Unspoken

Unspoken
Dee Henderson
Bethany House Publishers
Fiction, Romance, Suspense
October 2013

Charlotte Graham is at the center of the most famous kidnapping in Chicago history. 

The task force of FBI and local cops found her two abductors, killed them, rescued her, but it took four very long years. The fact she was found less than three miles from her home, had been there the entire time, haunts them. She's changed her identity, found a profession she loves, and rebuilt her life. 

She's never said a word--to the cops, to her doctors, to family--about those four years.

A family legacy has brought her back to Chicago where a reporter is writing a book about the kidnapping. The cops who worked the case are cooperating with him. Her options are limited: Hope the reporter doesn't find the full truth, or break her silence about what happened. And her silence is what has protected her family for years. 

Bryce Bishop doesn't know her past, he only knows she has coins to sell from her grandfather's estate--and that the FBI director for the Chicago office made the introduction. The more he gets to know Charlotte, the more interested he becomes, an interest encouraged by those closest to her. But nothing else is working in his favor--she's decided she is single for life, she struggles with her faith, and she's willing to forego a huge inheritance to keep her privacy. She's not giving him much of an opening to work with. 

Charlotte wants to trust him. She needs to tell him what happened. Because a crime cops thought was solved, has only opened another chapter...

In a world full of non discerning reviewers I feel like I need to step out against the flow and be completely honest. Oh my goodness. That was my response reading this book and that's not a positive thing.....

1. Coins. For the love of all that is good in this world how boring can you get? I mean honestly. All the intrigue and mystique the book starts out with ends quite abruptly in a showroom full of antique coins. Yawn. I'm sure the 4 people who are into extremely rare coins will appreciate the detail Henderson goes into. I, however, was less than interested. I actually skipped a number of pages hoping to escape it. 

2. Charlotte. Henderson typically writes a bit far fetched characters but they have depth and are relatable. Charlotte is far from one of those characters. I understand she was terrorized but at some point either get her counseling and lead her towards healing or make her a secondary character. She was stuck and I felt stuck reading her. 

3. Money. Oh the money. So much of it and on and on it went. Seriously, how many people really deal with that kind of money and have that kind of disposable wealth? It was laughable. The money kept coming and as it approached the billions I found myself checking to make sure I wasn't reading a comedy by mistake. It was both fantasy and comedy. Neither of which I wanted to find in this book. 

4. Characters. In general the characters were an awful mixture of cold superheroes. They were unbelievable and it was disappointing. They were also boring and broken to the point of beyond repair. Very little redemptive message here. 

There were a few bright spots and a few Henderson moments that give you hope for something more but in general this lacked in almost every area. Perhaps Henderson wrote herself into a corner niche and would like to get out, this ain't the way to do it. Clumsy, LONG, and lacking passion I don't recommend this one. It's neither easy to read or enjoyable. I'm hoping for more next time but I'm not sure I have the energy to try again.....


My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my real and honest review.