Annabel Lee

I like watching Steven Seagal movies on TV where the bad language has been bleeped out, and I can enjoy the storyline and action. Reading Annabel Lee was a lot like that. In this book, I think Seagal would be cast as The Mute, a former Special Forces warrior who would lay down his life for his former commanding officer and his niece, Annabel Lee, and who wasn’t beyond taking a few other lives with him. Trudi Coffey, private investigator, is unwittingly drawn into the mystery surrounding Annabel by Samuel Hill, her ex-husband, ex-partner and CIA agent. Little did she know that she had been intrigued by the mystery ever since she first discovered the “Safe” message in the classified section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution three years prior, not long before she discovered Samuel’s duplicity. This action packed story will have readers turning pages long into the night. In the author’s notes Nappa tells of the difficulty he had finding the right niche for this story. Including one Christian, a seeker, a handful of agnostics, mercenaries, and a cult member, along with quite a bit of violence, it isn’t your typical Christian fiction tale, but it had enough of a Christian slant that secular publishers were not sure it fit their market either. I am so glad that Revell publishing decided to publish Nappa’s story. It was a wild, bumpy ride, and one I have thoroughly enjoyed. I hope that some of you will decide to take the ride as well. I am looking forward to future books in the Coffey and Hill series. I thank Revell Publishers and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for providing Annabel Lee for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Bloody awful.Give up after chapter 3.Hated everything about it..Mainly the Narrator's voice

Title: Annabel Lee (A Coffey & Hill Novel #1)Author: Mike NappaPages: 368Year: 2016Publisher: RevellTrudi Coffey is a private detective, running her own agency after graduating college with an English Literature degree and a love for Edgar Allan Poe writings. She used to be partners, running the business with her ex-husband, Samuel Hill. Trudi is still struggling with forgiveness as she is a Christian; she also struggles with still loving Samuel even after he betrayed her so terribly. Then, an older gentleman comes into the office looking for an old friend of Samuel’s, Leonard Truckson. Trudi contacts Samuel and the mystery begins with Trudi and Samuel back together at least for the duration of this investigation, searching for two valuable emeralds Truck allegedly stole. Their lives are at risk as they get closer and closer to the truth.Annabel Truckson is eleven years old and lives with her uncle known as Uncle Truck. They live on a farm in the middle of nowhere in Alabama. There are guards around the property and a vicious German shepherd that scares the daylights out of Annabel. Annabel doesn’t go to school, but is taught by Uncle Truck. They are both fans of Edgar Allan Poe. One early morning Uncle Truck comes into her room and tells her to get up and get dressed quickly. They run to the dog pen where Uncle Truck pushes the dog house aside to reveal a metal door underneath. The door leads to a tunnel that leads to a safe room. He brings the dog and Annabel inside, instructing her not to open the door for anyone, including him, unless they say the safe phrase. The dog is instructed to protect Annabel. Over the next several days, she loses track of time and spends her time reading and translating a journal written in German. She tries not to go crazy, being locked up with no other people or way to contact anyone. She also wonders why Uncle Truck would leave her a Bible and when he is going to come and let her out. She begins to think about God and if He is real or not. She knows she will have to make a decision about that soon.Annabel is a treasure! I just loved that little girl! She is so smart and funny. She also has wisdom. I also liked Trudi. She is a strong woman, but is still hurting and vulnerable emotionally in regards to her ex-husband. The characters where realistic and I could easily feel their emotions. I was invested in the story and couldn’t put it down until I knew the fate of all involved. There is plenty of action, tension and suspense in this story. I’ve already got September 13, 2016 marked on my calendar so I can get book two in the series, The Raven. Don’t miss this one!!My rating is 5 stars.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Annabel Lee is a superbly written novel that as you read this page-turner you are picturing a movie. The word pictures are amazing and I could read the action like I was watching it. Excellent, and exciting and yet scary all at the same time, this heart-pounding book should be made into a movie.It is fiction and yet I found myself believing that this could all be true, even the part with the eleven year old hidden in the bunker. Little smarty that she is, not all youngsters could have survived as she did, especially with a dog that only understood German, and she believed ate fingers.When you find out what this whole horrible mission is about you will cringe, this goes back centuries, and they will stop at nothing.The detective in this story Trudi Coffey, she has quite the equipped office, is a divorcee whom calls her ex-husband “The Pig”, although he does come to her aid several times, and does profess to still love her. They are thrown together in this big adventure, forgot to tell you that he is CIA.You will be quickly absorbed into this book once you turn the cover, and I am excited to see that there is another book in this series coming out this fall.I received this book through Revell Reads, and was not required to give a positive review.

The plot was great! Totally not a waste of time. :)

As a thriller, Annabel Lee is suspenseful and blood-curdling to say the least. I mean, just look at that cover! The many twists that have you confused and searching for answers will keep you turning the pages until the reveal. As a Christian thriller, I do find some scenes a little too - not graphic, but overtly violent? Is there such a thing? There were moments that the tension from the suspense have chilled me a bit, but if you love thrillers, this is one that will have you on your toes. With memorable characters with interesting pasts, Annabel Lee doesn't just rely on the suspense aspect, but a full variety of features to make this worth the read. From fascinating characters, to twist-filled suspense, with messages of forgiveness and redemption, Mike Nappa have created the start of a great series that stands alone, yet gives you something to expect from the author for his future novels.This review first appeared on Just Commonly Blog.NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Revell for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. For my review policy, please see my Disclosure page.

I really didn't like this book. For one, Christianity is a small, but strong undercurrent in the story. It took me by surprise because there is no mention of religion in the synopsis. I really didn't like being preached to. That probably wouldn't have been a deal-breaker for me if the characters were less inept. Coffee, Hill, and the Mute are suppose to be highly trained. I won't go into details as they might be spoilers, but suffice to say, they could have resolved this whole matter within the first 25% of the book if they didn't make such poor choices. It wasn't even just one bad decision. There were quite a few. It's just lazy writing in my opinion when you purposefully have your characters make bad judgements (that they would never make if they had been real people) simply to further your plot. Good writers know how to create conflict in the story without having their characters behave idiotically. Needless to say, despite my love of mysteries, I really wanted to stop reading this book, but powered through and regret that I did. Spoilers ahead so be warned.Spoilers:For a seasoned PI with a member of the CIA for an ex, you would think Trudi would know the bad guys could track a cell phone. But nope! Even a member of the general public would know better than that. Trudi stupidly decides to go back to her office for her gun despite the fact that these mercenaries know where she works. Why on earth wouldn't she just have Sam get her another identical weapon with all of his connections? Which brings me to the next idiocy. Why wouldn't Sam want her to have a gun? He doesn't truly believe she would shoot him accidentally. She has training and experience. And they are going into battle with armed soldiers. Why wouldn't he arm her!?This next bit is their biggest mistake of all, and the one that could have resolved all of this within the first week of Anabel's time in the bunker. Why didn't the Mute and Sam agree to meet again the next day after Sam had gotten the paper and key from his wife? It makes absolutely no sense. The Mute knew Anabel was in desperate need of rescue. And he knew that time was of the essence. Why would they have left that Denny's with no plans to reconvene to hand over the key!? If they had, they could have gotten Anabel out the very next day! Instead, both parties bumble around for a couple more weeks while poor Anabel is trapped in the bunker.And finally, with all of the resources of the CIA at their disposal, why wouldn't they call for backup!? They could have had a team of agents sweep the area and take out the mercenaries in the forest surrounding the farm. It is just plain silly if you ask me.

I guess the old saying, don't judge a book by it's cover is definitely true in this case. If this had not been a book club pick for an online book club I participate in, I probably would not have ever picked it up. The cover totally creeped me out. I don't like to read really scary or horror type books. However, I love a good suspense or mystery so thankfully that is what I got in this book. This one is hard to summarize without giving too much away. This book was action packed and full of page-turning suspense. I wanted to keep reading to see what was going on. Was totally surprised at the end to get the full story. I will definitely be checking out the other books in the series.

Annabel Lee (Coffey & Hill Book #1)Mike NappaSummary: Fourteen miles east of Peachtree, Alabama, a secret is hidden. That secret's name is Annabel Lee Truckson, and even she doesn't know why her mysterious uncle has stowed her deep underground in a military-style bunker. He's left her with a few German words, a barely-controlled guard dog, and a single command: "Don't open that door for anybody, you got it? Not even me.” Above ground, a former Army sniper called The Mute and an enigmatic "Dr. Smith" know about the girl. As the race begins to find her, the tension builds. Who wants to set her free? Why does the other want to keep her captive forever? Who will reach her first? Private investigators Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill need to piece together the clues and stay alive long enough to retrieve the girl--before it's too late. With its stunning writing and relentless pace, Annabel Lee will captivate readers from the first page.Review: Saw this book at Lifeway and I really wanted to read it, but I could not get it that day. For a great deal on Amazon I got the ebook. Less than a week later here we are. I stayed up late to read a portion of it! I was hooked! Well written, with enough hints I had ideas about what was a shadowy mystery. The only problem was a stupid mistake that Trudi made and I could not believe she did it!!!!! That bugged me! But it helped bring about the climax. I was holding my breath and I still wish that some things did not happen. However, I realize that had they not happened the majority of the book would have been unnecessary. It was a fast and furious ride for the most part and I enjoyed every minute of it!!!

Very seldom am I at a loss for words describing the plot of a book but this one kind of escapes me but here goes. A young girl is buried in a bunker by a man she calls Uncle Trunk. He tells her to stay there and never open the door until he comes back but he gets killed. Meanwhile a young lady detective reunites with her ex husband and they become entwined in the girl's plight. Before it is all over there are CIA, German Nazi and Middle Eastern connections to this young girl. Wacky premise.

I fell in love with Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill. They make great private investigators. Love the tension between them because of their divorce. It was fantastic when you add in Annabel Lee. Will they be able to help Annabel before she dies alone in an underground hideout. There were a lot of twists and turns in the story. I am really looking forward to the next book in this series. I received this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion.

In the Acknowledgements section of Annabel Lee, author Mike Nappa describes the obstacles he encountered on the road to becoming a published fiction writer. I am very glad that those who encouraged and/or nagged him to his goal were successful. I am a huge fan of the suspense genre, and this book is one of my favorites. Ever. A tension-filled and exhilarating ride from the start, this page-turner thrilled and chilled this reader as well as making me long for more. Annabel Lee earns a Very Highly Recommended rating from me!If you haven’t already, take a moment to read the blurb about the book. Those are the basics you need to know before you open the pages. Annabel Lee is indeed suspense, and if you are faint of heart this one is not for you. I would describe the many fight scenes, both gun and hand-to-hand, as intense. There’s blood and screaming and enough description to make you wince. The race to discover where Annabel is hidden has life and death implications and the adrenaline flows fast. But in the midst of all the action, Nappa manages to create memorable characters with complex back stories. The bad guys are very, very bad and the good guys have dark pasts, hidden sins and loyalty that makes you glad they are on the side of good. There’s The Mute, an ex-sniper whose goal is to find and protect Annabel no matter what. Then there’s Trudi and her ex-husband Samuel, two PI’s with a joint past etched with love and trust destroyed. And then there is Annabel and Dog. The old acting adage about never working with children or animals because they steal the show rings true here. Annabel is a character that captures the heart immediately. And Dog . . . let’s just say that this ferocious beast proves to be a best friend. As for a faith message, it is there, but you need to be patient. Trudi is the only Christian at the beginning of the book and she clings to her faith. Other characters have questions, but are willing to think about such things at a later date. During her time underground, Annabel discovers a Bible verse that eventually leads her to the truth about her origins and the truth about God.Whew! I’m not sure this review covers everything, but you get the picture. I loved, loved, loved this book and now have to wait until the Fall for another. Oh the delight and agony of anticipation! In the mean time, go get Annabel Lee!Very Highly Recommended.Audience: adults.(Thanks to Revell for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)