After the Thaw is the sequel to Frozen Footprints but can be read as a stand alone novel. I found this book intriguing, captivating, and moving. The characters struggle to put their pasts behind and move on to their futures. Some of them cling to their faith to find their way. Charlene thinks life is safe and her future bright. Clay has left prison to settle into a calm and easy lifestyle. Ben feels his new adventures are set in concrete, yet sinister and frightening events change everything. Decisions will need to be made and their choices will be significant. Discover the twists and turns in After the Thaw and you will be staying up at night to find the answers.

I received a copy from the author, Therese Heckenkamp for my honest review. I will be reading book one, now to fill in the characters' past. Thank you, Therese! ( )

I have found a new author that can write gripping, harrowing and scary books that keep me glued till the end. To say that the author is talented doesn't seem to be enough. The story is so well developed I couldn't put it down. The characters are intense and so believable I may have nightmares tonight. The story was graphic at times but I will say it was done with the writing skills that only the best of the best have. I liked that the author focused on several characters in the story and gave them explosive scenes that were so heartpounding I was ready to scream.

From the beginning the story is electrifying and grabs readers as we are introduced to Clay and Nails at a prison. The details are perfect as the words draw a scene right out of an everyday prison. The tension between these two inmates is a powder keg waiting to explode. I know that Nails is as evil as they come, but his character was so well written I applaud the author for her exceptional writing. Nails is a person to be reckon with. He is driven by anger and revenge which makes him feel nothing for his victims.

Charlene and Clay are a good combination and old hurts are thrust into the present. Can Charlene learn to trust anyone again? It seems that at every corner, her life is falling apart. I would liked to have seen her character a bit more forceful at times and less vulnerable . How she kept allowing people to have power over her was a weakness that she needed to overcome. I did like the mention of their faith throughout the book and it helped the characters to rely on God and learn that He is always there when you call out to Him. The book is violent at times and can seen somewhat graphic. I thought the author did a good job of using good vs evil in a way that shows how dark and sinister evil can be . The book is definitely a page turner with twists and turns that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. If you like a good thriller with intensity , I would highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book from Librarything for an honest review. ( )

Therese Heckenkamp wrote After the Thaw as a sequel to Frozen Footprints, no doubt to her reader’s delight. I read this as a stand alone. I do, however, think due to the plot escalating from the kidnapping in Frozen Footprints, I would have understood it quicker and enjoyed it even more had I read Frozen Footprints first.

I found Heckenkamp’s combination of suspense, drama and romance to be simply perfect. The plot was ever twisting and turning giving enough breadcrumbs to keep me turning the page. The characters were splendid; varied, well plotted and developed in such a way you feel as if you know them and feel invested in their lives. She moves beyond developing just a couple of main characters. She gives us insight into quite a few characters making the storyline even more real. She explores the entire spectrum of passions from kindness to cruelty, benevolence to inhumanity, love to lust, depravity to unselfishness and honesty to deception. We see the gamut of good and evil. We see evil in a violent form that is quite distasteful but fits the nature of storyline.

Heckenkamp hooks us from the beginning. First, a scene at the prison with Clay and Nails. Then moving to three years later with Charlene and Ben at the cliffs. She displays remarkable skill in setting the storyline. I was hooked from that point making it difficult to do anything until I finished reading the entire book.

A couple small things I will mention. I did find her dragging out some of the suspense, almost repeating some of scenes with Nail about two-thirds way through. Some of that could have been left out. Also, some of what happened with Charlene was a bit much. Could everyone and everything in her life go wrong at the exact same time and in such bizarre ways?

This was my first Heckenkamp book and I was very impressed. I highly recommended After the Thaw. Be sure and get your coffee, blanket and get comfortable because you will not want to move until you have read it cover to cover!

I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )