Collect Out Of The Shadows (Nick Barrett, #1) Presented By Sigmund Brouwer Distributed As Volume

for a very good story, . .

even though the formatting of this ebook seemed to be off, almost as if this version was rushed to market without a final runthrough.
Sometimes that distracted, but after awhile it was simply annoying, That said, the plot was exceptional, and I found myself unable to put it down once I started.
Browser's writing style appeals to me, and the main character is not only believable but it seemed as if he were an extension of myself, though I have not experienced any of the things described.
This book definitely makes me want to read more of the series! Suspenseful story, Makes one realize whatever you are searching for in life to find happiness doesnt always give you peace.
Nick was truly a victim of deceit and searched for answers and maybe revenge, This author gently reveals that there is no peace without knowing Jesus, Good story. Life lesson. This book was not easy for me to get into, I almost stopped reading it several times but, lacking another good book to read, I plodded along right to the end.
It was a slow and trudging process, wading through the convoluted plot, The premise was implausible to me and the main character, Nick Barrett, was not endearing, Was I supposed to feel sorry for him because he had been in a tragic accident and ended up with a prosthetic leg Or perhaps because he is wrongfully blamed for that accident which also killed his new wife's brother Maybe because he was mysteriously abandoned by his mother as a child and then mistreated by his extended family, never allowed to really belong Or perhaps I should feel sorry for him because finally they succeed in pushing him out of their genteel, albeit corrupt, southern society when he is forced to leave and never return all in an attempt to hide deep, dark family secrets.
Well, Nick does return but only at the bidding of an unknown letter writer who insists he should come back to learn the truth many years later.
Thus, the tale begins.



This story was too drawn out, By the time I got to just one more "juicy detail" of the twisting and turning plot line, I was disappointed.
Each new revelation from Nick Barrett's past, surely designed to surprise and intrigue the reader, left me shaking my head while rolling my eyes.
To me, it was rather predictable and overblown, All that fighting to find out what's on the end of the fishing line, and lo and behold,

I was disappointed with my catch.
I should add that, in general, I'm not a big fan of a novel that jumps from the past to the present and back again as this one did.




What can I say Many people clearly liked this book and enjoy this author and series much more than I did.
Some like chocolate, some vanilla, This was not my flavor, Will I read the sequel Maybe, if only to give the author another chance, But not because I fell in love with Nick Barrett as a character or because I can't wait to find out what happens next.
A wimpy detective starring in a tepid thriller, Joy. Brouwer attempts to give the story a film noirtype feel, but it's like a Hallmark version of film noir.
He also beats you over the head so hard with his obvious and simplistic themes that you run the risk of literally being knocked unconscious while reading.
That's what happened to me, at least, Or maybe I was just so bored that I fell asleep, On a positive note, though, some of Brouwer's other books are good, not my style of writingrecommended by a friend could NOT get thru it! Didn't finish the book all I could think was, "okay.
. . come on, get to the point, too much fluff!" After many years, Nick Barrett has returned to Charleston to find out the truth of what happened to his mother the night she left, when he was ten years old.


What he discovers is an elaborate tapestry of lies, secrets, adultery, blackmail, and murder that stretches from that longago night to the current day.
This book went through spurts to whereas it caught my attention early on, then got a bit bored and slightly confused, then gathered my curiosity, and skimmed through some passages to finally midway get to the nittygritty.
He did have the whodoneit throughout the book and whether or not the mother lived or was dead, then who was her murderer or suspects, with the why factor.
There were some wow factors, but again, this did not happen until over apages in and closer to the end.


I am glad that I continued and read otherwise, I would have not gotten the wow's and the whoa's until nearly the end.


I also like the touch of adding aspects of Christ, faith, and how many of us live in the shadows or darkness and to experience His precious light/salvation at the very end of the novel.


I see this is a series and may continue in the near future,

Leisure read
set in Charleston a man discovers the truth behind his mother's disappearance when he wasso many lies and deception surrounded him as he grew up who his father was, his aunt, his halfbrother, so much evil in uppercrust Charleston! We made our notunusual mistake of reading the second book of a series Nick Barret "Crown of Thorns" and were so intrigued with the rich view of Charleston, we spent ourth anniversary there.
Have gone back now and read the first book of the series this one and were not disappointed.
Set in Charleston, the novel introduces Nick Barret, He is drawn home by a mysterious note about the mother who abandoned him, Past secrets emerge to meet present danger, Along the way, Nick comes facetoface with the God he has always denied, Sharply defined characters and vivid settings will engage and appeal to both men and women, Remarkable storytelling with uncommon intrigue, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, The details in the setting were very well done one felt like they were walking down the same streets, entering the same rooms as the character.
The story line was compelling and hooked me from the very beginning, I liked the twists and turns usually I figure out plot quickly in books of this genre, but this one had just enough to keep me offbalance and eagerly anticipating the next chapter.

A very good read, well worth your time, rated pg

I'm very slowly going through all my bookshelves and trying to catalogue books bought and read in years gone by.
Stars and ratings are mere guesses at this point, In Sigmund Brouwers Out of the Shadows, Nick Barretts life has been shaped by two abandonments.
His mother left with his trust fund before his tenth birthday, and there had been no word from her since.
And as an adult, his wife of four days betrayed him,

Nicks mother had been a waitress when a war hero from one of Charlestons elite families saw her and fell in love.
They married, but Nick and his mother were considered outsiders, especially after his father died, When his mother left, he was begrudgingly taken in by his fathers relatives, But he was still always on the outside, Just four days after he married the girl he loved, an accident cost him his leg, his marriage, and his Charleston residency.
He signed an agreement to leave and never return,

Nick has been away from his native Charleston, SC, for fifteen years, Hes bitter against his mother, his relatives, and God, But a mysterious unsigned note has brought him back, promising information about his mother, Looking not only for information, but also revenge, Nick is led through a winding path of revelations, But what will they cost him in the end

In defense of the stubbornness of my souls early flight from God, there were all the events before I left Charlestonevents that seemed totally bereft of the touch of a God of love.
God, however, as I was about to discover, is a patient hunter, I can now examine my years of exile and see earmarked on the pages of my personal history the times he beckoned, times that I resolutely turned aside to my own path.
I imagine that in a way, I was like Jonah, determined to head in the opposite direction of Gods calling.
For Jonah, the city he desperately wanted to avoid was Nineveh, For me, it was Charleston,

I picked up this book on a Kindle sale partly because I love Charleston and partly because I had read something of Brouwers in the past.
I remembered enjoying it, though I couldnt remember what it was,

This book was fascinating, There were several jawdropping surprises or twists, but not too many to seem realistic, I love the Charleston history and setting, I loved the irony of the Old South incongruity of using the most polite language while doing the most awful things.
A couple of my favorite characters were a gossipy pair of elderly twin antique owners, .