Loved this book. I've read mixed reviews, but for my first Sophie Hannah book, I found it quite up to speed with more well known authors. I had tried one of her older books a while back-not sure which one, but now I think I need to re-visit it. ( )

In Keep Her Safe by Sophie Hannah, a British woman escaping from her family problems stumbles onto a mystery at an upscale resort in Arizona.

Overwhelmed and angry about her family's response to an unexpected life-changing event, Cara Burrows books herself a two week vacation at a posh Arizona spa. Exhausted after the long flight, she arrives at the Swallowtail Resort and Spa in the middle of night where she is inadvertently assigned to a room that is already occupied by a man and a teenage girl. The next day, she overhears another guest report her sighting of Melody Chapa, a young girl whose parents have been convicted of her murder despite the fact her body has never been found.

Trying to avoid thinking about her own troubles, Cara googles the infamous case and she is stunned by the realization that Melody Chapa bears an uncanny resemblance to the teenager she briefly saw the previous night. With the help of fellow guests, outspoken florist Tarin Fry and her beleaguered daughter Zellie, the trio have barely scratched the surface of this intriguing case when Cara and the resort's front desk clerk Riyonna Briggs inexplicably vanish. Tarin pressures local detective Orwin Priddey and his erstwhile partner Bryce Sanders to take Cara's disappearance seriously after former prosecutor turned abrasive talk show host Bonnie Juno suggests Cara left of her own volition. Is Cara's unexplained departure connected to Riyonna's disappearance? More importantly, is there a link between the missing women and Cara's sighting of Melody Chapa?

Cara is a rather unlikable and unsympathetic character. She is impatient with everyone and intolerant of Americans whom she judge to be excessively friendly and guilty of hyperbolic overstatement (all of which begs the question: why go to America if you disapprove of Americans???). It is also a little hard to forgive her somewhat callous attitude towards her family and her reason for the trip is rather selfish and completely avoidable. While Cara's reason for immersing herself in researching the circumstances of Melody's disappearance and her parents' murder conviction is self-serving, Cara is eventually truly concerned about the case.

The first part of the novel focuses on prickly Cara, her family situation and her internet research into the Chapa case. The information about Melody's case is revealed through on line articles, YouTube clips and a handful of segments from Bonnie Juno's television show. The second part of the story concentrates on Tarin's efforts to keep the investigators motivated to search for Cara. Detective Priddey plays his cards close to his chest as he quietly questions witnesses and follows leads. Bonnie Juno inserts herself into the investigation and loudly (and frequently) proclaims the Chapas' are guilty as sin and behind bars where they belong.

Keep Her Safe is a rather engrossing mystery despite a disagreeable lead protagonist and the slow moving storyline. An intriguing and creative premise make it easy to overlook some of the more improbable elements of the plot. Sophie Hannah throws in some brilliant twists and turns at the novel's conclusion that are absolutely stunning. All in all, an entertaining, twist-filled mystery that fans of the genre will enjoy.
( )

This is the first time I had the pleasure of indulging in a Sophie Hannah novel, Did you see Melody was a brilliant piece of fiction.
Drawing the reader in and turning everything upside down so the reader doesn't know her up from down, or left from right.
It was brilliantly executed, a tale expertly woven to intertwine multiple strings and bind them together to make perfect sense.
We have Cara Burrows an English lady currently trying to get away from what she conceives her family to be, totally selfish.
Catching a plane and heading off to this glorious Five-star resort. Cara is thrust headfirst into a bizarre set of circumstances that leave her floundering for the truth and the answer to the question did she see Melody?
I loved the way we had a story on top of a story, as in Cara trying to forget her own problems by concentrating on the enigma that is Melody's story.
The tongue in cheek humour was awfully amusing and I found myself chuckling quietly to myself.
There was also a great variety of interesting secondary characters that I loved.
Did you see Melody was definitely an engrossing page turner and I read this book very swiftly.
As for the ending, well not going to give it away, so let's just say I loved the twist.
So in conclusion, fantastic bit of fiction, a real thought provoking read that begs the question, right or wrong how far would you go if you believed you were doing the right thing for someone you love.
So pleased to have received a free e-copy of Did You See Melody and this is my own honest opinion.

https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/ ( )

This is the first time I had the pleasure of indulging in a Sophie Hannah novel, Did you see Melody was a brilliant piece of fiction.
Drawing the reader in and turning everything upside down so the reader doesn't know her up from down, or left from right.
It was brilliantly executed, a tale expertly woven to intertwine multiple strings and bind them together to make perfect sense.
We have Cara Burrows an English lady currently trying to get away from what she conceives her family to be, totally selfish.
Catching a plane and heading off to this glorious Five-star resort. Cara is thrust headfirst into a bizarre set of circumstances that leave her floundering for the truth and the answer to the question did she see Melody?
I loved the way we had a story on top of a story, as in Cara trying to forget her own problems by concentrating on the enigma that is Melody's story.
The tongue in cheek humour was awfully amusing and I found myself chuckling quietly to myself.
There was also a great variety of interesting secondary characters that I loved.
Did you see Melody was definitely an engrossing page turner and I read this book very swiftly.
As for the ending, well not going to give it away, so let's just say I loved the twist.
So in conclusion, fantastic bit of fiction, a real thought provoking read that begs the question, right or wrong how far would you go if you believed you were doing the right thing for someone you love.
So pleased to have received a free e-copy of Did You See Melody and this is my own honest opinion.

https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/ ( )

This book did not hold my interest at all. The endless back and forth between that TV host and others was so boring and interminable that I kept skimming and thinking, "What if I miss essential details?" and then realized I didn't care enough about the story for it to be a big deal. I was disappointed--thought this would be much more intriguing. ( )