What do you think?
Rate this book
SARA: The Complete Series
She's never played a game like this before... In The Psychological Thriller Series , Sara Winthrop's world is thrown headlong into a whirlwind of chaos, along with her family, friends, and colleagues, by unseen enemies seeking revenge.
Those lurking in the shadows, clawing for vengeance, will go to any lengths. Any lengths.
They took everything from her, and yet, it never occurred to them that they may have just messed with the wrong woman. ***INCLUDES***
SARA'S A Psychological Thriller
Two years ago, Sara's husband left for the gym one morning...and never came back.
His car was found. He wasn't.
Unbelievably, the police report said, "No foul play suspected."
There were a few unreliable sightings over the following months, but little else.
Now, on the last day before summer break, her three children have gone missing from their schools, all at the same time.
And the note under her windshield wiper asks a single, foreboding Are you ready to play the game?
*** *** ***ALSO INCLUDES*** *** ***
SARA'S PAST - SARA'S FEAR - Bonus Free ONE MORE GAME Reader Note : The first novel in this series, Sara's Game , is a USA TODAY best seller, was previously #2 on the list of Kindle books best sellers on all of Amazon, and has been downloaded over half a million times worldwide .
What Amazon readers are
★★★★★ 'An exciting read all the way!'
★★★★★ 'Awesome series.'
★★★★★ 'Excitement and mystery from the first chapter.'
★★★★★ 'I loved all three books!'
★★★★★ 'Fabulous trilogy!'
★★★★★ 'Love this whole series.'
★★★★★ 'If I could give this more stars, I would!'
★★★★★ 'Every chance I could I was reading it.'
★★★★★ 'A must read for fiction readers.'
★★★★★ 'Non-stop action!'
Buy the box set, set aside some time, and immerse yourself in this thrilling series!
Those lurking in the shadows, clawing for vengeance, will go to any lengths. Any lengths.
They took everything from her, and yet, it never occurred to them that they may have just messed with the wrong woman. ***INCLUDES***
SARA'S A Psychological Thriller
Two years ago, Sara's husband left for the gym one morning...and never came back.
His car was found. He wasn't.
Unbelievably, the police report said, "No foul play suspected."
There were a few unreliable sightings over the following months, but little else.
Now, on the last day before summer break, her three children have gone missing from their schools, all at the same time.
And the note under her windshield wiper asks a single, foreboding Are you ready to play the game?
*** *** ***ALSO INCLUDES*** *** ***
SARA'S PAST - SARA'S FEAR - Bonus Free ONE MORE GAME Reader Note : The first novel in this series, Sara's Game , is a USA TODAY best seller, was previously #2 on the list of Kindle books best sellers on all of Amazon, and has been downloaded over half a million times worldwide .
What Amazon readers are
★★★★★ 'An exciting read all the way!'
★★★★★ 'Awesome series.'
★★★★★ 'Excitement and mystery from the first chapter.'
★★★★★ 'I loved all three books!'
★★★★★ 'Fabulous trilogy!'
★★★★★ 'Love this whole series.'
★★★★★ 'If I could give this more stars, I would!'
★★★★★ 'Every chance I could I was reading it.'
★★★★★ 'A must read for fiction readers.'
★★★★★ 'Non-stop action!'
Buy the box set, set aside some time, and immerse yourself in this thrilling series!
644 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2014
1284 people are currently reading
651 people want to read
About the author
Ernie Lindsey
52 books184 followersErnie Lindsey grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia, working on the family farm and reading, and has spent his life telling stories to anyone that will listen. He currently works as a freelance writer and is the author of five Mystery & Suspense novels and numerous short stories. When he's not writing, you can find him tackling the gigantic To Be Read list on his Kindle or the never-ending stack of books in his office.
Ernie and his family live in Oregon, along with a multi-fingered Hemingway cat named Luna.
Head over to Ernie's site where you can pick up some free Kindle books. Join him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ErnieLindseyFiction.
Ernie and his family live in Oregon, along with a multi-fingered Hemingway cat named Luna.
Head over to Ernie's site where you can pick up some free Kindle books. Join him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ErnieLindseyFiction.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
August 17, 2017
Sara's Game (Book 1) - “Are you ready to play the game?”
Compelling from the start, the game begins with Sara’s three missing children. An anxiety-riddled mystery greets the reader and whisks you away on a fast-action thrill ride of craft and intellect. Sara was like Bruce Willis in Die Hard.
Could Sara’s husband, who went missing years ago, be involved? Or is it a jealous, competitive co-worker who’s behind this calculating scheme? I loved the riddles and clues. They really made you think while combating the clock.
I also liked how it incorporated video game theory and analogy.
An exciting read! It makes me want to continue the series. What other games await Sara?
Sara's Past (Book 2) - Four bombs in four countries. Could Sara's past have anything to do with it?
Turns out an old high school classmate is looking to even the score.
Sara's Fear (Book 3) - Two dangerous psychopaths and one mother's fear. It's Sara's worst nightmare yet. Shelley Sergeant (Book 1) and Patty Kellogg (Book 2) team up to get revenge on Sara.
Best one in the trilogy and a grand finale to the series.
An exciting read all the way!
Compelling from the start, the game begins with Sara’s three missing children. An anxiety-riddled mystery greets the reader and whisks you away on a fast-action thrill ride of craft and intellect. Sara was like Bruce Willis in Die Hard.
Could Sara’s husband, who went missing years ago, be involved? Or is it a jealous, competitive co-worker who’s behind this calculating scheme? I loved the riddles and clues. They really made you think while combating the clock.
I also liked how it incorporated video game theory and analogy.
An exciting read! It makes me want to continue the series. What other games await Sara?
Sara's Past (Book 2) - Four bombs in four countries. Could Sara's past have anything to do with it?
Turns out an old high school classmate is looking to even the score.
Sara's Fear (Book 3) - Two dangerous psychopaths and one mother's fear. It's Sara's worst nightmare yet. Shelley Sergeant (Book 1) and Patty Kellogg (Book 2) team up to get revenge on Sara.
Best one in the trilogy and a grand finale to the series.
An exciting read all the way!
September 20, 2020
Page turning series!
Lindsey crafts a realistic and engaging storyline that keeps you rushing to the end but hoping for more. Sara and the character's in her life are memorable ones that engage you in this well-paced series as you watch Sara work through fear, tragedy and mayhem to keep her and her family alive. The villains are truly nasty and you will be anticipating each new chapter as Sara struggles to survive. Well done Mr. Lindsey!!
Lindsey crafts a realistic and engaging storyline that keeps you rushing to the end but hoping for more. Sara and the character's in her life are memorable ones that engage you in this well-paced series as you watch Sara work through fear, tragedy and mayhem to keep her and her family alive. The villains are truly nasty and you will be anticipating each new chapter as Sara struggles to survive. Well done Mr. Lindsey!!
February 9, 2022
This series made me lose almost a full nights sleep! I could not stop reading it. I tried a couple of times but all I could do was pick it back up and continue reading!!! it was exciting and moved very quickly ad I couldn't stop reading! Even though it ended with the right people alive and the villains dead at the end of the series I didnt want it to end!!! It was a great read!!! I highly recommend it !!!!
May 15, 2017
I did like it.. I think the first one.. and the novella in the end were the best ones.
One thing I wish there was more of.. was more interactions with the kids. I understood in the first why it was not so much. .but still.. they always seemed to be tucked away somewhere and really not in the story... even though so much was really going on with them.
One thing I wish there was more of.. was more interactions with the kids. I understood in the first why it was not so much. .but still.. they always seemed to be tucked away somewhere and really not in the story... even though so much was really going on with them.
January 9, 2019
Definitely worth the read
Overall I thought the series was good. At times, I thought the storylines were "cheesy" but again, worth the read. The series definitely got better and the characters very likeable but wow, how many things can happen to one person!?! Sara seemed to have an abundance of bad luck but somehow pulls through.
Overall I thought the series was good. At times, I thought the storylines were "cheesy" but again, worth the read. The series definitely got better and the characters very likeable but wow, how many things can happen to one person!?! Sara seemed to have an abundance of bad luck but somehow pulls through.
March 14, 2020
Awesome
What a fantastic book. It’s not only entertaining but it’s sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens. I had trouble putting this book down and I’m glad I didnt. It was an amazing book. The whole series it was absolutely amazing. You should check it out
What a fantastic book. It’s not only entertaining but it’s sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens. I had trouble putting this book down and I’m glad I didnt. It was an amazing book. The whole series it was absolutely amazing. You should check it out
March 2, 2019
Action Saga
Crime, drama, action oriented series that continues through multiple books. I found myself wanting to get done and not finish all. There were some psychological issues with characters but I wouldn't call it a thriller.
Crime, drama, action oriented series that continues through multiple books. I found myself wanting to get done and not finish all. There were some psychological issues with characters but I wouldn't call it a thriller.
October 17, 2020
Only read one of the three books and almost didn't finish that either. The writing was nice and captivating but I was constantly anticipating a ridiculous motive which indeed was. Nothing different from other books and movies. Disappointed. Not interested in the other 2 books.
January 12, 2017
Great Read!
Kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I liked the story line and where it lead. I would definitely read more of Ernie's books.
Kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I liked the story line and where it lead. I would definitely read more of Ernie's books.
August 13, 2017
Read all of the books in less than a week
I was looking for something new and ran across this series. They all kept me glued to the kindle for a week. They were great
I was looking for something new and ran across this series. They all kept me glued to the kindle for a week. They were great
September 4, 2017
Enjoyable Read
The books are very well written. They keep you wanting to know what is going to happen next. The type of books you doing want to put down
The books are very well written. They keep you wanting to know what is going to happen next. The type of books you doing want to put down
September 10, 2017
Suspenseful and fun
Loved all 3 books they were a quick read and kept you interested up until the end. Would recommend to read this series
Loved all 3 books they were a quick read and kept you interested up until the end. Would recommend to read this series
October 18, 2017
Page Turner
Twisty and riveting. Kept me on the edge. I enjoyed all the characters. They were set up well. This book wax a page turner!
Twisty and riveting. Kept me on the edge. I enjoyed all the characters. They were set up well. This book wax a page turner!
April 27, 2018
Page turning, fingernail biting thrill! Loved it! 4.9/5 ⭐️
June 6, 2018
These were good, although I did want to punch Teddy's lights out on several occasions.
Read
October 9, 2019Good book never know what's next!
December 31, 2019
Entertaining
Enjoyed the books. Gets a bit repetitive with the same things happening in different locations but overall a good read.
Enjoyed the books. Gets a bit repetitive with the same things happening in different locations but overall a good read.
August 17, 2020
Loved the first book in the series, keep me on the edge! The other two were good, but very predictable.
November 25, 2024
Good series. Nice little twists. Keeps you interested.
January 2, 2025
Lost interest after the first. Very repetative
November 25, 2016
I love a good thriller, but these books just didn't deliver on the thrills for me. NOTE: This is a copy & paste of my original review on Amazon.
The first book is about a woman named Sara who's husband disappeared without a trace two years ago. Then her children get kidnapped and she gets a note asking if she's ready to "play the game." The game involves solving clues that, to me, involved giant leaps of logic, and basically being humiliated and tormented. The big mystery is who is behind the game. You'll figure it out easily. The characters won't because they're all dumb as stumps. One of the cops actually refuses to follow any lines of thought that maybe the kids kidnapping could have anything to do with the disappearance of their father two years ago. I won't tell you if it does or not, but any decent cop would follow up on the possibility that maybe this could be the same kidnappers or perhaps even the father come back to get his kids. The cop actually says several times, and I'm only partially paraphrasing, "Let's not waste time looking at the father because my gut tells me he's not involved." What!?
I almost didn't go any further after finishing the first book, but I thought, oh well, it's a short read, I'll give it another try. And the second book, Sara's Past, actually was better in my opinion. In this one, Sara's family is once again under siege, but this time from a woman she knew years ago. We swap back and forth in point of view between the good guys and the bad guys at every chapter break, so we actually get to see the action happening from both sides, which I thought made it more exciting. This time, the woman going after Sara is also an international terrorist, so the action is upped and there are explosions. Wheeee! If giving individual stars to the books, I would give this one 3 stars for being more entertaining and toning down the stupid.
Since I liked book two, I figured I'd finish out the series and started reading book three, Sara's Fear. It starts interestingly enough with two bad guys from each of the previous books ganging together to go after Sara AGAIN because she's the cause of all their problems, she has everything & they have nothing, yadda, yadda, yadda. The plot slows down as the villians make their way toward Sara, and Sara and her family/friends start preparing for an attack. More stupid abounds in part three, and I actually started to dislike Sara. SPOILER WARNING. She is told at least twice that she should change her passwords on her security systems and panic room because she's used the same passwords for years. However, even though she knows these people are coming to get her, she always just says, "yeah, I suppose I should do that someday." SOMEDAY!! How about now, when people are coming to kill you and your children! And, of course, the bad guy easily guesses her password and it results in the final shootout where pretty much everyone Sara knows is shot and/or killed. END SPOILER. Sara's not someone you hang around with if you want to not be shot, kidnapped, blown up, etc.
There is a final story tacked on the end of this box set that follows Sara's friend Teddy around on an adventure in Russia, but by the time I got to it, I was so sick of these books, that I read it as fast as I could just to get it over with. I couldn't really be bothered to care about these characters anymore. Based on the other reviews here, I seem to be in the minority in my opinion of these books, so maybe they just weren't my style. I can't help but feel, though, that I wasted my lending library selection for the month!
The first book is about a woman named Sara who's husband disappeared without a trace two years ago. Then her children get kidnapped and she gets a note asking if she's ready to "play the game." The game involves solving clues that, to me, involved giant leaps of logic, and basically being humiliated and tormented. The big mystery is who is behind the game. You'll figure it out easily. The characters won't because they're all dumb as stumps. One of the cops actually refuses to follow any lines of thought that maybe the kids kidnapping could have anything to do with the disappearance of their father two years ago. I won't tell you if it does or not, but any decent cop would follow up on the possibility that maybe this could be the same kidnappers or perhaps even the father come back to get his kids. The cop actually says several times, and I'm only partially paraphrasing, "Let's not waste time looking at the father because my gut tells me he's not involved." What!?
I almost didn't go any further after finishing the first book, but I thought, oh well, it's a short read, I'll give it another try. And the second book, Sara's Past, actually was better in my opinion. In this one, Sara's family is once again under siege, but this time from a woman she knew years ago. We swap back and forth in point of view between the good guys and the bad guys at every chapter break, so we actually get to see the action happening from both sides, which I thought made it more exciting. This time, the woman going after Sara is also an international terrorist, so the action is upped and there are explosions. Wheeee! If giving individual stars to the books, I would give this one 3 stars for being more entertaining and toning down the stupid.
Since I liked book two, I figured I'd finish out the series and started reading book three, Sara's Fear. It starts interestingly enough with two bad guys from each of the previous books ganging together to go after Sara AGAIN because she's the cause of all their problems, she has everything & they have nothing, yadda, yadda, yadda. The plot slows down as the villians make their way toward Sara, and Sara and her family/friends start preparing for an attack. More stupid abounds in part three, and I actually started to dislike Sara. SPOILER WARNING. She is told at least twice that she should change her passwords on her security systems and panic room because she's used the same passwords for years. However, even though she knows these people are coming to get her, she always just says, "yeah, I suppose I should do that someday." SOMEDAY!! How about now, when people are coming to kill you and your children! And, of course, the bad guy easily guesses her password and it results in the final shootout where pretty much everyone Sara knows is shot and/or killed. END SPOILER. Sara's not someone you hang around with if you want to not be shot, kidnapped, blown up, etc.
There is a final story tacked on the end of this box set that follows Sara's friend Teddy around on an adventure in Russia, but by the time I got to it, I was so sick of these books, that I read it as fast as I could just to get it over with. I couldn't really be bothered to care about these characters anymore. Based on the other reviews here, I seem to be in the minority in my opinion of these books, so maybe they just weren't my style. I can't help but feel, though, that I wasted my lending library selection for the month!
December 17, 2015
Five Star Fizzle
I was so excited to start reading The Sara Winthrop Series after reading several reviews that all raved about the read, and rated it with five stars. I shared those reviewers' enthusiasm when I started the first book of the series, Sara's Game...a real page-turner that I couldn't wait for some quiet time to keep reading. I enjoyed Sara's Game, but really didn't feel like it produced anywhere near the level of interest that I had anticipated at the beginning.
I found the second book of the series, Sara's Past, to be even more forgettable than the first. The storyline weakened and the characters were such a stretch from reality that the reader was somewhat compelled to finish number two in the series just to determine if they regained any normalcy. My stars for the Sara Series were really starting to fizzle at this juncture.
By the time I got to the third book in the series, I didn't care what the title was. For someone who started the first book as a top marketing executive, a great manager of people, super intelligent and intuitive, she turned into a real idiot at this juncture. While she is waiting for two known psycho women to show up to torture and kill her, she acknowledges that the security code to her fortified home should be changed. In fact changing that code is mentioned several times in one day, but she never quite gets around to doing it. Instead, she spends her day meeting her neighbor for the first time and almost immediately shares her near death experiences with the two girls girls out to kill her with this stranger. He is supposedly a former Marine sniper, has a house full of guns and ammunition and his wife is a former police officer who now runs her own business as a private investigator. Being such good neighbors for the hour she has known them, they volunteer to stay and protect her and fight to the death to save Sara and her children, if necessary. And for the most part, Sara is willing to sacrifice as necessary to save her three beloved children from harm. These are the same three children that she spent so little time with that I don't even remember their names. She protected them by dumping them with her live-in babysitter and a Russian stripper. Now there's a pair! The babysitter is Miss Willow and she is still living as a hippie with nature as her best friend. You expect her to pull out a crystal ball and predict when their killers will arrive. Sara had turned into a blithering idiot by this time in book three. The only reason to read all the way to the end was to find out how many really stupid things Sara could do in one book. Well, I lost count, but I am not going back to re-read! Groan... maybe two stars are too many.
I was so excited to start reading The Sara Winthrop Series after reading several reviews that all raved about the read, and rated it with five stars. I shared those reviewers' enthusiasm when I started the first book of the series, Sara's Game...a real page-turner that I couldn't wait for some quiet time to keep reading. I enjoyed Sara's Game, but really didn't feel like it produced anywhere near the level of interest that I had anticipated at the beginning.
I found the second book of the series, Sara's Past, to be even more forgettable than the first. The storyline weakened and the characters were such a stretch from reality that the reader was somewhat compelled to finish number two in the series just to determine if they regained any normalcy. My stars for the Sara Series were really starting to fizzle at this juncture.
By the time I got to the third book in the series, I didn't care what the title was. For someone who started the first book as a top marketing executive, a great manager of people, super intelligent and intuitive, she turned into a real idiot at this juncture. While she is waiting for two known psycho women to show up to torture and kill her, she acknowledges that the security code to her fortified home should be changed. In fact changing that code is mentioned several times in one day, but she never quite gets around to doing it. Instead, she spends her day meeting her neighbor for the first time and almost immediately shares her near death experiences with the two girls girls out to kill her with this stranger. He is supposedly a former Marine sniper, has a house full of guns and ammunition and his wife is a former police officer who now runs her own business as a private investigator. Being such good neighbors for the hour she has known them, they volunteer to stay and protect her and fight to the death to save Sara and her children, if necessary. And for the most part, Sara is willing to sacrifice as necessary to save her three beloved children from harm. These are the same three children that she spent so little time with that I don't even remember their names. She protected them by dumping them with her live-in babysitter and a Russian stripper. Now there's a pair! The babysitter is Miss Willow and she is still living as a hippie with nature as her best friend. You expect her to pull out a crystal ball and predict when their killers will arrive. Sara had turned into a blithering idiot by this time in book three. The only reason to read all the way to the end was to find out how many really stupid things Sara could do in one book. Well, I lost count, but I am not going back to re-read! Groan... maybe two stars are too many.
July 29, 2015
it was OK. pretty fast paced and easy read.
but no woman would not have changed her passcodes and not have asked to be placed in witness protection.
Minor spoiler ahead....
It really bugged me at the end of book 2 Sara said she will go into hiding. Then in Book 3, we find out she moved to Virginia, bought a plot of land right next to her parents. HOW IS THAT HIDING??? the book tries to justify it by it feeling safe near her parents but a mother of three children already gone through the events of book 1 and 2 would put her children in danger like that. moving across country to live next to your parents, does not make a good and rational decision when there are psychos out there to get you.
but no woman would not have changed her passcodes and not have asked to be placed in witness protection.
Minor spoiler ahead....
It really bugged me at the end of book 2 Sara said she will go into hiding. Then in Book 3, we find out she moved to Virginia, bought a plot of land right next to her parents. HOW IS THAT HIDING??? the book tries to justify it by it feeling safe near her parents but a mother of three children already gone through the events of book 1 and 2 would put her children in danger like that. moving across country to live next to your parents, does not make a good and rational decision when there are psychos out there to get you.
June 8, 2016
This was a fun beach read - and I loved being able to get the whole series in one book. Butttt, lower rating because his clues were too obvious. First book, I knew the baddie immediately. Second book, I knew where the showdown would be not only right away but he kept repeating it. Third book, he practically beats you over the head with the final plot twist. By then I was flipping pages & annoyed. And Teddy's novella? Completely uninteresting. I give 3 starts instead of 2 for the compelling story of the lesbian bad guys in the 3rd book. Not at all a spoiler - you know immediately and it was set up on the first book. But I found them more interesting than the main character and even sympathized with them, oddly. I think a fun book might be one completely from the baddie's POV.
January 9, 2016
Best thriller series
I bought these books as a set so read them all including the short one with Teddy and Irina. Theses books centered around Sara who worked for a company making computer games. The first book she had to save her kids by playing the game. The second a high school girl was after her. Patti had already killed most of Sara's high school friends. The third one was both went after Sara. All the books had so much action in them you just couldn't put them down. I bought them on a whim and the price was really good. I am so happy I did. I loved the whole set.
I bought these books as a set so read them all including the short one with Teddy and Irina. Theses books centered around Sara who worked for a company making computer games. The first book she had to save her kids by playing the game. The second a high school girl was after her. Patti had already killed most of Sara's high school friends. The third one was both went after Sara. All the books had so much action in them you just couldn't put them down. I bought them on a whim and the price was really good. I am so happy I did. I loved the whole set.
March 23, 2016
Evil follows Sara wherever she goes. She can't hide from it. Just when she thought she was safe, she finds out she's at her most vulnerable. Being predictable almost costs her the lives of her 3 kids. It does cost her a very dear friend. She is being chased by two seriously sick women. Only one way to end it. Make a stand and take them out permanently.
March 5, 2016
Passable
A good read, this for began good and kept me interested but it became a bit far fetched. No person has that amount of bad luck in their life. I would have liked to have known more of Sara's husband Brian's story.
If you are in between books looking for something different I would recommend giving this a go.
A good read, this for began good and kept me interested but it became a bit far fetched. No person has that amount of bad luck in their life. I would have liked to have known more of Sara's husband Brian's story.
If you are in between books looking for something different I would recommend giving this a go.
April 6, 2016
Realkty great read
This is one series that I started then could not wait for the next page read it all in 3 days. The characters were well written and somewhat believable. Sad that they could not have saved Detective DJ. Would have been interesting to see where that would have gone in the second book.
This is one series that I started then could not wait for the next page read it all in 3 days. The characters were well written and somewhat believable. Sad that they could not have saved Detective DJ. Would have been interesting to see where that would have gone in the second book.
June 28, 2014
Awesome!
I just finished the third book in Sara's trilogy and I loved all three books! the whole story was a page tuner and i couldn't put it down. This was the first I have read by Ernie Lindsey and plan to read a lot more soon. I would recommend this book to anyone to read!
I just finished the third book in Sara's trilogy and I loved all three books! the whole story was a page tuner and i couldn't put it down. This was the first I have read by Ernie Lindsey and plan to read a lot more soon. I would recommend this book to anyone to read!
December 17, 2017
Interesting storylines
Although it would seem far fetched for normal life, the entire four-part series was worth a read. They story progressed well and it was easy to follow. The cliff hangers and chapters had great POVs and keep me entertained throughout.
Although it would seem far fetched for normal life, the entire four-part series was worth a read. They story progressed well and it was easy to follow. The cliff hangers and chapters had great POVs and keep me entertained throughout.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews