The Witness

The first time I read this book, I loved the first part but had mixed feelings about the second part. The first part was riveting. I think it gave me expectations of an action-oriented/thriller plot, and that wasn't what the story ultimately was like. I decided to reread the book, this time more carefully and without pre-conceived ideas. This second reading gave me an entirely new perspective on the second part. Some reviewers likened Elizabeth/Abigail to a robotic Data. I found her to be very human and more like the character Bones, rather than an unfeeling robot. She was socially inept, took things literally, and tried to remain logical and detached. Underneath, she wanted to connect, to form relationships, to love and be loved, and to be 'normal'. She was an extremely likeable character, as was the hero, Brooks. The 'love at first sight' scenario also generated criticism by some reviewers. Nora Roberts' books are not contemporary novels or non-fiction; Nora Roberts writes romance and romantic suspense books. By their nature, they are fictional works, fantasies, fairy tales, idealized depictions of love, romance and 'happily ever after'; most readers read these types of books for that very reason. It seems ingenious to read a type of book one dislikes and then to give one star and to criticize the book for being what it was intended to be. This was a book where the journey in the second part focused on personal growth, relationships, and personalities. Elizabeth/Abigail chose to live in this town and hoped to be able to settle permanently in it. Therefore, the personality of the town and some of its inhabitants were important to the story. Readers got to see the town and some of its characters through various eyes and perspectives, including those of Abigail, Brooks and the secondary characters. Part of this included some of the day-to-day interactions of Brooks as a police chief, colleague, friend, son and sibling, as well as Abigail's lover. Readers saw Abigail progress from an aloof person who had no interactions with the town, other than brief shopping forays, to someone who learned about her neighbours and formed connections through Brooks. The wife-beating drunk and the young punk with his wealthy, bullying father, are not superfluous to the story. The relationships between them, other residents of the town and Brooks, provide depth and richness to the story. As well, these connections were what helped strengthen Abigail's resolve to face her past and to stop running. Once the reader understands that these relationships and Abigail's character development are the story, it all falls into place. Abigail's character development began with her relationship with John and Terry, where she had her first exposure to normality. It stopped with their deaths; she knew she was stunted, but didn't know how to achieve more than a lonely survival mode. She was an outsider, looking in, wanting to fit in, not knowing how to, being afraid to try, thinking she was doomed to always being alone and apart. Therefore, the connections she forged in this town, through Brooks, and her increasing involvement with the people and happenings of the community, as well as the loving relationship between her and Brooks, are actually more significant than the trial that eventually wrapped up the book's first part. I liked this book, with reservations, when I first read it. Upon reading it again, I enjoyed it even more and really loved the pacing, characterizations and plot. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romances and romantic suspense books. It is superb. A warning to those unfamiliar with Nora Roberts' writing, this book has explicit sex scenes and swearing. They don't comprise a large percentage of the book, but they are there.

Elizabeth "The barb in the arrow of childhood suffering is this: its intense loneliness, its intense ignorance." - Olive Schreiner, For me, Elizabeth Fitch is along the lines of Lisbeth Salander (TGWTDT). IQ off the charts, even though Lisbeth has to deal with her hardships, Elizabeth has her crosses to bear as well. That’s where the lines blur, yet their inner core of strength shine through, which puts them both in my top spot for female characters. Liz’s rebellion starts at 16. Her mother has been dictating her life up until this point. Where she goes to school, what she wears, who she sees outside of school, what she eats. She’s cold and not a mother at all. To her mother, Liz is a science project, someone she can mold, and control. Elizabeth is having none of it. They have a fight, her mother is off to a convention and she expects Elizabeth to take pre-med classes, with her mother’s colleague. Elizabeth doesn’t want to go, she was promised time off and her mother wants to hear none of it. Her mom walks out (her usual silent treatment) and goes on her merry way. Elizabeth hops in her mothers car and heads to the mall to actually find herself. New clothes, shoes, makeup, hair. She wants to watch the other girls interact with each other, talk about boys. She wanted all the things her mother wouldn’t allow her to have, a normal childhood. She meets up with Julie Masters by chance at the mall. Julie is a few years older than her, they went to school together, and wouldn’t it be Liz’s luck Julie just broke up with her boyfriend. They get to talking about going to clubs, but she doesn’t have ID. The two strike a deal. Julie helps Liz buy clothes, and makeup, and Liz would make them the fake Ids’. Julie picks her up with a cab, and they are on their way to a happening club owned by Russian mobsters. Which Liz knows, because she’s researched the place. (Her mother wants her to be a Doctor, but Liz wants to work for the FBI in their cyber crimes department) I can’t stress enough that Liz has a seriously high IQ, photographic memory, and social awkwardness. I couldn’t help but think maybe she was on the Spectrum, but regardless she knows facts and she’s very literal. They have drinks, dance, and catch the eye of Alexi and Ilya. The men wine and dine them, and decide they want to go back to Alexi’s house for some ‘fun’… Ilya gets called away at the last minute , Julie, Alexi, and Liz take off. This is where things go very, very, badly. Alexi has been stealing from Ilya’s father, was picked up by the police, and in the world of the Mafia, you’re a big fat liability. They send in their mechanics, and kill Alexi while Liz is outside regrouping from being sick from all the alcohol consumption, she watches the whole kill go down. Julie stumbles out of the bathroom while Alexi is lying on the floor dead, and they kill Julie as well. Ilya walks in and freaks out because the hit wasn’t suppose to take place until tomorrow night, knowing the girls were at the house. He also knows that Liz is somewhere on the property and she must die. Liz gets away, calls the police, goes through the story, FBI gets involved, they put her into protective custody and s*** gets doubly bad. Ilya’s father has a far reach; which means he has police, US Marshalls, and FBI in his pocket. The bad Marshalls set things into motion to kill Liz, which happens to be on her 17th birthday. She has formed deep emotional ties to her watchers, Terry and John. They treat her like a person, truly care about her, and she gobbles it up because she has never had these emotions or ties. Marshal Keegan, and Cosgrove show up to take over and ambush, John, and Terry, killing them both. As Marshal John Barrow lay dying he gives Liz his back-up gun and tells her to run. Out the window she goes and as she’s making her escape in a bad storm the house explodes behind her. Liz has been on the run ever since. We move on to Brook’s part of the story which takes us to a little town in the Ozarks. Brooks is the Sheriff of the town and he is intrigued with the newcomer that stays to herself. He noses around a bit, like any good cop and forms a relationship with Liz, who is now going by the name Abigail. This is where the story goes from fantastic to blow me away. This book is all about character. The ending is absolutely fantastic. I thought it was going to go one way and she blew me away with the outcome. I’ve read a lot of Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb books over the years, but this book, is by far one of her best books period. Favorite Quotes: “You… prevaricated so he’d feel some sympathy toward me and less curiosity about the cameras, the gun and so on.” “ I like ’pervaricated.’ It’s an important word, and classier than ’lied.’” “I’ve never been romantic, not before you. But you make me want moonlight, and wildflowers and whispers in the dark.”

It's Nora. The main character was a bit much for me as far as weaponry, etc. But still interesting and an amazing ending.

Since her artificial conception, Elizabeth Finch lived up to her practically robotic mother's every whim and expectation of her. But at 16, something snaps. No longer willing to do what it has been predetermined she should do with her life, she decides to rebel. That act of rebellion sets off a series of events that forever alters her destiny. Told in four parts, The Witness follows Elizabeth through the Before and After. The characters of The Witness are the best part for me. Elizabeth reminded me so much of the character Tempest Brennan from Bones...brilliant but socially awkward. I have to say that, other than career choices and WHAT their intelligence "specialty" was, Bones and Elizabeth could have been the same person...so much so that frequently the same words came out of Elizabeth's mouth that I have heard Bones say on the TV show. However, that didn't keep me from loving Elizabeth...maybe because Bones is one of my favorite TV characters. Brooks, the hero of the story, is a great guy...upstanding, but with a little bit of his wonderfully hippie mother in him. He is immediately intrigued by the new and mysterious woman in his town, and as the sheriff does what he needs to do to make sure she isn't up to mischief. Their love story is fabulous, their differences both complementing and playing off each other. Secondary characters in The Witness are well drawn and full of personalities that you feel like they are old friends or people you want to get to know. Roberts's single title books, like this one, are my all-time favorites of hers. They let her skills as a writer shine in their ability to make us care, to keep us intrigued and a little on the edge of our seat. Whereas some of her more recent work (the Boonsboro Inn trilogy, for example) left me feeling flat and unimpressed, The Witness took me right back to all that I love about Roberts. Great characters, interesting situations and a story that keeps me interested. Highly recommended!

Although Nora Roberts has written hundreds of stories, she still manages to weave a decent and entertaining novel that rivals no other. The "Witness" is a wonderful mixture of suspense and romance, with a plot that while reminiscent of traditional Roberts was still captivating and addicting. After years of accommodating her mother's dreams and desires, Elizabeth Fitch (being the teenager she was) decides to rebel. Her mother, having engineered a prodigy, wants 16 year old Elizabeth to become a neurosurgeon and attend Harvard over the summer break, which would escalate her completion of the program. Elizabeth only yearns to do what other teens her age are doing and decides to take steps that will change her life forever. Escaping to the mall and reacquainting herself with a cool classmate, she transforms herself into Liz. Cutting her hair and wearing makeup are the first steps to defiance and freedom. Armed with fake IDs, Liz and her friend attend a nightclub that is owned by the Russian Mob (Volkovs) and the trouble begins. Before the end of the night, Liz will have her first kiss and witness two murders. Rocked to her core, Liz goes thru the next year under the care of the US Marshall, moved from safe house to safe house, and yet experiences more love than she has in her entire life. When things spiral out of control, Liz runs for her life. Twelve-years later, Liz settles in a small town in the Ozarks. Now known as Abigail Lowery, a gun totting recluse/security expert, she surrounds herself with a large dog, tons security and lots of guns. She is determined to live her life alone and in hiding. What she never expected was to fall in love with a very persistent Chief of Police Brooks Gleason, who finds everything from her eidetic memory to her caution about life endearing. What initially began as curiosity about her secrets has turned into a passion that he never thought he'd experience. Unlocking Liz's heart becomes his goal in this fast moving story. I enjoy Nora Roberts and always look forward to seeing how the characters and plot play. The "Witness" contains everything for a solid story, Russian mobsters, dirty federal agents, death, heartbreak and some romance. Roberts is able to spin a heart-wrenching story thru the eyes of a shattered teenager who only wanted to be loved. What is there not to like? I think that those that enjoy her other novels like Chasing Fire, Tribute, Montana Sky, The Search, Black Hills, or any of her suspense/romances, will enjoy the Witness.

Oh. My. Gawd. This book was EXCEPTIONAL. I have NEVER EVER said this before about anything from this genre, but I will be REreading it - possibly more than once. I admit it, I've been going through an escapist phase and hard times and have been tuning out with brain-candy. Usually it's more like a lobotomy where you simply get past the gag reflex to forget about reality for a while. This was *gasp* INTELLIGENT! The characters were COMPLEX, consistent and unique, the dialog character-specific and realistic. None of the old "I felt like he was my soul-mate when our eyes met" crap. A well-developed plot featuring mobsters, espionage, suspense, realism and hacking. A well-developed relationship with truly realistic, quirky, likable characters and sub-characters. I held my breath when I started this book because it started out with a *fascinating* female lead I've never seen before in this genre - think "Bones" from the TV show - who I actually don't like, but I liked this one. But I've read so many books that start out with a bang and then halfway through there's this abracadabra psychotic shift into the prototype romantic sap. The female lead is highly intelligent and probably leaning into the Asperger spectrum - as my brilliant best friend and brother is. The craft of her character, speech and perspective is accurate in my experience. The male lead is her *perfect* foil and comfortable enough in his own skin to handle her. They developed consistently too throughout the whole book and balanced (and the author articulated beautifully) what they gave to each other. And it actually has a PLOT! Being a computer geek as well, I really appreciated the cyber aspects and well-planned twists. There was a lot of subtle foreshadowing with relationships, using plot to bring it all around to the end development - character development, perspective and resolution. A few plot holes and a few places I wished they'd taken a different turn, but it was tied up beautifully. Obviously I loved it and am simply giddy to find something an escape that was truly satisfying on all fronts. Two words: READ IT. On a side note, I go to the Nora Roberts franchise for solidish writing and the best bet for minimal eye-rolling (well, some of them :-) I say "franchise" because it's my opinion that there are many people ghost-writing under her name as a franchise (which is logical, considering the sheer volume). There are just to many inconsistencies in style and quality in her books. This book has some trade-mark NR descriptive moments and a few of her favored patterns in speech (like this one: "I like her, your mother") but other than that, this if FAR more complex than her usual plot or characters. I wish this person would write under their own name because I would read much more. I'm going to try The Collector and see if it's got the same complexity and quality.

This is the third copy of The Witness that I've purchased to give as a small gift of reading enjoyment. To a daughter and to a daughter-in-love, I billed it as a really enjoyable *beach read*; they found it to be that, or, as a nice getaway for a few stolen moments in their busy mom-career lives. My husband has enjoyed it from the standpoint of having a fun book to look forward to picking up at night. He, usually, is involved in historical biography, econ or political books, or, the occasional Wallander/other detective book, so it's been an entertaining departure, as I'd hoped! I first read/listened to the Audible version, which I found entirely entertaining, easy to get into and a pleasure to look forward to the next listening session. I have listened to it twice, now, a few months apart, as I like the characters and the textures of the settings; the plot is also different from what I usually read. Those to whom I've given this book as a gift, have also found it to be a well-written, pretty fast-paced, interesting diversion read. There's no way it's great lit, but, not every read needs to be that and this is just plain ol' fun to pick up. I liked the snapshot/cracked window peek into witness protection, the Russian Mafia and, I really liked the protagonist -- she is unusual. I don't care for romantic series that are so popular now, nor, do I care for a cookie-cutter formulaic approach, which Nora Roberts sure does! However, I found that The Witness developed at a good pace, changed and evolved interestingly, kept my attention the entire way, didn't disappoint (though it didn't amaze, either), and, during each read and through to the end, I was glad I was reading it/had read it. Good job, Nora Roberts. I'm hoping you have a few more stories up your writing sleeve that are as good as this one, as slightly different from cookie cutter and as easily entertaining as The Witness.

Elizabeth Fitch is not your typical 16 year old. Her life has been rigidly structured and she is well on her way to fulfilling her mother's expectations of her. She is not sold on the plan - she favors law enforcement, not medicine - but she is very obedient. Having had her first taste of freedom, though, as a pre-med student at Harvard, she begins to chafe at her mother's demands and restrictions. She is brilliant but socially awkward. Getting to know Elizabeth is a lot like getting to know the brilliant scientist on a current television show. She takes things very literally, but is good at reading body language and is very quick at realizing her missteps. Her brilliance both leads her into and gets her out of deep trouble. She trusts her instincts and has honed a keen sense of survival. After several years of living on the run, she has found a place and a man worth fighting for. Brooks is a small-town chief of police and an all-around good guy, but the hero card is not overplayed. He is fascinated by the reclusive young woman who lives on the outskirts of town, and is determined to get to know her better. He respects her boundaries even while carefully helping her to stretch them. Although he is a man of integrity, Brooks recognizes that much of life is shades of gray. Being willing to sacrifice everything for her, he teaches Elizabeth the true worth of a loving partnership. Although I am a huge fan of Nora Roberts' various trilogies, this is the first suspense novel I've read of hers. She captivated my interest from page one, and I was almost disappointed when the focus shifted from Elizabeth to Brooks. Brooks is well developed, though, and his story was not only interesting, it made Elizabeth's choice believable. The resolution was well thought out but left me with a couple of questions. Unfortunately, I can't go into more detail regarding my questions without divulging spoilers, so I will leave it at that. The other weakness for me was the villain. He was 98% evil, 2% ambivalent. He would have been more terrifying had he been 100% evil; more interesting had he been 50/50. I wish amazon allowed for half stars, as I would give The Witness a 4.5 star rating. As much as I loved this story, my lingering questions and my (slight) disappointment with the villain prevent me from giving this fabulous story 5 stars. Even so, after reading the library's copy this morning, I ordered a copy for my personal collection. Highly recommended.