Chasing Amanda
Melissa Foster, 2011
Solstice Publishing
378 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780615477527
Summary
Nine years ago, Molly Tanner witnessed a young girl’s abduction in the busy city of Philadelphia, shifting her occasional clairvoyance into overdrive. Two days later, the girl’s body was found, and Molly’s life fell apart.
Consumed by guilt for not acting upon her visions, and on the brink of losing her family, Molly escaped the torturous reminders in the city, fleeing to the safety of the close-knit rural community of Boyds, Maryland.
Molly’s life is back on track, her son has begun college, and she and her husband have finally rekindled their relationship. Their fresh start is shattered when a seven-year-old girl disappears from a local park near Molly’s home. Unable to turn her back on another child and troubled by memories of the past, Molly sets out to find her, jeopardizing the marriage she’d fought so hard to hold together.
While unearthing clues and struggling to decipher her visions, Molly discovers another side of Boyds, where the residents—and the land itself—hold potentially lethal secrets, and exposes another side of her husband, one that threatens to tear them apart. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Melissa Foster is the award-winning author of three International bestselling novels, Megan's Way, Chasing Amanda, and Come Back to Me. She has also been published in Indie Chicks, an anthology.
She is the founder of the Women's Nest, a social and support community for women, and the World Literary Cafe (previously WoMen's Literary Cafe), a cross-promotional site for authors, reviewers, bloggers, and readers. Melissa is currently collaborating in the film production of Megan's Way.
Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children, she's written for Calgary's Child magazine and Women Business Owners magazine, and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family. Melissa's interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping women see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod. (From the author's website.)
Book Reviews
A story of madness and mystery that drew me in from the first paragraph...a tale of love, retribution, hope and betrayal...a page turner that will leave you breathless.
Readers Round Table
Foster captures the terror and fear of an abducted child as well as the passion and resolve of the woman who is driven to rescue her before it's too late in this riveting, polished page-turner.
IndieReader.com
Chasing Amanda is a fine psychic thriller, highly recommended.
Midwest Book Review
"[Foster's] newest release captivated me...a subject that is every parent's nightmare. The story had me hooked and shocked. The characters are well written.
Jeanette Stingley - Bella Online
Secrets make this tale outstanding.
Hagerstown Magazine
Foster's writing reminds me of Ted Dekker. The suspense is so strong I'm waiting for the theme music to jump out and scare me as I turn the pages.
The Surrendered Scribe
Discussion Questions
1. Given what was at risk—her marriage, friends, sanity—if you were in Molly's position, would you have continued searching for Tracey? Would you have gone down the tunnels after Cole's ultimatum?
2. Pastor Lett carried with her the burden of living in a small town where her brother had been beaten. Do you think that would have had an impact on her relationship with congregation members, or do you see her as the type of person who would have been able to separate the two? Would you have been able to?
3. Cole was supportive to Molly in many ways, yet he was skeptical of her clairvoyant abilities—maybe rightfully so. How do you feel about the way he treated Molly throughout the book?
4. Tracey experienced Stockholm Syndrome, which became increasingly evident toward the end of the book. As a parent, would you have allowed your daughter to visit the woman who had abducted her given the non-malicious nature of the crime?
5. What are your thoughts on the Boyds Boys, and what should happen them now?
6. Erik was afraid of his ability to have visions, afraid of becoming like Molly had been after Amanda was killed, and yet he was compelled to follow them and try to find Tracey. What support would you offer your own child in that same situation?
7. Did this book make you think differently about parents/children that you see in public
places? Question reasons behind crying children (I hope so!)?
(Questions from author's website.)
top of page (summary)