Review: "Stolen" by Lesley Pearse

25-year-old Dale Moore is working at a beautician at a hotel spa when a mysterious young woman is found on a nearby beach. The woman is alive -barely -but has amnesia about her past and about the events that landed her on a shore nearly drowned. Dale sees an artist's rendition in the paper of the mysterious girl in the newspaper and she seems to resemble Lotte, a hairdresser who was her roomate when she did a stint as a beautician on a cruise ship, and whom Dale hasn't heard from since the cruise ended. Dale visits the police and Lotte's parents and it's determined that this girl is indeed Lotte, and that things are about to get a lot more mysterious.

As Lotte's memory slowly begins to come back, they learn that she is indeed in trouble. While in the hospital a man tries to strangle her, and Lotte has no idea who would want her dead. The doctors discover that Lotte has even given birth, probably sometime in the past three months, and suddenly the search for what happened to Lotte escalates as a helpless baby could be lying abandonded somewhere. It all comes down to if Lotte can recover her memories in time, and if she and Dale can hold on until the truth is discovered.

Despite the fact that Lesley Pearse has written a long list of bestselling books, I have never read one, nor have I even heard of her if I'm being honest. Stolen was my first Lesley Pearse and it did not disappoint! The plot was fresh and exciting, rather than being recycled as so many plots are. All too often I read a book and find that the plot is one that I've read before, and I was so glad that this was not the case this time. I'm not a huge fan of mysteries in general, but the mysterious aspects of this book were what made it so compelling! I couldn't put it down, and as Pearse revealed important details, one at a time, I couldn't make myself stop reading- I had to know what happened next! I wouldn't classify this book as being a mystery, but the twists in the book are what made this so much fun to read.

The characters were well-developed as well. Dale comes off as being tough and in control, but as the book continues her softer side is revealed. Lotte is wonderful as someone who has had everything taken from her, including her memory, but continues to persevere so that she can continue on with her life and put the things that happened to her behind her. Simon and Adam, a gay couple who have come to view Lotte as their little sister were also beautifully portrayed as intelligent, capable, and above all, loving men.

I would highly recommend that any fiction lover who is looking for something exciting, fresh, and different to pick up this book and give it a try. I was riveted throughout and will be on the lookout for more Lesley Pearse books to read. Thank-you to Penguin Canada for this review copy! You can read an excerpt of Stolen here.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Fiction lovers, anyone looking for a light mystery that will have you glued to your seat until the end
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge 2010