**On Christmas Eve in 1954, Catherine and her husband had an argument about faith. She gets upset, takes off in her car in the rain and dies in a fiery crash. Her husband tried to save her but there was nothing he could do.**Fast forward to the present time.Plain and simple: Laura Sutherland loves mirrors. And not because she is vain. Oh, no. She doesn't understand it herself; when she looks into a mirror she seems to waiting for an unseen force to pull at her. Over the years she has learned to keep her compulsion for mirrors and her confusing feelings to herself. No one knows that she has OCD behavior; she can't let a mirror go by without looking into it just once. Laura's best friend, Cassidy, encourages her to go to an estate sale outside of Atlanta at the Kilbourne home. While there she purchases a hand mirror, not realizing how it will change her life. Long story short, this is an older contemporary gothic style murder-mystery. Laura is initially accused of murdering Peter Kilbourne. She is eventually able to prove her innocence but not before being drawn into this family's squabbles. There are plenty of twists and turns. I had to admit I didn't know who was the killer until the murderer was revealed. There are also elements of reincarnation but Ms. Hooper wrote it in an acceptable fashion.I dropped it one star because of some slow reading. I thought the author could have successfully resolved everything about 75 pages sooner than she did. Also, I found the words 'child' and 'sweet' overused and it drove me a little crazy. Still, Ms. Hooper neatly tied up all the unresolved issues and kept me interested until the end. For me, it was a solid four-star romance.
Despite the various negative reviews this is an amazing book. I have absolutely no complaints. I prefer not to add any spoilers so I am going to be fairly vague in my explanations. I am thoroughly pleased with how it began, ended, and everything in between. Some of the people who read this complained that she had 'powers' that didn't make any sense, however, if they actually read it thoroughly and payed attention, everything that Laura can do is for a reason later explained. It has a perfect mix of romance, mystery, and suspense. I would highly recommend this book. The ending will definitely surprise you, I know it surprised me (:
What do You think about Finding Laura (2005)?
The characters were very well portrayed on the page, and the murder mystery element kept me hooked.I wasn't enamoured with the romance subplot: the eternal reincarnations of the two main protagonists and their many life times together. Maybe that ideal holds appeal for other readers, but not for me. However, as this explanation came at the end of the novel and the murder mystery aspect was resolved by that time, I didn't dwell on it too much, just closed the book.I'm not too sure why the romance
—Lisa
An old mirror brings a young artist into the home of one of the richest Atlanta families a few days after one of its members gets murdered. Whodunnit?Finding Laura contains one of my fevorite elements in Romantic Suspense; All the suspects are members of an old family with plenty of secrets.Unfortunately, it also contains something that ruins most Romantic Suspense books for me, and that is inexplicable character behavior. I understand that the author had to come up with a reason for Laura to visit the Kilbourne estate for example, but I wish she had come up with something better than what she settled for.As for the romance, there is a surprising twist towards the end that I must say that I enjoyed but it felt a bit rushed; we could have gotten so much more out of it. Other than that, it felt kind of flat to me and I never really got to connect with the characters or feel the attraction between them.All and all it was a nice read for a lazy summer day at the beach.
—Alkyoni
Whoa, this was not at all the ending I expected. Kay Hooper has an uncanny ability to intrigue, keep you guessing and totally blow you away at the end!"It's an antique mirror that can reveal secrets...or tarnish the truth. And for struggling artist Laura Sutherland, buying it is only the first step into a dark maze of lies, manipulation-and murder. It brings Peter Kilbourne into her life and makes her the prime suspect in his fatal stabbing. Determined to clear her name-and uncover Peter's reason for wanting the mirror back-Laura will breach the iron gates of the Kilbourne estate. There she will find that each family member has something to hide. Which one of them looks in the mirror and sees the reflection of a killer? And which one will choose Laura to be the next to die?"
—Louise
