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Elisabeth Reinhardt #1
Relentless
"The little girl lay under the hay stack scarcely breathing. Sweat poured down her face and dripped into her eyes; her heart pounded through her thin chest. Tiny flecks of hay clung to her wet skin, making her itch. She squeezed her nose tightly afraid she'd sneeze. Eyes clamped shut, she lay there. Flies buzzed around her, crawling on her. She didn't move. She didn't know how long she'd been there in the loft. She didn't care how long she stayed. She couldn't move. Not yet."
Nearly a lifetime after a childhood filled with misery and abuse, Gina, now a successful doctor, finds herself thrown back into a terrifying world where her nightmares become far more than just a dream. With the help of an unconventional therapist with secrets of her own, the hunt is on and Gina fights for her life in this harrowing tale of cat and mouse.
Nearly a lifetime after a childhood filled with misery and abuse, Gina, now a successful doctor, finds herself thrown back into a terrifying world where her nightmares become far more than just a dream. With the help of an unconventional therapist with secrets of her own, the hunt is on and Gina fights for her life in this harrowing tale of cat and mouse.
440 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2014
5 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Nancy J. Alexander
2 books4 followersAs an author, I understand the delicate balance between creativity and validity. As a psychotherapist, I have a deep understanding of the human condition with all its depth and emotional variability. My empathetic connection with people translates seamlessly to the characters I create.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 13, 2020
Read as an ebook. Could have used better editing; several errors. Enjoyed concept of abused child escaping and working for a satisfying career as a doctor. Her crazed attacker never got over her or the fact that she got away. As he and friends were being hunted, his goal was to find the one who escaped. Several things bothered me. A witness was encouraged to talk with promises of protection. That promise was not enough to save her. The ending twist was somewhat confusing to me. Besides that, decent read.
March 22, 2023
Fast paced, a little too much detail at times but overall the story and characters are well thought out. This is the first book I've read in this series but I'm already downloading the sequel.
December 21, 2016
Gina Reynolds is a successful doctor specializing in babies suffering from chronic illness or deformities. She has a cat, good friends, an exercise routine, and a deep, traumatic history. Even as she begins to unfold these long-suppressed memories, her childhood tormentor Jake continues to hunt for her. Dr. Elisabeth Reinhardt, Gina’s psychologist, is determined to help her, even if it is by unconventional means.
There were several things I liked about this book. First, Gina has a full, functional life, even as she deals with these traumatic memories. She has to find a way to fit them into her life even as she continues on with her life. I liked that she did several things that are healthy ways of dealing with such memories. She sees a professional, talks with trusted friends, and takes self-defense lessons (which are more than simply learning how to punch someone, such as including smart places to park, staying in crowds, etc.).
The book switches points of view often, which I liked. I was especially intrigued by Elisabeth. She starts off with a simple role of being Gina’s psychologist but as the story unfolds, we learn that Elisabeth has an interesting past and also is part of something bigger. I don’t want to give too much away, but I was pleased how her story arc grew throughout this tale.
There were lots and lots of info dumps in this book. I do wish it was edited a bit better. The info dumps were sometimes interesting but often I was left wondering if all of the info would play into the plot. While these added to the depth of characters, it was also a tedious way to impart that info to the reader.
Jake and his little gang worked well as our bad guys. When Jake was a kid, he was a handful and rather dangerous to smaller kids. Hence, he had been booted from home to home. As a teen, he had Reggie to torment, but eventually she escaped from him, disappearing. As an adult, Jake obsesses over her, the one that got away. He never gives up hunting for her, always asking after her with her family, checking her old haunts. As the body count builds, the FBI and local law enforcement pull at every little string they come across.
There is a cat and mouse game that starts early in the book and continues throughout the story. I got the cat and mouse part for young Reggie (AKA Gina) as she hides from her tormenters. I also got the cat and mouse game for much later in the story when it’s clear that Jake has a lead on Reggie. However, there was this long patch in the story where Gina’s certainty that Jake was still hunting her seemed unwarranted. For instance, she hasn’t had any indication for years that he’s even still interested in her in any way. Gina has this very elaborate way of communicating with a childhood mentor of sorts but she has severed all ties otherwise with her childhood self. Jake and crew are not masterminds, so I felt this near-espionage communication was a bit overdone. With that said, the second half of the book really shows the cat and mouse game to full effect and that’s when I became glad that Gina had done her best to be ready for Jake.
Sometimes things are repeated more than once, and once again, I think this book could have used one last round of editing to polish it. There’s a great story in here, full of suspense and drama, but those elements are diluted by the info dumps and the repetition. Still, I was impressed with the depth of character analysis we have here, showing the deeper motivations behind each of the main characters. While the ending does get a little off target, it eventually pulls back together and I found the over all end satisfying.
I received a free copy of this book from the author via iRead Book Tours.
Narration: Nancy J. Alexander narrated her own book. She was OK. She does have a limited range of characters, and this book did have a larger character list than the range of her character voices. However, all the main characters were distinct and she did use regional accents to carry off even more characters. Unfortunately, her voice for her main bad guy, Jake, often sounds cartoonish and this made it a little hard to see him as a true threat. There were a few spots that had minor mouth noises (she sounded like she needed a water break), but over all the production was pretty good.
There were several things I liked about this book. First, Gina has a full, functional life, even as she deals with these traumatic memories. She has to find a way to fit them into her life even as she continues on with her life. I liked that she did several things that are healthy ways of dealing with such memories. She sees a professional, talks with trusted friends, and takes self-defense lessons (which are more than simply learning how to punch someone, such as including smart places to park, staying in crowds, etc.).
The book switches points of view often, which I liked. I was especially intrigued by Elisabeth. She starts off with a simple role of being Gina’s psychologist but as the story unfolds, we learn that Elisabeth has an interesting past and also is part of something bigger. I don’t want to give too much away, but I was pleased how her story arc grew throughout this tale.
There were lots and lots of info dumps in this book. I do wish it was edited a bit better. The info dumps were sometimes interesting but often I was left wondering if all of the info would play into the plot. While these added to the depth of characters, it was also a tedious way to impart that info to the reader.
Jake and his little gang worked well as our bad guys. When Jake was a kid, he was a handful and rather dangerous to smaller kids. Hence, he had been booted from home to home. As a teen, he had Reggie to torment, but eventually she escaped from him, disappearing. As an adult, Jake obsesses over her, the one that got away. He never gives up hunting for her, always asking after her with her family, checking her old haunts. As the body count builds, the FBI and local law enforcement pull at every little string they come across.
There is a cat and mouse game that starts early in the book and continues throughout the story. I got the cat and mouse part for young Reggie (AKA Gina) as she hides from her tormenters. I also got the cat and mouse game for much later in the story when it’s clear that Jake has a lead on Reggie. However, there was this long patch in the story where Gina’s certainty that Jake was still hunting her seemed unwarranted. For instance, she hasn’t had any indication for years that he’s even still interested in her in any way. Gina has this very elaborate way of communicating with a childhood mentor of sorts but she has severed all ties otherwise with her childhood self. Jake and crew are not masterminds, so I felt this near-espionage communication was a bit overdone. With that said, the second half of the book really shows the cat and mouse game to full effect and that’s when I became glad that Gina had done her best to be ready for Jake.
Sometimes things are repeated more than once, and once again, I think this book could have used one last round of editing to polish it. There’s a great story in here, full of suspense and drama, but those elements are diluted by the info dumps and the repetition. Still, I was impressed with the depth of character analysis we have here, showing the deeper motivations behind each of the main characters. While the ending does get a little off target, it eventually pulls back together and I found the over all end satisfying.
I received a free copy of this book from the author via iRead Book Tours.
Narration: Nancy J. Alexander narrated her own book. She was OK. She does have a limited range of characters, and this book did have a larger character list than the range of her character voices. However, all the main characters were distinct and she did use regional accents to carry off even more characters. Unfortunately, her voice for her main bad guy, Jake, often sounds cartoonish and this made it a little hard to see him as a true threat. There were a few spots that had minor mouth noises (she sounded like she needed a water break), but over all the production was pretty good.
December 21, 2016
Relentless by Nancy J. Alexander Gina Reynolds is a successful doctor specializing in babies suffering from chronic illness or deformities. She has a cat, good friends, an exercise routine, and a deep, traumatic history. Even as she begins to unfold these long-suppressed memories, her childhood tormentor Jake continues to hunt for her. Dr. Elisabeth Reinhardt, Gina’s psychologist, is determined to help her, even if it is by unconventional means.
There were several things I liked about this book. First, Gina has a full, functional life, even as she deals with these traumatic memories. She has to find a way to fit them into her life even as she continues on with her life. I liked that she did several things that are healthy ways of dealing with such memories. She sees a professional, talks with trusted friends, and takes self-defense lessons (which are more than simply learning how to punch someone, such as including smart places to park, staying in crowds, etc.).
The book switches points of view often, which I liked. I was especially intrigued by Elisabeth. She starts off with a simple role of being Gina’s psychologist but as the story unfolds, we learn that Elisabeth has an interesting past and also is part of something bigger. I don’t want to give too much away, but I was pleased how her story arc grew throughout this tale.
There were lots and lots of info dumps in this book. I do wish it was edited a bit better. The info dumps were sometimes interesting but often I was left wondering if all of the info would play into the plot. While these added to the depth of characters, it was also a tedious way to impart that info to the reader.
Jake and his little gang worked well as our bad guys. When Jake was a kid, he was a handful and rather dangerous to smaller kids. Hence, he had been booted from home to home. As a teen, he had Reggie to torment, but eventually she escaped from him, disappearing. As an adult, Jake obsesses over her, the one that got away. He never gives up hunting for her, always asking after her with her family, checking her old haunts. As the body count builds, the FBI and local law enforcement pull at every little string they come across.
There is a cat and mouse game that starts early in the book and continues throughout the story. I got the cat and mouse part for young Reggie (AKA Gina) as she hides from her tormenters. I also got the cat and mouse game for much later in the story when it’s clear that Jake has a lead on Reggie. However, there was this long patch in the story where Gina’s certainty that Jake was still hunting her seemed unwarranted. For instance, she hasn’t had any indication for years that he’s even still interested in her in any way. Gina has this very elaborate way of communicating with a childhood mentor of sorts but she has severed all ties otherwise with her childhood self. Jake and crew are not masterminds, so I felt this near-espionage communication was a bit overdone. With that said, the second half of the book really shows the cat and mouse game to full effect and that’s when I became glad that Gina had done her best to be ready for Jake.
Sometimes things are repeated more than once, and once again, I think this book could have used one last round of editing to polish it. There’s a great story in here, full of suspense and drama, but those elements are diluted by the info dumps and the repetition. Still, I was impressed with the depth of character analysis we have here, showing the deeper motivations behind each of the main characters. While the ending does get a little off target, it eventually pulls back together and I found the over all end satisfying.
I received a free copy of this book from the author via iRead Book Tours.
Narration: Nancy J. Alexander narrated her own book. She was OK. She does have a limited range of characters, and this book did have a larger character list than the range of her character voices. However, all the main characters were distinct and she did use regional accents to carry off even more characters. Unfortunately, her voice for her main bad guy, Jake, often sounds cartoonish and this made it a little hard to see him as a true threat. There were a few spots that had minor mouth noises (she sounded like she needed a water break), but over all the production was pretty good.
There were several things I liked about this book. First, Gina has a full, functional life, even as she deals with these traumatic memories. She has to find a way to fit them into her life even as she continues on with her life. I liked that she did several things that are healthy ways of dealing with such memories. She sees a professional, talks with trusted friends, and takes self-defense lessons (which are more than simply learning how to punch someone, such as including smart places to park, staying in crowds, etc.).
The book switches points of view often, which I liked. I was especially intrigued by Elisabeth. She starts off with a simple role of being Gina’s psychologist but as the story unfolds, we learn that Elisabeth has an interesting past and also is part of something bigger. I don’t want to give too much away, but I was pleased how her story arc grew throughout this tale.
There were lots and lots of info dumps in this book. I do wish it was edited a bit better. The info dumps were sometimes interesting but often I was left wondering if all of the info would play into the plot. While these added to the depth of characters, it was also a tedious way to impart that info to the reader.
Jake and his little gang worked well as our bad guys. When Jake was a kid, he was a handful and rather dangerous to smaller kids. Hence, he had been booted from home to home. As a teen, he had Reggie to torment, but eventually she escaped from him, disappearing. As an adult, Jake obsesses over her, the one that got away. He never gives up hunting for her, always asking after her with her family, checking her old haunts. As the body count builds, the FBI and local law enforcement pull at every little string they come across.
There is a cat and mouse game that starts early in the book and continues throughout the story. I got the cat and mouse part for young Reggie (AKA Gina) as she hides from her tormenters. I also got the cat and mouse game for much later in the story when it’s clear that Jake has a lead on Reggie. However, there was this long patch in the story where Gina’s certainty that Jake was still hunting her seemed unwarranted. For instance, she hasn’t had any indication for years that he’s even still interested in her in any way. Gina has this very elaborate way of communicating with a childhood mentor of sorts but she has severed all ties otherwise with her childhood self. Jake and crew are not masterminds, so I felt this near-espionage communication was a bit overdone. With that said, the second half of the book really shows the cat and mouse game to full effect and that’s when I became glad that Gina had done her best to be ready for Jake.
Sometimes things are repeated more than once, and once again, I think this book could have used one last round of editing to polish it. There’s a great story in here, full of suspense and drama, but those elements are diluted by the info dumps and the repetition. Still, I was impressed with the depth of character analysis we have here, showing the deeper motivations behind each of the main characters. While the ending does get a little off target, it eventually pulls back together and I found the over all end satisfying.
I received a free copy of this book from the author via iRead Book Tours.
Narration: Nancy J. Alexander narrated her own book. She was OK. She does have a limited range of characters, and this book did have a larger character list than the range of her character voices. However, all the main characters were distinct and she did use regional accents to carry off even more characters. Unfortunately, her voice for her main bad guy, Jake, often sounds cartoonish and this made it a little hard to see him as a true threat. There were a few spots that had minor mouth noises (she sounded like she needed a water break), but over all the production was pretty good.
December 30, 2016
The best book for me for the year 2016
I have read so many books and reviewed for this year 2016. Relentless by Ms. Nancy Alexander is my best book for me. Why? It is because not only this book is thriller but it is the worst parents nightmare. Can you imagined if your little girl being kidnapped, touched inappropriately, tortured, released and unfortunately killed by some evil guys?
This book is so scary good. There are times I need to take a moment and collect myself. My heart never stops beating so fast especially the last five chapters. It has everything you need from a thriller book. It is full of action pack. It feels like I am watching a crime show on TV. It is beautifully written by the author. It is also my very first time to read her writings. I cannot wait to read her other books or the next book of this series.
Gina Reynolds is one brave girl. My favorite character from this story. She has been though a lot from parents who does not believe in her. I feel heartbroken for her. I am so glad that there were angels out there to protect her tiny wings and help her spread to become a successful adult. This story is so emotional. Prepare a Kleenex with you though I did not cry but my heart is aching especially for Gina.
What makes Relentless book my favorite and best book for the year 2016 for me? It is because of those people who are willing to risk their lives like the foster Mom, school counselor, psychiatrist, cops, FBI agents and especially true friends that open their arms to help Gina. Those are some heroes of this story.
There are times in our lives that we have no choice but to be brave and face our enemy. Gina done the justice that she wanted and for other girls who are victims of this awful situation. We might be fearful, wicked but once we think enough is enough, we have the strength to end the cruelty. I am so proud of you Gina, you are phenomenal and tough girl.
I could rate this book ten stars. It is a very long book to read but it is worth reading. You never know what lessons from this book you will learned especially having a little girl.
I have read so many books and reviewed for this year 2016. Relentless by Ms. Nancy Alexander is my best book for me. Why? It is because not only this book is thriller but it is the worst parents nightmare. Can you imagined if your little girl being kidnapped, touched inappropriately, tortured, released and unfortunately killed by some evil guys?
This book is so scary good. There are times I need to take a moment and collect myself. My heart never stops beating so fast especially the last five chapters. It has everything you need from a thriller book. It is full of action pack. It feels like I am watching a crime show on TV. It is beautifully written by the author. It is also my very first time to read her writings. I cannot wait to read her other books or the next book of this series.
Gina Reynolds is one brave girl. My favorite character from this story. She has been though a lot from parents who does not believe in her. I feel heartbroken for her. I am so glad that there were angels out there to protect her tiny wings and help her spread to become a successful adult. This story is so emotional. Prepare a Kleenex with you though I did not cry but my heart is aching especially for Gina.
What makes Relentless book my favorite and best book for the year 2016 for me? It is because of those people who are willing to risk their lives like the foster Mom, school counselor, psychiatrist, cops, FBI agents and especially true friends that open their arms to help Gina. Those are some heroes of this story.
There are times in our lives that we have no choice but to be brave and face our enemy. Gina done the justice that she wanted and for other girls who are victims of this awful situation. We might be fearful, wicked but once we think enough is enough, we have the strength to end the cruelty. I am so proud of you Gina, you are phenomenal and tough girl.
I could rate this book ten stars. It is a very long book to read but it is worth reading. You never know what lessons from this book you will learned especially having a little girl.
December 15, 2016
This story pulls you in and intrigues you from the first page. The way the story started off was a great way to start. It held my interest the entire way through and was hard to put down. It was never boring and was full of non-stop action.
This book was told from multiple points of view. At times it switched back and forth between different characters points of views so quickly and within paragraphs that I wasn't sure who was speaking at first. Reading a book that was written this way was a first for me but I enjoyed it. It was neat getting to see the way each character in this book thought.
There are things that happen to some of the girls in this book that I would rather have not had to read scenes about and I was glad that I didn't have to. It was smart for the author to leave these brutal situations out. For the most part I enjoyed the writing style, there was one small pet peeve that I had. Every time that God was referred to in the book it was written as G-d. It was a little strange.
I enjoyed the chase of the criminals and couldn't wait to see how they were finally going to slip up and get caught. I enjoyed reading the stuff they got into and couldn't wait to see what they had up their sleeve next. Reading from Reggie's point of view was also interesting. I loved her career and reading about that. There were plenty of colorful characters in this book and they all had their own personalities. While there were quite a few characters to read about it was VERY easy keeping track of them and remembering who they all were. All the elements of this book were interesting to read. I thought the setting for this novel couldn't have been better.
I would have liked a little more twists and turns in the book. There wasn't anything that really surprised me or blew me away. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed reading this story.
I would recommend this book if you love reading books from a criminal's point of view. This was what made it the most interesting and fun to read for me.
This book was told from multiple points of view. At times it switched back and forth between different characters points of views so quickly and within paragraphs that I wasn't sure who was speaking at first. Reading a book that was written this way was a first for me but I enjoyed it. It was neat getting to see the way each character in this book thought.
There are things that happen to some of the girls in this book that I would rather have not had to read scenes about and I was glad that I didn't have to. It was smart for the author to leave these brutal situations out. For the most part I enjoyed the writing style, there was one small pet peeve that I had. Every time that God was referred to in the book it was written as G-d. It was a little strange.
I enjoyed the chase of the criminals and couldn't wait to see how they were finally going to slip up and get caught. I enjoyed reading the stuff they got into and couldn't wait to see what they had up their sleeve next. Reading from Reggie's point of view was also interesting. I loved her career and reading about that. There were plenty of colorful characters in this book and they all had their own personalities. While there were quite a few characters to read about it was VERY easy keeping track of them and remembering who they all were. All the elements of this book were interesting to read. I thought the setting for this novel couldn't have been better.
I would have liked a little more twists and turns in the book. There wasn't anything that really surprised me or blew me away. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed reading this story.
I would recommend this book if you love reading books from a criminal's point of view. This was what made it the most interesting and fun to read for me.
December 22, 2016
Gina is a successful doctor in Chicago but she is haunted by dreams of someone hunting her down. Gina great up on a family farm that was very secluded from modern day and had a troubled cousin that came to live with her family, Jake. She changes her name to try to stay away from him but he is obsessed with her. Jake and his two partners in crime are on the run from the police as they look for another victim that looks like Reggie Lee to have some fun with while they still look for Reggie Lee. Although Gina is trying to stay hidden, her high profile surgery is going to throw her right into the limelight and into the killer’s hands.
This story goes a roundabout way to learn about Gina’s past as she is remembering in her dreams. Thankfully Elisabeth Reinhardt is her therapist and can help her work through the memories and help her prepare for the potential attack from Jake. I really liked Elisabeth. She has her own history that makes are a tough gal to mess with along with a great connection for a network of people that can help.
I liked the story and how Gina was always on the run until she started doing things to get her ready like self-defense classes, shooting classes, security systems and such. I love when a character prepares to fight back instead of just cowering and hoping for help. Gina is a great strong character and I really enjoyed watching her with her surgeries and found it hard to learn of her past abuse.
The one thing that did get to me was the story seemed to drag and drag. I think that a good chunk of the story could have been taken out and made everything flow better. Nancy did a good job of narrating the story. It was easy to understand the different characters.
Overall I liked the story. It was a little slow in the beginning and I kind of forced myself to keep reading. I am interesting in reading the next book to see what happens with Elisabeth next.
I received Relentless from iRead Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this story.
This story goes a roundabout way to learn about Gina’s past as she is remembering in her dreams. Thankfully Elisabeth Reinhardt is her therapist and can help her work through the memories and help her prepare for the potential attack from Jake. I really liked Elisabeth. She has her own history that makes are a tough gal to mess with along with a great connection for a network of people that can help.
I liked the story and how Gina was always on the run until she started doing things to get her ready like self-defense classes, shooting classes, security systems and such. I love when a character prepares to fight back instead of just cowering and hoping for help. Gina is a great strong character and I really enjoyed watching her with her surgeries and found it hard to learn of her past abuse.
The one thing that did get to me was the story seemed to drag and drag. I think that a good chunk of the story could have been taken out and made everything flow better. Nancy did a good job of narrating the story. It was easy to understand the different characters.
Overall I liked the story. It was a little slow in the beginning and I kind of forced myself to keep reading. I am interesting in reading the next book to see what happens with Elisabeth next.
I received Relentless from iRead Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this story.
December 12, 2016
I chose to listen to this audiobook after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
Relentless is a good title for this book. Gina, aka Reggie Lee, was tormented by her cousin Jake when she was young. She left home at the age of 14 after he almost killed her. With help from a network of people, she changed her name and made a life for herself but she always feared that Jake would find her, even after she became a successful doctor miles away in Chicago. She had good reason to fear him because even after close to 20 years, Jake is still obsessed with her.
The characters are complex and believable. Even Jake and his crew, who are way "out there," are believable. Jake is a serial killer focused on finding and killing Reggie Lee after she got away from him so many years ago. His friends are followers and stay with him even when they want to get away because they're so afraid of him. It's obvious that Nancy Alexander knows what she's writing about by the way she portrays the characters.
Relentless is full of suspense. Gina is always on alert. I can't imagine living in fear for so many years.
If I read this book again, I would choose to read a print copy or the e-book. There were several times that all of the girls who were raped and/or killed were listed and to listen to those lists was a bit much to sit through. They were important to the story so they had to be there, it just would have been easier if I read the lists rather than listened to them. I also had to speed the book up because the author made noises (licking her lips?) in between sentences and those noises couldn't be heard at 1.4x speed. She did do very well at distinguishing the different voices and it was also nice having the author read the book because she knew exactly where she wanted to verbally stress certain points or occurrences.
I would definitely recommend Relentless in the print or e-book form.
Relentless is a good title for this book. Gina, aka Reggie Lee, was tormented by her cousin Jake when she was young. She left home at the age of 14 after he almost killed her. With help from a network of people, she changed her name and made a life for herself but she always feared that Jake would find her, even after she became a successful doctor miles away in Chicago. She had good reason to fear him because even after close to 20 years, Jake is still obsessed with her.
The characters are complex and believable. Even Jake and his crew, who are way "out there," are believable. Jake is a serial killer focused on finding and killing Reggie Lee after she got away from him so many years ago. His friends are followers and stay with him even when they want to get away because they're so afraid of him. It's obvious that Nancy Alexander knows what she's writing about by the way she portrays the characters.
Relentless is full of suspense. Gina is always on alert. I can't imagine living in fear for so many years.
If I read this book again, I would choose to read a print copy or the e-book. There were several times that all of the girls who were raped and/or killed were listed and to listen to those lists was a bit much to sit through. They were important to the story so they had to be there, it just would have been easier if I read the lists rather than listened to them. I also had to speed the book up because the author made noises (licking her lips?) in between sentences and those noises couldn't be heard at 1.4x speed. She did do very well at distinguishing the different voices and it was also nice having the author read the book because she knew exactly where she wanted to verbally stress certain points or occurrences.
I would definitely recommend Relentless in the print or e-book form.
December 27, 2016
Author Nancy J. Alexander dedicates the first installment of her Elisabeth Reinhardt series to various individuals including her cousins, editor, audio version reader, grandniece, and her patients, the last group being of prime importance since psychiatry and psychology form key cornerstones throughout this novel. Gina, a successful doctor, has somewhat had a life of misery and abuse, although she finds herself thrown back into that kind of life, assisted by a fellow therapist with issues of her house in a game of being chased.
Opening the book are maps of the Raines farmstead and a map of the eastern portion of the United States to show the locations of crimes committed, with States in the vicinity that did not experience crimes, including Indiana and Maryland. The map indicates that the novel’s crimes occurred in the States of Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. The story opens with a girl hiding beneath a haystack, quickly following with a hospital nursery noise from infant wails.
Another early chapter opens with a woman waking from a nightmare, one of the reasons she decides to see a therapist, with the narrative making the interesting decision to show patient progress forms between a few chapters to indicate how well the patient, Gina Reynolds, progresses mentally throughout the book’s timeframe, and a few sections too have lists of murders and kidnappings perpetrated by the chief antagonists. Overall, this is an enjoyable thriller, although it does make some odd decisions such as opening a few chapters with pronouns without first indicating the person to whom they’re referring, and one section even censors the o in “God.”
Regardless of these issues, it’s very much a worthwhile read.
Opening the book are maps of the Raines farmstead and a map of the eastern portion of the United States to show the locations of crimes committed, with States in the vicinity that did not experience crimes, including Indiana and Maryland. The map indicates that the novel’s crimes occurred in the States of Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. The story opens with a girl hiding beneath a haystack, quickly following with a hospital nursery noise from infant wails.
Another early chapter opens with a woman waking from a nightmare, one of the reasons she decides to see a therapist, with the narrative making the interesting decision to show patient progress forms between a few chapters to indicate how well the patient, Gina Reynolds, progresses mentally throughout the book’s timeframe, and a few sections too have lists of murders and kidnappings perpetrated by the chief antagonists. Overall, this is an enjoyable thriller, although it does make some odd decisions such as opening a few chapters with pronouns without first indicating the person to whom they’re referring, and one section even censors the o in “God.”
Regardless of these issues, it’s very much a worthwhile read.
November 11, 2017
A very powerful story of abuse, murder and how one young girl escapes only to find her history following her. Gina was abused as a young girl by a family member, while her family stood by and let it happen. Years later and several identity changes, Gina is a successful doctor who has everything going for her. Then the nightmares begin and Gina finds it hard to tell fact from fiction.
As the nightmares return, they do so slowly. Giving Gina a glimpse at a past that she tried so hard to forget and which she did. She struggles very badly with these memories and visits a therapist, who is much more than your average therapist. Murders begin to happen with greater frequency and they seem to match up with the memories that Gina has but just can't quite access.
The plot was excellent with two stories unfolding - the murders and the investigation into these murders and the unravelling of Gina's memories and her history. It was frightening and suspenseful watching these two stories unfold and the way they overlapped. I was terrified for Gina and wanted badly for the investigators to solve the murders, I was scared for her throughout the novel. The man who wants to see her murdered is an awful person that just gives you the chills. The end was incredible and the perfect ending to this intense novel.
I loved every moment of this intense novel, I read it all in one sitting. You just don't want to put it down. It is powerful, frightening and suspenseful - full of mystery and revenge.
As the nightmares return, they do so slowly. Giving Gina a glimpse at a past that she tried so hard to forget and which she did. She struggles very badly with these memories and visits a therapist, who is much more than your average therapist. Murders begin to happen with greater frequency and they seem to match up with the memories that Gina has but just can't quite access.
The plot was excellent with two stories unfolding - the murders and the investigation into these murders and the unravelling of Gina's memories and her history. It was frightening and suspenseful watching these two stories unfold and the way they overlapped. I was terrified for Gina and wanted badly for the investigators to solve the murders, I was scared for her throughout the novel. The man who wants to see her murdered is an awful person that just gives you the chills. The end was incredible and the perfect ending to this intense novel.
I loved every moment of this intense novel, I read it all in one sitting. You just don't want to put it down. It is powerful, frightening and suspenseful - full of mystery and revenge.
December 20, 2016
The book's formats leads to strong character development. The scenes of this book cross multiple states and decades of time--and include a rather large cast of characters. The author writes in short chapters, with each chapter dedicated to a group of characters and a given time frame. Readers are able to learn much more about the characters and their stories from these short, third person narratives than they would from a single, storyteller.
I couldn't put Relentless down. This is probably the longest book I've read in a day in a long time. I was drawn to many of the characters and needed to share in the resolutions. Some of the details are repeated in various chapters (from different character points of view) at times--but, those changes in perspective gave each of the characters stronger roles in the novel's flow.
Would I recommend Relentless by Nancy J. Alexander? I loved this book.The subject matter was difficult and psychological aspects were certainly woven throughout the book's twists and turns. The characters are well developed and the story is fairly complete as readers move the the various character-focused chapters. I would certainly recommend this to fans of serial killer based thrillers or psychological thrillers in general. When I was about halfway through the novel--I noticed that the cover of the book called this an Elisabeth Reinhardt novel--so, I am now off in search of another Elisabeth Reinhardt novel from the series for my reading list!
I received a copy of this book from the author or publisher.
I couldn't put Relentless down. This is probably the longest book I've read in a day in a long time. I was drawn to many of the characters and needed to share in the resolutions. Some of the details are repeated in various chapters (from different character points of view) at times--but, those changes in perspective gave each of the characters stronger roles in the novel's flow.
Would I recommend Relentless by Nancy J. Alexander? I loved this book.The subject matter was difficult and psychological aspects were certainly woven throughout the book's twists and turns. The characters are well developed and the story is fairly complete as readers move the the various character-focused chapters. I would certainly recommend this to fans of serial killer based thrillers or psychological thrillers in general. When I was about halfway through the novel--I noticed that the cover of the book called this an Elisabeth Reinhardt novel--so, I am now off in search of another Elisabeth Reinhardt novel from the series for my reading list!
I received a copy of this book from the author or publisher.
November 7, 2016
What a ride!!! The book is about 3 men reeking havoc across the northeast robbing and killing young blond girls, and the one who got away years before.
Jake was evil from a young age and loved to torment young girls. Starting with his young cousin Reggie Lee. No one believed Reggie Lee about the torment Jake inflicted on her. When she was 14 Jake almost kills her and she finally escapes with some help from her school counselor. Reggie Lee moves in a with a great foster family, changes her name, and beings a new life. She also suppresses the memories of what Jake has done to her. The memories have started to come back, and Jake is still searching for her. Will he catch her?
Nancy Alexander has written a awesome book. I listened to the audiobook which is also narrated by Nancy Alexander. She has done an awesome job narrating as well. He voice lulled me into the story to the point I could't do anything else but listen. At times I was on the edge of my seat wishing she would hurry up, not that she was boring nor did she get off track from the story, but because I wanted to see if they the gang was caught and how.
This was my first Nancy Alexender book but I am positive it will not be my last. I will be on the lookout for more books. Audio books as well and I hope she is the one narrating.
Jake was evil from a young age and loved to torment young girls. Starting with his young cousin Reggie Lee. No one believed Reggie Lee about the torment Jake inflicted on her. When she was 14 Jake almost kills her and she finally escapes with some help from her school counselor. Reggie Lee moves in a with a great foster family, changes her name, and beings a new life. She also suppresses the memories of what Jake has done to her. The memories have started to come back, and Jake is still searching for her. Will he catch her?
Nancy Alexander has written a awesome book. I listened to the audiobook which is also narrated by Nancy Alexander. She has done an awesome job narrating as well. He voice lulled me into the story to the point I could't do anything else but listen. At times I was on the edge of my seat wishing she would hurry up, not that she was boring nor did she get off track from the story, but because I wanted to see if they the gang was caught and how.
This was my first Nancy Alexender book but I am positive it will not be my last. I will be on the lookout for more books. Audio books as well and I hope she is the one narrating.
December 27, 2016
FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iRead in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.
Relentless: An Elisabeth Reinhardt Thriller by Nancy J Alexander was a great audiobook. I enjoyed listening to this book as I was driving to and from work. I would totally get into what was going on in the book and because of that it keep me from getting super pissed off while I was driving. I enjoyed that the author was the narrator of this book. I just liked knowing that the person who wrote the book was telling the story and for some reason, it made me like this audiobook even more. This is another book that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire thing because of how well it was written. I did find that when I got home from work, I would sit in my car until I was able to get through the chapter I was on because I hated having to put this book down and do something else. If you love thriller/suspense books than I know, you will love this book as much as I did. If you have read or listened to it what did you think of it???
Relentless: An Elisabeth Reinhardt Thriller by Nancy J Alexander was a great audiobook. I enjoyed listening to this book as I was driving to and from work. I would totally get into what was going on in the book and because of that it keep me from getting super pissed off while I was driving. I enjoyed that the author was the narrator of this book. I just liked knowing that the person who wrote the book was telling the story and for some reason, it made me like this audiobook even more. This is another book that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire thing because of how well it was written. I did find that when I got home from work, I would sit in my car until I was able to get through the chapter I was on because I hated having to put this book down and do something else. If you love thriller/suspense books than I know, you will love this book as much as I did. If you have read or listened to it what did you think of it???
December 29, 2016
Relentless by Nancy J Alexander was an amazingly well written and well read audio-book. I really enjoyed listening to it on audible. The voice actor did a great job with getting the mood of the story correct and the dialogue flowed together perfectly. There were no awkward pauses or speed reading. The reader really pulled me into the story. The voice acting was done so well that I actually believe that I enjoyed the audio version better than I would have liked the print version.
The story itself had a somber tone to it with Gina's past, but I liked the fact that she was able to become a Doctor and how much her career really meant to her. Gina's character was told perfectly in a mix of present day and flashbacks to her childhood. I really felt myself like Gina and her determination.
There were definitely some parts of Relentless by Nancy J Alexander that made a few tears leak out of my eyes. One such part was when Gina was a child and her mother would not believe her about the abuse she was suffering instead her mother would only blame Gina.
Overall while the book was somber it was still an interesting book to read and I really enjoyed it!
The story itself had a somber tone to it with Gina's past, but I liked the fact that she was able to become a Doctor and how much her career really meant to her. Gina's character was told perfectly in a mix of present day and flashbacks to her childhood. I really felt myself like Gina and her determination.
There were definitely some parts of Relentless by Nancy J Alexander that made a few tears leak out of my eyes. One such part was when Gina was a child and her mother would not believe her about the abuse she was suffering instead her mother would only blame Gina.
Overall while the book was somber it was still an interesting book to read and I really enjoyed it!
December 10, 2016
This book should have been right up my alley. Yet, I had a very hard time getting into the story or the characters. Even, listening to the story via audio version did not help. It was not the voice characterization that was the problem as I felt the narration was fine with the different voices from female to male. What I felt was lacking was any action intensity.
The story started out good and it had me drawn in but after that I lost interest. I could walk away while the story was playing with no problems. In fact, I did find myself doing so several times. There was not enough balance due to all of the conversations that Gina had with her therapist. It seemed like Gina was always talking with her therapist and sometimes repeating herself. This book suffered from too much talking and not enough action.
The story started out good and it had me drawn in but after that I lost interest. I could walk away while the story was playing with no problems. In fact, I did find myself doing so several times. There was not enough balance due to all of the conversations that Gina had with her therapist. It seemed like Gina was always talking with her therapist and sometimes repeating herself. This book suffered from too much talking and not enough action.
December 21, 2016
Review at A Bookworm's Musing
A decent attempt, but felt something lacking
Well sketched characters and an interesting plot are the plus points of the book. Yes, there are some twists, and the plot is dark, but that's warranted, I feel. What let this novel down for me is that I didn't feel it was engaging. Perhaps it was because of the format, or the excess of talk between characters, but something made my attention waver, and that's not good for a thriller genre.
A decent attempt, but felt something lacking
Well sketched characters and an interesting plot are the plus points of the book. Yes, there are some twists, and the plot is dark, but that's warranted, I feel. What let this novel down for me is that I didn't feel it was engaging. Perhaps it was because of the format, or the excess of talk between characters, but something made my attention waver, and that's not good for a thriller genre.
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