Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read: ✱✱Book Review✱✱ Try Not to Breathe by David Bell

Sunday, July 2, 2023

✱✱Book Review✱✱ Try Not to Breathe by David Bell

An ex-cop sets out to find her missing sister and discovers the shocking truth about her family...

A traumatic experience in the line of duty forces thirty-year-old Avery Rogers to abandon both her relationship and her position as a Kentucky State Police officer. She retreats to a college town where she works an unfulfilling job as a security guard, breaking up fights between drunken frat boys.

But a frantic phone call turns Avery’s life upside down. Her father—a retired cop who never fails to convey his disappointment in Avery—says her half sister is missing and in danger. Avery is sure Anna’s just crashing with friends, but her father strong-arms her into searching for the sister she barely knows.

Anna Rogers is fed up with her family—a half sister who resents her existence and a domineering father who thinks it’s okay for cops to shoot unarmed civilians. She hits the road to attend a protest against police brutality, unaware of the danger that awaits her there.

Just after catching a glimpse of Avery at the protest, Anna receives a shocking text. Now she’s no longer road-tripping; she’s running, pursued by an older sister she doesn’t trust and a violent stranger who has been stalking her for weeks.

When Avery discovers Anna’s hiding place near a remote cave system, she risks everything to save her. Little do the sisters know that a secret is catching up to them—a secret at the very heart of their family history.

Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

I always enjoy a David Bell novel, and being a Kentucky girl, I like that I can picture so many of the settings he mentions in his books. Try Not to Breathe started out a little slower than I expected from Bell, but it does pick up as the story progresses. It never quite makes it to what I would consider a thriller, though. It feels more like a domestic suspense. That said, there are a couple of things going on that raise the creep factor a bit. Like the mystery around Anna's stalker. The family secret wasn't too hard to figure out, but the twist at the end was still a pretty good one despite the predictability. The book is well written, and while I didn't find the characters exactly likable (at least at first), I wanted to know how things would turn out for them. All things considered, this one isn't my favorite David Bell novel, and it's more domestic suspense than thriller, but it's still a good book overall. I feel like this one would do well on screen with its colorful characters and family drama.