Suspense, romance, and generational secrets meld in this engrossing new novel from USA TODAY bestselling author Colleen Coble. Strands of Harper Taylor’s childhood are resurfacing—but will the truth save her . . . or pull her under? Harper Taylor is used to being alone— after all, she grew up in one foster home after another. Oliver Jackson finally took her under his wing when she was a runaway … another. Oliver Jackson finally took her under his wing when she was a runaway teenager, and now Harper pours her marine biology knowledge into Oliver’s pen shell research. But she’s never stopped wishing for a family of her own.
So when a DNA test reveals a half-sister living just two hours away, Harper is both hopeful and nervous. Over warm cinnamon rolls, Harper and Annabelle find striking similarities in their stories. Is it just a coincidence that both their mothers died tragically, without revealing Harper and Annabelle’s father’s name?
Oliver’s son Ridge still sees Harper as a troubled teen even all these years later. But when Oliver is attacked, Ridge and Harper find themselves working together to uncover dangerous secrets that threaten to destroy them all. They must unravel her past before they can have any hope for the future.
Suspense, romance, and generational secrets meld in this engrossing new novel from USA TODAY bestselling author Colleen Coble.
“Free-dive into a romantic suspense that will leave you breathless and craving for more.” –DiAnn Mills, bestselling author
“As always, Colleen Coble never disappoints. Strands of Truth is no exception. I was hooked from the first page. Trying to read this story slowly is impossible. Don’t be surprised when you find yourself flipping the pages in a hurry to find out what happens next! This one is for your keeper shelf.” –Lynette Eason, bestselling, award-winning author of the Blue Justice Series
“Colleen Coble’s latest book, Strands of Truth, grips you on page one with a heart-pounding opening and doesn’t let go until the last satisfying word. I love her skill in pulling the reader in with believable, likable characters, interesting locations, and a mystery just waiting to be untangled. Highly recommended.” –Carrie Stuart Parks, bestselling author of Formula of Deception
“Once again, Colleen Coble delivers an intriguing, suspenseful tale in Strands of Truth. The mystery and tension mount toward an explosive and satisfying finish. Well done.” –Creston Mapes, bestselling author
“Just when I think Colleen Coble’s stories can’t get any better, she proves me wrong. In Strands of Truth, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The characterization of Ridge and Harper and their relationship pulled me immediately into the story. Fast paced, with so many unexpected twists and turns, I read this book in one sitting. Coble has pushed the bar higher than I’d imagined. This book is one not to be missed.” –Robin Caroll, best-selling author of the Darkwater Inn series
“It’s in her blood! Colleen Coble once again shows her suspense prowess with a thriller as intricate and beautiful as a strand of DNA. Strands of Truth dives into an unusual profession involving mollusks and shell beds that weaves a unique, silky thread throughout the story. So fascinating I couldn’t stop reading!” –Ronie Kendig, bestselling author of The Tox Files
more
As always, Colleen Coble never disappoints. Strands of Truth is no exception. I was hooked from the first page. Trying to read this story slowly is impossible. Don’t be surprised when you find yourself flipping the pages in a hurry to find out what happens next! This one is for your keeper shelf.
Harper Taylor is desperate to have a family of her own. Her mother died when she was born, her grandmother was not really a good substitute, and died when Harper was young. Time spent in the foster care system was dangerous and disappointing. Fortunately she found a mentor, but his family resented the attention he gave her, even as she grew into an intelligent and contributing member of society.
When this mentor set her up with a job working side by side with his son, Ridge, the son, sees it as an opportunity to show his father that Harper was only ever after their money. Can working together change his view of her?
As a birthday gift, Harper’s best friend gave her one of those Ancestry DNA test kits. Does she actually have family somewhere in the world? Possibly closer to home than she expected?
When Harper and her newly found potential sister start having attacks on them, can it be tied to past secrets? Danger lurks around every corner as Harper not only seeks to find out about her unknown father but also tries to research benefits of pen shells.
Even without knowing anything about mollusks or clams, I found this an interesting aspect of the book. I feel like I have enough family already, but if there was a question about who my parents were, I would want to take advantage of new technologies myself.
The mysteries were interesting and the tension kept building through this whole book.
A highly original and fast-paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.
As a fan of clean romance and mysteries, romantic suspense is one of my go-to reading choices. As a mystery, Strands of Truth ticks all the checkboxes – murder, attempted murder, threats, and more, with surprises and twists along the way. As for the romantic side of things, I enjoyed Harper and Ridge’s interactions – though at times it did seem they protested a bit too much with regard to their growing mutual attraction. It was fun to watch their relationship evolve. This was my first time reading anything by this author; it probably won’t be the last.
“Strands of Truth” by Colleen Cable has plenty of mystery and intrigue. Set in Clearwater, Florida, the seaside geography and picturesque setting make an unusual backdrop for murder.
I chose this book solely because of the cover, the woman in the red coat. There are so many book covers depicting a woman in a red coat that I decided to read as many as I could and see what there was about this red coat. Perhaps I needed to purchase one or maybe I should be wary of anyone I saw wearing one. I was not disappointed in this latest addition to the “red coat” list. It has plenty of conflict, intrigue, and mystery without buckets of blood or graphic violence.
Harper Taylor loves sitting on her boat with the beach town in view. Trees frame the brick shops and the brightly painted shops. Jet Skis and windsurfers add to the ambiance. Not everyone gets along, however, and backstories reveal conflict and animosities.
Taylor and her business partner’s son Ridge Jackson have a grant to investigate the medical benefits that might be derived from mollusks and snails, specifically the pen shells. The project is complicated by an ancient Native American burial site just yards past the beds. However, something else is going on because there have been several unusual deaths and multiple assaults under questionable circumstances, most aboard boats. In a second storyline, Taylor seeks to find long lost relatives and perhaps her father by using DNA family history databases.
I received a review copy of “Strands of Truth” from Colleen Cable and Thomas Nelson Fiction. It is easy to read; the characters are believable and likeable, and the action progresses at an appropriate pace with plenty of conflict.
It’s in her blood! Colleen Coble once again shows her suspense prowess with a thriller as intricate and beautiful as a strand of DNA. Strands of Truth dives into an unusual profession involving mollusks and shell beds that weaves a unique, silky thread throughout the story. So fascinating I couldn’t stop reading!
I have read quite a few of Colleen Coble’s books and loved many of them, but this book is my favorite so far. The author is well-known for her complex plot, heart-pounding suspense, the gasp-inducing “that’s who the villain is?” moment, easy-to-read writing, and deeply layered characters. She doesn’t skimp on any of these in this book for sure. If you enjoy fast-moving romantic suspense that will suck you in from page one, you will totally love this book.
The book opens with a flashback and the flashbacks are peppered throughout the book to coincide with the current day investigations so that the readers are more aware of the meaning and importance behind what Harper and Ridge find. Though Harper and Ridge have been at odds since teenage years, they must pull together their resources and wits to try to figure out how the attacks on Ridge’s father who is also Harper’s mentor and champion, the attacks on Harper herself, and the attacks on Harper’s newly found half sister Annabelle may be related. The plot is so well-crafted and well-executed that confusion with all the different information and dead ends leads slowly to understanding as strands of truth are pulled out from the muddy past and laid out to be seen without causing frustration on the reader’s part because things don’t seem to make sense at first. I’m not sure if this book is a stand alone or a part of a series but I would love to read more about Ridge’s sister Willow and Harper’s nephew Scott!
I received a copy of the book from Thomas Nelson via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
Colleen Coble is back with her best book yet. A complex plot tied to an interesting concept: Sea Silk. Add in murders from a generation ago that tie to today, and this is a book you won’t be able to put down.
What a great read! This was my first book by Colleen Coble and it won’t be my last. Such an interesting subject matter too—Sea Silk. Throw in a couple of murder mysteries and a bit of romance and you have a page-turning romantic suspense. The author also seamlessly weaved faith into the story resulting in a newfound awe of God’s grace in our lives.
This book was like a wave, slowly building until it came crashing down into a fantastic ending.
So hard to put this book down to do the stuff a mom has to do!
Colleen Coble’s Strands of Truth was full of twists right to the end and kept me turning the pages to find out how it ended. As with all her books, they characters and storyline was superbly done.
Lot’s of action and guessing really liked this book
Great author
Great story line with an unexpected twist.
Clean language. Suspenseful.
Colleen Coble has long been a favorite author of mine. Her book, STRANDS OF TRUTH, did not disappoint. If anything, it raised the bar of expectation. Murder. Mystery. Time slips. Marine biology. And the search for family.
STRANDS OF TRUTH’s story centers around Harper Taylor, a young marine biology researcher with a difficult past, and Ridge Jackson, the son of Harper’s wealthy benefactor, Oliver.
A DNA test reveals Harper’s half-sister. Which should have been a joyous event, except it triggers a series of events that threatens the lives of everyone near and dear to Harper.
Ridge has long suspected that Harper was nothing more than an opportunist who had conned her way into his father’s life. She is an easy receptacle of blame for his childhood frustrations. There’s tension between Harper and Ridge, but tension can lead to all sorts of things.
Secrets abound in both the Jackson and Harper’s long-lost family.
Why I love this book: I’m pretty good at riddling out a mystery, but Coble had me going in so many directions, I began to wonder how she was going to pull it all together. She did. And did it exceptionally well.
If you love mysteries with a touch of romance and are interested in expanding your knowledge with things like marine biology, this is the book for you!
BRILLIANT! Ms. Coble is the Queen of Suspense! I was immediately immersed into the story. The twists and turns kept me turning the pages. I devoured Strands of Truth in one sitting.
Recommend to readers who enjoy clean, romantic suspense.
I purchase my copy. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
The characters in this book run into trouble after doing DNA searches for relatives, a problem I had never thought of. The tale is a bit twisted and unbelievable, but still a good read. I probably would have given it a better review, but I had just finished two other Coble books Maybe it’s time to give it a rest for awhile.
Colleen Coble writes such intense mysterious that I am always drawn into the story. This one I felt like I had more of idea of where the story was going, but I think that is mainly because I have read and enjoyed so many of her books. I loved both Harper and Ridge, but I especially appreciated Ridge. I have nothing against Harper, but I totally understood where Ridge was at, in having trouble being kind to people who frustrated him, even when he knew as a Christian he should be kind. Colleen’s approach to the what if of DNA testing was so interesting as well!
Harper’s mother died just before Harper was born, and she never knew her father. At the age of 15, a man named Oliver took her under his wing and became like a father to her in many ways. His own children detested Harper, though, because of how much attention their father paid to her, and assuming that Harper was only after their father’s money. As an adult, Harper looks up to Oliver as a mentor, and now works with him as a business partner. At the start of the story, a DNA registry site has found a likely half-sister for Harper, and upon meeting, Harper realizes that both sisters have a similar story, with their mothers dying when they were infants, and neither knowing their father. At the same time, both women become the target of attempted kidnappings. Oliver is also attacked, and his son Ridge is determined to find out why, while also attempting to expose Harper for the fraud he believes her to be.
This book was a jumbled mess, and my mind feels a bit jumbled when trying to organize a review. I will start with what I did like. The premise was intriguing, and the mystery did hold my attention for the first half of the book. The descriptions of the Florida setting were good, and it was easy to imagine a warm, humid environment. The book brought some subjects to my attention that I otherwise might never have known about (for example, sea silk and other things related to pen shells).
However, this also leads me to my first issue. Many things came up in the book that were completely foreign to me, and I was left to figure out on my own what on earth it even was. Or the explanation would come so late that I was confused for a while. At one point early in the book, it says a character was in the “Weeki Wachee parking lot,” but really never actually says what Weeki Wachee is. My first guess was that it was a common supermarket chain in the region. Or maybe a restaurant. But after Googling it, it’s apparently a state park and spring in Florida. It would have been really easy to explain this in the book, along with many other things, but instead, I had to Google more than I would prefer while reading a book.
Speaking of Google, there was a lot of mention of food and restaurants in the book that weirdly came across like name-dropping. As if, to make the book feel more authentic to the location, the author had done an internet search for popular restaurants in the real-life town in which the book is set, and even went to the online menus so that the characters could mention specific dishes that really do exist in those restaurants (I looked one up; it’s real!). Maybe this shouldn’t seem like a big deal, but it got to a point where it was just a bit too much, and took me out of the narrative enough to bother me.
And then there was the really weird part where the narration compared the main male character (Ridge) to “Chris McNally from Supernatural a bit, right down to the thick black hair.” I had to stop right there and look him up. I’ve watched Supernatural quite a bit, but I didn’t recognize the name. He was in two episodes, 6 years apart, as bit roles! I have my theory about why Coble included this bit of obscure trivia, but no matter the reason, it was completely out of left field and made no sense. This reference is not going to help anyone envision the character. This is indicative of what I felt was a greater issue in this book–it really could have done with another round of intensive editing.
This book was half-mystery, half-romance. The mystery half was the only thing that kept me going, because the romance was half-baked at best. For one thing, I really didn’t care about either of the two main characters. I did not connect with them at all. Also, the main characters strongly disliked each other for a while, then started to warm to each other. Then Ridge tells Harper that he misjudged her and wants to start fresh, making it clear that he has some sort of feelings for her. But two days later, she’s panicking over an idea that maybe he just thinks of her as a sister. And since the turn in their relationship came halfway through the story, it was very predictable what the bump in the romance was going to be, and even that turned out to be weakly done.
As for the mystery half of the story, it really fell apart in the 2nd half as well. For one thing, there are flashbacks throughout the book showing the life of a woman who was murdered around 1970 in the year leading up to that event, but by the end of the book, I realized that the flashbacks added basically nothing to the story, and in one case lacked continuity.
This review is getting very long, so I’ll try to be more brief in the rest of my notes. Clues to the mystery were given in an order that did not maximize suspense for the reader. The main characters investigated more than the authorities (who didn’t really seem all that concerned about the abductions), and yet the main characters are constantly questioning if these obviously related events are even related. Most of the mystery was fairly obvious (to me) early enough in the book to make any twists near the end fall flat. Several things happen that make no sense and are never explained.
All in all, this half-mystery, half-romance didn’t deliver in either department. And this time, I don’t think I can chalk my biggest issues up to personal preference. The book has many flaws that clearly others were able to overlook, but I couldn’t. I would not be able to recommend this book to anyone, and again I’d state that with further revision, it could have been a much more enjoyable read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.