The Salt Maiden

by Colleen Thompson

Arriving in the barren wasteland called Devil's Claw to find her missing sister, Dana Vanover, dealing with the town's hostile inhabitants, finds an ally and lover in Sheriff Jay Eversole. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Romance, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

309 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2007

About the author

Colleen Thompson began writing the contemporary romantic suspense novels she loves in 2004. Since then, her work has been honored with the Texas Gold Award, nominations for the RITA, Daphne du Maurier, multiple reviewers' choice honors, along with starred reviews from Romantic Times and Publisher's Weekly. A former teacher living with her family and their latest rescue dog in the Houston area, Colleen can be found on the web at www.colleen-thompson.com.

Reviews

[Cecly Ann]

Another new favourite

Another new author to binge read. Loved the plot and the characters. The story held me from the very first sentence.

[Linda C]

Dana Vanover, veterinarian, comes to Devil’s Claw, West Texas, in search of her sister Angie, who hasn’t been seen for 2 months. Angie is a drug addict, an alcoholic, and a serial protester. Dana’s first encounter with the locals at a café is hostile. Sheriff Jay Eversole has been doing extensive searching with no luck and thinks he is looking for a body rather than a missing woman, due to the severe hot and dry conditions in desert. No one else is interested in helping. Angie found something to protest and ruffled feathers. Dana soon finds herself a target just for looking into her sister’s disappearance. There is instant chemistry between Dana and Jay, but both have issues. Decent mystery, but the descriptions of the barren wasteland were just as off-putting as the hostile locals. I’m not sure I would have stuck around to solve the mystery.

[Lugene VerPloeg]

The Salt Maiden

I wish I had researched this book more thoroughly before buying it. I detest romance books. This one started out ok & then it dissolved into your typical romance story. They all have the same basic theme - a relationship that's destined to fail & then miraculously turns into something mind blowing. So lame.

[Marjorie R. Huse]

Very good story

I do not usually read anything remotely romantic. But this story was a big winner. It has suspense, terror, some romantic moments, and finally resolution. I totally enjoyed this story. . So good a story.

[Donna Freeman]

Keeps you wondering how things will work out

The potrial of the desert makes it easy to visualize exactly how it looks. Story continuous keeping you wanting to see how it ends up.

[Bronwyn Fleming]

A good holiday read, detectives, murders and mysticism. Strong characters a love story and small town insecurities. A bit predictable, I worked out the villain early on, but it didn’t spoil the story too much.

[Susan]

Excellent

Great book, well written. Interesting story and well developed characters. My first time reading this author and looking forward to more.

[Sweetdeda]

A good mix of romance and suspense. Wont make it on a favorites list but was okay. Will probably try another book by this author.

[Alice Paige Cecil]

I enjoyed this




A very good read that kept my attention from the beginning.
Felt a connection to the characters that I didn't want to put away.

[Barbara]

Angie, the missing sister is a thoroughly unlikeable person though it's just through third person knowledge as she appears only once in the entire book. She's a drug addict, an alcoholic and a chronic protester. On the other hand, Dana, the good daughter, is devoted to the family and when Angie's daughter's life is in danger (cancer) is determined to find Angie and bring her home to own up to her mistakes.

The town Angie lived in is filled with unpleasant people and Dana has a very hard time trying to get anyone (including the sheriff) to help search for Angie. There's some kind of conspiracy going on that even the new sheriff is unaware of and that Angie somehow got in the middle of which of course, leaves lots of suspects.

There is instant attraction between Dana and Jay (the sheriff) which is really the only thing keeping me reading. The supporting characters are horribly rude and ignorant and Dana's super rich mother likes to throw her weight around (via telephone) which is very annoying. I know she's Dana's mother but just once, I wanted Dana to tell her to shut up.

[Jen Randolph]

I bought this book for my phone using the Kindle App and one of those book deals.

Normally I don't like romance but they can be fun to read on occasion. Combined with a mystery, I had very low expectations. It was just something to read.

Boy was I in for a shock. Right away I was caught by the inter-weaving of journal entries, quotes and letters that marked each chapter. I felt for our heroine who, despite being a privileged heiress, is believable in her quest to do the right thing and find her sister. Even the leading man, with his PTSD raw and open, felt real.

This is a book that can reach many genres. It is not a typical romance where every chapter has sex in it. It is not a common mystery of who-dunnit when the crimes committed are simple and to the point. It is raw and dirty and complicated.

Good Guys - I give a B, no one is perfect

Bad Guys - I give a C, there was a little too much predictability and anyone can turn bad with the right motivation, or turn good.

[Wendy]

This is my first Colleen Thompson. This was a great storyline. Uptown girl goes to small (and I mean small!) town trying to find her lost sister so she can put her own demons to rest and to hopefully find in her sister a donor for her adopted-out niece who is dying. Sounds a bit sappy but the author handled the story without falling into the poor-me's at all. The chemistry between Dana (heroine) and the small town sheriff (Jay) is great. It has a great mix of angst, suspense and romance. I just felt, though, that something was missing but I don't quite know what. Almost like the storyline moved too quickly. Anyway, highly recommended and I am so glad I have got others of hers on my TBR pile.

[Jennifer]

This is a good suspense with a little romance and sizzle popping up from time to time. :-) Dana Vanover is searching for her missing sister in the last place she was seen, a very small town in the West Texas desert. From the moment Dana arrives in Devil's Claw, TX, it is made clear to her that outsiders are not welcome. When a rattlesnake is left in her car as a warning to stop asking questions, it only makes Dana more determined than ever to bring Angie back home safely. Her only hope, and the only person she feels she can trust, is the new town sheriff, Jay Eversole, a former resident of Devil's Claw who has recently returned, due to losing his job with the Dallas PD. While Jay does what he can to help Dana find Angie, he is also dealing with some demons from his past.

[Nenette]

The setting is the wild, wild west. Aptly described, it was almost like stepping back in time with the dry desert, weak communication signals, and a very primitive and violent way of weeding out the undesirables.

There was murder, money, mystery and romance. A sheriff making a new life after a harrowing desert storm experience; a woman looking for her sister to rescue a child in dire need; the mysterious deaths. A lot going on, hope falters, but all ends well.

Story was alright, though not much for surprises. I'm also trying to reconcile why it was given such a title: though the salt woman figured well in the story, it wasn't all about her for the most part.

[Emilie Davis]

Fantastic storyline!

I love this book. PSTD is a terrible disease and can make foes out of friends the same way that greed can sway the strongest man. This story has both as well as 2 damaged human beings who find themselves after much unhappiness. Read this book and see that even after all the hardships and pain they experienced, love does conquer all.

[Carol Evans]

I wasn't as thilled with this one as I expected. The mystery was good, but I figured out who the "hunter" was. I guess I wanted more romance, but both the main characters had major issues. It did have a happy ending all around, though.

[SJuhl4]

My fist book by Colleen Thompson, and definetly not my last. She grabbed your attention from the first page and kept you going. This was one you didn't want to put down and were annoyed with any interruptions. Highly recommended.

[Lisa Rayns]

Perfection!

I can't praise this book enough and I recommend it to everyone. Beautifully crafted, the perfect balance of romance and suspense, it kept me on the edge of my seat and then it blew me away. I loved it! The premise, the plot, the romance...all brilliant!

[Sheryl Petty]

Very good book, fast paced and kept you interested from page one. A little explicit at times but not the whole book. Complete with a surprise and suspenseful ending I highly recommend this book. Plus it was free on Kindle

[RoyA.Mehan Sr.]

This was a good mystery. It was a little tangled and twisted ,which made for good reading.


I enjoyed the plot within a plot that kept me guessing all along about who the Hunter was and who the other adversaries were who were against the sheriff.

[Velma Demaray]

Riveting

Unsuspecting twists and turned keeps the reader riveted to thee pages of the Salt Maiden. Colleen Thompson has the ability to keep her readers trying to solve her mysteries. Fascinating.

[A.B. Shepherd]

A good mystery. I found myself guessing, second guessing and guessing again about who the killer might be. It has a satisfactory ending. I enjoyed this book.

[Jacquelyn]

Mystery story about the disappearance of the main characters sister in the middle of the desert.

[Allyson Simonian]

A true masterpiece; very likable characters, along with a fantastic twist. Colleen Thompson's books have so much depth. One of my very favorite writers!

[Len Grabowski]

What a ride

Lots of twists and turns. Enjoyed reading it.
A good story, kept me guessing what was going to happen next.

[Patricia Mccammon]

Stark and dry

This is what Dana thinks when she attempts to locate her missing sister. Who is responsible for the killings and where is the missing money?

[Anne]

A bit gory and unbelievable in places.

Did like how the author pulled in related quotes to kick off each chapter.

[John Smietana]

Mystery?

Thought it was a mystery,turned out it was a romance. The sex scenes
Did nothing for the story. Good description of the desert though.

[Sara Herring]

very good