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Loose Ends
When armed gunmen invade Carson Mahoney’s Washington, D.C., home in 1976 and then blow it up, she decides she must disappear. She’s already a suspect in the murder of her former husband, so calling the police is not an option. Neither is jail. Carson turns to her sister Cameron for help.
But Cam has her own troubles. Now living in a West Virginia religious commune, she discovers the commune leader “counseling” a three-year-old girl with his fly open. She slashes his throat and flees with the child, only to be captured. But jail is no option for her either. It is a hell that stretches back ten years to a foreign country where both sisters were imprisoned for debt owed by their parents, a place where raping female captives is a job perk. Cam manages to escape the commune only to wind up cornered in a hotel room. The only way out is a three-story fall to the ground.
Meanwhile, the thugs who invaded Carson’s house reach her before she can summon help, and she learns that she is one of many loose ends to be tied up because of her former husband’s role in the assassination of Orlando Letelier.
But Cam has her own troubles. Now living in a West Virginia religious commune, she discovers the commune leader “counseling” a three-year-old girl with his fly open. She slashes his throat and flees with the child, only to be captured. But jail is no option for her either. It is a hell that stretches back ten years to a foreign country where both sisters were imprisoned for debt owed by their parents, a place where raping female captives is a job perk. Cam manages to escape the commune only to wind up cornered in a hotel room. The only way out is a three-story fall to the ground.
Meanwhile, the thugs who invaded Carson’s house reach her before she can summon help, and she learns that she is one of many loose ends to be tied up because of her former husband’s role in the assassination of Orlando Letelier.
- GenresFiction
246 pages, Paperback
Published December 7, 2017
1 person is currently reading
266 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Taylor
12 books15 followersI am the author of several mysteries, one short-story collection, and a nonfiction book. All of them are listed on my website at https://www.carolinestories.com. Two of my novels won the Firebird Book award, and a third was a finalist for the Freddie Award. Loose Ends was Goodreads “best thriller set in DC” in 2016.
I grew up in the mountain west and have traveled widely, including a brief stint in the Foreign Service. I am a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
I grew up in the mountain west and have traveled widely, including a brief stint in the Foreign Service. I am a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 31, 2017
3.5 stars
For the genre, this is a gripping tale and worthy of a solid 4 stars. The blurb is very telling, so I’m not going to rehash the plot.
The good – The heroines and their side by side plot. I’m not sure who I was rooting for more, but I felt for both sisters, and I’m not talking about ‘the sisters’.
Ironically, the religious aspects of the story—corrupt clergymen, religious communes—something I’m not normally a fan of, worked well.
The questionable - There are a number of tense changes which I found confusing and because of that, from time to time I was tossed out of the story.
The bad – The formatting is horrid, which made this a difficult read. The kindle copy has the same errors, I checked.
A full line of text, followed by
one or two words,
Then another full line, followed by a random amount
of words.
The inexcusable –I’m not going to mention it publicly, but dear author/publisher, check the last few pages of this book and get rid of them. Clearly, they should not be there.
Copy acquired as ‘read now’ via NetGalley.
For the genre, this is a gripping tale and worthy of a solid 4 stars. The blurb is very telling, so I’m not going to rehash the plot.
The good – The heroines and their side by side plot. I’m not sure who I was rooting for more, but I felt for both sisters, and I’m not talking about ‘the sisters’.
Ironically, the religious aspects of the story—corrupt clergymen, religious communes—something I’m not normally a fan of, worked well.
The questionable - There are a number of tense changes which I found confusing and because of that, from time to time I was tossed out of the story.
The bad – The formatting is horrid, which made this a difficult read. The kindle copy has the same errors, I checked.
A full line of text, followed by
one or two words,
Then another full line, followed by a random amount
of words.
The inexcusable –I’m not going to mention it publicly, but dear author/publisher, check the last few pages of this book and get rid of them. Clearly, they should not be there.
Copy acquired as ‘read now’ via NetGalley.
March 23, 2018
loose ends by Caroline Taylor.
When armed gunmen invade Carson Mahoney’s Washington, D.C., home in 1976 and then blow it up, she decides she must disappear. She’s already a suspect in the murder of her former husband, so calling the police is not an option. Neither is jail. Carson turns to her sister Cameron for help.
This was a good read. little slow. I liked the story and the characters. the ending was weird. so 4*.
When armed gunmen invade Carson Mahoney’s Washington, D.C., home in 1976 and then blow it up, she decides she must disappear. She’s already a suspect in the murder of her former husband, so calling the police is not an option. Neither is jail. Carson turns to her sister Cameron for help.
This was a good read. little slow. I liked the story and the characters. the ending was weird. so 4*.
February 13, 2018
A very interesting topic for the main plot. I was intrigued from the start to the finish. Excellent portrayal of two strong willed women fighting all odds to overcome a calamity which occurred when they were
young teens. All is never as straight forward as it appears on the surface and this story amplifies the deep undercurrents which lie hidden to the casual observer.
I have rated this book 4 stars.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.
Thank you Frank for your review.
young teens. All is never as straight forward as it appears on the surface and this story amplifies the deep undercurrents which lie hidden to the casual observer.
I have rated this book 4 stars.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.
Thank you Frank for your review.
April 2, 2018
Cam and Carson are sisters who had a very hard life, when they were young and even still now that they are older. Carson is married to an assassin. Great choice huh? No not really. Carson's house blows up and she believes that she is a loose end in her husband's line of work. Meanwhile Cam is on the run from the law. She was in a commune for a short time, but found out what was really going on there and killed the leader. Now she is in trouble. This is a very exciting book to read! Things just keep going on that keeps the reading wondering....what could possibly be next? Never ask that question if you really don't want to know the answer! I am not going to tell you any more about this book other than if you like a great thriller/mystery....get it! I voluntarily left a review of this book and it is my own opinion.
February 25, 2018
I voluntarily read a advanced reader's copy of this book.
Loose Ends by Caroline Taylor, a new to me author that I will be checking out more books by. I enjoyed this gripping suspense novel about two sisters both with their issues from the past and now each dealing with their own present problems. A storyline that had me going back for more.
Loose Ends by Caroline Taylor, a new to me author that I will be checking out more books by. I enjoyed this gripping suspense novel about two sisters both with their issues from the past and now each dealing with their own present problems. A storyline that had me going back for more.
November 30, 2017
I love love loved the women in this book -- they were so strong in the face of incredible obstacles, but still managed to seem real. The twists and turns are great, and I'll be recommending this one to all of my friends who love thrillers, or even friends who like well written female characters!
January 24, 2018
I really enjoyed the action in this story! These sisters have had such difficulties in life, but persevered in spite of their problems. These all make for a wild ride, which puts the reader directly in their cheering section. I loved that about this book; it certainly kept me turning the pages!
December 28, 2017
Loose Ends is a thrilling read about with strong female characters who don't let victimhood define them!
January 15, 2018
Loose Ends is a well written thriller with two strong female leads. The twists and turns in this book make for an exciting read. I definitely recommend it.
April 26, 2018
Like the idea of badass girls! And this is one of the baddest ass stories about Bad Asses I've ever read!
From a 'noir' author, it's clearly not for those who like fluff stuff.
From a 'noir' author, it's clearly not for those who like fluff stuff.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews