Never Look Back

Ivy Griffith has served her time in prison for helping cover up the murder of classmate, Joe Hadley. Released now, she's home and trying to rebuild her relationship with her son, Montanta. Her parents have provided her with a place to live and a job. Luke Draper, the new man in town, appears to be interested in her friend, Jewel. Rue Kessler, who has recently been released from rehab, seems to be attracted to Ivy. Then Deke and Roscoe, elderly men every one in town loves, are badly beaten. That is the beginning of a seige of terror that keeps most of the people living in Jacob's Ear baricaded behind locked doors. As usual, Kathy Herman plots a strong story full of twists and turns, and believable characters struggling to over come past mistakes. Great suspense.

Kathy Herman crafts another suspense/romance novel in the Phantom Hollow series that measures up to her others. It will keep you turning pages and wondering until you come to the last page. Then you will regret that it ended!

Another good read by Kathy Herman! The end was a little far fetched, but then again, its fiction! Great sequel to Ever Present Danger.

Never Look Back is the second book in Kathy Herman's Phantom Hollow Series where we once again reconnect with all the characters of Jacob's Ear, Colorado from book one. We rejoin Ivy Griffith as she is released from prison and ready to finally begin the drug-free life she has spent her prison term thinking about. She accepts a job working at her father's Christian camp, Three Peaks, moves into a cabin with her son Montana, and sets out to be the mother she had never been when using drugs. Her father, impressed with Ivy's rehab and wanting to give others in the same situation a break, invites two recovering addicts in a sponsored work program to repair cabins at Three Peaks. Not only does Ivy bond with one of the men, Rue Kessler, but a romance soon takes off and leads to a very surprising outcome that you HAVE TO READ to believe. While Ivy and Rue only want to get on with their lives, get to know each other and see if a relationship is in God's plans for them, local residents are terrorized by a serial maniac who brutally beats the elderly in their homes. Of course, Rue due to his past becomes a major suspect in the crimes, especially since he cannot prove his whereabouts on the nights of the crimes. Starting with the first beating, Herman sends us on a mystery that keeps us reading until the very end. In my opinion, Kathy Herman always does a fantastic job of bringing forth a strong spiritual message though her characters struggles and growth, and Never Look Back is no exception. Throughout the book, Ivy Griffith struggles with letting go of her past actions--actions and sins she's repented of, received forgiveness for, and yet continues to drag with her like a worn old security blanket. Through those who care for Ivy and help her to work toward unloading this baggage, we see how we can let go of these very things in our own lives. Though Never Look Back is a stand alone book and doesn't require you to read book one, Ever Present Danger, I recommend you read book one first. As much as I would have understood and cared for Ivy Griffith in Never Look Back if I hadn't read book one, by having read the first book I can really feel how her pain and angst from her past made her the person she is. And I could far more readily appreciate how difficult it is for Ivy to give up her spiritual baggage. But, no matter what you chose, to read book one or not to read book one, you are sure to enjoy another find Kathy Herman suspense novel that is sure to satisfy you from page one to the end.

In the second installment of the Phantom Hollow series, Kathy Herman brings back Ivy Griffin as her main character. Ivy has just gotten out of jail after serving time for covering up the murder of a high school classmate and is eager to get her life back together. Ivy and her son, Montana, move into a house, Ivy gets a great job, and she continues to reestablish relationships with her family. When Rue Kessler comes to town and takes a romantic interest in Ivy, she is happy to finally have found a male role model for Montana. Unfortunately, just when life is beginning to be good again, it is discovered that Rue is keeping a secret from Ivy, a secret that ultimately involves Montana. Ivy isn't sure who or what to believe anymore and simply wants to know the truth. She begins to think that maybe her faith in God has all been for nothing and that He is abandoning her once and for all. In order to get her faith back in check, Ivy must search for more answers about Rue, God, and herself.