Review of 'Rock Harbor: Search & Rescue' by Colleen Coble

Rock Harbor: Search and Rescue
by Colleen Coble and Robin Caroll
Release Date: April 9th 2013
From Thomas Nelson
292 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
In "Rock Harbor Search and Rescue," a middle grade fiction novel based on Colleen Coble's bestselling Rock Harbor series for adults, kids will enjoy the mixture of pets, adventure, suspense, and a mystery.

Emily O'Reilly is obsessed with all things Search and Rescue. She volunteers with the team and goes on rescue missions with her stepmom. She is even selling homemade jewelry to save up for her own Search and Rescue puppy. But when an expensive necklace is stolen from a renowned jewelry artist at Rock Harbor's fall festival and Emily is accused of the crime, it looks like she'll never get her puppy and be able to join the Rock Harbor Search and Rescue team.

Emily isn't willing to give up on her Search and Rescue dreams that easily, and she sets out to find the real culprit and to restore her reputation. With a few suspects in mind, Emily is determined to uncover the truth, but she isn't prepared for the secrets she and the Search and Rescue dogs sniff out in the process. This exciting mystery is filled with twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and have them pining after a Search and Rescue puppy of their own!

"Colleen is a master storyteller."-Karen Kingsbury

**My thoughts**

This is my first book by Colleen Coble, and I don't think it will be my last! This first book in the Rock Harbor series that is geared toward younger readers is a captivating mystery that had plenty of plot twists to actually keep me guessing through most of the book. Usually, I pride myself on figuring out "whodunit" before it is revealed in the plot. Not so much with this one!

Emily is a good kid who is thrust into a crazy case of guilty-before-proven-innocent and desperately tries to clear her name. She and her best friend Olivia become amateur sleuths in their quest for answers. Along the way, they learn many life lessons about not jumping to conclusions without all pertinent information. There are also a few religious and spiritual lessons along the way, that do not make the reader feel like those ideas are being pushed down their throats.

There is a lot of baggage that Emily carries with her, due to some horrible events with her birth mother. That storyline may be available in the adult version of the series, but I want to read more about it on the kids' level. Chances are, kids aren't going to read the adult books until much later in life. I felt like even though bits and pieces of the story were revealed throughout this book, I still wanted to have known about it by reading a previous novel. Food for thought in future books in this series?

Yes, this book also made me want my own search and rescue puppy. Emily has a good thing going with her interest in S&R, and I feel will have many more adventures to share!

About the Authors

Carol Award winner Colleen Coble lives with her husband, Dave, in Indiana. She is the author of dozens of novels including the Rock Harbor Series, the Aloha Reef Series, the Mercy Falls Series, the Hope Beach Series, the Lonestar Series and two Women of Faith fiction selections, Alaska Twilight and Midnight Sea. She has more than 2 million books in print.

Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin Caroll is a southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others. She gives back to the writing community by serving as Conference Director for ACFW. Her books have finaled/placed in such contests as Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice, Bookseller's Best, and Book of the Year. To learn more about this author of deep South mysteries of suspense to inspire your heart.

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3 print copies of Rock Harbor (US only)

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