Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Bring Her Home. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Bill Price has already faced tragedy in the past year, with the untimely passing of his wife. Raising his teenage daughter Summer alone has not been without its challenges, but Bill's resolve will get tested in ways that he never expected. When Summer and her best friend Haley disappear, the investigation brings up past history that Bill thought was behind him and alternate theories that have shocking implications. Will Bill, along with his sister Paige and Detective Hawkins, ultimately be able to bring Summer home?

Bring Her Home was equally frustrating, interesting, and thrilling. The author did go for the cliché more than once in this book, which ruined the flow. The twists did bring the novel to a thrilling high, but it was not enough to resurrect this book from good to great. One twist was a complete surprise, making me wish that more of the book followed its lead. The characters were well developed, but the moments in the plot where the author chose to go with the expected path took away from their realism. The author telegraphed the ending a little too much, so the conclusion did not elicit a response from me. Readers who like suspense and mystery/thrillers might like Bring Her Home.

This book is about a father who’s daughter goes missing one weekend. Until they get a  anonymous call and two girls are found in the park.  One is dead, one is barley hanging on both completely unrecognizable due to their injuries.  Unfortunately this father’s nightmare is just beginning. 

All i could say through this book was OMG! And Wow! It twisted you and turned you until you were convinced everyone is guilty of everything. And hey a few times I was right mostly because I accused everyone. I loved this book and it had me completely hooked from the first chapter. 
Definitely a 5☆ book! If you like thrillers this should be on your list!

I had heard raves about this book and Bell's prior ones, so I was very excited to be approved for a copy. The story follows two missing girls, only one of whom survives. It is a totally gripping, creepy tale and I could not put it down, so eager was I to know the truth behind what had happened. This won't be by last book by the talented David Bell!

Three and a half stars: A book with a strong, suspenseful mystery and lots of twists that kept me turning pages, but when all was revealed, I didn’t think the story was cohesive. 

Bill is doing his best to keep it together. After a couple of horrid days, his daughter has been found. Summer is badly beaten, clinging to life, but she is alive, unlike her best friend, Haley. Bill quickly learns that things are going to get worse before they get better. Who did this to his daughter and why? The more he digs, the more troublesome things become. Did he truly know his daughter? 

What I Liked:
Bring Her Home is a page turner. I loved the suspense and the mystery and the jaw dropping twists. *This one kept me guessing up until the startling conclusion. If you are looking for a good thriller, this is one to pick up. 
*The twists were outstanding. I can’t give too much away, but there were some things that I didn’t see coming. I liked that this one kept me on my toes, and just when I thought I had things figured out, *Mr. Bell would throw in another stunning surprise. If you are one who likes twists, this book delivers. 
I liked that this one deals with the complexity of family relationships. Bill is forced to reexamine his relationship with his fifteen year old daughter, and in doing so, he must also deal with his own issues. I especially liked his realizations regarding his sister, Paige. Paige was my favorite character in the book. 
*The ending was well done. It concludes without any lingering questions. I liked the way it all played out. 
*I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Jon Lindstrom. Mr. Lindstrom does a great job with the voices. 
And the Not So Much:
*While I loved the twists and turns, when all was laid out, I wasn’t thrilled with how the story came together. Some things weren’t exactly believable, such as the situation with the homeless man in the woods. While other things weren’t throughly explained. Finally, I didn’t like that events that seemed important weren’t really even related to the case. 
*I had the bad guy pegged almost immediately because I think the author gave too much away. It was still fun to guess the motives and figure it all out, and I certainly couldn’t have gotten it right with all the twists. 
*I wish that Bill was more likable. I got frustrated with this because he is rash, impatient and doing things that impeded the police investigation. I hated the way he constantly took matters into his own hands. I found home frustrating. 

Bring Her Home is a fast paced book with an exciting mystery and heaps of suspense. I loved that I was constantly guessing and on my toes with this one. Once all was revealed, I found some things unbelievable, and I thought overall the story lacked cohesiveness. Still it was a page turner, and I enjoyed the mystery. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review. 
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

This was my first David Bell novel and I will definitely be looking for more. Bill Price's fifteen year old daughter, Summer, and her friend Haley disappear. Haley is found dead and Summer beaten badly. As Bill, looks for answers he discovers many secrets. I found this novel extremely readable and quite the page turner. It had way more focus on the characters than many thrillers. I did not find Bill very likable, but I did particularly enjoy his relationship with his sister Paige and his daughter. There are tons of great twists and turns and sub-stories in this novel. Loved it!

BRING HER HOME is the new thriller from David Bell, bestselling author of Since She Went Away and Somebody I Used to Know. This is a gripping character-driven thriller that deals with the fate the fate of two missing teenage girls. 

A year and a half after the tragic death of his wife, Bill Price’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Summer, and her best friend, Haley, disappear. Days later, the girls are found in a city park. Haley is dead at the scene, while Summer is left beaten beyond recognition and in a coma in ICU.

The more time Bill spends with Summer, the more he wonders what happened to her. Or if the injured girl in the hospital bed is really his daughter at all. What was the reason for the beating and the murder? 

The answers to the present are buried in the past!

Now I can’t explain any more of the plot for risk of spoilers. You will just have to read it yourself to find out why?

Short suspenseful chapters, a gripping plot with realistic characters makes this novel a definite winner! Highly recommended!

Many thanks to David Bell, Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC.

Sometimes who you want people to be makes you blind to who they really are. With BRING HER HOME David Bell exercises his capacious talents for imagination and piercing storytelling with enough twists and turns to satisfy even the most jaded reader, keeping them engaged from the first page right up to the surprising ending.

In this powerful tale of a father working his way through unthinkable tragedy, Bell takes readers from one surprising turn of events to another with barely enough time to catch your breath between each new revelation.. Readers hungry for an emotional and tense roller coaster ride of a novel are sure to have that hunger satisfied.........and then some.

This is my first foray into the world of David Bell. Therefore, I am unable to make any comparison to other works. I can't speak to which is better. However, what I can say is, I enjoyed this book. Yes, it is a mystery filled with many twists and turns, but for me, it was more that. 

Bring Her Home gave me a firsthand look into a grieving man's life.  Dealing with loss is a difficult road for one travel and to do so twice in a short space of time could not have been easy for Bill Price. I may not have agreed with how he approached the situation, but I completely understood his actions. We each grieve in our own way and I saw Bill's actions as his way of coping.  I could relate to what he was going through.  His feelings of helplessness, guilt, and anger leaped off the pages.  

The portrayal of Bill along with the supporting characters was the driving force behind my enjoyment of this book. Mr. Bell created convincing characters, who were easy to care for and I was eager to discover what would become of each of them.

I consider a well-written mystery to be filled with suspense, unexpected outcomes and one which keeps me guessing from start to finish. Bring her Home encapsulated these criteria for the most part. There were a few events that threw me for a loop and for a time I kept trying to figure out the identity of the villain. There were many possible suspects.  However, as the events unfolded and actions became clearer, the identity was no longer a mystery.  The motive eluded me for a majority of the story, but then it too became clear after a while.

This is a story that one needs to approach with an open mind. One should never go into this story with any preconceived notions as doing so may cause disappointment.

The story was well written and the pacing for the most was good. However, there were aspects of the story which moved a bit slow for my tastes.  As a result, I had a difficult time getting through these areas which tainted my experience to some degree.  There is not much more I can say regarding this story without giving away the plot.  Therefore if you are curious about the events that transpired in this story and you enjoy mysteries then you need to experience it through your own eyes. 

Conclusion/Recommendation 
Overall, this was an OK read. It was not mind-blowing, but it kept me entertained. Would I read more from this author?
Definitely, yes

I finished my first David Bell book!! I must admit that this one did take longer than expected to finish, I think it had to do more with myself than the book. 

Personally, I feel like the book falls between 3.5 and 4 stars. It’s not that the book was boring, I was definitely intrigued and needed to keep reading, however, I was not in dire need to want to finish the book quickly. 
“Just a year and a half after the tragic death of his wife, Bill Price’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Summer, and her best friend, Haley, disappear. Days later, the girls are found in a city park. Haley is dead at the scene, while Summer is left beaten beyond recognition and clinging to life.

As Bill holds vigil over Summer’s bandaged body, the only sound the unconscious girl can make is one cryptic and chilling word: No. And the more time Bill spends with Summer, the more he wonders what happened to her or if the injured girl in the hospital bed is really his daughter at all.

When troubling new questions about Summer’s life surface, Bill is not prepared for the aftershocks.”


I enjoyed the plot and the twist and turns the story takes. Throughout the book the author made sure to add suspense and also to throw in some jaw droppers. Most of the characters are well developed, however, Bill irked me, I understand the position he is in and how hard all of this maybe on him but for some reason he did not sit well with me.
Normally, this would be a quick read but like I mentioned before, for me, it took longer than I would have liked. 

Thank you Netgalley & the publishers for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

David Bell creates so much suspense and twists with this very suspenseful book.. This book kept me on my toes and had me reading into the night. Great book!! Look forward to reading more books in the future from this author.

This book had me turning pages as quickly as possible. I did not see any of those twists coming, which is a big plus in my book. I did feel like the pacing was maybe a little more drawn out than I'd like, the timeline seemed... IDK, questionable, I guess. It seemed like a month had passed, but it was only eight days in the story (at one point). Even with those things, I still give this a five-star rating because I was so hooked the entire time and finished it in about a day. I'm trying to write a thriller myself, so I know how hard it is to get all the aspects just right. A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this.

The novel opens with Bill, a widower, facing every father’s worst nightmare. His fifteen-year-old daughter, Summer is missing (along with her best friend, Haley). Days later, the girls are found in the park. Haley is dead on the scene and Summer is badly beaten. Bill is left begging his daughter to fight for her life but also begins to wonder if he knows his daughter at all. As Bill searches for the truth, he discovers more than what he thought.

Instead of going for the gusto, Bell opens subtly and slowly draws his reader in. I felt instantly intrigued. From the first pages, Bell does a superb job at setting up lots of questions for the reader to continuously ask. I really loved this; when I read, I love to be active in my thought process trying to figure out the plot and where the author plans on going.

One of the other things I enjoyed was the plethora of twists in the middle of the novel. Especially since I am completely tired of the big, shocking, one moment twists that so many thrillers have these days. I felt like this made the story even more eerie and ominous because it felt so real; this truly could have been a story that could happen to anyone.

As for characterization, I felt like Bill was relatable and the story felt very real; I really appreciated that!

I was able to guess pretty early on parts of the resolution of the novel but Bell did bring in some complex details that I would never have guessed that amped up the ending for me.

As a parent, the worse thing to go through would be the death of a child or have a missing child.

This book pulls you in.  It is so easy to relate to the characters and the plot line.  The story is very well written and has a major plot twist that completely blew my mind.

This is an awesome a psychological thriller.

A year and a half after the death of his wife, Bill and his teenage daughter Samantha are trying are trying to piece their lives back together. Unfortunately, the worst is not over for Bill. When Summer and her best friend Hailey go missing, Bill is a wreck. Days later, two bodies are dumped in the local park, beaten beyond recognition. Summer is in a coma in the ICU, and Hailey is taken to the local morgue. 

The more time Bill spends in Summer's hospital room, the more he starts to question whether the girl in the hospital bed is actually his daughter. As more questions start to arise, Bill is determined to uncover who is behind these brutal attacks, and why. 

I really liked the plot of Bring Her Home, and I also loved the fact that instead of throwing in one major twist at the end of the book, that there were multiple smaller twists leading up to the very end. Many of the small twists early in the book I didn't see coming, though I did absolutely call the one at the end! 

I really enjoyed the relationship between Bill and Summer in this book. It felt like a really realistic portrayal of a single dad raising a fifteen year old girl after the death of her mother. Their relationship was rocky, but Bill is doing the best that he can, even though he falls short sometimes. 

The suspense in this book was great - the chapters were short, and I was continually telling myself "just one more chapter!" and then I ended up reading the entire book! There are so many open questions happening at any given time within the book, that I was dying to find out what was happening and why! 

All in all, I gave this one 4.5 stars, and I'd recommend it to fans of the thriller/suspense genres! This was the first book by David Bell that I'd read, and I'm definitely a fan. His writing was great, and he kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, so I can't wait to read more of his work!

Traveling Sister Review by Brenda and Lindsay

Bring Her Home is a captivating, tense and emotional story of a father’s frantic quest to bring his daughter home.  When we first meet Bill he is grieving a loss and is soon faced with another nightmare. We really loved hearing the story from Bill’s perspective and we could feel his desperation, grief, frustration and anger as he searched for answers to the secrets of today and some that are buried in the past. 

In this well-paced story, David Bell led us down a path of secrets and lies that we thought we knew where it was going only to be taken in different turns than we expected, leaving us feeling very satisfied where it ended.  The suspense and tension increased with every twist and turn and we were hanging on to every word.  

David Bell does a good job with the dynamics of the characters and we really enjoyed Bill’s relationship with his sister Paige who comes to support him in his nightmare.  She brings the much needed balance to Bill.  We enjoyed how she softens and calm him down and points him to what's most important.  We could feel their love and bond they have with each other. 

To sum it up, this was a perfectly paced, highly suspenseful and deeply engaging read that left us hungry for more by David Bell.  We highly recommend this gripping and emotional story of a father’s quest to Bring Her Home.  

Thank you, NetGalley, Berkley Books and David Bell for providing a copy of this book for me to read and review.

All of our Traveling Sisters Group Read Reviews can be found on Norma’s and my sister blog:
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereading.wordpress.com

David Bell became one of my go-to authors for mysteries with his previous book, and this book follows through on the promise he made to me with his earlier works.
Widower Bill Price is still suffering through the darkness of his wife's sudden accidental death the year before. The same can be said for his 15-year old daughter, Summer. But when Summer and her best friend, Hailey first disappear and are then found terribly beaten up things start spinning out of control for Bill. 
This book is seriously good, peeling off layer by layer of the onion until the truth emerges. Even though I had a lot of guess and thoughts as to what had happened throughout the book, the truth knocked me over as it emerged and I totally didn't see it coming, even if I had suspected some of the earlier twists.
For mystery fans, this book should be a must-read.

This was a gripping, fast paced thriller. I literally could NOT put this down. From the start it grabbed me, pulled me in, and would not let go. Not long after Bill Price's wife dies his daughter, Summer, disappears. When Summer is found she has been beaten so badly he can't even recognize her. What's even more devastating is her best friend, Haley, was murdered after she was taken with Summer. The story follows as Summer's father tries to figure out who did this to her and works to get justice for both Summer and Haley. This book had so many twists and turns that I found myself picking my jaw up off the floor. More than once I thought I had it all figured out only to find I was way off base. It has been awhile that I have read a book in one day, but I literally couldn't wait to find out what happened. This is my top book of 2017 so far!

I love an exciting twist!  Bell definitely delivered in "Bring Her Home", however, the double plot twist was a little disappointing.  The real shining star of this novel is Bill's strained familial relations, but I can't help but wonder how this man lead what he perceives as a normal life with all the family drama he is surrounded by.  Bill's inability to acknowledge and confront these problems seem to slow the plot progression a bit and the pace just limped along.

When you read a mystery/suspense novel, what is that one thing that you expect to find? A shocking twist? The 'wow' moment? A keep-me-guessing-until-the-last-page factor? All of the above? My gosh! Bring Her Home was an experience for me. (Thanks @berkleypub for this copy via #Netgalley) Bill Price has been grieving his wife for a year when he finds out that his daughter has been beaten to almost her death along with her best friend. As parents, we try to do our best raising our kids and we always hope they will see that one day. I can't imagine what this character will go through. Bill's world will soon turn upside down when he discovers a painful truth about the girl recovering in that hospital bed... Summer, his daughter. Or is she? From there, the story will not give you a break, throwing subtle clues here and there and I found myself eating/racing/swimming through the pages until the very end! I want to finish this review without any spoilers!!! So if you haven't read this one yet you need to get it asap!! David Bell does an amazing job here in keeping you at edge, guessing and wondering! Amazing 5 stars for me!