Title: Seeing Red
Author: Sandra Brown
Series: n/a
Not super exciting but still brilliant
I would like to thank Sandra Brown, Grand Central Publishing/Hachette, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Twenty-five years ago, the nation was rocked by the tragic bombing of a prominent Dallas hotel. The culprit confessed and the case was quickly closed, but for John Trapper, the repercussions had only begun. As one of the few survivors of that event, his father, Major Franklin Trapper, had had his life transformed by fame. As a hero, The Major used his influence for the good of the people, but as Trapper’s father, it was as if he had ceased to exist. The destruction of the Pegasus Hotel plagued Trapper’s adult life, poisoning every ounce of happiness he managed to gain. Finally, tension and resentment built to a crescendo, resulting in the estrangement of father and son.
Now, new information about that fateful day has come to light in the form of Kerra Bailey. A journalist, she’s determined to interview the reclusive Major, and when all other avenues are exhausted, she asks John to provide her with an opportunity. When he denies her, she plays her trump card—and he decides he simply cannot resist watching his father’s face when she introduces herself. They expect the media to go into a frenzy at the revelation…but they don’t expect to make someone nervous enough to want them dead. As they keep off the radar, they realize they have to work together to find the real mastermind behind the bombing…before he silences his loose ends forever.
Sorry if that synopsis is crappy, I’m trying really hard not to spoil anything.
I’m always in awe of Sandra Brown’s talent when I read her work. She writes with an unwavering bluntness, with no euphemisms to soften reality and protect the genteel, while not going so far as to alienate the reader with discomposure and unease. She writes at once dark violence and tender romance. Simple sentences with layers of depth. It’s a difficult balance, but she masters it—as well as those chapter-ending cliff hangers she’s so good at.
This was a great book! I have a few minor issues with it, but overall I very much enjoyed it. Brown’s mysteries are always an intriguing maze; I try to find the correct path but come up against false leads that make me look closer. Even when I thought I had it figured out, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure until the veil dropped, and Brown continued to surprise me. Honestly, it doesn’t disappoint me that it was so easy to guess the culprit, because he really didn’t seem to matter all that much. Dealing with him was kind of just a matter of wrapping up the plot.
I really sympathized with the main characters. I cared about them, and I was glad things worked out for them—mostly—but I can’t say I’d want to be friends with them. I don’t care how sexy Trapper was, or that deep—very deep—down he was a good man and capable of great, unconditional love. He was an asshole, and didn’t seem to care that he was (which, by definition, is accurate). Sure, he was motivated by love, but he was ashamed of it. And I wouldn’t call him honorable. He made for a fantastic bad-boy hero and had a complete arc, but at times I was hard-pressed to tolerate his short fuse and kiss-my-ass attitude. His personality was absolutely consistent, though, so kudos to Brown. Kerra… I liked Kerra, she was a good, strong heroine, but I don’t feel that we got much insight into her thoughts. We skimmed the surface, but this was primarily Trapper’s story, and I don’t think I got to know Kerra well enough.
One thing that disappointed me was the lack of action. There were exciting scenes, but nothing that jump-started my adrenaline. This is going to sound weird, but I love when either the hero or heroine gets shot or otherwise grievously injured, because I’m sick in the head and love the heart-wrenching drama. I waited and waited for something like that to happen, but it never did, and I was bummed. Relative, another issue I had was with all the dialogue, especially toward the end. There was a lot of talk and not enough action. Usually I space out through long paragraphs of description or exposition, but this time I spaced out during the long conversations.
As much as I want to avoid spoilers, I feel compelled to call bullshit on the child’s identity remaining secret for a quarter century. If that event/photograph was as big a deal as Brown made it out to be, there would have been people who wouldn’t stop investigating until they ferreted out the truth, most likely wanting to claim fifteen minutes of fame. And I just have a hard time buying that it would have been difficult to figure out. Wouldn’t it be a process of elimination to figure out who the child could be, and a matter of fact-checking to make an educated guess? A simple name change and sealed adoption records aren’t huge hurdles, if they were hurdles at all. But whatevs, it made for great fiction.
Overall, I might not be rereading this novel like I do others of Brown’s (ones where there are dramatic grievous injuries, mostly), but I did enjoy it and will recommend it to friends.
Check out this interview and get a look inside the mind of Sandra Brown!
