Without a Trace

The Rock Harbor Series

By: Colleen Coble

Narrated by: Devon O'day

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

When a plane crash claims her husband and son, Bree Nichols and her search-and-rescue dog won't rest until they recover the bodies. But when quiet Rock Harbor is shaken by a violent crime, Bree discovers links to her husband's fatal accident. Would solving this crime bring her peace—or more incredibly, reunite her family?

It’s been months since the crash. K-9 search-and-rescue worker Bree Nicholls knows the chances of finding her husband and son in the vast wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula grow more remote by the day. But her heart and her faithful dog, Samson, demand she keep searching.

Deep in the woods a young boy wakes in a tiny cabin. He’s being nursed back to health by a reclusive woman, but he can’t figure out why she calls him by a name he doesn’t recognize. Or why she’s calling herself his mother. He wants to leave, but as winter sets in, his very life depends on her care.

Meanwhile, Bree’s relentless determination to find her family has uncovered a violent crime. With the help of Park Ranger Kade Matthews, she discovers the violence may be linked to the plane crash that took her family. Could solving the crime bring her healing from her own loss?

Set in the untamed beauty of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Rock Harbor novels draw listeners into the life and adventures of a canine search-and-rescue team as it unravels the secrets of an enchanting wilderness.

• Full-length romantic suspense
• Can be listened to as a standalone, but is also part of the Rock Harbor series
• Book 1: Without a Trace
• Book 2: Beyond a Doubt
• Book 3: Into the Deep
• Book 4: Cry in the Night

©2013 Colleen Coble (P)2017 Thomas Nelson Publishers

Good clean mystery!

I appreciate the fact I can have it on with kids in the room! Good plot, I didn't have the "who done it" figured out right away.

great first book in the series

it doesn't take long to become emotionally attached with the characters in this book. That's why I am eager to listen to the next books in the series. You feel like you know these people and want to know what's going on in their lives. This book had just the right amount of suspense and questions that kept you wondering who done it.

Nice story but too much 'God' stuff

I purchased the book because I grew up in Michigan's beautiful UP. As a native yooper, I was able to detect all the mispronunciations of local towns, streets, and areas. Research should be done on how to pronounce local words by the narrator. I enjoyed the story but it could have been told without all of the 'God and Faith' stuff. It took away from the story line. As a local yooper, people of the area are not that forthcoming with verbalizing their faith so all of that god-talk is not typical of the citizens. Faith is part of their life but is held more privately than expressed in the book and rarely do yoopers force their opinions or beliefs on others like people in the story did. I will try another book in the series but hopefully it will not be so invaded by the authors belief system.

excellent!

absolutely wonderful story, author, and characters. love love love the weaving of God's touch in our lives through the story and that a story can be written and told without bad words or sexual encounters.

Perfect for junior high Bible camp!

This book certainly shouldn’t be categorized as an adult mystery or suspense. Very disappointing for a first-time reader of Colleen Coble. I won’t be listening to any more.

Story Didn’t Hold Together

This author is a favorite of mine, and as this story started, I thought that it was going to be really good . . . and parts of it were. But what was disappointing for me, is that it didn’t ring true. I love mysteries combined with Christianity. The relationship between Bree and her mother-in-law and how Bree came to faith in Jesus Christ were high points for me in this book. I don’t want to spoil the book for others, but I had issues with Rachel (the woman that the children called the witch) who was simultaneously a caregiver and a kidnapper of a child. All the components for a GREAT story were there, but the writing was amateurish. Bree and her rescue dogs were another good part. The ending, though triumphant, was the most disappointing for me, because as a mother myself, and a Christian, I would have had a stronger reaction to certain things that happened. There was an overall lack of depth in Without a Trace, which I don’t expect from this author.

Just terrible

I never expected all the references to Christianity. Far too simplistic and just awful reader.

Touched my heart

Listened 3 times. I knew inside my heart it was good but Wow! After the third time of listening it really got to me. I pray for God to send His heavenly hounds after my kids and bring them safely home.

Narrator almost ruined the story

The narrator read so fast I had to turn the speed down to 80. Also she is too sing-songy. Her mispronunciation of names and places is distracting and made me cringe. A narrator/reader failing to pronounce things correctly almost ruined the whole experience. It was clear she didn't understand Yooper or Finnish culture and the author didn't fully understand these or the geographic area. Why go to Ontonagon instead of Houghton? Hopefully this short-sightedness will be corrected in future books. The story was good and kept my interest. Other than the less than optimal understanding of the area and culture the human responses and emotion were realistic and enhanced the story. Those not wanting a Christian perspective should have not bought or listened to the the book instead of bashing it. I will go on with this series.

Hard to get through it

I really tried to like this book but it was just very boring. Very little tension and the characters were not remotely interesting. Book recommended only as a sleep aide.