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!

Great story. As a crime mystery it was interesting to see the entire story unfold from Bill's point of view. He started out completely unlikeable and seemed to meddle in every aspect of the crime, almost to the point of it being cringeworthy. It was very satisfying to see him actually be right when nobody would listen to him.

Bill Price's life has been in turmoil ever since his wife died. His 15-year-old daughter Summer is also suffering the loss of her mother. One day Summer and her best friend Haley disappear. Not too long after they disappear, the girls are found, one of them Haley is dead and Summer is badly beaten.

As would any parent be , Bill is livid, how can someone do such a horrific thing. He sits vigil by his daughter's bedside, along with his sister. There are so many questions, how did the girls happen to be taken, who did it and why? As days go by though, things don't seem to be as simple as they look. Many questions are asked by the police that that Bill has no answers for.

As time goes by, things get even more difficult. Through memories of Bill's, we learn more about his wife and her death and some problems he has had with Summer. Things are not as they seem and Bill is determined to find out what happened to the girls. Some of the answers he is not prepared for and not what he had thought.

This book is a great psychological thriller and will keep the reader turning the pages. There were times I was a bit frustrated with Bill, but as a parent, I could not understand what he was going through, having never been in that situation, but I did have empathy and as the book progressed, a lot of things were a bit easier to understand. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

It's summer and I'm craving dark and chilling reads! I mean, I crave those year round, but something about summer time in particular makes me want them even more. And David Bell has become a name that's synonymous with chilling thrillers.

Summer and her best friend Hayley were on their way to Hayley's house when they both disappeared. Two days later, the girls have been found, but only one of them has survived. Both girls have been beaten to the point that they aren't readily identifiable based on looks alone. But Summer was wearing her jacket and carrying her ID, which means her dad Bill has the relief of knowing his daughter is still alive. Unfortunately she isn't out of the woods as she's been unconscious and unable to tell authorities what happened to them since being found. And Bill is going mad sitting on the sidelines. How can he protect his daughter when he can't even be sure what or where the danger is?

Bell's latest, like all of his others, is an intense and quick read. Even at over 400 pages, it just begged to be read in one sitting. I, of course, complied.

From the start, I really enjoyed all the questions set up by the plot. First and foremost concerning Bill himself and whether or not he can be trusted. He's not very likable. But you have to give him the benefit of the doubt considering his situation. And yet, there's a niggling feeling that he's hiding something or maybe just not being quite straightforward.

Then there's the question of the girls and what they were up to. Where were they going? It turns out Summer and her father have a strained relationship, thanks in no small part to the fact that Summer's mother died a little over a year and a half prior to when the story takes place. As both are dealing with their grief, they find solace and tension equally together. And Summer's disappearance coincides almost exactly with her mother's birthday, an anniversary that Bill knows was hanging heavy over them both.

The book has twists galore, and more than a few of them are easily predicted. But in spite of that, Bring Her Home was still a perfect afternoon escape!

I LOVED this book! I raced through and couldn't wait to find out how it all ended!

This is one of those scenarios where the cover deceived me. This was definitely not the highly enjoyable read I was anticipating.

The premise was interesting enough: father finds badly beaten daughter and wants to find out what happened to her. Perfectly reasonable, perfectly intriguing. But then, the story actually begins and I stopped caring almost immediately. And the major reason is Bill. He is an absolutely terrible character. I don't even know where to start by describing him. His thought process makes no sense, as he flits from one thing to another in his pursuit for the "truth"... and he was absolutely terrible at it. He stays dogged about one thing and really never shifts from that perspective until the very end. I don't like his impulsive and violent nature; it seemed almost comical because of how ridiculously it was portrayed. He was also constantly repeating everything that everyone says, to the point where I got super annoyed. The "clues" just happened to fall in his lap; everyone was just SO eager to confess and tell him their dirty little secrets. It was all just such a mess. I really thought that this novel would hit it home for me but in the end, it just didn't work for me in any way whatsoever. Only 1.5/5 stars from me!

I really liked this book and want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the free advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book started out as a well written thiller but when you reached about 30% into it, you were hit with an "oh my gosh" twist that changes this book into a fast paced, original & suspenseful thiller.
Every time that I thought that I had things figured out, I was hit with another crazy twist.
I would definitely read another book by this author.

Bring Her Home is a good mystery. Unfortunately, this one didn’t keep me at the edge of my seat or wanting more. It felt a little long and dragged. This is the first time I’ve read a book by David Bell. I found Bring Her Home to be good, but it could be better. It’s why I’m giving it a rating of 3 stars, maybe even a 3.5
The story starts off great. Bill Price, a recent widower, is the father to a teenage girl, Summer. Summer and her friend, Haley, have been missing for some time now. The girls have been pretty much inseparable since grade school. Summer is the more outgoing one, the leader. Haley is known to be more of the follower. They went out one night and never returned home. Bill gets a call, Summer is in the hospital, alive. Bill has no idea what shape she’s in, or how bad her injuries are. At first, Bill’s character is easy to relate to. You can sympathize with how he feels, how he reacts, and his confusion. He sees his daughter, in the hospital, beaten to a pulp. Summer can hardly be recognized. As the story went on, I started to grow tired of Bill’s character. I feel, the story revolved too much around him and him being the father figure. Bill always seemed to be on an edge. He was excessively defiant, which often interfered with the police investigation. He was almost always angry and used poor judgment. He was also quick to come up with his own conclusions. Throughout the story, he seems to jump around a lot.
Some of Bill’s actions were just too dramatic for me. I couldn’t see a grieving parent doing some of the things he did. I also wish some of the other characters were a bit more developed. Bill gets most of the attention. If there would have been more focus on some of the other characters, Summer, Adam, and Summer’s friends, I might have enjoyed it a bit more. The Police investigation didn’t take away from the story, but it also didn’t add to the story. It was pretty monotonous. I guess I expected more to be revealed on the investigation end and less on Bill’s end. Bill might as well be the detective in charge.
I would say this is a good read, a bit long, but you can get through it. There was something about the book which kept me reading. I think it was mostly the plot and wanting to know what happened to the girls, who was it that hurt/killed them.

As a parent the worst possible situation you can imagine would be an injured child. This story grabbed me from the first page when Bill shows up at the hospital to find his daughter who has been missing with her friend for more than 48 hours.
As her progress is slow and the investigation seems even slower, Bill starts to learn things about his daughter that he wishes he never had to hear. Since his wife's passing a couple of years prior, he and Summer had a strained relationship and he begins to wonder how much he's been missing in his daughter's life.
During his search for answers he learns more about many people in his life than he ever thought possible and his desperate search for the truth leads him places he never thought he would have to venture.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy!

For the most part this plot was fast-paced and engaging!! I have always found missing person cases to be interesting. Who? Where? Why? All fun and frightening at the same time.

Though this book hides behind the fast-paced plot, there was certainly some things wrong with it. One being the cops. David Bell made cops look like idiots in this book and even though there is protocol with any law enforcement case they were just ridiculous. Lastly, was some of the dialogue in general. I found myself several times questioning: would people really say this in this high stress situation?

If you are looking for an engaging thriller then I recommend this, just know it's not perfect.

There is a whole lot going on in this book. Two girls are found in the park both badly beaten and almost unrecognizable. One is barely alive. Who could have done this? There are a few suspects but none of them seem to be panning out and Bill is frantic for answers. With a bad temper Bill starts lashing out at everyone, his daughters friends, his neighbor, his sister. Someone in this small town knows something they just need to find one thread to help them start to unravel the mystery.

There are many twists and turns some you see coming others not so much. I had a few issues with this book. There were several major plot lines like the big reveal before Part 2 that I felt jumped the shark. I felt like I was watching a bad made for TV movie. I also had a difficult time with Bill. He was too volatile. For a character that was as broken as he was in the beginning of this book he flew off in too many directions that seemed out of character. This is a man who was still deep in mourning for his wife who had died a year ago and now he gets the call every parent dreads that his daughter is in the hospital. His life just goes downhill from there and I just had a hard time wrapping my head around his actions coming from this same broken character. Sitting in his daughters room half comatose would seem more in line with the man who hadn't bothered to move any of his wife's clothing, kept her cell phone turned on and charged and replayed her voicemails on the computer all the time, not running around town threatening people.

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis made me eager to read it, the cover is beautiful but there were parts of the story that just fell flat for me, that left me wanting. I kept waiting for it to get better and there were times that it did but I think that the main character just ruined it for me. I had a hard time liking him or feeling connected to him in any way.

I've heard Bell's other books were spectacular. I'm bummed this wasn't one of them.

Plot was full of many twists and turns. Enjoyed reading it

I thoroughly enjoyed this suspense novel!!!! Being a parent I could relate to this father never giving up on finding the truth about his daughters disappearance. Dead or alive he needed closure.