The Taking of Carly Bradford

by Ramona Richards

A blue sundress and white sandals. That's what seven-year-old Carly Bradford was wearing...right before she disappeared. Three months later, Dee Kelley spots the sandals in the woods and knows she's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373443404
• ISBN13: 9780373443406
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Talented Author, Terrific Read

Love hurts. Award-winning novelist Ramona Richards knows it. She shares the pain in beautiful, intricate detail in her latest offering in Steeple Hill's Love Inspired Suspense. Third in her Jackson's Retreat series, Carly offers readers Richards' trademark combination of gripping characters, chilling crime, and riveting suspense. The pièce de résistance? A faith-message that avoids the saccharine and emphasizes the authentic. Readers will appreciate Richards' compassion for the wounded and the unexpected places they appear. They'll cherish the tangled relationships woven in and around a compelling plotline. And when they find themselves (as I did) praying for Carly and those who seek to find her, they'll realize she's not the only one taken. Read The Taking of Carly Bradford and find yourself captured by the talent of an author who crafts story and subjects equally well.

highly charged emotional story full of danger and faith

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritques Three months after young Carly Bradford went missing, Dee Kelley discovers a pair of white sandals, exactly like those Carly was wearing at the time of her disappearance. Dee is convinced that Carly is still alive and will move heaven and earth to help find her. Dee knows what it's like to lose a child, her husband and child died in an accident and she won't let another mother feel the same agony if she can help it. Police Chief Tyler Madison has dedicated himself over the past months to finding little Carly ever since she disappeared yet he isn't quite sure what to make of Dee when she comes to him with evidence that indicates Carly may still be close by. He is doubtful of Dee's ability to help, as much as she insists she can, but something about this woman who is healing from her own loss touches him deep inside and he is reluctant to turn her help away. However, someone doesn't want Dee helping solve the case and is willing to do just about anything to stop her. Now Tyler and Dee must work together to solve The Taking of Carly Bradford. Only faith and God's love can see them through this one. The Taking of Carly Bradford is a wonderful story that is very fast-paced and highly charged emotional story full of danger and faith. The story starts off with a bang and I was lured in immediately. By the end of the first chapter, I knew I'd be finding every spare moment I could to continue reading just to see what shocking revelations will be made in the case. The mystery behind Carly's disappearance was brilliantly done and I was kept guessing through the whole book. We have a few red herrings tossed in to confuse us even more. I was convinced I had solved the mystery and new who the abductor was, only to discover I could not have been more wrong! The romance between Dee and Tyler blossoms slowly and at a believable pace. They become casual acquaintances, then friends and it's only much later that they begin to realize just how deeply their affection for one another goes. One is strong where the other is weak and the two of them make a perfect pair. I was eager to see where their relationship would go and was so happy to see them gain their own happily-ever-after with faith, hope, and love. The faith aspect of The Taking of Carly Bradford is strong and I was especially amazed at how Carly, even in the middle of what had to be one of the worst nightmares a child can imagine and she never lost faith that God would save her. Carly Bradford is such a brave and resourceful little girl! Dee has lost much of her faith as a result of losing her family, but through Tyler's calm acceptance of what God can do, she slowly begins to come around and regain her faith. The Taking of Carly Bradford was my first book by Ramona Richards but I am so glad I have more of her works on my shelves. She is an incredible writer and I look forward to trying more of her stories. I especially look forward to reading the other books in th

Great book

Overall I thought it was a great easy to read book. I thought it started a little slow; however it really picked up. I did not realize it was one of a series. I liked the amount of Faith the characters had in the story.

Fast Paced Romantic Suspense

I loved Ramona Richard's Face of Deceit so I was excited to see another installment in the Jackson's Retreat series. This book features Dee Kelley, a writer recovering from the death of her husband and son. The suspense is fast paced and the romantic element nicely woven in. I think what I liked best about The Taking of Carly Bradford was that without slowing the story, Richards gently traces the path of healing as Dee makes deliberate choices to get beyond her loss. One of the things she does is help the police find a little girl, Carly, who has been kidnapped. The book is not only a good mystery, but also a story of hope.

Treat Yourself to this Book

Dee Kelley is staying at a New Hampshire writer's retreat, trying to recover from the tragic loss of her husband and child, when she becomes involved in another family's nightmare - the disappearance of their seven-year-old daughter, Carly Bradford. Three months after Carly was last seen, Dee finds the little girl's sandals in an area that the police had already searched extensively. And, without warning, she finds herself the target of an unidentifiable pursuer who is determined to reclaim the shoes at any cost. Tyler Madison, the local sheriff, has kept a photo of Carly Bradford on his desk for the past three months, but the case seems to have come to a standstill until Dee Kelley discovers the sandals and raises the question of whether Carly might still be alive and in the area. Although attracted to Dee, Tyler is skeptical when she offers to assist him with the investigation, arguing that her experience with grief will resonate with the Bradfords in a way that his own professional approach cannot. In this well written and relentlessly paced novel Ramona Richards weaves themes of love, faith, and redemption with gritty investigative work and high tension confrontation. She is a formidable writer, and one whose work I enjoyed to the very last page.