Admission

Travis Thrasher has an incredible feel for characterization. Sometimes when I am reading his work, I feel like I am spying on someone or reading their diary...he has an uncanny ability to get deep inside his characters and flesh them out for you, that they are so real, so believeable...so likeable...you cannot help but want them to fare well...this book, Admission, one of his earlier works is no exception.... Eleven years ago, Jake Rivers nearly had it all....a close knit group of wild college buddies, a final semester at Providence college, the girl of his dreams that he has nearly won over to his "bad boy" charms....then one night he is attacked by one of the school's elite and his buddy and left badly beaten and in the hospital....his buddies think the antagonist, Brian should be taught a lesson...just a prank....you know...scared silly...led by Alec, the group leader, the buddies go out for a night of camping and drinking....innocent fun and pranks....until Jake wakes up the next day, alone in his friend's car, clothes bloodied and a gun in the back seat and NO memory of the night's activities....sometime later his good friend and roommate,Carnie is found dead, victim of a suicide.... Now, 11 years later, Jake is hired by a wealthy man to find his daughter, last seen with his old college buddy, Alec....Jake returns to be with his old friends to probe the mysteries of what happened that night Brian disappeared, why his friend, Carnie died and to reunite with his old flame, Alyssa... but what Jake will learn is that some secrets don't stay buried, they have a way of finding you again and for every person who wants the truth revealed, there is someone who threatens to keep them hidden! Great story, that keeps you reading to find the truth right aong with the protagonist.....good suspense and hope for redemption...another great read by a fantastic story teller!

Sorry I couldnt help myself with the title of this review. This is the first book of Travis thrashers that I have read and it grabs you from the start and you cant put it down. I read the book in less than a day. It it the story of Jake Rivers who after about 10 years being out of college gets a call to help find a missing girl who was last seen with a friend from college. Jake hasnt really spoke to any of his old college buddys since the graduated. They had a one night camping trip were noone really seems to remember what happened and what they did. The author does a great job of making the characters interesting and easy to relate to. Would seriously recommend checking this book out.

Travis Thrasher's latest book, Admission is simply amazing. I highly recommend reading this book. Jake Rivers is on a search for a long lost friend and also trying to recover memories from a college Spring Break trip that went terribly wrong. All the while, he meets up with the love of his life once again, but can he reconcile past mishaps and start over again, or will the consequences of trying to uncover the past ruin his chance? Travis Thrashers weaves a suspenseful and thrilling story, one that keeps you on your toes for sure.

Redemption is best gained by confronting your past, and Travis Thrasher's Admission tackles it head on. Jake Rivers is a burned-out college senior who can't wait to graduate. But his last semester at Providence College has it challenges. He has it made until one day everything in his life, including his relationships with friends, is changed forever. His last semester of college has a miniature gap: he doesn't remember what happened the last week of his college career. Jake is given a chance eleven years later to go back and re-experience the entire semester all over again. He has the chance to rekindle relationships and to face his dark past. Throughout the book, readers can feel the emotions of what it was like to be in college and have traumatic decisions to make. Throughout Admission, Thrasher takes the reader on a time travel mystery ride. The book begins in April 1994, and then rushes to June 2005, and continues to bounce between the two. Jake Rivers is someone the reader wants to reach out and touch, teach, even evangelize. The heroine, Alyssa Roberts, has great chemistry with Jake. She is his lost love, and makes Jake want to change himself. The most unforgettable experience is the amazing chapter wherein Jake retells his past relationship with Alyssa, causing readers to remember the first close relationship they had with a girl or guy. Jake is taken on a spring break trip his senior year, and the results of what happens on that trip provide a lingering mystery. Jake gets a call to find a girl named Clarie who has been missing. Jake is sent on a "Sherlock Holmes college mystery" and has the opportunity to investigate everything that happened. He unravels the mystery of what went on that night. Jake chooses redemption and a makes the choice to change himself. Jake Rivers is a marvelously visible, three-dimensional character. Readers will feel for Jake and wish they could do something about his life. Jake is a heavy drinker throughout the book, and Thrasher tackles the topic head on. Even the peripheral characters, such as his friends Franklin, Carnie, and Alec, are well rounded. All in all, this book is very highly recommended. The ending will shock readers because of what Jake discovers. College students and people who have leftover baggage in their past will find this book intriguing. Admission will let readers into the experience--Thrasher knows what he is doing. - Jeremy Sheer, Christian Book Previews.com