2/22/2018

Tödliche Sehnsucht by Sandra Brown

Holy moly, this book (original Friction) was one hell of a fantastic read! And so far, at least in my eyes, the best thriller written by the author. And believe me, I´ve read many of her books already and this one makes me look forward to her next book. Thank god it is already published, so I only have to go and get it *smile* Sandra Brown is the author who knows how to combine psychological finesse with tension and a hint of romance without being cheesy. And yes, I am repeating myself; her thrillers are one hell of reading pleasure.

Tödliche Sehnsucht*

by Sandra Brown
Translation Christoph Göhler
Original Title Friction**
Publisher Blanvalet on January 9, 2018
Genre Thriller
Pages 511
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads
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Crawford Hunt wants his daughter back. After the death of his wife, the Texas Ranger is in a downward spiral, has been demoted to office work and had to give away his five-year-old daughter because of a court order. Now he has his life under control again, but the fate of his little family is in the hands of Judge Holly Spencer. Although she realizes that he loves his child above all but is unsure whether he can really take responsibility. However, Holly´s opinion changes abruptly as an armed man shows up during the hearing and Crawford can barely save her from a bullet. But the culprit is not caught and remains a threat. Crawford wants to protect Holly – but the forbidden attraction between the two does not make it easy for him … (personal translation ©Vi at Inkvotary)

Story

Crawford is nervous. He is about to fight for his daughter in court and knows that he must show his best side to convince the judge. But the moment he sees that armed man walking into the courtroom his instincts kick in and judge Holly Spencer never gets a chance to speak the words that would give him his daughter back. Instead, he finds himself in the middle of an even greater nightmare.

Style

I am simply a huge fan of the authors´ writing style. Her brilliantly created plot, the psychological finesse, the twists, and turns, how she raises the tension page by page, how she uses a language that is on the edge of obscenity but always on a high writing-level and with an elegant swing – all that and much more is what makes Sandra Brown vivid at what she does. There isn´t one single boring line in this book. Not a minute where you are tempted to ask where the hell this will lead or where you get annoyed by something. Instead many conflicts, hot feelings, and scenes that give you the chills – but in a good way. Where you sense that something isn´t right, that there must be something else to give everything happening sense in some way. And just before the end, you read that one sentence that makes it all so crystal clear.

Characters

A caring father, or better said, two, are the actual main figures who give this thriller the special something. One is blind with hate while the other is only seeing the luck and well-being of his beloved little girl.

It is adorable to watch how Crawford literally does everything to protect his daughter from evil. The scene where he jumps to save her in the last third of the book is one of the most beautiful scenes I´ve ever read in a book *sigh* All his actions are meant to bring him one step closer to get his daughter back. But he isn´t the perfect guy who gets everything with the hint of a smile. No. He makes mistakes, shows his weak spot without losing his manhood or appearing less male and is as vulnerable as you can imagine. I´m just wondering how a real man should ever exist next to such a fictional dream character, Sandra Brown has created with Crawford *smile* What a man …

Conclusion

Bloody hell, that was brilliant! After reading Friction I was in a very emotional mood. Crawford has managed, without me realizing it, to sneak into my heart. Not with words, but mostly because of his actions. He is - I say it again - vulnerable and yet the most male man I´ve ever had the pleasure to read about in a book. Holy heck, that guy is giving me … ahem, not going there, nope …

Happy reading

*This book was kindly provided to me by Blanvalet in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.

**Book was originally published Friction by Grand Central Publishing on August 18, 2015

Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown is the author of 63 New York Times bestsellers. Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-four languages. A lifelong Texan, Sandra Brown was born in Waco, grew up in Fort Worth and attended Texas Christian University, majoring in English. She is much in demand as a speaker and guest television hostess. Her episode on truTV´s Murder by the Book premiered the series in 2008. She appeared in 2010 on Investigation Discovery´s new series, Hardcover Mysteries. In 2009 Brown detoured from her thrillers to write Rainwater, a much acclaimed powerfully moving story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression. Brown holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University where she and her husband Michael Brown, have instituted the ELF, a scholarship annually awarded to a student pursuing a fiction-writing career. In 2008, she was named Thriller Master, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer´s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America´s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011 she and four colleagues went on a week-long USO tour to Afghanistan, meeting with service members on numerous bases. Sandra is the past president of the Mystery Writers of America in 2012. She lives in Arlington, Texas, with her husband, Michael Brown.

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