Through the Eyes of a Child (Intrigue , No 465)

Rating:
Summary:
Childhood fears aren't real. Are they?
Review:

Twenty-six years ago, Matthew Childs witnessed the brutal murder of his father. Now another murder has occurred and another child shivers in the dark, a witness to unspeakable horror.

Only one man can break through the walls tthat insulate the child from memories of violence and discover the truth.

But at what price to him?


Childhood fears aren't real. Are they?

Only if you believe in the boogeyman...


Rating:
Summary: A very unpleasant, unsatisfying book
Review: A friend who really likes this author told me I should try one of Laura Kenner's books. Maybe her other ones are good, but this one sure wasn't. I expected a romantic mystery, but there was hardly any love story and the mystery was too easy and conveniently solved. I don't read too many mysteries, but looking down the cast of characters list, I guessed who the killer was and I was right. The love story was very underwhelming, and inappropriate, I thought. THere are lots of scary moments that get lost whenever she shifts to an unconvincing romance. She should have just written a straight thriller or mystery, since the romance just takes away from the better parts of the book, and she doesn't seem that good at writing a convincing love story anyway. Anyone who is recommended to this author, BE CAREFUL!!! don't start with this book.

Rating:
Summary: Better than most
Review: I found this book to be better than most Intrigues because it didn't stoop to an easy romance built around an easy-to-solve crime. Some readers might not understand the psychological aspects of the terrors of childhood and how they extend into adulthood, but as a survivor of early childhood trauma, I appreciate and applaud the insight Ms. Kenner has shown in developing this story.

Rating:
Summary: Go mainstream
Review: I'm a hardcore Intrigue reader but somehow missed this book. After reading these wildly divergent reviews (and really hating people who give away too much plot), I got the book and read it. And enjoyed it. But I can see some rationale behind some of the comments; this is not really an Intrigue. It's a mystery, a thriller, yes, even a psychological suspense...but most of all, it's a really good book. I believe Ms. Kenner may have written herself beyond the Intrigue/romantic suspense genre and into the mainstream. May I suggest that she forego the romance genre altogether and write what evidently seems her passion; a really good, thought-provoking mystery! I'll be first in line to read it.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Worst Books I've Ever Read
Review: Maybe on the strength of her first three Intrigues, Kenner was allowed to get away with submitting this badly-written, undeveloped piece of trash. The mystery is OK, other than the fact that the killer isn't really developed as a character before being unmasked and the motive is one of the weakest I've ever heard. (Apparently, being insane is supposed to explain any weaknesses in the killer's motive. I don't think so.) The love story is worse...basically it seems like an afterthought. Around page 100, it's like Kenner realized, "Oh, this is supposed to be a romance," and had the characters finally start to fall for one another. There's no real sparks between them, and Matthew seems to care more about Jillian's kid than he does about her. Matthew is sketched out a little, but I really couldn't tell you much about Jillian at all. Just one example of how lazily it's written is that Kenner never gets around to telling you where this is taking place, it's just "the city." There's no way I can get across how badly written it is; you'd just have to read it yourself. But save yourself the time: it's not worth it. This is the kind of book that gives romance fiction a bad name.

Rating:
Summary: Pschologically Intense!
Review: Such an intense book. Maybe not for everyone, but I found it fascinating. Scary. Definitely different from the norm.

Rating:
Summary: What happened???
Review: Take it from someone who thinks "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "A Killer Smile" are two fantastic books: I don't know what happened to Laura when she was writing this one, but she just phoned it in. Where was the tension between the main characters that was so beautiful between Sam and Lily and "Jack" and Ellen in those two books? Didn't anyone think that Matthew was marrying Jill more to be around her son than because he had any feelings for her? Did anyone else know who the killer was right after the person was introduced? i felt more like I was reading a psychological case study than a well-crafted romantic mystery. Apparently some people liked that, but I'm sorry--this was supposed to be a romance and a mystery. I felt cheated. What happened, Laura?

Rating:
Summary: What happened???
Review: Take it from someone who thinks "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "A Killer Smile" are two fantastic books: I don't know what happened to Laura when she was writing this one, but she just phoned it in. Where was the tension between the main characters that was so beautiful between Sam and Lily and "Jack" and Ellen in those two books? Didn't anyone think that Matthew was marrying Jill more to be around her son than because he had any feelings for her? Did anyone else know who the killer was right after the person was introduced? i felt more like I was reading a psychological case study than a well-crafted romantic mystery. Apparently some people liked that, but I'm sorry--this was supposed to be a romance and a mystery. I felt cheated. What happened, Laura?

Rating:
Summary: Through the Eyes of a Child
Review: This book is subtle and sophisticated, and a cut above most series Romance I've read. Ms. Kenner's clue-dropping expertise is tremendous. I highly recommend this book, and I'm eager to find more of this author's work.

Rating:
Summary: A story that confounds, perplexes and fascinates.
Review: This was a tough one to put down because I wanted to read much more. Laura did a superb job with the suspense and mystery in this book. I highly recommend it to all lovers of romantic suspense. You gotta love these characters; they're so real. Lee Emory, editor of Tacoma Chapter RWA "Love Notes."