I was given an arc of Nora Roberts Mind Games a few weeks ago. One of the reasons she has such a large and loyal following is that she is so consistent in her writing. The stories are not exactly the same and she moves around in the subgenres of romance, but every one of her books has a familiarity. I generally know exactly what I’m going to get when I open a Nora Roberts book. I read a lot of her books at a time when I was working 60 hours a week at a low-paying, high-pressure job. I don’t read her as much anymore, but it’s nice to visit La Nora on occasion.
Unfortunately, I did not like Mind Games. It felt like she phoned in the phoning in. Thea Fox and her brother are on their annual stay with their grandmother at her house in Appalachia. Thea witnesses the murder of her parents in her dream and is able to give the police enough information to capture and convict the murderer. The murderer is also able to get into people’s minds, and he and Thea torment each other for a couple of decades. Thea and her brother stay in the Appalachian mountains with their grandmother and build their adult lives there as well. Thea has grown up to become a video game designer and occasionally helps the police. When Thea’s neighbor dies, the grandson moves in with his son and becomes Thea’s love interest. He is a retired-ish rock star who didn’t like fame. Stuff happens, there is a final mental showdown with the murderer, everyone lives happily ever after.
Currently, Mind Games has a 4.46 stars average with 235 ratings on Goodreads. In a lot of ways it feels a bit silly to review a Nora Roberts book. If what you want is to read a Nora Roberts book, this one delivers one of the classic Roberts’ trademarks – the family and friends that will throw down for you. There are some emotional highs when Thea helps the police save a girl, and emotional lows when the love interest wrongly accuses Thea of using him. To me, it all felt hollow. The characters felt more rote than usual. If you love Nora Roberts, you are going to read this anyway. If you are looking for a place to start with Nora Roberts, this one isn’t it.
I received this as an advance reader copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.