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Mordecai Young #1
Thicker Than Water
It was called a haven for runaway teens. In truth, it was a nightmare, one that ended in fiery violence sixteen years ago. Or so its survivors believed...
Syracuse news anchor Julie Jones is afraid. Her long-dead past was resurrected when a blackmailer threatened to expose secrets that could destroy her. Then the man was found dead - his throat cut with a knife from Julie's own kitchen. Now a new, faceless enemy wants more than money. This time Julie stands to lose the most precious thing of all - her teenage daughter, Dawn.
Julie finds herself with one unlikely ally, Sean MacKenzie. A journalist with a flair for the sensational, Sean covers the worst humanity has to offer. Julie Jones is hiding something that terrifies her, and he's determined to find out what. He just can't decide whether his goal is to expose her or save her.
Julie will do anything to protect her daughter. But someone else is watching, willing to do whatever it takes to avenge a past that cannot be forgotten.
Syracuse news anchor Julie Jones is afraid. Her long-dead past was resurrected when a blackmailer threatened to expose secrets that could destroy her. Then the man was found dead - his throat cut with a knife from Julie's own kitchen. Now a new, faceless enemy wants more than money. This time Julie stands to lose the most precious thing of all - her teenage daughter, Dawn.
Julie finds herself with one unlikely ally, Sean MacKenzie. A journalist with a flair for the sensational, Sean covers the worst humanity has to offer. Julie Jones is hiding something that terrifies her, and he's determined to find out what. He just can't decide whether his goal is to expose her or save her.
Julie will do anything to protect her daughter. But someone else is watching, willing to do whatever it takes to avenge a past that cannot be forgotten.
386 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published November 1, 2003
108 people are currently reading
1600 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Shayne
257 books2,574 followersI live in the teeny, tiny town of Taylor, NY, (Alliteration Alert!) though my mailing address is Cincinnatus, my telephone exchange is Truxton and I pay taxes and vote in Cuyler. All of these are at least in the same rural county in the southern hills of New York State; Cortland County. There are more cattle than people here. The nearest “big” cities are Syracuse and Binghamton and they are an hour away, in different directions, and not really all that big by most standards, though they both seem humongous to me. I look out my window to see rolling, green, thickly forested hills, wildflower laden meadows and wide open blue, blue skies. My road is barely paved. The nearest neighboring place is a 700 acre dairy farm.
My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.
No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)
That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!
And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)
Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.
Glory is not amused.
She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.
My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I
My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.
No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)
That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!
And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)
Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.
Glory is not amused.
She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.
My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
November 14, 2013
It's only getting a 3 because the author actually did a great job with the romance. Other than that some of the things that happened were just unrealistic.
August 11, 2017
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars
So, the truth is, this book is definitely no Brown and de Luca , and our heroine was definitely not as much fun as Rachel de Luca had been. Obviously, it's a different book, and a different series, written at a different time--practically ten years prior. But I can't deny that I had my hopes. Sleep with the Lights On was fun and eerie and fast-paced and extremely entertaining.
Thicker Than Water had promise and loads of potential--the story premise is intriguing, the characters were great... well, some of them were. And while the beginning of the book was kind of rocky--dialogue felt a little stilted, events seemed kind of incredible, and back story might have been a bit rushed--the first half of the book found its footing and progressed at a wonderful pace.
But then, we hit about halfway into the book, and everything sort of plateaus. I mean, sure, a lot of important events start happening, but I couldn't help but feel that Julie's stubborn reluctance to confide in Sean about her secrets, even after everything that has happened, made the story drag out a bit. I get the noble "this is my problem and I will deal with it" schtick that a lot of us love to call Noble Idiocy; Julie is motivated to keep her daughter safe, and doesn't want more people to know her secrets than necessary.
But there comes a time in the story progression where a repetitive refusal to finally confide in someone who has proven his trustworthiness over and over again becomes a bit... well, vexing.
I have no problems with Julie, as an individual. I understand where she's coming from. She's terrified for her daughter's safety and has taken it upon herself to keep the girl safe; she doesn't know who she can trust and so has lived a lifetime learning to trust only herself. But there were at least three, or maybe four, or five, instances in the book where I think I gave a frustrated sigh because she wouldn't tell Sean anything about what was going on. Even after she exclaims to him that, yes, she DOES indeed trust him.
I mean, the guy keeps mum about a murder weapon, for crying out loud; and then he doesn't say a thing about finding out one of Julie's secrets about being part of Mordecai Young's Young Believers sixteen years ago.
But every time he does something to help Julie, she becomes suspicious that he's just out for dirt on her so he can get his next big scoop. Despite the fact that he'd had dozens of opportunities to out all of her secrets and has not done so.
From a story progression standpoint, this keeps the story itself in a very stagnate place where nothing moves forward because our heroine isn't letting anything move forward. And we all know that the refusal of one person to confide her secrets to the people who matter can readily cause more trouble in the upcoming conflict, maybe even get someone killed. But even if not from a story structure standpoint, the fact that Julie's main goal is to protect her daughter could very easily backfire on her when she tries to take everything into her own hands, even though she has no effective solution to her problem that isn't simply just to run away.
So maybe it should have been time to bring someone she can trust into her circle and see if there could be another way of achieving her needs for survival. Because every time she adamantly refuses legitimate, professional aide in her plight, she digs herself deeper into another ditch... and well, I just kept expecting her to put herself, or her daughter, or even Sean into mortal peril...
The conclusion of the book felt a little crazy and a little rushed... like, I had no idea, really, what was going on. However, I DO kind of see the whole "full circle" of events transpiring. It was just executed kind of poorly, to be honest.
As for the romance... it wasn't terrible, truth be told. Sean was a great character. Julie, I didn't really relate with, even if I DO understand the reasons behind her actions. The two DID have some great banter going on, and so as a partnership of co-anchors, they were great together. As lovers... maybe not so much.
I did adore Dawn, however, and loved her interaction with just about everyone.
So, the truth is, this book is definitely no Brown and de Luca , and our heroine was definitely not as much fun as Rachel de Luca had been. Obviously, it's a different book, and a different series, written at a different time--practically ten years prior. But I can't deny that I had my hopes. Sleep with the Lights On was fun and eerie and fast-paced and extremely entertaining.
Thicker Than Water had promise and loads of potential--the story premise is intriguing, the characters were great... well, some of them were. And while the beginning of the book was kind of rocky--dialogue felt a little stilted, events seemed kind of incredible, and back story might have been a bit rushed--the first half of the book found its footing and progressed at a wonderful pace.
But then, we hit about halfway into the book, and everything sort of plateaus. I mean, sure, a lot of important events start happening, but I couldn't help but feel that Julie's stubborn reluctance to confide in Sean about her secrets, even after everything that has happened, made the story drag out a bit. I get the noble "this is my problem and I will deal with it" schtick that a lot of us love to call Noble Idiocy; Julie is motivated to keep her daughter safe, and doesn't want more people to know her secrets than necessary.
But there comes a time in the story progression where a repetitive refusal to finally confide in someone who has proven his trustworthiness over and over again becomes a bit... well, vexing.
I have no problems with Julie, as an individual. I understand where she's coming from. She's terrified for her daughter's safety and has taken it upon herself to keep the girl safe; she doesn't know who she can trust and so has lived a lifetime learning to trust only herself. But there were at least three, or maybe four, or five, instances in the book where I think I gave a frustrated sigh because she wouldn't tell Sean anything about what was going on. Even after she exclaims to him that, yes, she DOES indeed trust him.
I mean, the guy keeps mum about a murder weapon, for crying out loud; and then he doesn't say a thing about finding out one of Julie's secrets about being part of Mordecai Young's Young Believers sixteen years ago.
But every time he does something to help Julie, she becomes suspicious that he's just out for dirt on her so he can get his next big scoop. Despite the fact that he'd had dozens of opportunities to out all of her secrets and has not done so.
From a story progression standpoint, this keeps the story itself in a very stagnate place where nothing moves forward because our heroine isn't letting anything move forward. And we all know that the refusal of one person to confide her secrets to the people who matter can readily cause more trouble in the upcoming conflict, maybe even get someone killed. But even if not from a story structure standpoint, the fact that Julie's main goal is to protect her daughter could very easily backfire on her when she tries to take everything into her own hands, even though she has no effective solution to her problem that isn't simply just to run away.
So maybe it should have been time to bring someone she can trust into her circle and see if there could be another way of achieving her needs for survival. Because every time she adamantly refuses legitimate, professional aide in her plight, she digs herself deeper into another ditch... and well, I just kept expecting her to put herself, or her daughter, or even Sean into mortal peril...
The conclusion of the book felt a little crazy and a little rushed... like, I had no idea, really, what was going on. However, I DO kind of see the whole "full circle" of events transpiring. It was just executed kind of poorly, to be honest.
As for the romance... it wasn't terrible, truth be told. Sean was a great character. Julie, I didn't really relate with, even if I DO understand the reasons behind her actions. The two DID have some great banter going on, and so as a partnership of co-anchors, they were great together. As lovers... maybe not so much.
I did adore Dawn, however, and loved her interaction with just about everyone.
June 23, 2010
3 ½ stars.
Book 1 in the Mordecai Young trilogy.
16 years ago a “religious” compound for runaway teens was raided by the FBI. The handful of survivors thought it was all over and that they could put the madness behind them… especially the leader who thought he was a profit for God… Mordecai Young.
Julie Jones is a news anchor in Syracuse. Julie has a secret past that she is trying to keep hidden. Not only to protect herself, but her teenage daughter, Dawn. Luckily for Julie she has an unconventional hero in a journalist turned her co-anchor Sean MacKenzie. When they are not bantering and trying to out-scoop each other Sean is protecting not only Julie but Dawn as well. However, everyone is not who they seem to be. Julie will do anything to protect her daughter. But, at what cost?
Maggie Shayne is without a doubt my all-time favorite author. I did have a few problems with this book though. There was a pretty sizeable lull in the middle of the book, which I struggled to get through. However, if you can get through that then you are greatly rewarded by an AMAZING and action-packed ending (even if a few things are predictable). The only other problem I had with this book is that I did not relate or really care about the heroine, Julie, too much. I liked Sean and Dawn and the other secondary characters… but I just never warmed up to Julie. If it wasn’t for those two things I would have given this book a solid 4 stars. I am looking forward to reading the next installment in this trilogy.
Book 1 in the Mordecai Young trilogy.
16 years ago a “religious” compound for runaway teens was raided by the FBI. The handful of survivors thought it was all over and that they could put the madness behind them… especially the leader who thought he was a profit for God… Mordecai Young.
Julie Jones is a news anchor in Syracuse. Julie has a secret past that she is trying to keep hidden. Not only to protect herself, but her teenage daughter, Dawn. Luckily for Julie she has an unconventional hero in a journalist turned her co-anchor Sean MacKenzie. When they are not bantering and trying to out-scoop each other Sean is protecting not only Julie but Dawn as well. However, everyone is not who they seem to be. Julie will do anything to protect her daughter. But, at what cost?
Maggie Shayne is without a doubt my all-time favorite author. I did have a few problems with this book though. There was a pretty sizeable lull in the middle of the book, which I struggled to get through. However, if you can get through that then you are greatly rewarded by an AMAZING and action-packed ending (even if a few things are predictable). The only other problem I had with this book is that I did not relate or really care about the heroine, Julie, too much. I liked Sean and Dawn and the other secondary characters… but I just never warmed up to Julie. If it wasn’t for those two things I would have given this book a solid 4 stars. I am looking forward to reading the next installment in this trilogy.
October 18, 2009
Julie is hard working news anchorwoman and a single mom, Sean is a crack investigative reporter who always tries to out scoop Julie. After running into each other at an ugly murder scene, these two rivals end up as unlikely partners.
This was the first Maggie Shayne book that I have read. I felt that there was a few times that a thesaurs could have been used better than it was but this book was very interesting. The suspense was there, a few suprises along the way, and the descriptions were vivid. I am looking forward to the 2nd book of this series.
This was the first Maggie Shayne book that I have read. I felt that there was a few times that a thesaurs could have been used better than it was but this book was very interesting. The suspense was there, a few suprises along the way, and the descriptions were vivid. I am looking forward to the 2nd book of this series.
June 9, 2014
Julie Jones' past escape from a cult comes back to haunt her present and threaten her and her daughter Dawn's lives. Her rival and news partner, Sean helps as things escalate out of control. This book took me FROEVER to read. Had good elements but was so predictable and slow I just struggled.
June 28, 2022
This was such a great read, loved the mystery and the banter between these two, and I can't wait to read more!
November 16, 2024
Best book found on the premises of my family’s home as of late. A little bit of everything: mystery, comedy, romance, darkness. All the goodies
March 10, 2011
This was a page turner.
Basically: Jewel escaped a cultist's compound at the age of 17 with her best friend's baby and a few bags full of money. She thought everyone else, including her best friend and the cult leader, died that day. But sixteen years later, her past catches up with her when a man blackmails her -- and then ends up dead. At first, she's afraid the police will think she's the murderer, but as time goes on, she learns she has much more to fear.
The book was a little predictable at times, although not in a way that made me want to stop reading, and at the end, I thought there was one thread that didn't get resolved. (And I realize this book sets up a sequel, but I actually think Jewel's story had one loose thread dangling.)
This was a fun, quick, unchallenging read -- a thriller with a dash of romance.
Basically: Jewel escaped a cultist's compound at the age of 17 with her best friend's baby and a few bags full of money. She thought everyone else, including her best friend and the cult leader, died that day. But sixteen years later, her past catches up with her when a man blackmails her -- and then ends up dead. At first, she's afraid the police will think she's the murderer, but as time goes on, she learns she has much more to fear.
The book was a little predictable at times, although not in a way that made me want to stop reading, and at the end, I thought there was one thread that didn't get resolved. (And I realize this book sets up a sequel, but I actually think Jewel's story had one loose thread dangling.)
This was a fun, quick, unchallenging read -- a thriller with a dash of romance.
March 20, 2013
I absolutely like this book. This is one of the few from the genre Romantic Thriller, and I was NOT disappointed!
The beginning was not very credible, but you could actually be aware of the dangers they were in.The verbal sparring between Julie Jones and Sean MacKenzie, and their obvious sexual tension, provides light relief from the more serious aspects of the novel. Speaking of which, the originality of the cult storyline is really good! That was one of the most original plots I have encountered.
THE CHARACTERS:
Julie - is a badass heroine. PLus, she's a TV reporter, which is what I wanna do when I grow up.
Sean - is sarcastic & annoying at the surface, but is actually very caring deep down.
And the subsequent drama surrounding Julie after sixteen years, sets the novel apart from others of the same genre. All in all, this was an epic page turner.
The beginning was not very credible, but you could actually be aware of the dangers they were in.The verbal sparring between Julie Jones and Sean MacKenzie, and their obvious sexual tension, provides light relief from the more serious aspects of the novel. Speaking of which, the originality of the cult storyline is really good! That was one of the most original plots I have encountered.
THE CHARACTERS:
Julie - is a badass heroine. PLus, she's a TV reporter, which is what I wanna do when I grow up.
Sean - is sarcastic & annoying at the surface, but is actually very caring deep down.
And the subsequent drama surrounding Julie after sixteen years, sets the novel apart from others of the same genre. All in all, this was an epic page turner.
March 27, 2008
Pretty good book. It was nice to know this storyline since it was referred to in the 3rd book. It had a good storyline that keeps you reading. You really want to know what happens with the characters and how things are going to end up. I can't say it was an absolutely fabulous book. I liked the 3rd one better, but it was definitely worth reading. And when you get to the end, you really have to read the 2nd book, because the complete storyline is left a bit unresolved at the end of the 1st one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
November 24, 2013
Oh my God! If they licked their lips or said God one more time I was going to burn the book! Great writing except for those two things.
October 19, 2016
Lost interest half way.
June 26, 2018
Reviewed at Haunted Bookshelf
It doesn’t matter if the story is another visit to the paranormal world or another romantic suspense, or even a lovely contemporary romance, there is one thing I know for certain… if it’s by Maggie Shayne I’m in for one heck of a story. (And I still contend that her Wings in the Night series is the best and my favorite all time ever paranormal romance series – and I don’t care how your vampires sparkle… nine don’t, unless it’s their burning embers in the dawn’s light.) Trust me, you don’t ever want to get on Rhiannon’s bad side… but that’s another story for another day.
Thicker Than Water is the first story in the Mordecai Young series, followed by the spin-off series, Secrets of Shadow Falls. I’d highly recommend both series right off the bat for I’ve read them both, several times now, and they never cease to deliver gripping stories, interesting characters and intriguing plots.
Julie Jones is holding onto a secret, desperately holding on for dear life. The reader knows what that secret is, yet we’re going along on a journey when everything in Julie’s life begins to rapidly fall apart. To say too much at this point would be giving away spoilers, and you really should figure out this puzzle for yourself. (Yes, the book has been out several years now, but there are always new readers discovering it.) Julie is about to see her greatest fear realized, discover that an adversary really is a knight in tarnished armor, find out that she really hasn’t been all that hidden all these years and fight with everything within her for her daughter against a mad man with a Messiah complex. Most of her life might have been based on lies, but she’s only beginning to realize just how many other lies she didn’t know about… and the results they bring will be life changing.
If you love a good puzzle, if mysteries are your thing and you cannot turn away from a good hate-to love relationship… then you’re going to love Thicker Than Water. It’s gripping, tense, moments of lighthearted humor and a growing love… but most of all it’s a roller coaster ride of intense suspense up until the final page… and, perhaps, beyond. I was caught up in Julie, Sean and Dawn’s story, and I believe you would be, too.
I own an original, now old and battered paperback copy of this story, and now a Kindle edition as well.
It doesn’t matter if the story is another visit to the paranormal world or another romantic suspense, or even a lovely contemporary romance, there is one thing I know for certain… if it’s by Maggie Shayne I’m in for one heck of a story. (And I still contend that her Wings in the Night series is the best and my favorite all time ever paranormal romance series – and I don’t care how your vampires sparkle… nine don’t, unless it’s their burning embers in the dawn’s light.) Trust me, you don’t ever want to get on Rhiannon’s bad side… but that’s another story for another day.
Thicker Than Water is the first story in the Mordecai Young series, followed by the spin-off series, Secrets of Shadow Falls. I’d highly recommend both series right off the bat for I’ve read them both, several times now, and they never cease to deliver gripping stories, interesting characters and intriguing plots.
Julie Jones is holding onto a secret, desperately holding on for dear life. The reader knows what that secret is, yet we’re going along on a journey when everything in Julie’s life begins to rapidly fall apart. To say too much at this point would be giving away spoilers, and you really should figure out this puzzle for yourself. (Yes, the book has been out several years now, but there are always new readers discovering it.) Julie is about to see her greatest fear realized, discover that an adversary really is a knight in tarnished armor, find out that she really hasn’t been all that hidden all these years and fight with everything within her for her daughter against a mad man with a Messiah complex. Most of her life might have been based on lies, but she’s only beginning to realize just how many other lies she didn’t know about… and the results they bring will be life changing.
If you love a good puzzle, if mysteries are your thing and you cannot turn away from a good hate-to love relationship… then you’re going to love Thicker Than Water. It’s gripping, tense, moments of lighthearted humor and a growing love… but most of all it’s a roller coaster ride of intense suspense up until the final page… and, perhaps, beyond. I was caught up in Julie, Sean and Dawn’s story, and I believe you would be, too.
I own an original, now old and battered paperback copy of this story, and now a Kindle edition as well.
April 20, 2022
Although it took a while to get into it, I soon reached a point where it took off, and I didn't want to put it down. At first I thought it was going to be an easily guessed story line, but there was a slant that gave it an unexpected interest, although I will admit there were several times when I wanted to shake Julie and tell her to stop being so secretive. Dawn is a great character, who seldom reacted to situations as one would expect a 16-year-old to do. She gave me some hope for the teenagers of America. Sean come across as a thoroughly likeable guy, who grew on me as he interacted with Julie, on and off-screen as co-anchors. I even liked Julie's next door neighbor, Ronald, who is described as somewhat of an old nerd, a concept I had trouble grasping, but I guess there must be some out there. There is so much to deal with in this book that I was frequently reeling.
August 4, 2022
I think this was a great read. The romance built up beautifuly. I also loved that Julie was willing to do anything for her daughter. But can't disagree that some parts were not explained like how Mordecai managed to escape the burning house. And also how the hell was harry, who according to the book is not the brightest bulb around, able to find out the truth about Mordecai and Julie. All in all it was a great read.
September 4, 2024
It was quick to catch my attention with the description of the camp and the escape and fire. Julie Jones is a high profile anchorwoman who had been paying a blackmailer who ends up dead. Her antagonist is areporter and radio personality who tries to help her when she is a suspect in the murder. It drags a bit when she realizes she needs Sean’s help but refuses to tell him what’s really going on
June 25, 2025
I was really enjoying this book and then the Author got unnecessarily graphic in the details of a couple having sex…which was unexpected..as the novel was without swearing etc……why?? No need to write those details in………..it was a good story otherwise….wish I could recommend it to friends………but I will not..due to the Sexual Content!
July 26, 2017
I always enjoy Maggie Shayne's books and this one was no exception. It had enough thrills and questions to keep me turning the pages and lends itself to a sequel without making me feel I have been trapped in a story with no ending.
August 16, 2020
Highly enjoyable, and kept me turning pages. This author was an inspiration to my own writing career. Always enjoyed her "Wings in the Night" series before finding the Mordicai Young Series. Still looking to read books 2 and 3.
February 10, 2025
Thicker Than Water
Trilling and exciting- with always a under tone of suspense. This was a page turner. Beautiful characters and the crazy ones as well. Will definitely recommend this series, on to book 2.
Trilling and exciting- with always a under tone of suspense. This was a page turner. Beautiful characters and the crazy ones as well. Will definitely recommend this series, on to book 2.
August 28, 2025
I enjoyed the suspense of what would happen to Julie and Dawn. It pulled me in. The story line about Julie and MacKensie was a little much. The fact that Julie didn't realize he was in love with her until he was shot was a little much. The action kept going all through the book and I enjoyed it.
July 28, 2017
Great
Great story with characters I loved and hated! The storyline has twists and turns. The overall theme is a mother will protect her child at all costs.
Great story with characters I loved and hated! The storyline has twists and turns. The overall theme is a mother will protect her child at all costs.
June 12, 2019
What an amazing read. Characters that came alive and some background ones that become essential to the plot. Loved this book and am now a Maggie Shayne fan.
September 13, 2020
DNF: I normally enjoy this author. Just could not get into this one.
Read
April 17, 2021good
June 26, 2022
Loved it. Absolutely loved it. It was so good from the very first page!
August 24, 2022
I loved this book! My first by this author. Glad to hear there are more to hopefully resolve the cliffhanger. I am a pleasure reader and this definitely met my goo!
December 11, 2022
3 stars as a current read, 5 stars for nostalgia because I loved this as a young teen. Fun to revisit.
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