A Memory Worth Dying For by Joanie Bruce

This novel begins with a tragic car accident. A very pregnant Martha (Marti) Rushing is in a car with her sister-in-law and her sister-in-law's husband. He's driving and looses control. Martha survives but the others do not.

Fast forward three years. Marti is living in Tennessee, divorced and an accomplished artist. Due to a concussion from the accident, she has no memory of it. All she remembers is what people said afterward, the horrible things her husband said to her, including that she must leave. She did leave and she's never been back to Texas.

Marti's ex-husband Daniel has also had a memory loss. He had joined the army after the horrible experience with his wife. He'd suffered a memory loss as a result of an attack. He has no memory of his marriage with Marti nor his angry rejection of her. He only knows what others have told him. He does vaguely remember his childhood friend, Veronica, a woman who has now set her sights on him.

The action ramps up when Marti receives a letter from Daniel's father. Daniel is dying and would she come visit him. She decides to go, despite her recent experiences with a stalker. Someone wants her to stay out of Texas. She puts her life in danger to see the man she still loves, the only one she thinks has the answers to what really happened years ago.

It may seem a bit odd to have both spouses experience memory loss. It does make for a complicated plot but it pretty much works. There is lots of revealing of the past along the way but, in the end, it is reasonable.

There is lots of suspense in the novel. Danger follows Marti to Texas and before too long the situation gets deadly. The characters are reasonably well crafted. My least favorite character, Veronica, was developed the best. Her false sweetness just made me cringe. She was so obvious in her conniving that I lost respect for Daniel. That he could not see what she was doing is reason to view him as a weak character. Martha is somewhere in between. Having two of the characters with memory loss hindered full character development for Daniel and Marti.

The mystery aspect is pretty well done. In the end, everything made sense and Bruce did a good job of hiding some of the essential facts until near the end. This is a romance as well and we are kept waiting to see if Daniel and Marti will actually get together again.

This novel has a strong Christian message. The gospel is clearly presented through character discussions. I recommend the novel to those who like a good romantic mystery.

I am participating in a blog tour of this book and you can find links to all the tour participants here.



My rating: 4/5 stars.

Joanie Bruce has written books for children and teens. She and her husband live in a country home near Madison, Georgia. You can find out more at http://www.joaniebruce.com/.

Ambassador International, 400 pages. You can purchase a copy here.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Celebrate Lit for the purpose of an independent and honest review.