The Taker by Alma Katsu

True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . .
On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.
Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.
Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption.

Goodreads Summary


Lanore is one of the main characters in this book and she is the quality of the book that really draws the reader in.  She's a bit of an enigma; Luke, another main character, does not know what to make of her.  He meets her under odd circumstances...she is a possible suspect in a brutal murder case.  She begins to tell her tale to him as a way of getting him to open up to her and maybe believe her.  Where she lived, women were thought of as fixtures in a house, meant for the "women's tasks" and not much else.  There were fairly rigid rules.  Jonathan comes along and really shakes her up.  Their relationship grows from friends to "something more" and then goes a step further-she discovers she is pregnant with his child. 

She is sent away from home to give birth, shamed.  She is supposed to return without the child, she cannot keep her own baby.  However, she is apprehended and taken by an evil man called Adair...her tale gets more and more sordid and horrible from here, the story really takes off. 

The plot is interesting and, in part, horrifying.  The reader will be captivated by some of the more lengthy descriptions of Lanore's experiences.  She is a sympathetic character who is likable and the reader will have no trouble enjoying her character.  The secondary characters vary widely; some are nice, some are cruel, and other are more..."eh."  This novel is, if nothing, interesting and worth a read.  This book would be great for adult readers who enjoy mystery and drama.

4 Stars