Author: Martha Morning Todd

Publisher iUniverse Inc

ISBN: 0595335500

The following review was contributed by: Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures.com

To read Norm's interview with Martha Morning Todd click HERE

First time novelist Martha Morning Todd’s Losing Hope weaves a story of a young woman’s horrifying journey through the aftermath of being abducted by a member of a clandestine group of vicious individuals.

Our principal protagonist, Hope Evans, is a vibrant woman happily married for seven years to her college sweetheart, Jim, and they have an adoring three- year old daughter, Addie. 

The story unfolds when our heroine’s car breaks down on a highway, as she was on her way to work one morning. Realizing that she had left her cell phone at home,  she reluctantly seeks assistance from an elderly stranger, whom she believes is trustworthy.

Little does Hope understand that she will be driven to a hidden compound, known as the “Otter Settlement,” that had been in existence since World War II- more than sixty years ago.

Apparently, the US Government established the compound for some members of the French elite that feared the Nazi’s would send them to a concentration camp because of their Jewish lineage.

After the war, the group had been forgotten and was left alone to live as they pleased.

The riveting narrative is filled with a constantly twisting plot, as it shuttles back and forth, interweaving Hope’s horrendous experiences with the ongoing police investigation. What quickly becomes apparent is that the abduction did not just happen at random, but rather was a carefully conceived plan. Add in a close relative as being part of the crime and the intrigue and drama begins.

For a first time novelist, Martha Morning Todd succeeds in delivering a highly original and exciting plot that certainly is a page- turner, leading, however, to a partially unresolved outcome that may be somewhat unsettling to some readers.  Perhaps, a sequel is planned?

If anything negative can be said of Losing Hope, it is that sometimes the dialogue tends to be a trifle clichéd and trite. There is a great deal of telling what the characters were doing, however, there is not enough showing using vivid  “sense words”-words that refer to things that can be seen, smelled, heard, tasted or touched. 

In addition, some of the characters were not fully explored-exposing their personal sentiments and feelings.

Nevertheless, the author has accomplished much with Losing Hope and I look forward to reading more of her novels.