The Witness

Elizabeth Fitch’s life has been designed and laid out for her since she was a child. She’s been a model daughter and student, never straying from her mother’s aspirations for her- until a moment of teenage rebellion that will have devastating consequences for Elizabeth and change her life forever.

Twelve years later Abigail Lowery lives a quiet, solitary life in a small town in the Ozarks. She is a freelance computer programmer and security designer and she keeps her own house a fortress, backed up by an arsenal and her dog.

Brooks Gleason loves puzzles and Abigail is a puzzle that intrigues him. He figures she’s running from something and he’s determined to find out her secrets and get to know the quiet beauty.

The Witness started slow for me and took me a little while to get into but eventually it picked up the pace and I was hooked. I loved Abigail from the beginning. She is a socially awkward genius and handles conversations and situations quite literally. She reminded me of the character Amy Farrah Fowler from The Big Bang Theory. She was endearing and sweet with a quiet determination and a big heart.

Brooks was the typical hero; Abigail catches his eye and he is snared. He wants to know more and once she opens her door to him, he falls the rest of the way. He is patient and caring with Abigail and he makes it clear he knows she’s running from something but he gives her the time and space she needs to trust him with her secrets. Brooks is loyal and fiercely protective of those he loves and when he figures out he loves Abigail, there is no stopping him until she is safe again.

The Witness is a romantic suspense and while the beginning of the novel and the break at part one is suspenseful, I spent the rest of the book waiting for the standoff with the bad guys and in the end it wasn’t much of a climax. It was suspenseful in a way but Abigail was so prepared for every eventuality, but there were a few turns I didn’t expect.

I really enjoyed The Witness. I think Nora has created one of her most original characters with Abigail and I loved her slow descent into love and normalcy. Brooks was a genre mainstay and while I liked him, I think Abigail overshadowed him.  But there’s a reason Nora is a romance superstar, The Witness was her 200^th book. Any Nora fan will love this latest.