Book Tour: One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf - Excerpt + Review + Giveaway

Welcome to the next stop in the One Breath Away Scavenger Hunt. You can follow the full schedule HERE. Make sure you begin with Day 1 to read the chapter. The tour is hosted by Booktrib. Tomorrow the stop is at The Novel Life.

Heather Gudenkauf Links: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Excerpt:

I don’t care if I ever see my grandfather again.” I am hoping with all my might that instead of coming back to Broken Branch after spring break, my mother will be well enough for us to come home.

One Breath Away

Author: Heather Gudenkauf

Reading Level: Adult

Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Released: June 26th 2012

Review Source: Meryl L. Moss Media Relations

Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Summary: (from goodreads) In her most emotionally charged novel to date, "New York Times" bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf explores the unspoken events that shape a community, the ties between parents and their children and how the fragile normalcy of our everyday life is so easily shattered. In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town's children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

The small town of Broken Branch not only had to deal with the worst snow storm of the year, when suddenly their worst nightmare comes to life in the body of a gunman. He is holding hostage the town's school where all the kids from kindergarten to high school attend and their life will depend on how well their small police force can handle the situation without any outside help.

The voices of the story are heard thru five characters that are involved from different angles, feel different emotions and prove determination, loyalty and are fearless in their actions. The author brilliantly flows different events , the suffering and challenges of a small town to resolve what could be the most devastating event for all their residents, the estrange relation between a father and daughter that transgress into their grand kids with guilt and great consequences and different ordeals that these characters have to overcome, to lead their reaction to the present situation of each individuals terrifying conflict.

At the beginning of the book I was kind of wary when I realized the story was to be told from all these different point of views, I stand corrected it was cleverly necessary to decipher the enigma and give the necessary order of events to reach the ending. Terrifying, thrilling and nerve racking story that pulls all sorts of strings from your heart and won't let you put the book down. This author is now on my list of authors to watch for.

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