I just don't know about this book. It started out really good. Brig sounded really hot and Cass was so sweet with her crush on him. I can't really go any further without spoilers, so..(view spoiler)[This book was really confusing! Let's start with the book's hero, Brig. So at first he seems attracted to Cass, then her half-sister Angie, then Cass, then Angie. He really flip flops. He'll kiss one, then go to a party with another, the make out and feel up the other, then have sex with the other, then meet up with the other....He acts like he doesn't like Angie, that he likes Cass, but then he meets up with Angie. And then he sleeps with Cass helps him get away after the fire, and she tells him how much she loves him....and so he leaves, and never once contacts her again. For nearly two decades he never contacts her and then suddenly at the end of the book he's back and loves her and says "oh hell" before kissing her a lot...He makes no sense. He was so mean to her at times and broke her heart and then never spoke to her again. How can he still love her all that time later?Another problem I had with the book is that all the big "twists" or whatever were really NOT that surprising. Most of the stuff I guessed way in the beginning of the book. I figured out that Willie was really Buddy and that Rex and Sunny were having an affair. I was even certain that CCU man, Marshall Baldwin, was really Brig. That was intentional for us to figure out though, I think. The only major shocker was that Chase was really Brig, and that they had switched identities during the fire. That was a shocker, but not one that was like..."wow". It was more "really?" I just didn't think it was that believable. I didn't understand the heroine, Cass. WHY DID SHE WANT TO SAVE HER MARRIAGE? In the end we are supposed to believe that it was because she "subconsciously" knew that Chase was really Brig but didn't believe it and that she wanted to be with him. But she didn't have any reason to really believe that, he was acting just like Chase. Why did she even get back with Brig? Why? He broke her heart, when he wasn't messing with it by being with her sister, and left her after she helped him escape the police and never once contacted her in nearly twenty years. Then suddenly he's back and pretending to be her husband when really her husband is dead pretending to be him....Too many lies, too much secrecy, what is so lovable about that? I just don't get it.At the end of the book, the killer is revealed and it was a shock. I started to suspect Felicity somewhere along the way, but there were so many red herrings that I never really one hundred percent thought it was her. I think the problem with this book is that there wasn't enough suspense, except for the beginning and the end of the book. In the middle, the majority was whether or not Brig was CCU man, aka Marshall Baldwin, and what Chase was hiding. It was chapter after chapter of that, with very little suspense. (hide spoiler)]
This was one of my favorite books by Lisa Jackson! I never expected the ending and it was a wild ride each and every page! Buchanan family is one of the richest families in Prosperity, Oregon. Mr. Buchanan runs the saw mill and his land of trees has made him mighty rich. His first wife bore him two children Angie and Derrick. After his wife killed herself he found himself remarried to Dena. Dena and Rex had a child they named Cassidy. Rex and his family owned a large home, not only with amazing land, but also a barn with horses. Angie was a beautiful young lady who loved to seduce the men. Derrick was a loving young brother but as he got older he grew angry and distant. Cassidy was the youngest (15) and was labeled as a tomboy more in love with horses then people. Rex to his family seemed to have a nitch for hiring individuals to work for him that were considered less fortunate then him. That was why no one was surprised when Rex hired Brig. Brig had the reputation of being a ladies man, who drank to much and got into a lot of trouble. Brig is shown the ropes, told of his expectations, and told how he needs to stay away from Rex's daughters. A fire at Rex's saw mill rocks this family's life forever and causes another family to fall apart. Years later another fire will hit the mill again and this time it looks a lot like the first fire but the suspect hasn't been seen since the last fire. The family drama in this book will leave you knowing your family isn't that bad! Will Brig heed the warning that he was given about Rex's daughter or will Angie be able to seduce him? Are the two fires linked and if so will they ever catch the arsonist?
What do You think about Final Scream (2005)?
There's a reason why I like Lisa Jackson. The woman sure knows how to write a damn good story!Lots of characters as individual as possible. Some you like, some you can really despise.I liked the setting as well. The country is one setting that I love when filled with intrigue, suspense and suspicious, devious characters.Cassidy struck me as a smart, headstrong young woman, at the beginning, and the same later. Brig had a good head on his shoulders. Chase, full of ambition, wanting nothing but respect.I thought the plot was excellent, filled with unexpected twists and turns. Just when I think I've got it figured out, something happens that throws my theory to hell. Any author who can do that to me is an author worth reading. She canput you into the mind of the killer and you still can't figure out who it really is. I love the way this author can stick you right in the middle of everyone and still leave you feeling like you can't quite graspt what it is you're missing until it's too late.
—Gina
I had to use other reviews and comments from GR to remind myself what this book was even about. But once I did recall it, it wasn't hard to remember why I wasn't crazy about it.Lisa Jackson dragged out a story that would have been told with at least 150 pages cut off. Bloated and padded, this book was dragged down by sub-plots and added details that we didn't need. And it bordered on "ewwwww-ville" but go ahead and spit it out and stop handling incest with kid-gloves. You can't dress it up and make it not as gross or disturbing.
—Ashley
This is the first book I have read by this author, and apparantly, this was a rewrite of a book she had written earlier n her career. Overall, I did like the story even though some parts were a bit predictable. The good guys were likeable, the killer/arsonist was well hidden and there were plenty of characters to keep you guessing.There wasn't anything that I really didn't like in this book, but it isn't like I am giving it a rave review. I think I would have to read another book or two by Lisa Jackson in order to develop a strong opinion on her writing style and how her mysteries in general develop.Bottom line - an entertaining read, but I am not endorsing the author as one of my faves at this point. I will revisit this, much like she did her book, when I have a couple more books under my belt.
—Trudy
