Scan barcode
beth_mn's review
5.0
Good news! Noah Braddock is back...in a big way.
With the fallout from Liquid Smoke (the 3rd installment in the Noah Bradoock mysteries), I wasn't sure what to expect with Drift Away. Where would Noah go? What would Noah do?
His life forever altered, Drift Away begins with Noah living in Florida, a quiet, mundane existence renting chairs and umbrellas on the beach. Yes, he's on the run. Not just from the consequences of his actions in San Diego; he's on the run from himself. While laying low on the Gulf of Mexico, Noah is suddenly befriended by Jackson, a young boy and Bella, his troubled, attractive mother. Despite his attempts to remain aloof and uninvolved, he finds himself in the thick of things as he tries to help disentangle Bella from a life flavored by poor decisions. While helping her, Noah's own past filters in—in very surprising ways—and he's faced with the biggest decision of all: does he keep running or does he go back to San Diego to face the memories...and the consequences?
The Noah Braddock in Drift Away is unlike anything we've ever seen before: scared, worried, and haunted by memories of what he did and all that he left behind. Our tough-guy surfer detective is flawed and vulnerable and I'll admit...by the end of the book, I liked him more than ever.
The internal struggles he faces—does he help young Jackson and his mom, Bella?—is front and center in this story. Sure, there are external forces moving the story along. Thugs and seedy characters materialize regularly, both new ones and some surprisingly familiar ones (hint: you may want to read the Noah Braddock short story in Shelby's Out of Time collection), and although they help propel the action, it is really Noah's thoughts and emotions that are the driving force in this book.
Be prepared: this isn't your typical action-packed mystery. It's more thoughtful. More introspective. It gives us an intimate glimpse into the mind of a wrecked man...a man wrecked by his own decisions and actions. Watching Noah struggle—and ultimately rise to the challenge—makes it much different than any of the earlier Noah Braddock books. It makes it better.
With the fallout from Liquid Smoke (the 3rd installment in the Noah Bradoock mysteries), I wasn't sure what to expect with Drift Away. Where would Noah go? What would Noah do?
His life forever altered, Drift Away begins with Noah living in Florida, a quiet, mundane existence renting chairs and umbrellas on the beach. Yes, he's on the run. Not just from the consequences of his actions in San Diego; he's on the run from himself. While laying low on the Gulf of Mexico, Noah is suddenly befriended by Jackson, a young boy and Bella, his troubled, attractive mother. Despite his attempts to remain aloof and uninvolved, he finds himself in the thick of things as he tries to help disentangle Bella from a life flavored by poor decisions. While helping her, Noah's own past filters in—in very surprising ways—and he's faced with the biggest decision of all: does he keep running or does he go back to San Diego to face the memories...and the consequences?
The Noah Braddock in Drift Away is unlike anything we've ever seen before: scared, worried, and haunted by memories of what he did and all that he left behind. Our tough-guy surfer detective is flawed and vulnerable and I'll admit...by the end of the book, I liked him more than ever.
The internal struggles he faces—does he help young Jackson and his mom, Bella?—is front and center in this story. Sure, there are external forces moving the story along. Thugs and seedy characters materialize regularly, both new ones and some surprisingly familiar ones (hint: you may want to read the Noah Braddock short story in Shelby's Out of Time collection), and although they help propel the action, it is really Noah's thoughts and emotions that are the driving force in this book.
Be prepared: this isn't your typical action-packed mystery. It's more thoughtful. More introspective. It gives us an intimate glimpse into the mind of a wrecked man...a man wrecked by his own decisions and actions. Watching Noah struggle—and ultimately rise to the challenge—makes it much different than any of the earlier Noah Braddock books. It makes it better.
mjbauer26's review
5.0
why is it not possible to give this book more than five stars?! I definitely pouted an sulked after the ending of the previous Noah Braddock book, but Drift Away was more than I could have ever hoped for! the transition to a new outlook on life after Liz's death was so believable, and I find myself still wanting even more for Noah. I'm excited to see here his life takes him next!