The Return of Cassandra Todd ~ Review

The Return of Cassandra Todd
By Darrel Nelson

Turner Caldwell's life is different than he thought it would be.  He had worked at a Christian youth camp for troubled teens for four years until financial troubles closed the camp.  Now Turner works as a handyman at Mountain View Motel and is going to college.

But when he sees Cassandra Todd walk into the local bank, he is transported back to high school and the tormenting that those in Cassandra's crowd inflicted on him.  But when Cassandra and her son Justin check into the Mountain View Motel he is about to see that even what looks like a perfect life isn't always as it appears.

Cassandra is fleeing her abusive husband Brad, but when she is detained in Lakewood he comes looking for her.  With men posted around the motel Turner is Cassandra's only hope of escape.  With the help of Turner's employer - Loretta Jones they make their escape.  But Brad is determined to get back what Cassandra took from him and no one is going to get in his way.

Cassandra doesn't trust many people anymore after all the man she thought she knew and loved has turned on her and has threatened their son.  She refuses to go to the police because Brad will convince them she is the one with a problem.  She remembers Turner and feels guilty about not speaking out against the bullying he was subjected to.  But Turner isn't like she remembers him - he's funny, smart, and he cares about people as is evidenced in his interest in Justin.

When Brad's men find them where they are hiding their very lives are at stake.  Can Cassandra's faith touch Turner's heart and the bitterness that has taken root over the years?

The Return of Cassandra Todd is as well written and engaging as Darrel Nelson's first book The Anniversary Waltz.  You care for these characters and their struggles, you will be unable to put it down until you reach the end.  Darrel doesn't disappoint in this his second book.

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author:

Darrel Nelson recently retired after thirty-seven years as a schoolteacher so he could devote himself to writing full-time. He now spends his time writing novels, articles, plays, and music and soaking up time with his ten grandchildren. Nelson has bachelor's degrees in English and education from the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada where he lives with his wife Marsha. The Return of Cassandra Todd follows Nelson's highly praised debut novel Anniversary Waltz. About the Book: If the girl whose friends bullied you in high school turned up years later asking for your help, would you give it? Darrel Nelson explores that scenario in his second novel,The Return of Cassandra Todd. Addressing themes of bullying and spousal abuse, Nelson's latest work tells a story that could be from today's headlines. Turner Caldwell works at a local motel as a handyman while attending college full-time. On his way to class one day, he is shocked to see Cassandra Todd and her young son in town. The sight of her brings back powerful memories of being bullied in high school-she was the popular head cheerleader and he the target of her friends' mean-spirited pranks. When Cassandra and her son check into the motel where he works and she asks for his help in eluding her abusive husband, he finds himself entangled in a dangerous drama that will require him to forgive and draw on every skill he has if they are to survive.