Witness

Product Description<br/><br/>Daughter of a cold, controlling mother and an anonymous donor, studious, obedient Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking too much at a nightclub and allowing a strange man’s seductive Russian accent to lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever.<br/>Twelve years later, the woman now known as Abigail Lowery lives alone on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she works at home designing sophisticated security systems. Her own security is supplemented by a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing.<br/>Unfortunately, that seems to be the quickest way to get attention in a tiny southern town.<br/>The mystery of Abigail Lowery intrigues local police chief Brooks Gleason, on both a personal and a professional level. Her sharp, logical mind, her secretive nature, her unromantic viewpoints leave him fascinated but frustrated. He suspects that Abigail needs protection from something, even if he doesn’t know what―and that her elaborate defenses hide a story that must be revealed.<br/>Accustomed to two-bit troublemakers, Gleason is about to walk into the sights of very powerful and dangerous men. And Abigail Lowery, who has built a life based on security and self-control, is at risk of losing both.<br/><br/>From Booklist<br/><br/>*Starred Review* Elizabeth Fitch is tired of living her life by her mother’s strict rules. So the minute her mother leaves for a medical conference, Elizabeth is out the door and headed to the mall. One new wardrobe, one new BFF, and two new fake IDs later, Liz finds herself at Chicago’s hottest nightclub. But before the night is over, Liz will be a witness to murder, when Alex Gurevich, the nightclub owner, is eliminated by two of his business associates. Twelve years later, Liz, now living as Abigail Lowery, has built a new life for herself as a freelance computer-security programmer in Bickford, Arkansas. Abigail’s first and only priority is staying one step ahead of the Russian Mob, who has never stopped trying to get rid of the one living witness to Gurevich’s murder. The only problem is that Bickford’s new chief of police, Brooks Gleason, simply refuses to let her live in peace, and nothing Abigail says or does seems to convince him that she doesn’t need his help. When it comes to flawlessly fusing high-stakes suspense with red-hot romance, Roberts is unrivaled, and her latest addictively readable novel is guaranteed to jangle readers’ nerves and keep them enthralled long past bedtime. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The Witness is romance-legend Roberts’ 200th published novel (her first was Irish Thoroughbred, 1981). Fifty-one of her books have held the number-one slot on the New York Times best-seller list, and it’s a sure bet The Witness will be number 52. --John Charles<br/><br/>About the Author<br/><br/>Nora Roberts is the number-one New York Times–bestselling author of Chasing Fire, The Search, and Black Hills, among other titles. She is also the author of the bestselling futuristic suspense series written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 400 million copies of her novels in print. The Witness is Roberts’s two hundredth book.<br/><br/>Review<br/><br/>Every Nora Roberts fan knows that romance is at the heart of her novels - but here she skilfully interweaves a plot worthy of a top thriller writer...It's a winning combination - but keep a tissue handy Irish Examiner Nora Robert's 200th book will do nothing to halt her run of bestsellers. Romance is at the heart of Robert's novels - but here she skilfully interweaves a plot worthy of a top thriller writer Edinburgh Evening News<br/><br/>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>1<br/>June 2000<br/>ELIZABETH FITCH’S SHORT-LIVED TEENAGE REBELLION BEGAN with L’Oréal Pure Black, a pair of scissors and a fake ID. It ended in blood.<br/>For nearly the whole of her sixteen years, eight months and twenty-one days she’d dutifully followed her mother’s directi