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Nicholas Sparks delivers another page-turner with his new novel, "See Me." It has everything readers have come to expect from Sparks: a brooding male lead, disapproving parents and a desire not to ruin a second chance. With that established, "See Me" is more than a love story; it can easily be categorized as a suspenseful thriller.
Colin grew up bouncing from military school to military school with his parents expending little effort to try and understand their son. After being countlessly bullied, he turns to violence as an outlet for his building anger issues. Mix that character trait with alcohol and the result is a handful of overnight visits in various local jail cells. His parents' expensive lawyers rescue him from an imminent stint in prison; then his parents kick him out of the house. Colin knows he has to stay out of trouble or he'll be spending significant time in prison.
Maria grew up in a loving home with lots of extended family surrounding her and encouraging her pursuit of a law career. She's hard-working and dedicated to her job, but her past often haunts her.
Colin and Maria meet under awkward circumstances. Maria's sister, Serena, later intervenes and forces the couple to get to know each other. Just as they fall into a dating pattern that could lead to something more significant, haunting letters and dead flowers begin to arrive. Colin fights to remain in control when everything inside him longs to hurt the faceless person who is tormenting Maria. Maria tries to remain calm, but she has a good idea of the stalker's identity. If she's right, remaining calm won't help her if history repeats itself.
Sparks takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, switching from the soft tone of a love story to the adrenaline rush of a thriller. Maria and Colin must face their own demons in order to come out the other side stronger, closer and, more important, alive. —
"See Me"
By Nicholas Sparks
Grand Central Publishing
496 pages
$27