The Witness by Nora Roberts

                  Little Free Libraries are popping up all over my city.  I am always excited when I see a new little house filled with books on someone’s lawn.  Each library is different and one never knows what books will be in it.  As people take and leave books, what is inside changes all the time.  This is why I was surprised my mom found Nora Roberts’ The Witness in one of the libraries.  As Nora Roberts is a very popular author and The Witness is a fairly new book, I did not think this book would stay anywhere for very long.  Maybe it did not.  I do not know how long it was in the library before my mom picked it up.  She had read the book before and really liked it.  As she knew I was struggling to find a book to read, she thought I might want to give it a try.  I did not stay with the book long.  Not because I did not like it, but because I did not want to stop reading.  It took me only two or three days to read the entire thing.              

                Sixteen year old Elizabeth had every moment of her life controlled by her mother.  Her clothes, what she reads, and even her future career have all been determined without Elizabeth getting any say.  At her young age, and with the help of her extreme intelligence, Elizabeth will be enrolling in medical school in the not too distant future.  This is not what Elizabeth wants and when her mother backs out on a promise for a short break from school, Elizabeth decides to rebel.  She cuts her hair and goes to the mall to buy new clothes where Elizabeth runs into a girl she went to high school with.  As Elizabeth knows how to make fake IDs, the girls decide to go to a club.  They meet two men there that change Elizabeth’s life forever.

                The men the girls meet are not just any men.  They are part of the Russian Mafia.  Elizabeth’s friend wants to go to the house of one of the men and Elizabeth reluctantly agrees.  She does not feel well and really just wants to go home.  But Elizabeth goes to the house and ends up becoming a witness to a murder.

                Elizabeth manages to escape the house and contacts the police.  She is willing to testify about what she saw and in return Elizabeth is put in a safe house.  But before she can have her day in court, the safe house is breached and Elizabeth must run for her life.

                Twelve years later, in a small Arkansas town, Brooks, the local police chief, is intrigued by the reclusive woman who is new to town.  Nobody knows much about the woman except that her name is Abigail.  Wanting to know more, Brooks tries to talk to Abigail at the market, but she brushes him off.  This only makes Brooks more interested.  He decides to go to her house and see what he can find out about this illusive woman.

                What Brooks finds is a house with a large dog, extensive security system, and a woman who is not pleased with this unexpected visitor.  Abigail wants to be left alone and be as invisible as possible in this town.  Any attention she receives in not appreciated.  While some may find this odd, it is understandable as Abigail is really Elizabeth.  Still in hiding after all these years, she feels safer living in obscurity.

                Brooks has different thoughts.  Despite Abigail’s protests, Brooks makes a concentrated effort to become part of her life.  Abigail does everything she can to prevent this, but slowly she lets Brooks in and ends up falling in love.  Despite her romantic feelings, Abigail is still not sure she should let Brooks in on her life story.  He is a member of law enforcement and telling Brooks everything could put her life in jeopardy.  Or maybe it could save it.

                Since I read this book so quickly, it is clear I thought it was a really good book.  The beginning was a little hard to get through as I felt so terrible for the teenage Elizabeth.  Her mother is absolutely horrible with zero feelings of true concern for her daughter.  To say I was glad when the mother was out of the picture would be an understatement.  Thankfully there is another mother figure that comes along later in the book who is so much better.  It is Brooks’ mother Sunny who comes into the picture and becomes a positive influence for Abigail.  Sunny gets to be a bit much as she pushes to get her way, but she is very loving and is just what Abigail needs.  The same can be said for Brooks.  He is a tad pushy when he wants something, but he is also very sweet.  Brooks takes his job seriously and does his best to keep the town safe for everyone, including Abigail.  He is very patient as he deals with Abigail being quite literal about everything.  She has had such a sheltered life that she has a hard time with certain references and turns of phrase.  This could get annoying very quickly, but with Brooks around she learns fast.  It does not take long for Abigail to come out of her shell and change in very positive ways.

                After struggling for so long to find a book that kept my attention, it was so nice to have one in my hand. The bad part is, now that I am done, I have to find a new one. I know I will eventually. When that time will be, I do not know. In the meantime, I could always read The Witness again.