Green Books Campaign: The Nesting Dolls by Gail Bowen

Title: The Nesting Dolls
Author: Gail Bowen
Series: Joanne Kilbourn Mystery #12
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
Publication Date: August 17, 2010
Pages: 304

From Goodreads:
Just hours before her body is found in a car in a parking lot, a young woman hands her baby to a perfect stranger and disappears. The stranger is the daughter of Delia Wainberg, a lawyer in the same firm as Joanne Kilbourn's husband. One close look at the child suggests that there might be a family relationship, and soon the truth about the child Delia gave up for adoption years ago comes out. The boy must be Delia's grandson. Then his mother is found dead, sexually assaulted and murdered. Not only is there a killer on the loose, but the dead woman's partner is demanding custody of the child.

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This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today, 200 bloggers take a stand to support books printed in an eco-friendly manner by simultaneously publishing reviews of 200 books printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using eco- friendly paper, we hope to raise the awareness of book buyers and encourage everyone to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books.

The campaign is organized for the second time by Eco-Libris, a green company working to make reading more sustainable. We invite you to join the discussion on "green" books and support books printed in an eco-friendly manner! A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.

The Nesting Dolls is printed on acid-free paper that is 100% recycled, ancient-forest friendly (100% post-consumer recycled).

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First off, I want to thank Shanyn at Chick Loves Lit for passing this opportunity on to me. I am really excited to be a part of the 2010 Green Books Campaign!

When I first chose this book, I didn’t realize that it was part of a series. When I found out afterwards, I was a little nervous that I would be totally lost and not know enough of the back story to be able to understand the storyline. Thankfully, this was not the case at all.

The story begins with Joanne and Zack, a couple that is thrown into a situation involving Zack’s close friend and business partner. I immediately fell in love with the couple because they have such a strong, understanding, and loving relationship. The struggles and situations that the couple experience throughout the story certainly test their bond to the extreme, but they always come out ahead. The couple is thrown into this mystery from the very beginning and they become more and more involved as the story develops. They somehow managed to deal with the drama gracefully and respectfully, even though morals and ethics come into play more than once.  

The mystery itself was so fascinating and intriguing that I was hooked from the very beginning. I was instantly pulled in when the stranger abandons her baby in the middle of a horrific Canada snowstorm. A thousand questions came to mind - why would someone do that? Who could do that to a baby? Was this act pre-meditated or done on a whim? These questions were answered as the story progressed and were done superbly well.

One of my favorite aspects of the story is how the author portrayed Zack and the difficulties he faces being handicapped. It’s not overbearing or over-the-top, but realistic and heartfelt. Your heart goes out to him at times, but that quickly fades and turns into sheer admiration because he is such a strong character and not someone that likes pity taken upon him.

Reading this book makes me really want to read the first 11 books in the series! The mystery and suspense the author creates is phenomenal and makes you turn the pages faster and faster to see what happens next.