The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne

The Last Bridge was book I read about on someone's blog, but of course, can't remember whose. The book was a difficult one to read, but one that I loved and read in a couple of hours. If I hadn't had to work today, I would have stayed up too late to finish it. I give The Last Bridge an A-.

Inside cover:
For ten years, Alexandra "Cat" Rucker has been on the run from her past. With an endless supply of bourbon and a series fo meaningless jobs, Cat is struggling to forget her Ohio hometown and the rural farmhouse she once called home. But a sudden call from an old neighbor forces Cat to return to the home and family she never intended to see again. It seems that Cat's mother is dead.
What Cat finds at the old farmhouse is disturbing and confusing: a suicide note, written on lilac stationery and neatly sealed in a ziploc bag, that reads: Cat, He isn't who think he is. Mom xxxooo.
One note, ten words- one for every year she has been gone- completely turns Cat's world upside down. Seeking to unravel the mystery of her mother's death, Cat must confront her past to discover who he might be: her tyrannical, abusive father, now in a coma after suffering a stroke? Her brother Jared, named after her mother's true love (who is also her father's best friend?) The town coroner, Andrew Reilly, who seems to have known Cat's mother long before she landed on a slab in his morgue? Or Addison Watkins, Cat's first and only love?
The closer Cat gets to the truth, the harder it is for her to repress the memory and the impact of the events that sent her away so many years ago.

As I mentioned above, this is a very tough book to read, especially when the reader experiences the abuse Cat went through as a child. I fully admit, I had tears running down my face as I read it and I just can't comprehend how somehow can hurt their child, or any person really, as bad as Cat was hurt. I wanted to jump into the book and do something, protect Cat somehow, I was so emotionally drawn into the story. I was never abused and don't know of anyone who was, but I've seen it while teaching and of course on the news, and I just get sick to my stomach. The story is told during now and in Cat's childhood, and while Cat isn't the most likeable or loveable character, you just have to feel for her. The Last Bridge was only 225 pages long, but probably one of the most powerful books I've read in quite awhile. If you are looking for a powerful book, one that will resonate with you for quite awhile, please get a copy of this book. I wish I had the budget to buy each and every one of you this book, I feel that strongly about it.

I just got an email from my library and Swimsuit by James Patterson has finally come in. I've only been on the list for about 4 months now, and I always enjoy Mr. Patterson's stand alones. Plus they are such quick reads and if I can get another book in before the end of the month, I will be happy, so I think I am going to break my alternate reading plan and pick it up. I am going to my SIL's for dinner, but tonight and tomorrow, hopefully I will be able to sneak some pages back. I think I may have finally broken through this mini-slump... YAY! Happy Reading everyone!