Bree Nicholls and her husband were renovating a lighthouse in Rock Harbor, located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, for themselves and their young son. Tragically, her husband and son were lost in a fatal plane crash, and their bodies were never recovered. Despite this, Bree has continued to search for the plane in hopes of bringing them home. As a Kitchigami K-9 Search and Rescue team member, Bree and her dog Samson are experienced searchers. Their current mission is to find two children who have gone missing from a school group during an outdoor nature adventure. Emily O’Reilly, who has taken on a motherly role for her younger brother since their mother left the family, is now in a dire situation as only their dad has the needed injection medication for her brother’s diabetes. Little did anyone know that this search and rescue mission would be the beginning of answers Bree, her mother-in-law, and sister-in-law have been longing for, for almost a year.

A delightful aspect of the tale is Bree’s mother-in-law Anu’s Finnish import shop, offering homemade Finnish pastries, and Suomi Café, which also serves a variety of tantalizing Finnish desserts.

I loved the dynamic and atmospheric writing, which features strong character development, a suspenseful storyline of search and rescue missions, a woman questioning her faith after the tragedy, and the guilt of her last interaction with her husband seeping into every thought when she’s alone.
Two of my favorite lines that capture the feel of raw emotions are:

"At one time he thought he’d left this place for good, only to find he was trapped in it as easily as a rabbit in a hunter’s snare."
"Words of advice rose in her throat and died there like a cake gone flat in the oven."

Opening with Dear Reader at the start of the book is impactful, providing insight into the inspiration behind the setting and beyond. Book clubs will be appreciative of the Reading Group Guide at the end of the novel with 10 questions for discussion. ( )

58393

Excellent. Can be read as a stand alone or as part of a series. Filled with good people striving to live right and of course there are always the bad. Presents Christain vakues without preaching.

FROM LIBBY: When a plane crash claims her husband and son, Bree Nichols and her search-and-rescue dog won't rest until they recover the bodies. But when quiet Rock Harbor is shaken by a violent crime, Bree discovers links to her husband's fatal accident. Would solving this crime bring her peace—or more incredibly, reunite her family?

It’s been months since the crash. K-9 search-and-rescue worker Bree Nicholls knows the chances of finding her husband and son in the vast wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula grow more remote by the day. But her heart and her faithful dog, Samson, demand she keep searching.

Deep in the woods a young boy wakes in a tiny cabin. He’s being nursed back to health by a reclusive woman, but he can’t figure out why she calls him by a name he doesn’t recognize. Or why she’s calling herself his mother. He wants to leave, but as winter sets in, his very life depends on her care.

Meanwhile, Bree’s relentless determination to find her family has uncovered a violent crime. With the help of Park Ranger Kade Matthews, she discovers the violence may be linked to the plane crash that took her family. Could solving the crime bring her healing from her own loss?

Set in the untamed beauty of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Rock Harbor novels draw listeners into the life and adventures of a canine search-and-rescue team as it unravels the secrets of an enchanting wilderness. ( )

Title: Without a Trace (Rock Harbor #1)
Author: Colleen Coble
Pages: 303
Year: 2013
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Bree Nicholls is a young widow who works as a search and rescue canine worker. Her husband and young son are presumed to be dead after their plane failed to show up for a scheduled landing. Bree has been searching the last 11 months in the North Woods of Michigan. This search has taken over her life. People of the town of Rock Harbor notice the change in her. Her best friend urges her to give up the search and move on with her life. Bree finally agrees to do so when someone finds a lost mitten with her son’s initials inside.
An avid rock climber, Fay Aster, tells Bree she might have some information about seeing something from a plane on one of her hikes. Fay keeps a journal of her hikes and asks Bree to meet her the next day so they can go over her journal. Bree’s hopes for information are dashed when Fay is found dead at the bottom of a cliff wall. Her backpack along with her journal are missing. It is quickly determined that Fay did not fall but was murdered. Park Ranger Kade Matthews wants to help Bree discover answers to the murder that may lead to answers to her missing family.
I loved the way Anu, Bree’s mother-in-law, brought God into conversations. Even when Bree expressed her doubt or unbelief, Anu kept loving Bree. Her best friend, Naomi, was the same. So, Bree had people in her life who kept showing her God’s love through Bree’s grief and doubt. I think this is a good start to what I hope is an exciting series. I am looking forward to going back to Rock Harbor for book two in the series: Beyond a Doubt.
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. ( )

As the back cover of this book says it so well, this is a "whodunit with a wide-ranging cast of characters that captures the small-town America. Colleen Coble brings Michigan's Upper Peninsula to life". If you love a good mystery with a little bit of romance, then you should enjoy this book and this series.

Bree Nichols runs a search-and-rescue team in the UP and has never stopped searching the wilderness around her for her husband and young child's downed plane. She wants closure on what happened and wants to be able to find their bodies. But while she searches a violent crime takes place. Can the two be related some how? I won't spoil the outcome of this story, but will say I didn't have the mystery completely figured out until the author revealed all the clues. Good work! Looking forward to the next book in the series, "Beyond a Doubt". ( )