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Zoe Broussard stands in the shade of the live oak on Main Street and surveys her beloved Louisiana hometown. Wrought-iron galleries overhang the sidewalk lined with brightly colored shops, and the smell of coffee wafts from the brasserie she and her husband Pierce own, to which folks drive all the way from Lafayette for lunch or dinner. It seems like heaven.
But it’s about to become hell. A series of threatening, anonymous notes is making her life a misery—because Zoe has a secret so terrible it could leave the business in shambles and tear her marriage apart. Terrified by a stranger who seems to know her, Zoe must confront her past before it confronts her. Can she find the courage to do the right thing?
If you run far enough can your past catch up with you? Kathy Herman sets out to explore that in her new book "False Pretenses". I was thrilled to discover that some of the characters from her last series are main characters in this new series. Vanessa and Ethan Langley (along with little Carter) are in Louisiana now and they get mixed up in an incredible case of mistaken identity, lynching and murder, and theft... Zoe and Pierce are their landlords and as they become friends they discover not everything is as it seems. Zoe's past is haunting her, but can she clear things up before it catches up with her and ruins everything in her present and future?
Kathy does a great job with this book incorporating mystery / suspense with relationships and forgiveness. I think this is my favorite book of hers so far. I look forward to seeing where she goes with this series.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 25, 2012
Reading this was a great way to pass time. It moved at a nice pace and held my attention. I especially liked that while it is a Christian story, it was not at all "preachy".
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 10, 2011
False Pretenses by Kathy Herman is the first novel in a new series Secrets of Roux River Bayou set in Louisiana, published March 2011 by David C. Cook Publisher in both paperback and ebook formats, available on Kindle and Nook among other ereaders. Over forty chapters of suspense that will keep you riveted once you become entwined in the lives of realistic characters who'll touch your heart and soul. Zoe and Pierce Broussard open a Cajun eatery, Zoe B's, and they're happily married for five years before a drug dealer threatens not only their happy union, but also their very lives. Boarders Vanessa and Ethan Langely and their young son, Carter, become involved in the danger when they attempt to help the Broussard family. Five years of deception on Zoe's part sets off a series of events that include a hanging from an oak tree on the Vincent farm that neighbors the Langely Manor to a fight for their very lives. Someone is getting inside the manor despite the fact that all new locks have been installed on the doors and windows. Carter says he found a candy man in the closet in an upstairs bedroom. Is the intruding stranger real or only a figment of an active four-year old imagination? Sugarcane fields separate the manor from the farm and secret tunnels add to a vivid tale of forgiveness and grace. When a young newspaper boy is murdered, racial tension threatens the entire community. Vanessa and Ethan are renovating the manor as a bed and breakfast unaware of its unique history that will only add to its personal charm, which they discover from an unexpected source. Vivid description aids readers in visualizing what a Louisiana Cajun community is like by allowing travel through the pages of a good book. Can Zoe and Pierce's lives be saved? And, if so, what about their marriage? He's a proud Cajun? Will pride get in the way of forgiveness and grace? While it has a few word omissions and mistakes, I was able to overlook them for the story told and loved the themes and ending as well as the twists and turns. If you like Southern novels, I'd say this is one you won't want to miss. I'm glad I discovered it and can't wait for the others in the series. I think of the author as the bird lady due to all the beautiful pictures she captures and shares on Facebook. After reading her novel, I feel I have a better picture of who she really is, a beautiful and gracious lady who wrote a beautiful and gracious story of suspense. There were times I didn't want to put the novel down because I wanted to see what happened next. I'd rate the novel four-and-half only because of the few errors, but I promise you the story spun is a five, and anyone who has a love for the South will enjoy this Southern homespun tale of majestic oaks and a plantation called a manor for all the right reasons. I can just see those sugarcane fields waving in the wind and picture that bayou in my mind. Visit Kathy Herman on Facebook and see for yourself her unique talent for bird photography as well as writing.
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 2, 2012
Only critique would be the long winded ending
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book shouts "Louisiana!" It makes me feel as if I've visited Louisiana. I've experienced the talk, met some residents, and enjoyed the food. What a neat way to travel!
The protagonist, Zoe, is living a lie, and as happens with most lies, they catch up with her. Intertwined is a lynching, a mystery stalker, and the suspicion of a ghost!
A Discussion Guide is included, making this a good book club read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 12, 2013
Very good book. Loved the location of the material and held my interest to the very end.
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Posted September 30, 2012
I enjoyed this book, even tho it seemed to slow down a little in the middle. But then it really took off &i was up all night finishing it! Son in law is from New Awlins so loved all of that culture included,. So nice to see Gods Grace represented. Would love to read the next book!
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Posted July 30, 2012
Well written and kept you guessing . Would read this author again.
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Posted July 19, 2012
This story had a fairly good mystery coupled with a heartfelt story. A nice light read.
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Posted July 2, 2012
This series was one of the best I've read. I read a lot of Christian Fiction and this author is fantastic. Couldn't put it down. From the 1st book to the 3rd. I promise you will love it. I look forward to reading more by Kathy Herman.
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Posted June 19, 2012
This book got some great reviews and I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, I found it very hard to follow, lots of characters and slightly confusing. I could not even finish it. For free, I would say "try it you might like it."
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 19, 2012
Really enjoyed this book
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I enjoyed this book and found it to truly be a page-turner I couldn't put down. In fact, a couple of nights I read into the wee-hours of the morning. As a resident of Cajun-country, I was a bit put off by the constant use of Cajun idioms and expressions. At times it felt that the author was trying a bit too hard. The Cajun dictionary was helpful in translating some of the Cajun-French expressions used.
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Posted May 28, 2012
Another great start to a new series by Kathy Herman! This book is full of fast pace twist and turns that kept me reading till way past my "bedtime". I loved the humanness of the main characters, showing that God can take what we break and use it for His glory is we just listen to Him! I love her mysteries that entertain me as well as draw me closer to Him at the same time. Enjoy this book because the 2nd in the trilogy is even better!
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Posted May 27, 2012
An engaging story about the choices you make and how they can affect your life many years later. A very good read with a nice moral to the story.
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Posted May 24, 2012
I so enjoyed reading this book. Good balance of suspense and likable characters.
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Posted May 23, 2012
I kept wondering what depth her secret went to! It really kept me in suspense and I truly loved it!!!! Want to read more of Ms. Herman's novels! C:o)
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Posted May 12, 2012
It is almost impossible to put this book down.
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Posted May 8, 2012
Loved the Cajun setting and all the different threads that tied together to form the story.
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Posted April 26, 2012
Wonderful series
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Overview
Zoe Broussard stands in the shade of the live oak on Main Street and surveys her beloved Louisiana hometown. Wrought-iron galleries overhang the sidewalk lined with brightly colored shops, and the smell of coffee wafts from the brasserie she and her husband Pierce own, to which folks drive all the way from Lafayette for lunch or dinner. It seems like heaven.
But it’s about to become hell. A series of threatening, anonymous notes is making her life...