The Space Between by Dete Meserve grabbed my attention immediately and held it throughout the entire book all the way to the {somewhat} shocking ending.

The Space Between focuses on the story of Sarah Mayfield who works for the Carnegie Institute of Technology and lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband Ben and son Zack. She has just returned home from DC after a 3 day presentation to NASA only to find out that Ben has mysteriously disappeared. The rest of the novel is a continuous amount of startling discoveries and a police investigation on where Ben, a successful restaurant owner, has disappeared to.

That is just the bare bones of the story, but I think it is enough to get you going. I went into the book blind not really knowing what was going on and I'm glad I did. I didn't consider Sarah an unreliable narrator even though there is suspicion cast on her from the police. However, sometimes I did wonder a little at her choices (especially considering how smart she must be). The chapters moved at a quick pace, and they continued to get shorter as the book went on, especially toward the end. It ended up being a very quick read, and I thought the pacing was fast enough to make it hard to put down.

The book is a bit repetitive in a few spots, but nothing that really bothered me too much. I was a little shocked at the ending, but not overly. I did have my suspicions and most of them were right. Even though that was the case, the pace and excitement of the book kept me reading anyway.

There is also a tiny dose of romance in The Space Between but nothing crazy. This is not a book with love scenes, just some affection that didn't bother me in the slightest.

I loved the astronomy aspect to this book, it was something different from what I have read in other novels. I love when the female characters have an actual career, and reading about space was very interesting for me. I love that the author applied something she knows about to the novel, I really enjoy when an author does that. And of course, I thought the cover fit into the story beautifully - such a gorgeous cover! I would probably buy this book just based on the cover alone because that is the type of person I am.

Final Thought: This book might not amaze anyone, but I think it was a super fun, fast-paced read. I also consider it to be on the lighter side, even though the subject matters are a bit on the heavier side. Meserve's writing just made everything come together nicely and in a way I think was fitting for the book. No big surprises, but if you don't think too much about it you might just be surprised. ;)

The Space Between is Deve Meserve's third novel. Meserve is an incredibly impressive human, going by her Wiki page; a creator and producer of movies and tv, and a novelist, with a list of accomplishments that is... long. The Space Between reads like a book that Merserve had to write. A love of the stars since childhood, a grandmother who was in NASA, and producing Ready Jet Go! an astronomy and earth science show for kids (please can this woman be my friend? She sounds so cool!) has made an astronomical backdrop a natural setting for her writing.

Sarah, an accomplished scientist and astronomer, and Ben, a chef and restaurant owner, have been married for 15 years. After presenting the discovery of a lifetime, at a conference Sarah returns home to find Ben is missing, and a number of confusing, and worrying, things around the house. An erased video security system, a Christmas tree that stirs up memories of the beginning of their marriage, a gun, a million dollars in an old bank account...  The story twists and tangles. Right before- like right before- Sarah had left for her work trip, she dropped the D(ivorce) word on Ben. She leaves, and as has become normal for them, they don't communicate while she is away. Coming back, she learns that Ben has been targeted even before Sarah had returned home from her trip, but evidence is also building up against Ben in another case. Sarah hangs on to hope by telling herself, and their son, Zack, that the truth can be hiding in plain sight, just disguised by other brighter distractions, and while Ben is still missing, she is finding him in more than one way.

Folks, this. book. is. really. good. Like, really, really good. I think it might be my favourite book of the year so far. There's so much going on, but it flows really well so it's not hard to keep track of. There's some romance, some mystery and suspense, some nice nerdiness- say what you want, I think everyone loves a bit of nerd! One thing I did feel was that it was a little hard to keep track of time. At one stage, a week had passed in the story but it felt like it should have been closer to a month. That doesn't negatively affect the story at all, it was just a little jarring.

It has only been released (July 2018), but based on this I can't wait now to go and read Meserve's first two books, and check out her space show for my kids!

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Number of Pages: 300

Would recommend for: When you need a total escape, want to learn a little bit about space, people who love a bit of nerd thrown into their books.

Would avoid if: you've a heart of stone ;)

Silly niggly things: Crap, there was something really small but I can't remember! So clearly, pretty insignificant!

Stars: ****/*****

Murder, suspense, and the stars

This book is totally different than author Meserve's first two books but I enjoyed it just as much. Her first two books were feel-good, Nicholas Sparks kind of tales. This one is a murder mystery.

Dr. Sarah Mayfield is an astronomer at the Carnegie Institute of Technology working on a space telescope for NASA. She just gave a presentation about an asteroid she helped discover and comes home to find her husband, Ben, missing.

Ben is the heir to a family fortune and also the owner of a very successful L.A. restaurant that he also runs.

Sarah and Ben have been having problems with their marriage but Sarah doesn't realize all that she DOESN'T know about Ben until he does disappear.

This was a fast-paced murder mystery, a perfect summer read. I enjoyed the bits and pieces about astronomy. I liked Sarah's character and enjoyed how the whole storyline came together in the end.

I received this book from Lake Union Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy. I am voluntarily leaving a review. Sarah works for NASA, her husband Ben , owns a popular L.A. restaurant. They have been married fifteen years and have a fourteen year old son. From the outside, they seem to have the perfect life. Sarah has just returned from DC, presenting the find of a lifetime but Ben isn't home. Thus begins this suspenseful twisted story. I could NOT put it down. I found myself tethered to the wall, charging the kindle so I could continue the story. 4.5 twisted stars.

A captivating story of Sarah, an astronomer and her husband, a restaurateur who have been married for many years. Their jobs have been taking them further apart and the romance in their relationship has been dwindling. It's a love story and a mystery rolled into one. Sarah's husband suddenly disappears and her world is turned upside down. With Sarah trying to be strong for their teenaged son, being questioned by the police and the news media outside of her house, how will this all turn out?! You will want to read this page turner and find out all of the answers.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Dete Meserve. I thoroughly enjoyed this 5 star book.

The twists and turns of this one kept me turning pages, wondering what would happen next. The author developed the story and the characters in such a way that I was continuously revising the way I felt about all of them, including Sarah. This was a good reminder that sometimes things may look true, but if they don’t reconcile with what you know or believe, it is always good to look past them and check the space between what you think you know and what you believe.
I also enjoyed the way the author wove in astronomy facts, which has reinforced my desire to head to the desert to look at the sky and see what I can see.
This was my first read by Dete Meserve and I was not disappointed. This was one I couldn’t put down and recommend to anyone who likes a good story that keeps you guessing from beginning to end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are strictly my own.
Expected publication July 24th

I have read and love every one of Dete Meserve books, and this one did not disappointed! It may be her best book yet!
What a fast paced, action packed, and intense novel! Dete Meserve does a fantastic job of capturing the readers’ attention immediately and maintains it throughout the entire novel. The Space Between is full of plot twists and turns and even though I guessed the main plot twist long before the end, the reason remained unknown, and were really surprising!
I loved the writing style and descriptions of the scenes and you could tell she spent time and things were very well researched. The characters were very well developed and it was intense watching the main character struggling with whether or not her husband was guilty.
If you haven't picked up a book by this wonderful author I recommend you try this one. I'm giving it a strong 5 stars!

The Space Between by Dete Meserve. General Fiction and Women’s Fiction. If you love mystery you will love this book. Sarah Mayfield comes home from a great astronomy discovery to her husband missing. The FBI think her husband has killed someone. She goes searching for the answers and Aaron helps her recover missing tape footage from their security system.She receives a message from her husband Ben in Klingon and has to go see if it his him. When she leaves she tells her son, “if we are going to understand what happened to your dad we have to look beyond what we can see and search the space between.

Space Between is a good choice for fans of Gone Girl.

Sarah and Ben have been married 15 years when Ben mysteriously disappears. Ben leaves behind a shiny new Glock, an erased security system and a million dollar transfer into Sarah’s bank account. Ben was scheduled to testify the following week in his lawsuit against his partners in his upscale LA eatery. Could they have abducted Ben? Or could Sarah, who admittedly has problems in her marriage, be angling for the huge insurance and inheritance payoff if Ben is found dead?

Space Between in a good, not great, mystery. There have been so many similar plotlines since Gone Girl was released, it is possible I’m just burned out on the family dynamic thriller. I spent much of my reading time wondering if Sarah had ever read or watched a thriller or police procedural before. Some of her actions are bizarre and stupid. Picking up a gun without worrying about getting your fingerprints on it? Not using your alarm or even locking your doors after your husband disappears? Lying to the police? Concealing and tampering with evidence that could be used to find your husband? It is just unbelievable that a Caltech PhD and famous astrophysicist could be this stupid. Someone less jaded than I might like Space Between so 3 stars.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

The Space Between centers on the unlikely couple of Ben and Sarah - a restaurant owner who is in business with movie stars and his NASA scientist wife - but for some reason, they are a perfect fit. Years later, they have their struggles but suddenly Ben has gone missing and some serious shady things are coming to light. I enjoyed this story and appreciated that Meserve didn't use gimmicky plot devices to create a hook, but that the story was believable. I have to say I was surprised (in a good way) at the direction the book went and I very much enjoyed it.

Wow what an edge of your seat ride! I devoured this book in just a few days! I really loved Sarah and couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next! Very highly recommend this book!!

A great slow burning, suspenseful novel that builda the pressure til the end. You want to stay up all night to figure out what exactly is going on. You'll love this if you love mysterious tales.

The Space Between is so intriguing and fast-paced that I found it hard to put it down. Meserve does an excellent job of defining her characters and their relationships with all the fullness, strengths and frailties of human experience.

Renowned astronomer Dr. Sarah Mayfield is flying high after presenting her break-through scientific discovery to NASA. When she returns home late one night following her four days away, her son, Zack, is there, but her husband, Ben, is not. Co-owner of a very popular restaurant, it's not unusual for him to work late hours, but not this late, and certainly not on a weeknight. Repeated calls to his phone go unanswered. With the trial for a lawsuit against his celebrity partners in the restaurant (claiming they stole money from him) ready to start, Sarah knows he wouldn't miss it. As time goes by, her fear escalates that something has happened to him and that he apparently knew he was in danger. Why is there a gun in her nightstand drawer? Why has the DVR of their home security system been wiped clean? Why would he decorate a live Christmas tree when they haven't had one in years? Why is there a present for her under the tree when they typically, don't put them out until Christmas? Was he trying to tell her something? Why did Ben deposit $1 million dollars into an old little used bank account for her?

Sarah is stunned to learn that she is a prime suspect in her husband's disappearance as she has the most to gain ($7 million in life insurance, and even more because he is the last of the Mayfair family, who owns lots of large department stores). But there are plenty of other suspects as well. To make things even more intense, when someone Ben was trying to make a deal with is murdered, Ben becomes the prime suspect in the death.

With both the local police department and the FBI involved, plus the ever-present media, Sarah's head is spinning and she doesn't know what to believe. What is going on? Who is behind Ben's disappearance? Was he really responsible for the murder? Could the man she lived with for 15 years do such a thing?

The story is well told and, as stated before, quite intriguing. A very satisfying read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are strictly my own.

Hmm... if your favorite parts of a mystery are the vivid descriptions of the stars, asterisms, and special rocks, is that a good thing? I'm not sure, but those were definitely the parts of the book I enjoyed the most.

Sarah is an astronomer who has just come off of the high of presenting an amazing finding. She returns to a home that is absent of her husband. Sarah and Ben have been married for 15 years and are both successful in their careers, but their drive and that success has come at a price as their relationship has started to become a bit frayed. It doesn't help that their son Zack has been making some poor life choices. Sarah has made some mistakes recently, and as the search for the missing Ben intensifies, it begins to look as if Ben has made some even bigger ones.

I do wish there was more action or that it unfolded at a quicker pace -- I definitely wouldn't place this in the realm of a thriller. I also would have liked it to not be so obvious so early on who was really involved in what happened to Ben. Readers less familiar with mysteries may not see it broadcast so easily. But underneath it all, there are stories of relationships and renewal, and the memories Sarah reflects on throughout the book are sweet. And I did honestly enjoy the depictions of the various celestial bodies and how they were interwoven with the rest of the plot.

Slightly above a 3* - perhaps 3.25*.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Space Between by Dete Meserve

Brief Summary: Sarah, a nationally recognized astronomer, arrives home from the biggest business trip of her career to find that her husband, a famous restaurant owner, has disappeared. But he leaves behind a trail of clues; including a gun in her nightstand, their home security system wiped clean, and a mysterious deposit of a million dollars in her bank account. I requested this book via NetGalley because it sounded intriguing; I had no idea it would be one of my favorites of 2018.

Highlights: A mystery that kept me guessing with layers and twists, a career driven protagonist I could easily relate too, and the love story and astronomy were added bonuses. I was absolutely engrossed in the mystery most of all and finished this book in two days during a very hectic week! This is most definitely what I would call a schedule clearing read! I loved how brave, determined, and clever Sarah was and I would have done the same thing if I was her to find out what happened to my husband. When I wasn’t reading this book, my mind wasn’t far from wondering what really happened to Ben? Each plot layer and twist was believable too.

Explanation of Rating: 4.5/5; the ending was somewhat predictable. I was more intrigued by the why than the who. I absolutely love a book where the secrets and puzzle pieces keep coming at me and keep me riveted from her son to her coworkers; it seems like everyone had something to hide!

This is my first book by this author and I will absolutely be on the lookout for her future work! This is the perfect read for that long plane ride or car ride you want to pass quickly! Time flew while I was lost in this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

If you're in the mood for suspense and relationships with a splash of science, this is the book for you. It's about finding a missing husband, fixing a "broken" marriage, and how professional careers can take over lives. The pace and character building is excellent, which makes this a quick read with a great payoff.

Throughout there's a good balance of background and highlights in their marriage paired with the suspense and thrill of the investigation. There's great twists, most of which I didn't see coming, and I really enjoyed Sarah and Ben's ties to space, stars, and each other. While I'm usually a fan of participating in the investigation and reading books that allow the reader to follow clues and fill in the blanks, I enjoyed watching this story unfold, and following Sarah as she learned new information.

My favorite part of the story was getting into the intimate details and memories Sarah had of her relationship with Ben. 15 years with someone is a long time, and as she felt like she was struggling in their 15th year, it was fun to see they were together in the beginning. I loved getting to see their inside jokes, learning their own language, and understanding the intimacy and passion they once had.

The Space Between is a feel good mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Space Between follows Sarah after she’s made a career changing scientific breakthrough. Upon returning home, she finds her husband is missing thus beginning a thrilling mystery.

Meserve does a fantastic job of capturing the readers’ attention immediately and maintains it throughout the entire novel. My eyes were glued to the pages because I couldn’t get enough of Sarah and her investigation. The Space Between isn’t just a mystery; it’s also a story of lost and rekindled love. Throughout the novel, readers are given a peak behind the curtain of Sarah and Ben’s relationship. This frames most of Sarah’s desperate search and self-reflection.

What I enjoyed most about this novel was Meserve’s ability to make we question whether or not I could trust Sarah. The reader is given information piece by piece as it pertains to Sarah’s quest to find her husband.

The Space Between is an incredibly fast paced novel until the end. From the first few pages until the last 10% of the novel, I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. Unfortunately, the conclusion to the mystery is incredibly rushed. Everything falls into place and the story is concluded.

Overall, The Space Between was a surprisingly great read. It’s a feel good mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This is my first book by Dete Meserve and I'm not sure how I missed her earlier books but I know its time to add them to my books to read lists. This intense novel had me turning pages to get to the bottom of all the mystery. I loved the main character of Sarah and her determination to find out what happened to Ben.

Sarah is an astronomer who has just returned from a trip to NASA to present an exciting new find. When she gets home, her son is there but her husband Ben is not at home. When he doesn't return, she calls the police to report him missing. She finds a hidden Glock and a deposit for one million dollars in their account. The FBI finds a murdered woman and tie Ben to the murder. Sarah is in despair over Ben's disappearance but just can't believe he is capable of murder. As she tries to get to the bottom of it, she discovers secrets about her husband and issues with their marriage that she never knew existed. As she struggles with the truth she has to rely on her belief that the truth isn't always what it seems and that you have to look at the spaces between the facts to get to the real truth.

This was a fantastic mesmerizing story that kept me up way past bedtime. The two main characters, Sarah and Ben, are written so well that I was hoping for a happy ending for them both because they were such wonderful people.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

What a fast paced, action packed, and intense novel!

The Space Between is full of twists and turns and while I had guessed the main plot twist long before the reveal, the reasons remained unknown, and so were quite surprising.

I enjoyed the story, the strong female narration, and characters, however, the astronomy and science that was so endearing and interesting at the beginning, began to grate a little as I progressed through the story. I felt that it disrupted the flow and detracted from the main plot. Many of these scenes were important in their inclusion, but I found them to be a little too lenghthy which resulted in my skimming through them to get back to the main story.

One take away from this is the message that sometimes, despite the most obvious answers/reasons/conclusions, things are not what they seem.

Thank you to Dete Meserve, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a good old-fashioned mystery! This is low on psychological thrills but the suspense is there even if it’s not nail-biting. There’s plenty here to keep you turning the pages and guessing the outcome.

After returning from a business trip, Sarah finds her husband missing and what unfolds is a twisting tale of marriage, business, and murder (not all necessarily connected).

Meserve’s excelled at writing a compelling mystery with engaging characters. It flowed easily and I hated every time I had to put my book down to concentrate on real life.