Review - Capturing Angels by V.C. Andrews

In a blink of an eye, Grace becomes terrified as she notices that her five-year-old daughter, Mary, is not beside her. They had went into the mall to shop at a department store, to get a present for Grace's mother-in-law, when she went to pay for the gift that is when she noticed that Mary had disappeared. Just like any parent would do, she panicked and began shouting for Mary. The store manager and security become involve in the situation. After searching the entire store, there was no sign of Mary.

The mall's security guards could not find the little girl either, whom Grace says is special because she can heal the sickly and cheer up the depressed. The police are called in and Lieutenant Samuel Abraham of the Los Angeles police department. He interviews Grace and along with the other police officers, he searches the mall with no clue to where or what happened to Mary. Therefore, he calls the FBI into the picture.

Mary returns home with the police and FBI and her husband, John, arrives from work eagerly to assist them. The phones are tapped, but no kidnapper ever calls them.

Weeks turn into months and Mary's disappearance is still unsolved. Grace's marriage is heavily strained. Her mother-in-law suddenly had died. Everyone around her tells her to get on with her life, but she doesn't give up on finding Mary and neither does Lieutenant Samuel Abraham, who has stayed close to the case. The two works together to find new leads and they start to have feelings for each other.

Suddenly, Mary realizes that the truth is closer than she thought.

If you are not aware, V.C. Andrews died over twenty years and her books are now written by a male ghost writer, who's writing as strayed from V.C. Andrews' gothic style. Capturing Angels isn't the first V.C. Andrews' book to be released in an eBook format, such as Gods of Green Mountain. The plot is simple, a five-year-old has been kidnapped and her mother's life is turn upside down, in which the narration is from the mother's point-of-view, giving the book a more realistic feel. Every V.C. Andrews' books, and even the ghostwriter's books, have a dark twist to it, and here we get a religious cult, reminding me of Rosemary's Baby. Capturing Angels may be a departure from her, or should I say his, other books, but I was hooked from the moment Grace learned her daughter is missing. There are a few dry moments here and there, but it is to add more drama to the story. Overall, I enjoyed reading Capturing Angels and I recommend it to others.

Update - December 2, 2012

I read Capturing Angels when it first came out in the wee early hours. The plot is simple (and has been done to death), a woman's young daughter is kidnapped and she never gives up hope of finding her. V.C. Andrews only published five complete novels before her death, but I loved her Gothic style. The ghost writer, Andrew Neiderman, books have really went downhill with every new release, completely losing V.C. Andrew's voice.

After I read Capturing Angels, I did like the basic premise of the story, but once I reread it over the weekend, with an open eye, I have a different viewpoint. Being a writer myself, I noticed several mistakes where the Neiderman was telling a little bit more than showing. The plot doesn't even resemble the dark twisted plots from the older books. Maybe this was a story Neiderman meant to publish under his own name, but no publisher would touch it. Therefore, it was published under V.C. Andrews because her name (or should I say logo) sells more.

If you are looking for a well plotted mystery, then look somewhere else.