• The Search

  • By: Nora Roberts
  • Narrated by: Tanya Eby
  • Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (9,861 ratings)

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The Search  By  cover art

The Search

By: Nora Roberts
Narrated by: Tanya Eby
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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)

What listeners say about The Search

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

You may be at risk for boredom...

If you are a dog trainer, you will love this book! Otherwise, you may be at risk for boredom in these pages.

I could only bring myself to give The Search two stars. The serial killer portion of the story is underdone and the dog training portion is overdone. The characters were a bit bland and two-dimensional, seeming more interested in their dog ownership than they were in falling in love. When they did fall it love, it seemed to happen quickly without preamble, which I found somewhat unsatisfying.

Tanya Eby was an excellent narrator and made the story about as emotional and entertaining as it is capable of being. I gave her five stars for performance, because her narration really carried the listening experience.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Feel Good Stalker Book - Really!

What did you love best about The Search?

It was a comfortable read. It's sure given be a jones to get a dog though.

What did you like best about this story?

The theory of everyone is trainable.

What about Tanya Eby’s performance did you like?

Calming.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No - but, I don't always want one. Like all Nora Roberts books - you know what you are in for if you have read her before. It's a great story with an interesting plot with an ending you are happy with.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Meh...

It was just ok. The plot resolved itself way too quickly and was too abrupt. I would have liked for there to be more action and less conversations about the possibility of danger/action.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A must listen

I almost did not get this book due to another review that said you must like dogs to enjoy the book. Very untrue! I am an avid Nora Roberts/JD Robb fan and have a hard time waiting for her books to be released. As long as you like her other mysteries you will love this one. It helps to like animals but it isn't a deal breaker. Ms. Roberts hit the target again and has not disappointed her fans. Waiting for her next book......

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Easy Read

Unlike some of the reviews I enjoyed this book ??? it was light and easy to listen to while driving. It is your typical Nora Robert???s books, reminded me somewhat of her other book the Black Hill. This one deals with Fiona Bristow a dog trainer that also leads a Search and Rescue Team. She has moved to an small island off the coast of Washington to escapes her past with a serial killer. In comes Simon Doyle ??? neither wants a relationship with the other ??? in comes a copy cat serial killer .. book and ending are very predictable. My biggest complaint is with the narrator ??? in the beginning of the book she read very choppy however by the end that seemed to smooth out somewhat.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Not too bad...

Again, I find myself in the minority here. I've never read a Nora Roberts book and bought it cause it was only $9.95 and I didn't have open credits. I was expecting a Harlequin "romance novel" but was pleasantly surprised. It was a good book to take to the beach or where ever, just to pass the time, It even got to be a page turner in places. I learned a few things to teach my little Japanese Chin and she is responding nicely. If for no other reason, that was $10 well spent. I did expect more tie in of the S&R unit tying into the rest of the book, but I also kept in mind that I wasn't reading a top shelf best seller. Personally I thought Tanya Ebe did a great job narrating.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

If you don't like dogs don't listen to the book

I was disappointed in this latest offering from Nora Roberts. It had a lot of potential and there was some very good story here. Unfortunately, the main characters in this book were the dogs. Actually, the dogs had a lot more character than did the hero Simon. He was extremely 2-D. I do not like dogs and would not have bothered with the book if I had known ahead of time that the entire store would revolve more around the dogs and dog training than in the serial killer. It is possible to have a story where the main character is a dog trainer without going into tedious detail about the dogs.

This is just the latest in disappointing books by Nora Roberts. Didn't like the wedding planner ones and last years Black Hills was ruined by the preachiness about wild animal rescue. If it wasn't for the JD Robb's which were excellent, I'd say that she is no longer interested in telling a good story.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

The Search

The seach goes on and on and there is way too many dogs by name, how they feel and they took over the story in many places. I love dogs but she trained dogs, had three dogs that she spoke of constantly and then her boyfriend dog.
The ending was predictable and I was disappointed in a book I could not wait to read.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good, but predictable

This was a pretty good book - I felt that it was a little predictable, but I still enjoyed it! :)

I have to say that I was surprised and disappointed that the f-word was used frequently... I use the word myself from time to time, and was just surprised to hear it throughout the book - seemed unusual for Nora Roberts.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Nora at the Top of her Form

As the owner of almost all of Nora Roberts' books, I have to say that this one went to the top of my list of favorites. I have always enjoyed her story lines, and feel that no one can tell a story any better.

Dialog is one of the things Nora does best, and in this book, she is totally at the top of her form. I loved the dialog between Simon & Fiona, frequently laughing out loud. As a dog lover, I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes about training puppies, as well as Search & Rescue Training.

I also feel that the Narrator may have made the book even more enjoyable with her interpretations of the conversations between Simon and Fiona.

Good job!

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