Book Review: The Witness by Nora Roberts

The Witness by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are only two things you really need to know about this book: I couldn't put it down, and it made me cry. Just in case that's not enough to convince you that you need to read it NOW, I suppose I should explain the reasons behind my love of The Witness.

From the first, I empathised with the intelligent but socially inept heroine, Elizabeth. We first meet her as a vulnerable teen making her first foray into rebellion, and while most of us manage to dye our hair and sneak into clubs without drastic consequences, Elizabeth's rebellion leads her by degrees into a terrifying situation where she will need all her intelligence just to survive. 

Nora Roberts has gone to great lengths to set up a character who could convincingly outwit a group of Russian gangsters and hack into top secret files, so that despite the high drama of the story, it never steps beyond the bounds of possibility.With such an outstanding heroine, of course we need a hero to match, and again Roberts delivers a treat in the form of the local police chief, who displays a convincing (and endearing) blend of pushiness and charm.  The supporting cast are all beautifully drawn too, but the focus of the book never strays too far from this unlikely couple: the woman in hiding and the man whose job is to ferret out the truth. 

Throw in some truly dark villains, cute puppies, and a country hideaway that made me want to go shopping for real estate, and the scene is set for the thrill(er) of the century. I don't want to say too much about the ending because it would be easy to slip in a spoiler, but I'll just confess that I'd wondered how on earth the heroine's dilemma would be resolved, and the solution left me both stunned and tearful. The Witness is a real emotional rollercoaster of a book!

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