Book by Kimberly Belle

Kimberly Belle Weaves A Tight Web

Publisher’s Description

CAN SHE ESCAPE THE PERSON SHE ONCE LOVED?

Beth Murphy is on the run…

For nearly a year, Beth has been planning for this day. A day some people might call any other Wednesday, but Beth prefers to see it as her new beginning—one with a new look, new name and new city. Beth has given her plan significant thought, because one small slip and her violent husband will find her.

Sabine Hardison is missing…

A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find his wife, Sabine, is missing. Wherever she is, she’s taken almost nothing with her. Her abandoned car is the only evidence the police have, and all signs point to foul play.

As the police search for leads, the case becomes more and more convoluted. Sabine’s carefully laid plans for her future indicate trouble at home, and a husband who would be better off with her gone. The detective on the case will stop at nothing to find out what happened and bring this missing woman home. Where is Sabine? And who is Beth? The only thing that’s certain is that someone is lying and the truth won’t stay buried for long.

My Thoughts

Once before she attempted to leave and it ended badly. But this time she’s spent nearly a whole year making plans.

Over the last few months, she has squirreled away money, secretly mapped out a plan, and purchased a car and burner phones. Her escape from Arkansas is planned. As she departs her abusive husband, she takes on a new identity: Beth Murphy.

Continually she keeps relieving the pain of her relationship. She knows her obsessive husband will never stop looking for her until she’s found. It causes her to always be jumpy during the day and restless at night. Of course, in order to survive, she needs not only a new name but an ID and a place to live and work. But she has to be so careful. There can’t be any mistakes.

This story is told in chapters that jump back and forth from Beth Murphy, Jeffrey Hardison, who returns to Pine Bluff, Arkansas after a business trip and discovers that his wife, Sabine is missing. And chapters by Detective Marcus Durand of Pine Bluff PD.



The first-person narrative, while not overly suspenseful, has my attention from the first chapter. As I work around the house I put in earbuds and listen. And listen. And listen to some more. That evening as I hop into bed I reinsert my earbuds, so I won’t bother my husband and decide to listen to just a little bit more. At 1:30 a.m. I finally finished the book and shut my eyes.

I needed to find out if Beth actually planned the perfect escape. Or did she have a plan that was beyond what I could imagine?

What Concerned Me

Nothing.

My Conclusion

In my case, I listened to an audiobook and I liked the narration very much. The story was well written and it had no trouble holding my interest.

All twists in the story are supported by evidence that feels fair to the reader, unlike some books that have twists that show up out of the blue.

No rabbits are pulled out of the hat, without previous evidence that you’re dealing with a magician.

It’s a good plot and it’s well written.

The various characters who tell their stories will leave you wondering, at least for a little while.

About The Author

From her website:

I grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee, a small town in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. A gorgeous area, but I couldn’t find an ounce of beauty in the place. I was too focused on planning my escape, which I made to Agnes Scott College, a liberal arts school in Atlanta for women. 

It was in Atlanta that I met the Dutchman, who whisked me off to the Netherlands. What was meant to be a six-month stay turned into twelve freezing but fabulous years, during which I began checking off the countries on my to-see list. All these years later, I’ve still not seen them all.

Living abroad changed me in ways I can’t count, and though I don’t have the passport to prove it, I am in my heart and soul half Dutch. I know the culture, I speak the language like a native, I love that country like my own.

Fifteen years ago, the Dutchman and I moved back to Atlanta with our two kids, but every chance I get, I hop a plane to Amsterdam so I can stick my toes in sandy Dutch soil.

And of course, wherever I go, the laptop also travels.



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