This is a thriller wrapped in a mystery laid on a path of self-discovery.

Rape is not an easy subject to write about or explore, especially as a victim or survivor but NORMAN does a very credible job of showing where the hero’s hardness lies due to this rape, and she must be hard because her life is about to become hell.

Caitlin comes back to her Alta Mater to accept a degree she didn’t get twenty years ago (not that it stopped her career, she’s an award winning journalist and investigative reporter) but it puts her physically in the place where she was raped twenty years ago.

Caitlin toys with exploring her past while in Indiana, but ultimately decides to find out what happened to Angela Chapman, a student from the same university who disappeared two years ago. She joins a student (best friend of the missing woman) and the local police force; with which she has a history because of her rape and that history is not justice all round. They covered things up twenty years ago, she assumes they are still corrupt but she can’t get anywhere without their help, unfortunately.

As Caitlin delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Angela Chapman’s disappearance, she must face a few of her own old devils and ghosts.

Then, the twist. The collector is watching her. In addition, he’s still collecting women for his collection while Caitlin is nosing around. Right now, he reckons she’s above his wallet range, as collectable items go. However, all collectors sometimes have to make a difficult choice, go for broke and get the piece de resistance or lose the entire collection forever. A very twisted collection.

NORMAN does a very credible job developing his plot and his characters, Caitlin does seem slightly flat and emotionally cut off at times, but with her history, this is the correct way to portray the character since we are not delving into her psyche. 

I rate this book 4 stars and congratulate Mr. NORMAN on an excellent debut and hope to read more of him in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller!  I had a difficult time putting it down once I got into it.  I thought the characters were well developed and it was full of twists and turns.  It involves the abduction of a university student and the resulting investigation by a friend of the victim and a journalist.  There are many twists to this story, it is as unpredictable as it is intriguing.  The book also delves into recovery from a rape that took place may years in the past, seeking closure and moving on.  I recommend this book to other readers of thrillers.

A very good fast paced thriller that will keep you reading until you finish! 
This writer grabs you in and does not give you a reprieve.  I liked this book
very much and will look for more by this author.  Don't miss out on this one!

Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read and review an ARC of this book. For the most part, I enjoyed the book. The plot was great and didn't give itself away. The only issue I really had was an unlikable (or maybe just unrelatable) protagonist. I think a male author really capturing and bringing to life a female protagonist is hard to do but if you're a fan of fast-paced mystery thrillers, this book is worth checking out.

I enjoyed Come and Get Me. There were plenty of unexpected twists and turns. I would enjoy reading more of the author's work.

Touchdown.. Great read but make sure you have time to finish because you will not want to put it down.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

Four credits short of college graduation, Caitlin went on to write award-winning investigative journalism. Now, 20 years later, she returns to finally receive her diploma. In her speech, Catlin mentions that she had been raped and left for dead. This, by someone she had known (and thought) had trusted 20 years ago. 

Still wary of being in Bloomington, Indiana again, Caitlin has friends; Mary, a college prof who had been Caitlin's best friend, and Scott - a 70 year old psychology prof (Caitlin is now living in California)

As quickly as Caitlin meets new people in Bloomington, she still is inclined to get help and assistance from those she TRUSTS. Of course, most are back in California.
 
Lakshmi (Laks) is the first new person to glom onto Caitlin. Laks is on the school newspaper. Also, her best friend is Angela who disappeared 2 years ago. For the past 2 years, Laks has been loudly a constant pest to the police and anyone else who will listen to her. She is adamant that Angela is alive and somehow ropes Caitlin into assisting her to find her. Caitlin calls in favors from  a once "dirty cop" PI friend in Los Angeles - Mike Roman and Jim Martinez, FBI. 

Caitlin and Laks go through two weeks of investigating - more or less with the help of local police. Caitlin has a fling with Jerry - one of Bloomington's finest. In turn, he helps her out, too.

As not to create a spoiler, I cannot say too much more - except that the suspense drums up and there are a number of surprises in store for the reader.

A good read.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane books and netGalley for an enjoyable book.

A great debut novel. This book was full of interesting characters, a story that sucked you in from the beginning. This debut had everything and was missing nothing. Well done, well written and most definitely a page turner. Can't wait for the next one in the series!!! Could not put it down.  Looking forward to more by this author.

Thank you #netgalley and #crookledlane books for the eARC.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for honest opinion/review. 

This book was fun and exciting. It had your basic Thriller/suspense set up, but not basic story. I had fun with the characters, and did not guess the "bad guy" until author wanted me too. Great book!

Summary Short: Journalist goes back to the college town where she was raped years ago and gets involved in the case of a missing girl.

The book starts out with Caitlin Bergman going back to the university she fled twenty years ago to receive her diploma. An author now, her impromptu speech to the student body is a shocker. She admits that, before she suddenly left, a young man she knew and trusted violently raped her and left her for dead.

She meant only to come back for a short time to receive the diploma and do a book signing for her new book. And maybe in the back of her head, she is really just searching for closure to that night so long ago. But when a body is found, she is quickly dragged into wanting to know what happened to another college girl who has been missing for two years.

I liked Caitlin. She runs in the morning, she drinks at night. She isn’t the perfect person. And she cares for others. Her long-lost best friend and her husband, the missing girl’s best friend and mother, and a new love interest. Following Caitlin as she investigates is definitely interesting and I wasn’t prepared for the ending and how she deals with being trapped by a man again. I would definitely read this author again.

Wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t want to go away to college after reading this book! What can happen to girls away at school, drugs, alcohol and sex. Lots of characters, so if this is an issue for you you might not want to tackle it. It is a page turner with, of course, a surprise at the end.

Caitlin Bergman , forty-two years old and going back to Bloomington to finally graduate in Journalism after 20 years, although she was already a world renowned Investigative Reporter and Author.    Caitie was pleased to catch up with Mary, previously her best friend, and revive old memories, some good but not all.

There was no way Caitlin was getting caught up in local issues as she wanted to be back in Washington.  Mike Roman often assisted her as an investigator and bodyguard but he would be no use without a badge in the local problem.  A few girls have gone missing over the years and a young student Lakshmi is desperate for Caitlin’s involvement as Angela Chapman, her best friend is one of those missing.

There can be dangerous people lurking anywhere and this book brings to life where a supposedly harmless situation can go.  People can be deceiving and this book keeps you wanting to know what will happen next.

A riveting thriller, "Come and Get Me" introduces us to a brave new heroine while also shining a light on the dark underside of campus life at a Big Ten school. Norman's debut novel is constructed as solidly as a Midwestern farmhouse. And the world-wise investigative reporter at the heart of the story is the perfect protagonist for this Trumpian epoch of fake news and anti-journalist bombast. 

The plotting is tight. The set-pieces exquisite. The characters nuanced, complex, and compelling -- so much so that when the violence breaks out and bad things happen, you worry as though your own friends or family were at risk. In other words, this isn't your average, comfy-cozy, by-the-numbers effort. Norman's learned understanding of crime fiction tropes -- and his dedicated research into the real events that inspired the book -- have allowed him to produce a work that transcends the genre in the best possible way. And then there's the climactic twist that you never see coming. All the more impressive for being his first published novel, "Come and Get Me" is a book built to last -- and one likely to inspire a host of imitators.

August Norman’s debut offering, Come and Get Me, a Caitlin Bergman Novel, is a break neck tale that hits all the thriller hot buttons, with gusto.   Norman’s artfully woven plot, smart, funny prose and his heroine, Caitlin Bergman, stole my weekend.  You can either clear your schedule before you turn the first page or Norman will do it for you.    
	The novel begins with Caitlin’s return to Bloomington, Indiana, her first in twenty years, to receive an honorary degree from the university she left just four months shy of graduation.   Like most honorary degree recipients, journalist Caitlin Bergman has spent the intervening years excelling in her field and making a name for herself.    Luckily for the sleepy college town, Caitlin decides to face some old demons during her visit, thus putting her in the perfect position to dig in to a two-year old missing person’s case.  As it goes in crime novels, secrets are revealed, hunches get followed and criminals (really, really awful ones, in this case) are exposed, keeping the reader hooked for the duration.
	To me, the most remarkable facet of Norman’s storytelling is the way the author plunks us in to the middle of Caitlin’s story.  Not this story-, the novel Come and Get Me, but her story.  Caitlin Bergman comes to us fully formed, with all the layers and delicious depth a reader is lucky to find in a third installment, without any tedious info-dump.  The backstory we do get is full of action and intrigue which the author deftly uses to show us he knows exactly who Bergman is and is delighted to introduce her to the world.   Now that we’ve met, I long to drink beer and eat pizza with Caitlin but, I’ll have to settle for tapping my foot as I wait for the next Caitlin Bergman novel.

Come and Get Me by author August Norman is a fast paced thriller with a strong female leading character. The secondary characters are well developed and the plot is thick and gripping! 
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of Come and Get Me in exchange for an honest review.

A chilling psychological thriller debut: 
This novel serves to shake any misconceptions that students are safe on campus. Predators are drawn to all walks of modern-day life and University Campuses are no exception.
“Come and Get me” introduces us to Caitlin Bergman, bestselling investigative author. Twenty years earlier Caitlin was raped and left marred with the psychological scars which accompany such an assault. The culprit was caught and jailed, but she agreed to file charges for a lesser crime than rape. She deeply regrets her decision to do so and blames the police investigators at the time. She returns to receive her diploma from the Uni where the rape took place and agrees to help investigate a missing persons case. 
Two years earlier a student, Angela Chapman, went missing after a night of drunkenness and drugs. The two prime suspects were with her all evening and their account of their movements that night have great holes in them. Nonetheless they’ve never been charged. As Caitlin investigates Angela Chapman’s disappearance, the murkier the waters get. Another girl goes missing and it appears a serial abductor / killer is on the loose. Meanwhile a spooky stalker is after Caitlin herself. Will Caitlin locate Angela, and will she be dead or alive? Will Caitlin survive the attentions of her stalker? Are they the same perp? (The fact that this is Book One of the Caitlin Bergman Series gives a clue to the answer.)
A riveting read which highlights the dangers faced by students, both male and female, when they enter an environment which they regard as relatively safe from crime. The widely spread use of drugs introduces dangers some predictable and some not. August Norman flags up “the high level of non-consensual sexual penetration” assaults prevalent on higher education campuses. Campuses are far from a safe environment when the use of drugs is so widespread.
The novel also explores police and federal authority attitudes to crimes against students. This is a gritty and educational novel, which contains some graphic detail of rape and assault. Not for the feint-hearted. That aside a novel with a message and a gripping read.

A psychological crime based thriller, that keeps you riveted from the beginning . 

“ Come And Get Me” has a strong protagonist , and engaging storyline. It is well worth the read.
4 stars

Fall foliage is beginning to transform into bare branches and blanketed snow, and the colder the weather gets, the more reason readers have for staying indoors with a cozy new read. Whether you're in the mood for a steamy romance, heart-pounding thriller, or riveting historical fiction, there's a book for everyone on this list. Check out our list of the best books winter 2018 has to offer, complete with publishers' descriptions.

Come and Get Me by August Norman is suspenseful mystery thriller.  Caitin Bergman is a strong and dynamic female lead character.  Many twists and turns.  Unique and quirky secondary characters....definitely need Lubbers to help solve a mystery. Fast paced exciting read.