Ties That Bind: A Thriller

by Natalie R. Collins

Natalie CollinsTies That BindIn her acclaimed thrillers, Natalie R. Collins reveals the secrets that lurk in every town, the darkness that lies in every heart, and the ties that bind every family—till death…The first victim is found hanging from a tree in her backyard. A popular cheerleader in the small town of Kanesville, Utah, she appears to have committed suicide. As does the next girl…Then comes a third death, and a growing suspicion that these are not suicides at all. Police Detective Samantha Montgomery has seen her share of tragedy back in Salt Lake City—but this is different. This is methodical, planned, perfectly executed. This is the work of a serial killer.Visiting Detective Gage Flint knows Sam from her Salt Lake City days. After a brutal case left her traumatized—and Gage broke her heart—Sam decided to return to her hometown, never thinking she'd have another chance to work with Gage…or that another case would hit so close to home. The deeper she digs into the murders, the more she uncovers about her own family's past. Somehow, the two seem connected—and Sam could be the next target of a killer's obsession…

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2012

About the author

In her acclaimed thrillers, Natalie R. Collins reveals the secrets that lurk in every town, the darkness that lies in every heart, and the ties that bind every family--till death...

Natalie R. Collins has ten published books, has worked as a ghostwriter on several other books, and is currently working on revisions for her fourth book with St. Martin's press, as well as a YA, her first. She has dabbled in both dark suspense and cozy mysteries, and is happy to be able to work in both genres. She has written for Penguin Putnam, Thompson Gale, and still currently has a contract with St. Martin’s Press. She spent five years as an editor at the Sundance Film Festival, has worked in journalism, and is currently working to get her degree in graphic design.

Natalie also has three books, TUTU DEADLY, TAPPED OUT, and POINTE AND SHOOT, published by Penguin Putnam (Berkley Prime Crime), under the name Natalie M. Roberts. The Jenny T. Partridge Dance Mystery Series chronicle the adventures of an erstwhile dance teacher in Ogden, Utah, and her many adventures with pyscho dance moms.

Her critically acclaimed WIVES AND SISTERS received excellent reviews, including one from Kirkus, calling Collins “…a talent to watch.” New York Times Bestselling author, Allison Brennan, said of BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, "Intense, suspenseful…page-turning."

Publisher's Weekly said of TWISTED SISTER, "In this solid sequel to Sisterwife....Roberts pulls off a thought-provoking puzzler."-- Publishers Weekly

Reviews

[Suspense Magazine]

This stand-alone mystery thriller takes places in Utah, so of course it deals with Mormons. But it also deals with their social and cultural issues from the vantage point of an author who grew up in that faith, which is what made this such an interesting read for me.

The sleuth, a police detective named Sam, is the first woman detective in the history of the small town of Kanesville, where she grew up. She has a hard enough time being a female in the male-oriented society, rife with overt sexists. But she’s also dealing with old family problems, the death of her sister when she was a girl. Her grief, still very much alive, manifests itself as eating and sleeping problems. Detective Ray Jones, her partner nicknamed D-Ray, is a good friend to have, her only ally on the force.

A series of deaths by hanging eerily echo the suicide of Sam’s sister so many years ago. Evidence is found however, that throws these recent verdicts into doubt. Not everyone believes—or wants to admit—that a serial killer is operating in the tightly controlled community, but Sam does. She also knows it’s up to her to figure out exactly what’s happening.

Collins’ other books deal with the Mormon culture also, but they are not part of a series except in a loose sense—no recurring sleuths. The author gives us a riveting read and a glimpse inside a culture I know so very little about. I’ll bet you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did.

Reviewed by Kaye George, author of “Smoke” for Suspense Magazine

[Carmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was fine for what it was - a crime thriller with a bit of romance thrown in. I didn't get too excited about it, though, mainly because I felt so ho hum about the whole thing. A new cop, trying to fit in like a square peg into a round hole. An old "friend" who she must resist or... I don't know. Life will end as we know it? Nope. A series of murders with various twists and yada yada yada. I was bored. There was no character development. No huge surprises. I felt as though this book was just like a hundred or so other books that have been written using the same formula, just changing names, places, and types of murder.

* I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads.

[Peggy Tibbetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

After six months on the job, Detective Sam Montgomery was having second thoughts about the dubious honor of being the first woman detective in Kanesville, Utah. Having fled a relationship and a case gone bad in Salt Lake City, her hometown provided a safe haven – or so she thought. Until another teen died, the third in a string of recent teen deaths that appeared to be suicides. What really gets the young detective’s attention is that all the teens died the same way her sister, Callie died when Sam was only six years old. Her own hunch that the deaths are somehow connected, even after all these years, terrifies her. When the next victim is a member of her own family, Sam knows there’s a serial killer on the loose. But in order to solve this case, she must re-live the death of her big sister over and over as she comes to terms with her mistakes in the past. Natalie Collins, the Queen of Mormon thrillers, captures readers yet again with “Ties That Bind.” Gripping, psychological suspense combined with a chilling murder mystery and a hint of romance to spice things up is the best recipe for scrumptious reading. But watch out – the ending will reach out and grab you.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha Montgomery has returned to her small Utah hometown as a police detective. When several kids apparently die by hanging themselves, Samantha and the other police begin to think there is more to it than simple teen suicide. When post-mortem pictures of the kids show up on a computer at the high school, they are sure a killer is at work. And Samantha is also dealing with ghosts of her past which haved been stirred up by the suicides. When a man from her past enters the investigation, Sam may have more than she can handle.

This was a good book. The interconnected story and insight into Mormon culture were interesting. Sam is a complex character with a whole set of baggage she needs to deal with. Despite her personal problems, she is a good cop and I could not help but pull for her. There are enough clues to solve the crime but it was not completely obvious.

[Jennifer Farr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the story, but I'm not sure I like how the writer portrays my religion. Throughout the entire story I had the feeling that she USED to be LDS and had some bad experience. Now she is writing stories about a community that is predominantly LDS (which I'm totally fine with) but with a VERY negative aspect. Every person Sam comes in contact with has to have a hidden "superior" agenda. Not one person in that town didn't have a hidden agenda? It was an interesting story where I picked the murdered out fairly early in the book, and I would have rated it higher if I hadn't felt like the writer had an axe she was grinding.

[David Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the Goodreads first-read giveaway. A chilling tale of murder and family secrets. This book didn't blow my socks off, but it really held my interest throughout. Like all things, religion shouild be used in moderation.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t normally write reviews, but for some reason I’m compelled to on this one.

I found the overall story intriguing relating to the crime and the culture, but I did not care for the main character, Sam, or her weird relationships.

First, I really found her to be really whinny about everything. I love Gage, I hate Gage, blah blah blah. I didn’t find her relationship with him at all interesting. She blamed everyone else for her problems instead of taking a good look at herself.

And I have no idea how their relationship even formed. In the beginning, you read that they never had an sexual relations, but that they only went out to dinner. From the readers view point, is one date enough for him to fall madly in love with her and then remove her from a case where she turns around and transfers? And how did she end up with his shirt? To me, this just doesn’t make sense/seem believable.

D-Ray. I thought he would have a larger role in the book, but sadly didn’t. Why was Sam always such a bitch to him? I just don’t get this girl.

I guess my overall assessment of the book is that I think it’s inconsistent. I thought there were things mentioned that either didn’t need to be or acted as just filler. Near the end of the book, Sam’s confronting her Dad in the cemetery and mentions that he tried to kill his niece. No mention of this anywhere else- is this a typo? Was it suppose to be granddaughter? And why was there no mention of an explanation as to why he murdered one and then stopped for 20 years? How did he kill the mother? And why didn’t that bring up any additional investigation?

[Bonnie Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mystery interestingly set in Utah with every character being Mormon or having been raised Mormon, and they range from fanatically devout, to Johnny-average LDS, to emphatically apostate.

This book isn't a lot of steps up from okay; aside from the Utah/Mormon angle (which was thoroughly interesting), there wasn't a lot fresh or different to set this apart from every other suspense/mystery out there. What's more, the heroine, Sam, is unlikeable to the extreme. She's sullen, has absolutely NO sense of ha-ha, disdainful, scornful, suspicious, has a chip on her shoulder the size of an anvil, and on top of everything has a mysterious eating disorder that's only accounted for in the vaguest possible way (which served which plot point I am still perplexed by, incidentally). Beyond all that, Sam's a compulsive runner who is described as skeletally thin with dishwater-limp hair...yet the hottest dude in the book is hot for her.

Why? Why, Gage, whhhhyyyy?

A book has to really stink to get only 1 or 2 Stars and this one hardly dipped down to *that* level, but....Sam did. Sam is a 1. A 0, actually. The rest of the book? 3 Stars

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually own this book in paper back, but the print was putting me off reading it. When I found that my library had a copy on Kindle, I was all over it. I enjoy this author a lot and appreciate her Mormon background that permeates her books. She writes what she knows and that makes for some fascinating page turning reading material.

[Debbie Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, kind of ordinary. Couldn’t really get into the characters. Murder, mystery and romance, pretty predictable.

[Supernova · Rating 1 out of 5]

One sexual scene, many sexual discussions, and a pervasive sexual theme.

[Tammy Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read with lots of potential left on the table - sorry for the cliche, but it illustrates the main weakness of the novel: too many cliches. Which is too bad, because the plot works and the setting is intriguing - who doesn't want to know more about the inner workings of the Morman Church? But the characters say and do things we've all seen before. These are like old friends mashed up in a new scenarios. We look forward to getting to know them, only to realize we already do. That said, it's a fast read, entertaining, and I was kept intrigued to the end. I would read this author again.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Natalie R. Collins is adept at creating likable characters that are deeply flawed and have complicated histories, the plot of this particular novel isn't as believable as those of her other novels. I liked the story, but had an issue with the ending. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that the guilty party or parties, to me, would not have been physically capable of committing the crimes.

[Erin Dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in one of the goodreads giveaways. I just could not get into the book. I was so turned off by all the Mormon stuff. The writing was good, this book was just not for me.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in the workings of the Mormon church, LDS,, you'll like this book. I'd actually give it 3 1/2 stars if there were 1/2 stars. It was a good book, just not exceptional.

[Jessica H · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the ending had a respectable twist, any character outside of the main character seemed under developed. The "relationship" was not believable and rushed. An ok read but easily put down.