Identity by Nora Roberts ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A new thriller about one man's ice-cold malice, and one woman's fight to reclaim her life.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2023; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250284112
audio, ebook, print (448 pages); thriller

WOW!!!  What a fantastic book.  It had a little romance and a whole lot of suspense with one of the most evil and depraved 'bad guys' that I've encountered in a book in a long time.  Once I started, it was almost impossible to put down -- I'd decide to read just one more chapter and then read for hours.  This is Nora Roberts at her absolute best!

Morgan was an army brat and spent her childhood moving around.  Her goal as an adult was to put down roots and find a place to call home.  She had no relationship with her father and even though she loved her mother and grandmother, she didn't make much time to see them.  She had a job as a bartender and shared a house with her best friend Nina.  She met Luke at the bar and there were definite sparks between them. She and Nina decided to host their first dinner party and invite Luke plus Nina's new boyfriend. Everything goes well and Morgan decides that she really likes Luke and would love to spend more time with him.  Her new life is shattered when she comes home from work to find out that her house has been robbed, her car stolen and Nina lay dead on the floor.  When she finds out what happened she is devastated -- she let the monster into their lives.  The FBI informs her that 'Luke' is really a serial killer named Gavin who enjoys becoming part of women's lives, steals their identities, and eventually murders them.  His only mistake this time was that he murdered the wrong woman - his goal was really to murder Morgan.  She flees to her grandmother's house in Vermont and moves in with her mother and grandmother.  The FBI continues to keep her updated and it appears that Gavin is going to come after her again.  She works hard to rebuild her life and become a real family with her mother and grandmother but Gavin continues to send her small gifts to scare her and remind her that he's going to be coming after her soon.  

The chapters that are told by Gavin are very disturbing and they make the reader keep turning pages to make sure that Morgan will survive.  She continued to grow stronger and more resilient as the cat and mouse game continued -- will Gavin be successful or will Morgan be able to survive?

Identity is fantastic -- I loved Morgan and her attitude toward life and her love for her family and friends.  Morgan, her mother, and grandmother had a special bond that really helped Morgan grow after the tragedy. The book is a roller coaster ride from beginning to end but the last 50 pages or so are really intense and kept me rapidly turning pages.  This was a fantastic book from a great writer and I highly recommend it.

Buy Identity at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is two hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.  

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