Knock Out

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Catherine Coulter
Pages: 417
Format: Paperback
Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary (Thanks GoodReads): Seven-year-old Autumn Backman needed a hero. When she saw Special Agent Dillon Savich on TV after he'd brought down bank robbers in a Georgetown bank, she knew she'd found him. She called Savich, but she didn't use the phone." "They were burying dead people in my daddy's grave ... they're coming after us. Please help me." "Who's they?" "Blessed, he's coming." "Ethan Merriweather, sheriff of Titusville, Virginia, a small mountain town near the Titus Hitch Wilderness, goes looking for a missing little girl. Soon after he finds her, Ethan realizes that Autumn has brought him a huge problem - a relentless madman who has the ability to control others simply by looking at them. And the madman is after her and her mom." "It's Uncle Blessed, and he wants Autumn." "When Savich answers Autumn's call, she tells him Blessed is from Bricker's Bowl, Georgia. Savich and Sherlock go to Blessed's home, learn about his brother, Grace, and meet their mother, Shepherd. Savich soon realizes the only way to stop Blessed is to "cut off the snake's head." Back in Titusville, Ethan, Autumn, and her mother, Joanna, are forced to hide from Blessed and Grace in the wilderness. Ethan knows the brothers will never give up their insane pursuit for Autumn. It's a race to stop the madness, or the madness will destroy them all.

My Take: Overall, outstanding but I won't lie to you, the beginning was a bit slow. It might have just been the fact that I was so busy I couldn't get into it though so don't let what I said scare you away. I didn't read the other 15 books by this author in this series, I read it as a stand alone, which worked but I did at times feel like I was left out of what was happening because I might not have had all the back story but I had enough to follow along and still enjoy it. I was able to relate to the character without knowing everything about them. We were filled in with the information we would need to understand their motivations and actions.

Also, there is enough action to keep your interest. Every so often I would have a moment of disbelief at what they were going through but in the end it all made perfect sense. I found myself even wanting to protect Autumn like all the other characters in the book did; she was very lovable. I was happy to find myself being able to tell the difference between reality and fiction when in this novel it is sometimes hard to tell what is really happening and what the character's are tricking others into believing. I found their "gifts" to be somewhat believable...okay sometimes it was a stretch but I have a great imagination and that helped.

Final Thoughts: If you like action and can handle the strange telepathic...stuff that happens then this book is great for you. There are many twists and turns that keep things fresh and interesting. You might want to start with the first book in the series before reading this but you don't have to. I think that I might go back and read the previous novels. Enjoy!

P.S. I'm sorry that not much has been up but it's major project and midterm time for us. Plus, I don't read when I'm sick...I stare at the walls and plan ways to get out of doing things like homework. (Not kidding...) It should start to pick up soon. Also, I need ideas for some good books or certain kinds of books. All I have at home are CSI books and Classics, neither of which interest me at the present. Any thoughts?