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namitakhanna's review against another edition
3.0
Forgive Me by Daniel Palmer is a fast paced thriller dealing with the difficult subject of human trafficking.
This book is made up of two stories. The first part of the book focuses on the disappearance of Nadine , a 16 year old girl , caught in the horrific web of sex trafficking. Angie a PI driven by the disappearance of her college friend, specializes in finding runaways and is hired by Nadine’s mom . Nadine’s ordeal is described to us by her journal writings and is heartbreaking to read.
Meanwhile during her search for Nadine Angie’s mother passes away leaving a picture of a little girl with a code and the words “May God forgive me” written in the back. The second half of the book concentrates on Angie trying to solve this mystery and trying to find what happened to the little girl in the picture .
The first half of the book was very compelling and writing keeps you completely engrossed . The characters were very well developed but the second half of the book was disappointing, it felt very rushed and Angie’s character that was shown to be very strong , and practical comes across as being a spoilt brat . I would rate this book 3 ½ stars and will look forward to more by Daniel Palmer
Many thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
This book is made up of two stories. The first part of the book focuses on the disappearance of Nadine , a 16 year old girl , caught in the horrific web of sex trafficking. Angie a PI driven by the disappearance of her college friend, specializes in finding runaways and is hired by Nadine’s mom . Nadine’s ordeal is described to us by her journal writings and is heartbreaking to read.
Meanwhile during her search for Nadine Angie’s mother passes away leaving a picture of a little girl with a code and the words “May God forgive me” written in the back. The second half of the book concentrates on Angie trying to solve this mystery and trying to find what happened to the little girl in the picture .
The first half of the book was very compelling and writing keeps you completely engrossed . The characters were very well developed but the second half of the book was disappointing, it felt very rushed and Angie’s character that was shown to be very strong , and practical comes across as being a spoilt brat . I would rate this book 3 ½ stars and will look forward to more by Daniel Palmer
Many thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
A special thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. BTW, Great cover. The book, 10 Stars!!
Totally "A M A Z I N G" ! Top 50 Books of 2016!
FORGIVE ME, without a doubt "Top Books" of the Year. Movie-Worthy. Daniel Palmer's BEST yet!
Palmer's (2015) Constant Fear and Trauma both landing on my Top Books of 2015. Once again . . .
Highly Impressive: The author has produced two more "out of the park" hits, landing again on my Top Books of 2016: Mercy Coming May 17, and Forgive Me, Coming May 31. Palmer must have superman qualities to crank out two extraordinary bestsellers in the same month, for two consecutive years. Your dad would be proud.
As the book opens we learn of a woman, with tear stained eyes, writing a check and a note. She whispers the same phrase she has spoken every year on this day, at this exact moment. “May God forgive me.” Some dreams come at a price.
Set in Virginia (parts in Maryland and Washington), Angie DeRose is a Private Investigator at DeRose & Associates. She had gone into business with a purpose, but had been naïve about the depth of human cruelty. Each case was like turning over a rock to see what sort of horror might slither out. She took it all to heart, carried with her the emotion of what she saw every day.
From runaways or child custody cases, she went overboard to get results, to get proof in order to protect the child. From abuse, neglected, drug addicted parents- the world, a broken place.
Her best friend Sarah had vanished without a trace her senior year of college. Missing. She longed to do something to honor her memory and her spirit. Her mission to find the runaway kids and take them back home.
Nadine, a sixteen-year- old caught in world between divorced parents, living with an alcoholic and abusive mother, and an absentee wealthy father-- with a new life and family. Often no food in the refrigerator, and her mom drunk most of the time. She decides to leave. A runaway with no plan. Just to escape, and hopefully someone would notice. Innocent and vulnerable, the perfect candidate (victim) for an evil monster---a master manipulator. Lurking to find runaways, like Nadine.
She is naïve and trusts this man, and soon finds herself in a prison, a nightmare, which she cannot escape. Soon she is drugged, locked in – her phone and wallet gone. No escape. Each day she writes in a journal and hides it in slot in her mattress. She will do anything to escape being put in the hole. Tortured, drugged, abused, locked in with men watching her every move along with the other girls—how will she ever escape?
The DeRose family was well-respected, her dad ran DeRose Financial a financial service firm specializing in investing in high net worth individuals, and Kathleen, her mom, a big fundraiser. Her mom always wanted Angie to meet a man, but Angie was too busy with her business to have time for dating. She was on call 24/7. Her only other extended family-- her stand in, aunt and uncle-friends of her parents.
Soon Angie is hired to help find Nadine. While she is busy with the case tracking down leads with her employees, Angie receives some tragic news. Her mom dies unexpectedly and when cleaning out her things she comes across a photo of a little girl around four years old missing an ear. There is a code on the bottom with letters and numbers. On the back is a message, “May God forgive me.”
Angie, with her keen detective skills, has to crack this code. How was her mom connected with this child? Between the intense case of Nadine, suspecting sextrafficking, and the ongoing mystery surrounding this photo, Angie is surrounded by danger. What dark family secrets could her parents be hiding? Her mom was one of the most caring and giving women she knew.
Bao, a former runaway Angie had found and was later adopted. A few years later after he turned twenty, he went to work for Angie as a certified computer forensic consultant. He provided incredible assets—not only with his only skills and expertise at the keyboard but also because he knew how runaway kids thought. She also works with Mike (another former client in a custody case), who also runs another business and helps with her overflow. (A great team).
When Nadine’s case becomes top priority, the FBI is now involved and Bryce Taggart, the US Marshal is working with Angie. She connects with him to help her with answers of the haunting little girl in the photograph. However, she has no clue the dangerous past they are about to uncover. There are enemies who will stop at nothing to protect their secret.
Angie, a tenacious, unstoppable PI. A family secret. A mysterious photograph. A little girl without an ear. A code. A missing teen. Witness protection. Angie is haunted by Sarah, and Nadine haunted by Jade. Both victims, they have to save.
OMG, the suspense and intensity is at an all-time high. Nothing plays out as you think. Fast-paced, non-stop action-- adrenaline-fueled, readers will be page-turning to find answers to this riveting mystery.
What made this book so unforgettable (more than one thing). The heart wrenching journal entries. I loved "Girls Like Me" by Nadine Jessup. Palmer captures Nadine, her essence, her soul, her intimate feelings --getting inside a sixteen-year-old girl's mind. From the dialect, social media, fears, dreams, and the innermost sensitive thoughts. I was moved to tears--very emotional. Thought-provoking. The story goes beyond sex-trafficking and abuse. What comes next?. The after. We seldom think of the real psychological tragedy someone experiences.
Next, the two separate storylines. Brilliant! Both stories will keep you glued to the pages (like a book inside a book); Shocking twists you do not see coming --how the photograph plays out. Masterminds.
Beautifully written, powerful, explosive, skillfully developed, impeccably researched; A highly-charged inter-generational mystery suspense thriller of dark evil secrets. "A must read" for every teen and adult, worldwide.
Emotional, complex, suspenseful, highly-innovative, and "jaw-dropping," edge of your seat thriller. A double whammy--two books in one. From twists and turns, shockers, missing and exploited teens, runaways, drugs, sex-trafficking, alcoholism, greed, corruption, and murder, to age-old crimes; an ongoing mystery--Connects. Told from different POVs.
Please, please, please . . let this be the beginning of a series! These characters HOOK you from page one, and "hang" long after the book ends. They are way TOO good to end. More Angie, Nadine, Bryce, Bao, Mike (Jade, Sarah, Sasha). Each of the characters learn from the other in some way.
After finishing the book at 5 am this morning (no, you cannot put it down)-- the vivid characters continue to haunt me, running through my mind constantly, during my 50 mile bike ride today.
Daniel, words cannot adequately express my thoughts and strong feelings for this "talented work of art". I am speechless. You, sir have outdone yourself. #Amazeballs (taking a page from your book). You ARE cool, like that. Evocative journal entries Award-winning! Would love to hear more about the inspiration behind this intriguing book (both stories) with an author Q&A.
Informative & enlightening—21 million people, just like Nadine. Forced labor takes different forms, including debt bondage, sextrafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are the most vulnerable – women and girls forced into prostitution.
This is a big one. Epic! Move FORGIVE ME to the top of your list and Order Now.
JDCMustReadBooks
Totally "A M A Z I N G" ! Top 50 Books of 2016!
FORGIVE ME, without a doubt "Top Books" of the Year. Movie-Worthy. Daniel Palmer's BEST yet!
Palmer's (2015) Constant Fear and Trauma both landing on my Top Books of 2015. Once again . . .
Highly Impressive: The author has produced two more "out of the park" hits, landing again on my Top Books of 2016: Mercy Coming May 17, and Forgive Me, Coming May 31. Palmer must have superman qualities to crank out two extraordinary bestsellers in the same month, for two consecutive years. Your dad would be proud.
As the book opens we learn of a woman, with tear stained eyes, writing a check and a note. She whispers the same phrase she has spoken every year on this day, at this exact moment. “May God forgive me.” Some dreams come at a price.
Set in Virginia (parts in Maryland and Washington), Angie DeRose is a Private Investigator at DeRose & Associates. She had gone into business with a purpose, but had been naïve about the depth of human cruelty. Each case was like turning over a rock to see what sort of horror might slither out. She took it all to heart, carried with her the emotion of what she saw every day.
From runaways or child custody cases, she went overboard to get results, to get proof in order to protect the child. From abuse, neglected, drug addicted parents- the world, a broken place.
Her best friend Sarah had vanished without a trace her senior year of college. Missing. She longed to do something to honor her memory and her spirit. Her mission to find the runaway kids and take them back home.
Nadine, a sixteen-year- old caught in world between divorced parents, living with an alcoholic and abusive mother, and an absentee wealthy father-- with a new life and family. Often no food in the refrigerator, and her mom drunk most of the time. She decides to leave. A runaway with no plan. Just to escape, and hopefully someone would notice. Innocent and vulnerable, the perfect candidate (victim) for an evil monster---a master manipulator. Lurking to find runaways, like Nadine.
She is naïve and trusts this man, and soon finds herself in a prison, a nightmare, which she cannot escape. Soon she is drugged, locked in – her phone and wallet gone. No escape. Each day she writes in a journal and hides it in slot in her mattress. She will do anything to escape being put in the hole. Tortured, drugged, abused, locked in with men watching her every move along with the other girls—how will she ever escape?
The DeRose family was well-respected, her dad ran DeRose Financial a financial service firm specializing in investing in high net worth individuals, and Kathleen, her mom, a big fundraiser. Her mom always wanted Angie to meet a man, but Angie was too busy with her business to have time for dating. She was on call 24/7. Her only other extended family-- her stand in, aunt and uncle-friends of her parents.
Soon Angie is hired to help find Nadine. While she is busy with the case tracking down leads with her employees, Angie receives some tragic news. Her mom dies unexpectedly and when cleaning out her things she comes across a photo of a little girl around four years old missing an ear. There is a code on the bottom with letters and numbers. On the back is a message, “May God forgive me.”
Angie, with her keen detective skills, has to crack this code. How was her mom connected with this child? Between the intense case of Nadine, suspecting sextrafficking, and the ongoing mystery surrounding this photo, Angie is surrounded by danger. What dark family secrets could her parents be hiding? Her mom was one of the most caring and giving women she knew.
Bao, a former runaway Angie had found and was later adopted. A few years later after he turned twenty, he went to work for Angie as a certified computer forensic consultant. He provided incredible assets—not only with his only skills and expertise at the keyboard but also because he knew how runaway kids thought. She also works with Mike (another former client in a custody case), who also runs another business and helps with her overflow. (A great team).
When Nadine’s case becomes top priority, the FBI is now involved and Bryce Taggart, the US Marshal is working with Angie. She connects with him to help her with answers of the haunting little girl in the photograph. However, she has no clue the dangerous past they are about to uncover. There are enemies who will stop at nothing to protect their secret.
Angie, a tenacious, unstoppable PI. A family secret. A mysterious photograph. A little girl without an ear. A code. A missing teen. Witness protection. Angie is haunted by Sarah, and Nadine haunted by Jade. Both victims, they have to save.
OMG, the suspense and intensity is at an all-time high. Nothing plays out as you think. Fast-paced, non-stop action-- adrenaline-fueled, readers will be page-turning to find answers to this riveting mystery.
What made this book so unforgettable (more than one thing). The heart wrenching journal entries. I loved "Girls Like Me" by Nadine Jessup. Palmer captures Nadine, her essence, her soul, her intimate feelings --getting inside a sixteen-year-old girl's mind. From the dialect, social media, fears, dreams, and the innermost sensitive thoughts. I was moved to tears--very emotional. Thought-provoking. The story goes beyond sex-trafficking and abuse. What comes next?. The after. We seldom think of the real psychological tragedy someone experiences.
“There’s just different experiences we can choose to learn from, to grow from, or choose to let define us. Not everything happens for a reason, but there is reason everything happens. Real life isn’t neat and tidy like that. It doesn’t get tied up in a cute little bow. That’s for fairy tales, right? We know those fairytale endings aren’t real, but we can still dream. We can still believe. Hope."
Next, the two separate storylines. Brilliant! Both stories will keep you glued to the pages (like a book inside a book); Shocking twists you do not see coming --how the photograph plays out. Masterminds.
Beautifully written, powerful, explosive, skillfully developed, impeccably researched; A highly-charged inter-generational mystery suspense thriller of dark evil secrets. "A must read" for every teen and adult, worldwide.
Emotional, complex, suspenseful, highly-innovative, and "jaw-dropping," edge of your seat thriller. A double whammy--two books in one. From twists and turns, shockers, missing and exploited teens, runaways, drugs, sex-trafficking, alcoholism, greed, corruption, and murder, to age-old crimes; an ongoing mystery--Connects. Told from different POVs.
Please, please, please . . let this be the beginning of a series! These characters HOOK you from page one, and "hang" long after the book ends. They are way TOO good to end. More Angie, Nadine, Bryce, Bao, Mike (Jade, Sarah, Sasha). Each of the characters learn from the other in some way.
After finishing the book at 5 am this morning (no, you cannot put it down)-- the vivid characters continue to haunt me, running through my mind constantly, during my 50 mile bike ride today.
Daniel, words cannot adequately express my thoughts and strong feelings for this "talented work of art". I am speechless. You, sir have outdone yourself. #Amazeballs (taking a page from your book). You ARE cool, like that. Evocative journal entries Award-winning! Would love to hear more about the inspiration behind this intriguing book (both stories) with an author Q&A.
Informative & enlightening—21 million people, just like Nadine. Forced labor takes different forms, including debt bondage, sextrafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are the most vulnerable – women and girls forced into prostitution.
This is a big one. Epic! Move FORGIVE ME to the top of your list and Order Now.
JDCMustReadBooks
casimoore's review against another edition
4.0
Forgive Me was the first book I have read by Daniel Palmer and I was pleased. I love fast paced stories that make it hard to put the kindle down. There were really two plots going on, both dealing with Angie the lead character. The first plot is based around a young girl who runaways from home and falls into the hands of a deceitful man who takes advantage of her. Angie is the private investigator hired to help find her. The second plot is Angie uncovering something from her past after her mother dies. Honestly I felt the book could have done without the second plot [drab] and was much more interested in the main story.
I was given an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.
I was given an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.
willac's review against another edition
4.0
Angie DeRose is a private investigator who specializes in finding runaways. In fact, she's pretty obsessed, and considers herself on the clock 24-7. She loves her parents, who gave her a wonderful childhood, and spends a lot of time with them. In fact, the book opens with her having lunch with them, as she often did, and being called away to deal with a new case.
There are two plot lines in this book -- one dealing with the runaway that Angie is hired to find, who turns out to have been captured by a human trafficking ring, and the other dealing with Angie's search for the truth about her parents. After her mother's sudden death, Angie is going through some old papers in the attic and finds a mysterious photograph with an even more mysterious note on the back: "May God forgive me."
I enjoyed this book very much, although I found the protagonist a little less than sympathetic. But since her livelihood depended on her being just that, it was completely understandable.
Definitely a good read.
I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
There are two plot lines in this book -- one dealing with the runaway that Angie is hired to find, who turns out to have been captured by a human trafficking ring, and the other dealing with Angie's search for the truth about her parents. After her mother's sudden death, Angie is going through some old papers in the attic and finds a mysterious photograph with an even more mysterious note on the back: "May God forgive me."
I enjoyed this book very much, although I found the protagonist a little less than sympathetic. But since her livelihood depended on her being just that, it was completely understandable.
Definitely a good read.
I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
that1creativelady's review against another edition
4.0
Certain parts weren't exactly predictable, but you can tell when information or actions were foreshadowing for the "big reveal".
shereadthat's review against another edition
3.0
*spoilers* I was impressed how the author was able to vividly paint the picture about sex trafficking. I wondered why victims just wouldn’t leave and now I understand better why. Where he lost me at was the number of characters in the stories I was lost at some points. Towards the end of the book after the first conflict was solved I was ready for the book to go ahead and end. But it didn’t. I could see this as being 2 books instead of cramming it all in one book.
throwmeabook's review against another edition
2.0
Private investigator Angie DeRose is hired to find Nadine, a sixteen year old runaway who has fallen victim to a sex trafficking ring. In the wake of family tragedy, the discovery of an old photograph will uncover a long buried secret that threatens to put Angie and her investigation in jeopardy. Both storylines would have made solid novels on their own. As such, having them compete for my attention was distracting and diminished the quality and enjoyability of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.
nicolethomp's review against another edition
3.0
Audiobook review. I loved the first 75% of the book, but the last 25% that focused on solving the mystery regarding Angie's family history seemed a bit unnecessary and confusing.
jillhannaha's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book from NetGalley and thank them for allowing me to read this great book. I don't read enough books written by men, and this one reminded me I need to diversify my authors!
Daniel did an amazing job writing from a vulnerable teenage girl's POV.
I found the chapters with Nadine, the teenage runaway, more interesting than Angie's (a Private Investigator.) The story is Angie's, and while her discoveries about her family are interesting, I was really intrigued by the dark terror of how easily a teenage girl can be tricked into trusting the wrong person.
Daniel did an amazing job writing from a vulnerable teenage girl's POV.
I found the chapters with Nadine, the teenage runaway, more interesting than Angie's (a Private Investigator.) The story is Angie's, and while her discoveries about her family are interesting, I was really intrigued by the dark terror of how easily a teenage girl can be tricked into trusting the wrong person.
lizabethstucker's review against another edition
3.0
Angie DeRose wound up in the private investigation business due to the disappearance of her best friend while still young. She works a lot of missing children in her job. Her most recent one is 16 year old runaway Nadine who is disgusted with her alcoholic mother. In addition, Angie finds a mysterious photo of a sad child with a deformed ear with mysterious writing on the back in her late mother's writing, including "God forgive me". So you're given three mysteries in one very large book.
I wanted to like this. I really did. I might have bought it by mistake (sticker on author's name had me thinking it was someone else), but it looked interesting and started well. The writing is good, the characters sorta interesting, but it just never grabbed me. In fact, I got very bored. Too much jumping about, too many mysteries, too much description, and the last few chapters almost had me bailing. I really think the editing should've been tighter. Less can definitely be more.
Lots of bad guys (some of whom were a little too obvious). A sorta romance. But overall, just too much crammed into one very fat book. I would say disappointing. 3 out of 5
I wanted to like this. I really did. I might have bought it by mistake (sticker on author's name had me thinking it was someone else), but it looked interesting and started well. The writing is good, the characters sorta interesting, but it just never grabbed me. In fact, I got very bored. Too much jumping about, too many mysteries, too much description, and the last few chapters almost had me bailing. I really think the editing should've been tighter. Less can definitely be more.
Lots of bad guys (some of whom were a little too obvious). A sorta romance. But overall, just too much crammed into one very fat book. I would say disappointing. 3 out of 5