Isabella Moon [NOOK Book]

Supernatural Suspense

Carystown, Kentucky is a charming village with a country setting and quaint antique shops. But beneath its idyllic surface lies a world of trouble. The arrival of Kate Russell, a young woman on the run from an abusive past, is the catalyst for the exposure of the town's nasty secrets, and it isn't long before people are wishing she would just go away. Kate receives help from an unexpected quarter, however: the ghost of a child who disappeared two years earlier. A fine narrative flow, whose shifting points of view add to the enjoyment of the story.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Loved this book; the first I read by this author. Just enough m

Loved this book; the first I read by this author. Just enough mystery, suspense and other-worldly characters to satisfy everyone. Wasn't too happy with the ending......but it all makes sense. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes suspense with a twist.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Real thriller

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers. I was intrigued right up until the end. Great suspense writer.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It was interesting and kept my attention

I enjoyed reading this book. Spirits, murder, small town, a great sheriff and his relationship with the other characters kept me wanting to get back to the book to see how it ended. The ended was odd, the great story stopped and the short epilogue started and ended. I was a tad disappointed in that. I would read more of Laura Benedict's books.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

gorgeous and haunting

Laura Benedict really knows how to tell a story. I read a lot of mysteries and I have to say she has a talent for making the plot interesting while keeping a very intense atmosphere. great read for weekends and stormy nights

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good Mystery.....

Good mystery.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Isabella Moon

I have to agree with the Not Impressed reviewer below... The ending was rushed.
I didn't think the characters had enough depth, I really didn't care what happend to them.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Perfect for a chilly fall weekend!

This is another book I had a difficult time putting down. There wasn't a bunch of filler words! Almost every page and sentence had a point, and from the beginning it got right down to the point.
Perfect for a chilly fall weekend!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Not impressed!

I really enjoyed this book until the last 50 pages, then it just got dark and depressing. I was very disappointed in the way all the characters were wrapped up, and will not read anymore from this author.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

'PEOPLE WHO LIE AVOID EYE CONTACT'

'People who lie avoid eye contact. And she wasn't lying. At least, not about this.' Kate Russell knew very well that she was telling the truth, but would anyone believe her? The disappearance of nine-year-old Isabella Moon some two years ago continued to haunt Sheriff Bill Delaney. Personally, he believed she had run away. Nonetheless, the fact that she had never been found, dead or alive, only compounded the mystery. Carystown, Kentucky was a quiet small town, not the sort of place one would look for a mystery. That is, until Isabella disappeared. Kate is a recent arrival in this Southern community and a psychic, a gift she wished she did not have. She has come to tell the sheriff that she can take him to Isabella's grave because the dead girl has spoken to her. What would your reaction be to such a claim? And then, what might follow if Kate's story is true? Laura Benedict's debut novel is a blend of romance, the paranormal, and crime. Unfortunately, for Kate and the sheriff Isabella is only the first to call on Kate for help and the discovery of the girl's body leads to even darker secrets long kept hidden in the hearts and psyches of Carystown's citizenry. As is often true things aren't as they seem nor are people. Isabella Moon is a story for those who like their mysteries laced with romance and the supernatural. While for this reader the tale seemed to be rather loosely conceived so that it meandered to a conclusion rather than building to it, Isabella Moon is still a first novel worth noting. - Gail Cooke

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

No Stars

This book actually gets no stars, since I couldn't get it to open past page 17. The file must be corrupt.

keeps pulling at you

Enjoy

Uggghhh!!!

Ok... I just finished this book and was very frustrated with the ending.. The plot was great! This could have been a best seller.. I agree with other reviews that state the ending was very rushed. Like the writer was going on vacation so she decided to wrap it up in 10 minutes. I did care about the characters, especially Kate. So over this book! And furthermore I noted at least 6 problems that editing missed. DID I MENTION THE ENDING SUCKED!!!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A SUBTLE, SOMETIMES EERIE READING

Talented actress and voice performer Renee Raudman narrates this story driven by the paranormal with subtle eerie breathiness when she speaks as one dead. The tone is not overdone but appropriate so that listeners may feel that they are hearing from someone in another world. Raudman's voice takes on more strength when she speaks as Kate, a young woman who sudddenly discovers she has psychic powers. A veteran of various entertianment media - stage, television, radio, and film - Raudman is obviously at ease behind a microphone and this confidence is conveyed to the listener through articulation and well placed pauses. The disappearance of nine-year-old Isabella Moon some two years ago has continued to haunt Sheriff Bill Delaney. Personally, he believed she had run away. Nonetheless, the fact that she had never been found, dead or alive, only compounded the mystery. Carystown, Kentucky was a quiet small town, not the sort of place one would look for a mystery. That is, until Isabella disappeared. Kate is a recent arrival in this Southern community and a psychic, a gift she wished she did not have. She tells the sheriff that she can take him to Isabella's grave because the dead girl has spoken to her. What would your reaction be to such a claim? And then, what might follow if Kate's story is true? Laura Benedict's debut novel is a blend of romance, the paranormal, and crime. Unfortunately, for Kate and the sheriff Isabella is only the first to call on Kate for help and the discovery of the girl's body leads to even darker secrets long kept hidden in the hearts and psyches of Carystown's citizenry. As is often true things aren't as they seem nor are people. - Gail Cooke

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Truth Doesn¿t Always Set You Free

ISABELLA MOON by Laura Benedict is a hearty character driven plot, filled with surprises. The reader is drawn into the fishbowl lives of the townspeople of Carystown, Kentucky¿a community embroiled in secrets, unexpected sexual liaisons, and deep betrayal. But the biggest secret of all is the disappearance of 9-year old Isabella Moon two years prior. Like a domino about to be tipped, finding the missing girl jumpstarts this compelling plot. And the author wields an intriguing voice that beckons with the subtlety of a whispered secret, yet she holds the reader with unexpected plot twists and images that linger long after the last page is turned. Benedict paints an atmospheric and supernatural world with a noir feel to the crime fiction elements of this story. A wonderful read that I recommend highly.

Isabella Moon is the sun and the stars

In a remarkably rich first novel, short story author Laura Benedict puts a complex spin on the secrets of a small Kentucky town still spooked by the unsolved disappearance of a child two years earlier. When the ghost of nine-year-old Isabella Moon leads newcomer Kate Russell to her hidden grave, instead of bringing closure to the town, the discovery unleashes suspicion on Kate, who has secrets of her own and attracts danger to those who befriend her. This supernatural thriller, written with a literary flair, feels like a lesson in real life because justice does not always reign. The guilty are not always punished. The innocent are not always saved. Readers hankering for happy endings are better off sticking to fairy tales because this dark debut will haunt your mind each time you turn down a lonely country road.

Isabella Moon - A must buy!

Isabella Moon is a fabulous read. Laura Benedict has a fresh, strong, and unique voice that reaches out from the page and sucks the reader in on a breath taking ride. The characters leap off the page and the plot twists and turns make it impossible to put down. A page turner from start to finish.

Isabella Moon - A must buy!

Isabella Moon is a gripping tale of suspense, lies and murder. A story that shows you that no matter how hard you try and bury the past, it can always come back. Laura Benedict spins a plot full of twists and turns that will leave the reader begging for more.

refreshing original mystery

It has been two years since nine years old Isabella Moon disappeared and the failure to resolve the case eats at Sheriff Bill Delaney. Rationalizing that these things do not happen in quaint Carystown, Kentucky fails to lift the despondent law enforcement official. No one is more surprised than newcomer Kate Russell when she sees the ghost of Isabella she follows the spirit to the spot where the little girl was buried. It takes tremendous will power for Kate to inform Bill what she saw as she has dark secrets that could lead to her arrest. Initially Bill assumes Kate is a flake, but he cannot get her statement out of his mind so reluctantly he digs at the spot she mentioned and uncovers the corpse. Clues lead to Paxton Birkenshow, a blue blood with plenty of money. He is seeing Kate¿s best friend Francie, a black woman who does not want their relationship made public as her mother believes he is weak. Paxton and Kate mutually despise each other, but she has other woes besides being a suspect in the Isabella murder her dangerous secret has come to town to reclaim her. These secrets keep Bill busy while changing his life forever. --- This is a refreshing original mystery that occurs in a twenty-first century Peyton Place like town. There are many key interesting characters with some providing a third person point of view that moves the exciting story line forward with a reasonable degree of believability and understanding. ISABELLA MOON is a multifaceted police procedural intertwined with subplots that come together to forge a well written recommended whodunit. --- Harriet Klausner

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