Synopses & Reviews
SHE'LL NEVER FORGET WHAT HAPPENED...Decades ago, young Allison Jensen and her best friend Cindy were separated in the woods. Cindy disappeared forever. Allison survived amid a web of small-town secrets and lies that greeted every anguished question she asked about that fateful afternoon.
SHE'LL NEVER FORGIVE.
Years later, Allison has come home to the bedroom community of Farmington, Utah--back to the devout tyranny of her father, back to the close-knit society she rejected, and back to the conspiracy of silence that has plagued her with nightmares of guilt and loss.
SHE'LL NEVER SURRENDER.
Out of her patchwork memory, the truth is emerging. So is Allison's rage--and her hunger for justice. Now, in a courageous and terrifying voyage of self-discovery, it's up to Allison to avenge the guilty...
"Dark, powerful...[a] searing tale of one woman's search for justice."
--Lisa Gardner, author of The Killing Hour
"This is not a book that can be put down...I had to check the locks before I could go to sleep after finishing."
--Perri O'Shaughnessy, New York Times bestselling author of Unlucky in Law
Review
“Startling and compelling--I could not stop turning the pages. Natalie Collins weaves an absolutely riveting tale."
- Tess Gerritsen, author of The Sinner
“A dark, powerful debut novel. Natalie Collins pulls no emotional punches crafting this searing tale of one woman's search for justice.”
-Lisa Gardner, author of The Killing Hour
“Natalie Collins' Wives and Sisters is a journey through heartbreak, tragedy, and self-discovery with a courageous woman who dares to think for herself in a dogmatic society. This is a story for anyone who has ever questioned what they've been taught all their life; anyone who has ever doubted their self-worth, and everyone who loves to cheer on the underdog and watch them triumph in the end. You'll be glad you took this journey with her.”
-Tina Wainscott, author of Ill Be Watching You
Review
"A white-knuckles ride all the way. Expert depiction of a young woman's struggle with the oppressive "family values" of one kind of fundamentalism. Newcomer Collins is a talent to watch."-
Kirkus Reviews"By anyone's measure a gripping story, one that is hard to put down, and one that lingers in the mind long after."--Indianapolis Star
"This is a book written with skill and passion and...it will resonate with women who have never set foot inside a Mormon church."-The Washington Times
"The end of the book...was perfection itself. Wives and Sisters is clearly one of the year's best books; riveting at times, painful at times, realistic always, and completely unforgettable. It not only makes you cry, it makes you think, which is my personal hallmark of an excellent read. Natalie R. Collins has emerged as one of the finest new authors I've ever had the pleasure of reading."-Rendezvous
"Don't be surprised if you devour this book in one reading. Natalie Collins has captured the essence of a page-turner by giving us three dimensional characters, plenty of action and a healthy dose of controversy."-Midwest Book Review
"Collins...draws readers in with her strong writing and compelling plot. An outstanding introduction to Collins' fiction, Wives and Sisters stirs up emotions in the reader that will resonate long after he or she has closed the book."-January Magazine
"Mormonism takes a decided hit in this heart-wrenching and suspenseful tale of religious piety gone awry...Wives and Sisters is a gripping tale oozing with skillful feminist commentary about the patriarchal nature of Mormonism...a spirited decision for a newcomer, and it earns her the status of a voice to watch."-River Walk Journal
"Startling and compelling--I could not stop turning the pages."--Tess Gerritsen, author of The Sinner
"A dark, powerful debut novel. Natalie Collins pulls no emotional punches crafting this searing tale."--Lisa Gardner, author of The Killing Hour
"This is not a book that can be put down. It's so compelling, so dramatic, with strong suspense and mystery elements, that I had to find out what would happen. I normally don't read stories that involve stalking and crimes against women, especially involving sexual assault. They are painful and ugly. However, the women in this story take control of their lives and leave victimization behind. This book also speaks with authority about the LDS Church and especially tenets of the Church that continue to harm women. Fascinating details! It's written with a frightening intensity. I had to check the locks before I could go to sleep after finishing."
-Perri O'Shaughnessy, New York Times bestselling author of Unlucky in Law
"Natalie Collins' Wives and Sisters is a journey through heartbreak, tragedy, and self-discovery with a courageous woman who dares to think for herself in a dogmatic society. This is a story for anyone who has ever questioned what they've been taught all their life; anyone who has ever doubted their self-worth, and everyone who loves to cheer on the underdog and watch them triumph in the end. You'll be glad you took this journey with her."--Tina Wainscott, author of I'll Be Watching You
"The most astonishing thing about Natalie Collin's Wives and Sisters is not that it tells such a dramatic tale of betrayal, fundamentalism, denial, and abuse, but that it all rings so true. She perfectly captures the mixture of love, pain, and frustration that accompany surviving trauma in a society where victims are often silenced."--Martha Beck, author of Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith
"Fans will be stunned by this tense thriller that condemns extremist religions and social moral behavior at the cost of any segment of society...this fine tale provides food for thought when the powerful use morality as weapons of mass destruction."-Harriet Klausner
"Wives and Sisters is a raw, emotional story that never gives in to sentimentality. It puts a plain, unvarnished face on the secret workings of the human soul and the price of blind faith."
-TheCelebrityCafe.com
"[An] amazing debut novel...There are a few things that make Wives and Sisters stand out. First off--though this is Collins' first novel, the tempo and pace at which the narrative is presented is that of a very seasoned author. Past and present are intricately interwoven to create a tapestry of almost palpable suspense which moves along at a pace that keeps the reader turning page after page. The writing is tight--there is no fat in this novel, and there are no long, brooding soliloquies to slow down the action. Collins tells her story with an economy of words that one rarely sees with new writers...Wives and Sisters is an amazing achievement, and...a just read. Natalie R. Collins is an author that we shall be seeing great things from in the future."
--ReadersRoom.com
"Well-written, fast-paced, Natalie Collins' Wives and Sisters is suspense filled satisfaction with a bone-chilling, thought provoking similarity to recent events....[It] tugs at the heart and pulls at the mind. Author Natalie R. Collins, with the skill of the masters, splashes truth, and warnings against dangers of concealing truth, onto the pages of this must read thriller."
--WritersAndReadersNetwork.com
"The author brings authentic color and gripping detail to her book which underscores the very real mentality of protecting the Church at all costs."--Tucson Citizen
"Natalie R. Collins has perfected Utah's voice....[Readers] may also sense the attraction of this place nestled at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains and even understand at a visceral level why it is so important that religion and government be kept completely and forever separated. That, for any reader, should put Wives and Sisters at the top of their bedtime reading list for 2005."
--Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This is the Place, for BookPleasures.com
Review
“Startling and compelling--I could not stop turning the pages. Natalie Collins weaves an absolutely riveting tale."
- Tess Gerritsen, author of The Sinner
“A dark, powerful debut novel. Natalie Collins pulls no emotional punches crafting this searing tale of one woman's search for justice.”
-Lisa Gardner, author of The Killing Hour
“Natalie Collins' Wives and Sisters is a journey through heartbreak, tragedy, and self-discovery with a courageous woman who dares to think for herself in a dogmatic society. This is a story for anyone who has ever questioned what they've been taught all their life; anyone who has ever doubted their self-worth, and everyone who loves to cheer on the underdog and watch them triumph in the end. You'll be glad you took this journey with her.”
-Tina Wainscott, author of Ill Be Watching You
Synopsis
When Allison Jensen was six, she and her best friend were playing in the woods near home. One moment her friend was beside her; then she was gone. When no leads emerged, she was given up for dead. Now, years later, trying to fill in the gaps of a patchwork memory, to make sense of the senseless, Allison still can get no answers from the Mormon community in which she lives. Why is she being fed half-truths? Why is her father able to tyrannize and torment as the self-appointed messenger of God? When a brutal attack on her as a young adult makes her desperate to escape Mormon bonds, Allison finds herself on a collision course with community leaders as they cover up the steps of a sexual predator. She must stop them before they find her and keep her from piecing together the tragic past that has haunted her life.
Synopsis
SHE'LL NEVER FORGET WHAT HAPPENED...Decades ago, young Allison Jensen and her best friend Cindy were separated in the woods. Cindy disappeared forever. Allison survived amid a web of small-town secrets and lies that greeted every anguished question she asked about that fateful afternoon.
SHE'LL NEVER FORGIVE.
Years later, Allison has come home to the bedroom community of Farmington, Utah--back to the devout tyranny of her father, back to the close-knit society she rejected, and back to the conspiracy of silence that has plagued her with nightmares of guilt and loss.
SHE'LL NEVER SURRENDER.
Out of her patchwork memory, the truth is emerging. So is Allison's rage--and her hunger for justice. Now, in a courageous and terrifying voyage of self-discovery, it's up to Allison to avenge the guilty...
"Dark, powerful...[a] searing tale of one woman's search for justice."
--Lisa Gardner, author of The Killing Hour
"This is not a book that can be put down...I had to check the locks before I could go to sleep after finishing."
--Perri O'Shaughnessy, New York Times bestselling author of Unlucky in Law
About the Author
NATALIE R. COLLINS is an author and journalist with more than twenty years' writing experience, including a long stint with the largest daily newspaper in Utah. She served as an editor for the 2001 and 2002 Sundance Film Festivals, and is also a managing partner of ReadersRoom.com, an interactive Web site for readers. A lifelong resident of Utah, who was raised a member of the Mormon Church, she still resides there with her husband and two daughters.
Visit Natalie at www.nataliercollins.com