Book Review: Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  Thrillers have dominated my reading landscape in 2018. I cannot get enough of the suspense and mystery they have brought into my life. When my favorite thriller author recommended the latest J.T. Ellison novel, I knew I had to pick up a copy. What I found was a new favorite writer. 

  Tear Me Apart is written by J.T. Ellison, and it is published by Mira Books. In it we are introduced to seventeen year old Mindy Wright. She is a powerhouse Olympic hopeful that dominates the ski slopes whenever she competes. Her parents, Lauren and Jasper, have sacrificed time and money to their daughter's passion. But one accident sends Mindy careering off the slopes and into the hospital. Her leg injury is severe and will keep her out of competing for a long time. She is positive. With work she knows that she will ski again. As she recuperates in the hospital, Mindy finds out that she has leukemia, and a stem cell transplant is her only hope of survival. Mindy's family is tested for a match. One problem... Mindy is not Lauren's daughter according to the DNA test.

   Mindy's aunt Juliet, who works for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, looks into finding a match. What she encounters is a seventeen year old cold case involving a shocking crime. As more people become involved in saving Mindy's life, specters of the past begin to return, threatening all that the Wrights have worked hard for. As all eyes are turned to the popular skier, a story emerges that may send their lives into free-fall.

  Tear Me Apart was family drama at its best. I was fully invested in all of the characters, and enjoyed the dynamic that Mindy had with her various relatives.  She was the glue that held together a somewhat damaged family, and her presence was integral in holding them together. I also liked the supporting cast, which added a great deal of depth to the main characters. The drama quickly changed to a full-fledged crime thriller complete with twists and turns. The gradual build-up and slow-burn beginning was cleverly used to mask not only one character's true intentions, but the narrative, as well. Journal entries, old letters, and various correspondence drove the story forward, allowing me a chance to piece together almost twenty years of clues and secrets. The final outcome was one that I was suspecting for some time, but the execution of the twist still surprised me.

  I read this novel in part with the audio presentation read by Eva Kaminsky, Rebekkah Ross, Jacques Roy, Caitlin Davies, Amy McFadden, and Pete Simonelli. The various characters each had their own narrator, which worked for some of the book. Other times I was wondering which character was speaking at times as I listened. Only the two male voices seemed to be different, while the female voices did not lend much to differentiate the characters. All of the performances were handled well. But the over-all effect of having multiple players did not add much to the narrative. 
  
  In the end Tear Me Apart was a fun-filled crime thriller with high tension and family drama. It was a page-turner that earned it four stars from me. I read the nearly five hundred page novel in a day, and it was worth the time. A great choice for Winter reading when you are snowed-in and the power is out. Grab some cocoa and head for a comfy chair, because you will be there for a while enjoying this book. I look forward to reading more of Ellison's novels.

       Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.

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  Because there is always time to read,
   Xepherus3 



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