Book Review~ You Don't Know Me by Susan May Warren

You Don't Know Me by Susan May Warren
October 1, 2012 by Tyndale House
Paperback, 386 Pages
Review Copy

Annalise Decker has her act together. She has great kids, she makes great cookies, she's at every sports game and has been the backbone to her husband's race for mayor in the small town of Deep Haven. With her long blonde hair and fabulous looks, most of the women envy her life, but what the women and even her own husband don't know is that before she moved to Deep Haven twenty years ago, she was a young drugged out teen named Deidre O'Reilly who lived on the streets with her boyfriend and sold drugs for a dangerous drug lord and gang member named Carlos. After being strung out and almost beat to death she is picked up by the police and offered a second chance at life. Having to choose between jail or testifying against her drug pusher, Deidre decides to take the deal, puts Carlos behind bars, changes her appearance and lets police fake her death while being relocated under the Witness Protection Program.

Everyday she has built a new life for herself, but everyday she remembers the parents and siblings she had to leave behind, and everyday she lives with the guilt of keeping all of it a secret from her husband and children. She's learned to ignore it most days, but she's jumpy and does things her husband Nathan can't understand. She's just waiting for the day when he stumbles upon the truth and lives with the fear that he will leave her forever once he knows who she was way back when. That fear comes full circle when Frank Harrison, her handler from witness protection, shows up in Deep Haven to drop the news that Carlos made parole and is looking for her. Frank wants to move Annalise quickly, faking her death again to ensure her safety and leaving her family to deal with the crisis. However, Annalise can't handle the thought of leaving her family again, but also can't handle telling them the truth, but when the future leads to an unavoidable meeting with the man sworn to kill her, Nathan, her kids and the town of Deep Haven will be shaken.

This was a nail bitter and I loved watching the drama unfold like a visual movie as Annalise had to come to terms with her past life. I loved the way Susan wove the story around the growth of Annalise, as we see her face each emotional milestone, another layer of the story was revealed along with added depth to each of the characters. Seeing the outcome when she finally faced her fear and exposed the truth was a sweet victory. The passion and hope laced heavy handed with an intense mystery scores another win for a fabulous storyteller.

Rating

Recommended to adult readers (suitable for teen readers as well) and contains: Drug and gang references, murder, violence and mild sensuality.

4/5- Inspy Contemporary
Thanks to Litfuse and Tyndale for review copy

Win a $200 Weekend Getaway from @SusanMayWarren! RSVP for Facebook Author Chat Party on Oct. 23rd!

Welcome to the campaign launch for Susan May Warren’s latest offering in her beloved Deep Haven series, You Don’t Know Me. Susan is celebrating with a $200 Weekend Getaway Giveaway and hosting a fun video Author Chat Party! 

Win A $200 Visa Gift Card (Use that to catch up with a loved one and “Get to Know” your spouse, friend, sister, mom…whomever!) The entire set of Deep Haven Books

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 22nd. Winner will be announced at the ”You Don’t Know Me” Author Chat Facebook Party on 10/23. Connect with Susan for an evening of book chat, Deep Haven trivia, and a live video chat! There will also be info about Susan’s BookShout read-along and a chance to win gift certificates, books, and other fun prizes!