The Search

By: Nora Roberts

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

A canine Search and Rescue volunteer fights danger and finds love in the Pacific Northwest wilderness in this riveting #1 New York Times bestseller from Nora Roberts.

To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life - a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school and a challenging volunteer job performing Canine Search and Rescue. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare: an encounter with the Red Scarf Killer, who shot and killed Fiona’s cop fiancé and his K-9 partner.

On Orcas Island, Fiona has found the peace and solitude necessary to rebuild her life with her three loyal Labs. But all that changes on the day intensely private wood artist Simon Doyle barrels up her drive with an out-of-control puppy, desperate for her help.

As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona’s life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands...

©2010 by Nora Roberts. (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"[T]he romance is finely done, with Roberts's trademark banter lighting up the page. Fiona and Simon are the main attraction, but the setting and the supporting characters - with paws and without - provide a vivid backdrop." (Publishers Weekly)

“Search-and-rescue dogs are a focal point of this wonderful tale of love and adventure. Roberts has a marvelous ability to blend in the perfect amounts of character drama, realistic romance and chilling suspense. The result - an unputdownable read! Roberts again proves why her name is synonymous with excellence.” (RT Book Reviews)

“Strong romantic suspense.... The serial killer subplot is not new, as the copycat has been done before, but Nora Roberts makes it seem fresh with her incredible writing skill as she uses the Search and Rescue canines as key elements in the exciting story line. Readers will enjoy Ms. Roberts’ entertaining Puget Sound thriller.” (Midwest Book Review)

Had potential

Unique story=plus. Terrible Male character =minus. Decent Lead=neutral. Crude language=fail.
I held on to the story, it kept my interest but the F-bombs throughout were very disappointing. The love interest was awful and made it feel like the strong main character was settling. Narrator was pretty good but I had trouble differentiating characters at times. I really expected more from a Nora Roberts book.

Bravo! what a great book

Loved it! danger, mystery, love, murder.... Great book. Kept me on the edge seat! Feinstein recommend if you love serial killer novels!

Doggone Dog Training Book

If you’re more interested in how to train your dog(s) than a good mystery/suspense, then this is your book. Otherwise, this romance book is mostly about dog training, and then dog training,—and oh, did I mention, more dog training? While I love animals, I’m disappointed I wasted my money on this book.

Another brilliant job by Nora

absolutely love her books, each time I read one it's like a actually know the characters personally. This was a great story line . highly recommend this book.

5 for storyline, 4 for audiobook

It was a great story and characters, but didn’t love the narrator and delivery as an audiobook.

Good Book

I've read this book before and loved it. I have trouble reading now, and listen more to books. I don't care for the narrator. She makes every character sound the same. All voices and inflections are identical. It's hard to tell who's doing the talking in the book because they are all alike. However, the story is great. I think I'll stick to the print version of this story.

Great character development

Unlike a runaway train that starts slowly, building up speed as it progresses until the spectacular chaotic clash between destiny and destruction, The Search maintains the riptide of suspense in a thriller that is also the story between two individuals who are happy living their lives as they are. Some individuals are able to build fulfilling years, decades even, with satisfying career paths that don’t necessarily mean they are workaholics. Yet brought together by bizarre circumstances, they find a way to meld their existence into something combining functionality and art simultaneously. Then there is the love story. . . Oh, did you think I was only referring to the individuals who become romantically involved? Well think again! The partners in crime form as strong a bond as the intense relationship of the new couple and their respective animal partners. Some violence and an adequate level of suspense throughout the book. The mystery remains as to who survives, which bonds are broken, and ultimately all are profoundly affected in the end. A fairly quick read for mature audiences.

I really enjoyed it

I read a lot of the reviews, and a lot of people complained about the dog content and the narrator's lisp. I didn't have any issue with her lisp, I personally didn't find it distracting. I also don't think the book was full of dog training. I found the book full of good content and a very interesting story. I also find dog searches fascinating so I enjoyed those portions too. At times I do wish Simon and Fiona had talked more about their past, I felt their romance started fast and it didn't feel like many exchanges had happened. But in the end I really liked the book, and would recommend it.

A Must Read

this is the best , I loved the story line, the characters. if the gd word was left out i would say it would be fabulous

A little unusual for NR but very well done

Excellent contemporary world building. The material about dogs and their responses was superb and fascinating. It held my attention as much as any other part of the plot because it is so seamlessly integrated in to the story. The dog training interactions offered a peek into a world I know nothing about. That alone made it intriguing reading. Sufficiently so, that it made me want to have a dog in order to enjoy the interactions she described in so much detail. Voice: This is a book in which character is everything, so vocal interpretation was key. The narrator did well with interpretation of the characters. It isn't easy being many people at once. This reading was satisfying enough to keep from distracting in the way that a poor reading can do. That's always my worse fear with an Audible book. But I liked the voicings for the emotional lives of the people in the book. The way the characters develop: The criticisms that the protagonists are not likeable revolve around the fact that main characters are not prototypical male and female romance leads. The woman is pragmatic and "not beautiful" but has a terrific sensibility, an ability to lead and command and a great sense of humor. She has a certain strength that is unusual and driven by past experiences. Her past has her in a trap but that changes. And I was very glad to travel that road with her. The man is extremely blunt, to a fault, but true blue and not ambivalent about caring and protecting. He is capable of working into and through a relationship in spite of a personal history that seems not to lead in this direction. And, he is no fool. He recognizes what is happening, as it happens. And he is able to communicate about what he observes. With humor. Takes a lot of savvy to do that. It takes a little while for this savvy to emerge in the relationship. But it is deep in his character. So by my estimation, he is very likeable. He has the depth and complexity to offer the satisfying connection both characters start by believing is out of reach and/or undesirable for the two of them. And this is why I like Nora Roberts. She really gets humanity. Human psychology. Healthy and pathological, as well. And additionally, in this book, dog psychology. I'm not interested in books or other entertainment written without attention to accurate psychological detail. If it had not been psychologically correct and sophisticated all credibility would have been lost. But Nora Roberts does her research and her readers reap the rewards. She entertains and teaches at the same time.