Blow out the Candles and Say goodbye

by Linda S. Glaz

Starting over in a new town, Brandy Barrett hopes to help her father heal from a double tragedy in their shared past. Her sister, Torey disappeared mysteriously—then Brandy lost her tortured mother, too.

When a devious and heartless couple moves into town, living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan turns out to be anything but peaceful. The pair have plans for the little girls in Iron Cove. Plans that include cakes, balloons, and birthday gifts—and a type of terror daddy's little girls never imagined.

How does a houseful of five-year-old girls suddenly disappear? Can anyone hear their cries after they blow out the candles and say goodbye? Will Brandy uncover the truth before the missing girls become lost in a world of human sex trafficking?

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

352 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2017

About the author

Linda, married with three grown children and three grandchildren, is a complete triple-A personality. How else would she find time to write as well as be an agent for Hartline Literary Agency? She loves any and every thing about the written word and loves when families pass stories along through the generations as her mother did with her. She was blessed to have served in the Air Force at a time when it wasn’t the politically correct thing for a woman to do. After teaching soccer nationally and women’s self-defense wherever the need arose, now, her greatest thrill is matching clients with publishing houses and hearing their voices when they get “THE CALL”. She’s an AWSA speaker and presents classes nationwide. She connects with authors through seminars, blogs, and anywhere a group congregates and talks books. She’s always looking for fresh voices in fiction, especially in historic romance and suspense.

Reviews

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda Glaz is a new to me author and an author I don't recall hearing about from Goodreads friends. I wasn't pulled in by the cover or the title. And I pretty rarely read summaries. So...I share all that to say I didn't open the cover with high expectations.

However, after reading the Dedication and Acknowledgements at the beginning, I was already thinking this novel could be interesting.

Blow out the Candles had me quickly turning pages to see what would happen next. There are a lot, a whole lot, of characters and that got a little confusing at times. There was one plot point I didn't agree with. Overall, I very much enjoyed this novel. I simply had to know if there would be a positive outcome for any of the victims.

My gratitude to the author for a complimentary copy of the novel. I was not required to post a review and the opinions expressed are my own.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glaz's novel is filled with a suspenseful plot that will keep readers guessing as to the culprit's identity until the very end. Many twists and surprises are present throughout, propelling interest and intrigue. One issue is that there is such a large cast of characters with point-of-view changes nearly every paragraph and it is quite difficult to keep them straight without making a chart of who's who. Even then, its' not clear until partway through that some of the characters are hiding their identity and it's a guessing game as to which of them are the villains. There's no spiritual content, but the book is clean and would be appropriate for any suspense reader.
SUMMARY: After graduating from college, Brandy Barrett and her father move to a small town in Michigan to start over. Their lives have never been the same since Brandy's younger sister was kidnapped after attending a birthday party and her mother committed suicide. Yet evil lurks around the corner, because unknown to all of the parties involved, the kidnappers are in the same town scoping out their next set of victims. Who are the people taking the children and why are they doing it? Can their identities be uncovered before more children go missing?

[Dalene W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ok book. I picked it because it takes place in Michigan, where I live. The topic of the story is an important one...human trafficking. I didn't feel the storyline rang true, but maybe that is because I don't want harm to come to children. There were so many characters to keep track of which was confusing, but I can see why she put so many in because you don't always know which characters the bad guys have become. The characters were well developed. I read it in one day because I had to find out what happened.

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 3 out of 5]

Execution needs work

I liked the premise, I like some of the characters, but the execution left much to be desired in my opinion. Some parts felt rushed, it felt like the characters at times were in different stories. And the ending........could do with a complete overhaul, it was rushed.

[Janet Grunst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I typically don’t read mystery, suspense, or thrillers, because the stress they incite and the potential nightmares that follow. But the topic, human trafficking intrigued me. Human trafficking, something most of us would rather not think about, is a reality that needs to be addressed and eradicated.

Most parents of little girls are well acquainted with sleepovers, making the story very relatable. A tale of little girls being kidnapped from sleepovers will strike terror in moms and dads after reading this.

I promised myself I would read the story strategically and put the book down by three o’clock giving me plenty of time for my mind to gravitate to less scary topics. Well, five o’clock, eight o’clock, ten o’clock came and I was still reading it. Yes, it’s the kind of book that makes readers forget their other responsibilities.

There are some really creepy characters in this. At times, I had trouble keeping them all straight; but the story was crafted brilliantly, and the short chapters helped. There were more plot twists in Blow Out the Candles and Say Goodbye than a bowl of spaghetti.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blow Out the Candles and Say Goodbye by Linda Glaz is a fast-paced thriller that kept me turning pages as little girls invited to birthday party sleepovers would disappear. One young woman, Brandy, whose sister was one such girl ten years ago, refused to give up trying to find out what happened to her sister.

Brandy moves to a new location and starts a new job. Then a little girl's birthday party sleepover sets Brandy's heart pounding as memories flood her mind. Then Brandy is contacted by a woman who may have information about Brandy's sister, but Brandy never gets to talk to that woman.

As tension mounts, many characters are introduced at a fairly quick pace making it a bit difficult to keep track of who's who. However, the main characters are clear and following them to find Brandy's sister is a must.

Linda Glaz knows how to spin a suspenseful yarn, and she even threw in a very unexpected twist that I never saw coming. I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good thriller and doesn't mind losing some sleep to get to the end.

[Leola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning

Reading this story sent chills up my spine remembering all the times I sent my young daughters to slumber parties. Not only did Brandy lose her young sister, she felt responsible. Then she lost her mother, too, who was unable to cope with the kidnapping of her daughter, Torey. Brandy and her father, Joe, are left struggling with their loss. Moving to a smaller community seems a fresh start away from the past, but they are plunged into problem they hadn't counted on. A real page Turner of suspense.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man & a women were kidnapping little girls and selling them . They were making big bucks doing it. They told the kids they are taking care of them cause their parents died or didn't want them. The kids all kept together till the time came to get rid of them all. Kind of complicated to tell most of the story. A womans sister was one missing and she continued to hunt for her for years hoping she could find her some day. One man had lots of identities.& it was a big shock to some in this town when they found out who he really was.

[Diane DiMola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually go for dark thrillers, but something pulled me towards this book. And I'm so very grateful! It was a nail-biter. It depicts the real horror of child trafficking right here in the US. Definitely worth a read. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the author had a lot of main characters and it was quite confusing in the beginning of the story to keep them all organized. By the end, it does all come together nicely and she weaves all the characters together.

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really disappointed with this book. I was looking forward to reading a good thriller, sadly it wasn't this book. This book didn't read like a thriller at all, finally the last 20% of the book was thriller-ish. There were so many characters, it was hard keeping up with all of them and the part they played in the story. The ending was rushed and not realistic. I kept reading hoping it would get better, it never did. :-(

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One suspenseful and tense read, in the best possible way!

Linda Glaz's book is full of electric tension both in the storyline and her deft hand with character choice. It made me quickly turn the pages to see what could possibly happen next.

This is the first novel I've read of hers,and I'll be reading more. Lovers of sharp, intense, suspense with a touch of romance, this novel is perfect for you.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too Close for Comfort

People come and go. Friendships can form quickly. Sometimes, too quickly. Linda Glaz masterfully weaves a tale that could come from today's headlines and just may slow us down enough to look more closely at the world swirling around us.. This thriller is effective, yet a safe read that will not require justification or apology. Highly recommended reading.

[Crystal C. Hayduk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page-turner

This book highlights today's prevalent problem of human trafficking by introducing us to the people on every side of the issue. It was well-written and hard to put down. There were some especially surprising twists! This is the second book by this author that I have read.

[Erin Unger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Human trafficking Thriller.

This scary story gives a very plausible example of how little girls can be sold. Nice suspense mingled with great scene setting makes the story move along well. I'll be checking out more books by Linda Glaz.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a powerful cover. Thankfully the story wasn't as heart-breaking if I could forget the topic isn't too real. Short chapters for a fast read. The downside to that was I never felt close to any of the characters. But again, given the topic, that was probably a blessing.

[Kim Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg

All the twist, omg I didn’t see that one coming. This book has kept my interest, it is amazing. This would make one great movie, a lifetime movie! Loved this book. Now I will have to look for more by this author.

[Mary Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blow out the candles and say goodbye

A story with many twists and turns which I found confusing because of the many characters. The story line was good but it didn't make up for the confusion

[Janet Cardillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ttook swhile to place all the characters

I liked the suspense building and the characters, but by switching back and forth with the chapters and characters changing names it was hsrd to decipher who the protagonist was. I stayed with it and eventually people got weeded out.

[Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate that the story brings awareness to the serious problem of children being kidnapped for sex trafficking. The story was intriguing but somewhat confusing with so many characters and so much happening in so many short chapters.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost Girls

Brandy spend her life worrying that her own selfishness caused her sister's disappearance. She wanted nothing more than to find her. When she helped break up a child kidnapping ring she felt that she still hadn't done her best to find Torey.

[Marilyn James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book that keeps your interest

This was a story about the bad people in the world that will do anything for money but with God helping the good people the bad people get what they deserve.

[Patricia Tiffany Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense. Well written. Not for the faint of heart, but powerful account of this insidious industry and the toll on the children as well as the devastating effect on their families . Bravo for tackling such a horrible part of our culture.

[Darla Crass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling in the extreme.

[Sonya Aydell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild ride!

This story had so many twists and turns to keep you involved and determined to get to the end! The author did an excellent job of crafting an enthralling mystery!

[Colin Rochford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too complicated. gave it away.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good book.

[Judy Wiersma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story, but there were way too many characters to remember, and some of them even had several different names, to make matters worse.