is well written and kept me hanging on until the very end to see what would happen. I love how the beginning of the book starts with a chapter told from the missing persons point of view. I would recommend this book to all. I give it 4 stars.
August 16, 2013
I really enjoyed this. It kinda reminded me of a grown up version of The Secret Seven or The Famous Five. There was a mystery to solve, a good clean bunch of people solving it - and a flurry of excitement towards the end. An easy read, enough excitement to keep the pages turning, but nothing too scary to give me nightmares. I downloaded the next book before I'd finished this one so I can get straight to it.
October 11, 2013
Not bad but I think it's aimed at the teen market. Good back story but some repetition and it glosses over some major events in the main characters life. If this is the first in a series I would have thought it would be better to go into more detail to lay the foundation of what maybe to come. Once the momentum started it was a good page turner but then it ended abruptly when there could have been so much more. I've given it 3 stars as it's an ok read.
March 23, 2015
A Good Page Turner.
A good thriller. Believable yet exciting. Lots of twists & turns. A book you can't put down. Don't start reading it if you have other things to do, or you'll never get them done. When you get to the end of the chapter you just have to keep going to see what happens next. I can't wait to start the next book in the series! But I can't start it yet. . . . . .too many things to do!!
A good thriller. Believable yet exciting. Lots of twists & turns. A book you can't put down. Don't start reading it if you have other things to do, or you'll never get them done. When you get to the end of the chapter you just have to keep going to see what happens next. I can't wait to start the next book in the series! But I can't start it yet. . . . . .too many things to do!!
April 1, 2012
I really wanted to like this book, but couldn't raise my rating past 2 stars. Good storyline at first, then it very quickly became repetitive and drawn out. Did I mention that it became repetitive? Rather than read the whole book just read the Epilogue, it basically repeats the whole story but sums it up quickly.
December 1, 2013
I found nothing suspenseful about this book. The story was predictable. By the time I got to the end, I didn't need to read the lengthy explanation given by Shawn/Josh, so I skipped it.
It's competently written, but that's it. None of the characters connected for me and there was no suspense. I'm hoping the next two books are better, or I'll be sorry I bought them all at the same time.
It's competently written, but that's it. None of the characters connected for me and there was no suspense. I'm hoping the next two books are better, or I'll be sorry I bought them all at the same time.
July 12, 2015
I knew I didn't want to go on a cruise
Who would have thought the cruise ships were also drug runners? When the daughter of the governor of Florida accidentally gets involved with an under cover agent...
Throw in a few murders, the DEA, a miraculous rescue and you have a good lazy weekend read.
Who would have thought the cruise ships were also drug runners? When the daughter of the governor of Florida accidentally gets involved with an under cover agent...
Throw in a few murders, the DEA, a miraculous rescue and you have a good lazy weekend read.
January 12, 2012
Although I thought this book was good, I didn't think it had the *pop* that the author's first book, Burn Out, had. Still a good, easy and lite read though and I will continue to read books in this series as they come out.
July 4, 2012
A Kindle Daily Deal at $1.99. And that's about what it was worth! A fairly predictable mystery without fleshing out the characters, based loosely on similar circumstances of the Natalie Hollaway disappearance. If you have a chance to read it - give it a pass!
June 14, 2013
OK book. Not very believable, but entertaining. Ending, which was predictable, was rushed. That being said, I purchased all three books in the Rachel Scott series and I look forward to reading about Rachel & Mike's romance and Mallory's disappearance.
August 12, 2013
Not a very good mystery. The story could have been told in half that number of pages and would have been better for it. If you are in the mood for something that won't stir your grey cells, read it.
November 4, 2015
Follow the life of Rachel Scott who runs a missing persons search and rescue after her three year old daughter went missing. The feeling of accomplishment when finding other children dead or alive, but the disappointment on not being able to find your own. I didn't want to up this book down!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews