Finding Zach

Good story, different. Difficult to read, because there was a lot of raw emotion.
Spellbound by the character succession, growth, love and maturity.

This novel has the most compelling first 200 pages of any that I have read in the past year. There is kidnapping, escape, brutality like you cannot imaging, a murder, psychological and physical scarring -- but above everything else, there is love between the main characters, Zach and David (aka Taff).
And for the first 200 pages of this book, we are riveted to the story. All of a sudden, the story takes a \"left turn\" when Zach makes a big revelation at a pizza joint concerning the manner in which his kidnapping/ imprisonment ended (that everyone in the entire book has known about since the first chapter, except for his alleged lover, David). What follows this \"big reveal\" is 59 pages of pure garbage in an attempt to wrap the book up quickly. The final chapter/epilogue is thoroughly uninspired, and is a disservice to the readers who have made it through the first 240 pages of the book.
At page 200, I really wanted to know what would happen to these characters if there were a sequel. By the end of page 259 of the book, I could not have cared less about the future for these characters, and that is a major issue for the author. Read it and see if you agree with me.
I normally go out of my way to find positives about all of dreamspinner's books, but I just can't with this one. I am giving it a very generous three star review solely because of the fantastic first 200 pages. (Maybe try this -- read the first 200 pages yourself, and then close the book and make up your own ending. Undoubtedly, it will be more cogent than the one presented for your consideration.)

This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is well worth the read. I was brought to tears several times over the emotional trauma that Zach suffered from his kidnapping experience. Rowan Speedwell did and excellent job with this book.