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Shelter in Place
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Shelter in Place - June 2018 Book of the Month (Spoiler Zone)
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I'm hoping to start it tomorrow but it may be Saturday. I'm a little nervous about reading the shooting aspect of the book. I know it's prevalent to the current American culture but it makes me sad. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with Nora writing about it I just wish shootings weren't a thing, if that makes sense.
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Wow, really good book. I read it in one sitting (2am finish, sigh). The story catches you and doesn't let go because you basically are in the middle of the story from the word go. I'm not going into the story until more have read it and we start getting a conversation going, but the read is very well worth it. The only comment I will say is that it definitely not a "Who Done It".
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Until then, please use the spoiler feature for detailed discussions.
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Uugghhhh I'm dying to get to this!! I'm so thrilled that you all are loving it!😊
Something about all NR's books is that she really knows how to develop a character. That said, I think she went a little overboard in this book.
LOVED it! I am going to miss these characters!
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Just finished. Love Love it. Want to re read it for fun. Love the ending a ready tear jerker.
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I just finished this and loved it. I was almost done, then had surgery that really knocked me down. I feel bad that I have not been able to post a review since I was lucky enough to get an ARC. Maybe today
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Don’t feel bad about the review not being done yet. It was just released so your review will be timely. And, if you post something as simple as, “I loved it!”....that works.
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Felt the same way at that point.
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Yes, completely agree with how you feel at this point!
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Mine, too!
Yay, my copy arrived and I started to read it. It always amaze me how good of a storyteller Nora Roberts is -- her descriptions are good and vivid without being long or boring. You feel like you get to know the scenery and the characters, so they come to life. Shooting theme is sad and too real.
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It always amaze me how good of a storyteller Nora Roberts is -- her descriptions are good and vivid without being long or boring. You feel like you g..."
She really is a master at setting time and place while moving the story along. Never too descriptive.
Jonetta wrote: "Hope you’re better, Lynne! Don’t feel bad about the review not being done yet. It was just released so your review will be timely. And, if you post something as simple as, “I loved it!”....that w..."
Thanks Jonetta, I am better today
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100% agree with you, Talya! Chilling is the way I kept feeling.
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***If you haven’t finished the book, reading below this message is a risk for viewing spoilers***
When I start this book I thought you would be getting a mass killing with the FBI, ALF, or police changing the killer. Boy was I wrong. Love that the book was though the eye of the survivors and how they live after the attack. One became a policeman, one became angry, one when on with her life and one change her life.
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I, too, was prepared for a book about the pursuit of the shooters. This was so much smarter and it really pays homage to those survivors of mass shootings in this country. Not everyone recovers the same way and we saw so many examples of how a traumatic event like this can shape people’s futures. It was thought provoking.
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The book also made me think of mental health and nature vs. nurture. I know mental health is a big part of the debate on gun control and it seems everyone has a different opinion on the topic. I felt Nora handled everything in the book in an intelligent and compassionate way. I imagine it must be difficult to write a book of fiction that relates so dynamically to real-life issues. She did a phenomenal job with it!
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Simone’s tribute was just beautiful and the irony wasn’t lost that Tiffany’s bitterness was the impetus for the vision. This was so lovely.
I also liked that the tension and animosity between Simone and Natalie was resolved. I never even considered that Natalie’s issues were tied to the shooting.
And CiCi...I just loved this character. Such a free spirit who was so non judgmental. She was the backbone of the story.
I was so afraid that something would happen to Essie. I was so happy when they broke the news that Patricia was dead.
I just finished. Wow. One of the best stories by Nora Roberts.Its very difficult and tender subject because things like this happen in real life sadly too often, happen when least expected. But everything was handled in delicate, compassionate and careful way. Agree with things previously said, it was though provoking.
I so enjoyed the main characters, what they did with their lives. And CiCi, she was darling. Wanted to slap Natalie but when it was explained, it made sense and good they made their peace. And Barney, poor mistreated dog.
I hope all victims and their families can find shelter in place. And peace.
(view spoiler)
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Jonetta wrote: "Eve, might want to put your last paragraph in a spoiler for those who haven’t yet read that book!"Sorry, I thought it is now a spoiler zone. Made my last paragraph as a spoiler.
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And we all need a Cici type person in our lives, I think.
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Jonetta wrote: "It’s a spoiler zone for this book. That’s a spoiler for another book."Aahh, thanks :)
Couldn't help but agree with CiCi's moto of life:CiCi Lennon lived life by her own rules. Two of the top rules—Try Not to Hurt Anybody, and Have the Balls to Say What You Think—often clashed, but the results blended with her Be An Asshole When Necessary rule, so it worked for her.”
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Talya wrote: "Two hours audio to go! I am loving the chemistry with Reed and Simone, chill yet fiery hot. And my heart is melting at the Barney moments.And we all need a Cici type person in our lives, I think."
I love audiobooks and always think I WANT to listen to Nora books but I read so much faster than I can listen and I am usually just too impatient! lol.
I have considered listening to some of the In Death books. I am slowly making my way through that series and feel less of a compulsion to race through those books.
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Jonetta wrote: "I changed the speed on my audio to 1.25 and it’s made a big difference."I also listen at 1.25, and it did make a big difference!
Aside from a few random books where the narrator was soooo sllloooowww, I haven't made the jump to 1.5. I think the narrators voices start to become a bit distorted then.
There were things I really liked about this book, but I can't say it's one of my favorites by Nora. The way she wrote the scene at the mall was brilliant. Honestly, I felt like I was there. Patrica was the perfect blend of crazy and evil...I hated her, of course, but she was, nonetheless, intriguing. My problem with the book was the relationship/romance angle. I felt almost no connection to Simone and Reed. Each, on their own, was likable, especially Reed, but they didn't seem to have much chemistry and the romance seemed sort of thrown into the mix just because the story needed a romance. I did love Cici, though!It almost kills me to criticize anything Nora writes as I've been a fan as long as I can remember, but this book left me feeling sort of let down.
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As I’m more drawn to the mystery/suspense aspects, the romance is always secondary to me. I don’t recall much about chemistry (that’s telling, isn’t it?) but I liked both of them and liked them together.
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It was a typical evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine. Three teenage friends waited for the movie to start. A boy flirted with the girl selling sunglasses. Mothers and children shopped together, and the manager at the video-game store tended to customers. Then the shooters arrived.
The chaos and carnage lasted only eight minutes before the killers were taken down. But for those who lived through it, the effects would last forever. In the years that followed, one would dedicate himself to a law enforcement career. Another would close herself off, trying to bury the memory of huddling in a ladies' room, hopelessly clutching her cell phone--until she finally found a way to pour her emotions into her art.
But one person wasn't satisfied with the shockingly high death toll at the DownEast Mall. And as the survivors slowly heal, find shelter, and rebuild, they will discover that another conspirator is lying in wait--and this time, there might be nowhere safe to hide.
Settings
Rockpoint, Maine
New York, New York
Portland, Maine
Tranquility Island, Maine
Table of Contents
Part One - Innocence Lost
Chapters 1 - 10
Part Two - Passion of Purpose
Chapters 11 - 20
Part Three - Proof of Life
Chapters 21 - 30
Character List
(view spoiler)[
Simone Knox: Artist. She was at the theater in the DownEast shopping mall shooting and was the first to call 9-1-1.
Reed Quartermaine: Island police chief. Former Portland detective where he was Essie’s partner. Worked at Mangia, a restaurant at the DownEast mall, at the time of the shooting.
Natalie Knox: Simone’s sister.
Tulip Knox: Simone’s mother, CiCi’s daughter.
Ward Knox: Simone’s father.
CiCi Lennon: Simone’s grandmother, an artist.
Tish Olsen: Simone’s best friend.
Mi-Hi Jung: Simone’s best friend.
Harrison (Harry) Brookefield: Natalie’s fiancé.
Chaz Bergman: Reed’s friend, an assistant manager at GameStop at the time of the shooting.
Essie McVee: Police officer at the time of the shooting, now a detective and Reed’s partner.
Hank Coleson: Essie's fiancé, a college professor.
Dylan Coleson: Essie and Hank’s son.
Sam Wickett: Retiring island police chief.
Matty Stevenson: Island deputy. She served four years in the Army, three years with the Boston Police Department and nine years on the Island force. She’s about 40-years old, divorced and living with John Pryor.
Nick Masterson: Island deputy. He’s 33-years old, newlywed and his family owned Sunrise Café.
Leon Wendall: Island deputy. Former Navy petty officer, he’s been on the force for seven years.
Cecil Barr: Island deputy. He’s 24-years old.
Donna Miggins: Island police dispatcher.
Hildy Intz: Island mayor.
John Pryor: Island plumber. He’s living with Matty.
Doc Dorsey: Island veterinarian.
Suzanne Dorsey: Doc’s wife and assistant.
Tonya Jacoby: FBI special agent in charge.
Andrew Xavier: FBI special agent.
Barry: Essie’s former partner.
Angie: Young girl who Reed asked out right before the shooting.
Trent Woolworth: Simone’s ex-boyfriend who dumped her.
Tiffany Bryce: Trent’s new girlfriend.
Brady Foster: Little boy Reed saved.
Michael Foster: Brady’s father, a firefighter. Married to Lisa.
Lisa Foster: Brady’s mother who was shot. Married to Michael.
Seleena McMullen: Reporter who was in the mall at the time of the shooting.
Titus (Bull) Stockwell: Police officer. Reed's training partner.
Letitia Johnson: Marsha’s next door neighbor. Her grandson is policeman Curtis Sloop.
Roberta Flisk: Survivor of the mall shooting where her sister Shelby was killed. She was vocal about gun control. Later murder victim.
Marshall Feinstein: Survivor of the mall shooting. Later murder victim.
Robert Kofax: DownEast Mall security guard who was shot. Later murder victim.
Emily Devlon: Survivor of the mall shooting. Later murder victim.
Marlene Dubowski: Survivor of the mall shooting. Later murder victim.
Tracey Lieberman: Survivor of the mall shooting. Later murder victim.
Renee: Reed’s real estate agent.
Patricia Hobart: JJ's sister.
Marsha Hobart: Patricia and JJ’s mother.
John Jefferson (JJ) Hobart: One of the shooters. He was in the theater.
Kent Whitehall: One of the shooters. He was in the mall.
Devon Paulson: One of the shooters. He was in the mall.
Barney: Reed’s dog.
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Spoiler Info
(view spoiler)[
Tish was shot and killed in the shooting, along with Trent. Mi was shot and seriously injured. Lisa Foster survived but was paralyzed from the waist down. Angie was killed in the shooting.
Patricia Hobart planned the whole shooting attack. She later plans and executes a vengeance tour by systematically killing off survivors of the shooting who gained any level of notoriety from the event. She kills her mother and grandparents. (hide spoiler)]