"The River" by Canadian author Cheryl Kaye Tardif | The River

Imaginative Blend of Mystery, Action-Adventure, and Science Fiction | The River | Cheryl Kaye Tardif

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	• The River Cheryl Kaye Tardif Trafford Publishing, 2005 - 252 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Plunge into "The River" for a thrilling adventure! Get carried away by the flow of Tardif's magical prose!

Before deciding to purchase The River, I read the author's blog. At first I thought this book was a true story because she wrote the blog synopsis in first person, but at the end she admitted this really didn't happen to her; it was simply a clever lure to garner more interest.

And it worked for me! Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif hooked me from the first sentence. I couldn't wait to read it. Having already read and raved over her later release, Whale Song: A Novel, I knew I would like The River, but didn't think anything could come up to Whale.

How wrong I was! This book is outstanding, too, and I'm learning that all of this author's works are brilliant.

The superb writing in The River flowed along smoothly, as naturally as the Mississippi River; then as the story progressed it picked up speed and energy like the turbulent white-water of the Colorado. All of that with some of the exotic features brought to mind by the mighty, mysterious Amazon River. Wow--what a book!

The story opens seven years after Professor of Anthropology Del Hawthorne learns of her father's disappearance and presumed death. Del is stunned when one of the men who went with him on a mysterious mission near Canada's legendary Nahanni River, stumbles into her University office. He's half-dead, but before passing out he manages to give her a coded journal and inform her that her father is still alive.

Even though Del is in remission from multiple sclerosis, she is determined to venture into the rugged territories surrounding the dangerous Nahanni River to find the truth and bring her father and any other survivors home. Along with a sturdy, hand-selected group of brainy men and women, they set off on the adventure of their lives--an adventure which some won't survive.

There are thrills aplenty in this novel: headless corpses on the banks of the Nahanni, hi-tech machinery, underground labs, secret caves, and time-travel into the near future. How does all that affect our brave adventurers? And who is trying to sabotage their rescue efforts? Could there be a spy in their midst? What happens to Del when someone steals her MS medication? What does the "fountain of youth" have to do with her father and his research? Will she find him alive? And how does the year 2031 fit into the scheme of things?

And YES, dear reader, there's a big romance! But is Jake to be trusted? Will they find true love, or is he working with the evil "Director," using Del for his own selfish purposes?

In order to give nothing of the plot away, I always advise you to RFY (and by now you should know that means Read For Yourself). I promise it will be an outstanding reading adventure.

Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a true wordsmith, writing fluently while making it seem easy. Her plot is well-paced, with characters so believable the reader cares what happens to them, and above all, her imagination soars. This is a true high-concept story.

I invite you to plunge into this intriguing story ... head-first or feet-first, it doesn't matter. You're in for an absorbing adventure--with more twists and turns than the Nahanni River itself--and a surprising, yet satisfying ending that leaves you gasping for more.

Reviewed by Betty Dravis, 2008
Millennium Babe: The Prophecy

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"The River" by Canadian author Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Del Hawthorne's dad had been dead these past 7 years. Del believed it. Everyone did! They'd even had a funeral. But when her father's closest friend unexpectedly shows up in her office, and has an incredible tale to tell, Del now knew her father was alive after all! A motley crew: Del's former lover; a handsome doctor and his assistant; Del's assistant; a cryptographer and a computer programmer; their Native guide, and of course, Del herself, travel to the Nahanni River in Canada's Northwest Territories to find her father. From the moment they first arrive at the Nahanni, to the final page, the book is a roller coaster ride, building momentum and going faster and faster. Then there's a loop-de-loop and you're sure the roller coaster has derailed. Nope. Within just a few pages it's back on track, and you're in for an even wilder and more thrilling ride! A definite "must read" from Cheryl Kaye Tardif!

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Imaginative Blend of Mystery, Action-Adventure, and Science Fiction

Anthropologist and professor, Del Hawthorne, is on a mission. It begins the moment, an ill and aged Professor Schroeder - a man she believed had died with her father seven years earlier - stumbles into her classroom to tell Del that her father is alive, but about to be killed by someone bent on destroying humanity. To find her father, Del must reach the Nahanni River where he and Schroeder had originally disappeared. Gathering a small team of people, Del begins a risky, unusual adventure, where she discovers a secret underground river, and far more trouble than she bargained for.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif's cross-genre novel, THE RIVER is an intriguing blend of mystery, action-adventure, thriller, and science fiction. Vivid descriptions, realistic dialogue, and persistent tension kept me turning the pages to find out if Del and her friends survive the dangers not only of the Nahanni River, but of the evil man has created. The novel's theme is a dark reminder that there are still people out there who want power over life and death, to dominate others, and who believe that science and technology will accomplish this mission.

My only quibble is a couple of unanswered questions at the end that I wish had been answered. Still, if you're looking for an entertaining read, then THE RIVER is a great choice.

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great characters, tons of action, cool technology

Michael Crichton fans will enjoy a ride on THE RIVER: like Crichton, Cheryl Tardif's suspense/near science fiction is all about what happens when you mix way-cool technology with bad people.

Biotechnologist Dr. Lawrence went missing on a northern Canadian river trip seven years before. His anthropologist daughter Del is surprised when one of his traveling companions drops two bombshells: Lawrence is still alive, and bad guys are after him. He gives Del some clues to help her find her father, and this sets her on a quest to find her father and neutralize the bad guys.

And that's the setup to the guts of the story: the quest turns into a river trip with a set of well-developed characters, all carrying their own emotional baggage and conflicts with them to this northern Canadian river. And when Del arrives, Tardif feeds us geeks with references to nanobots, time travel, and the chase to find an elixir of life. Del's romantic adventures are fun and full of conlicts, and the ethical dilemmas are presented and handled well.

I found THE RIVER to be a great mix of adventure, suspense, romance, and technology, and I can't wait to read more of Tardif's works.

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Hang on for the ride of your life!

Having moved on seven years after her missing father is assumed dead, Delia Hawthorne "Del" is visited by an aged stranger. Convinced the man is deranged, Del calls security to have him removed from her university classroom. "Delly it's me" he says. And though it can't be, it is. He is professor Schroeder, a colleague gone missing with her father so many years earlier, only he is much older than he should be. Schroeder tells her that her father is still alive and hands over a coded journal just before collapsing unconscious.

At the hospital, Del learns that Schroeder is suffering from a rare form of Progeria - a rapid aging disease. He will soon die and no one knows what has caused his condition. Jake Kerrigan, a research specialist for Bio-Tec Canada, the same company Del's father worked for, is brought in to consult.

Convinced by Schroeder and his journal that her father is still alive, Del decides to retrace her father's footsteps by traveling to the mysterious Canadian South Nahanni River - a river shrouded in legend and known for the occasional headless skeletons discovered along its banks.

Del, her ex-boyfriend, Jake Kerrigan, and a cadre of others led by their Dene guide travel and sometimes battle the beautiful and treacherous Nahanni River. Taming the river while searching for her captive father is exhausting . Add to this Del's exacerbation of her Multiple Scelorsis and the journey is emotionally and mentally taxing. This may be why I found Del's frequent romantic and lustful thoughts regarding Jake somewhat out of place given the situation.

In the second half of the book, the team find the hidden location of Del's father. Without giving away too many plot surprises, this section reminded me of a cross between James Bond's Dr. No and a more recent movie The Island. There is the hi-tech bad-guy lair controlled by a nefarious conspiratorial organization looking to gain the ultimate control over human life.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif's description of the Nahanni expedition is exceptional, demonstrating her considerable research and command of this remote Canadian region. "The River" is a wonderful adventure. Readers will not be disappointed in what could be the ride of their lives.

Todd A Fonseca, author of The Time Cavern

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The South Nahanni River has a history of mysterious deaths, disappearances and headless corpses, but it may also hold the key to humanity's survival... or its destruction.

Seven years ago, Del Hawthorne's father and three of his friends disappeared near the Nahanni River and were presumed dead. When one of the missing men stumbles onto the University grounds, alive but barely recognizable and aging before her eyes, Del is shocked. Especially when the man tells her something inconceivable. Her father is still alive!

Gathering a group of volunteers, Del travels to the Nahanni River to rescue her father. There, she finds a secret river that plunges her into a technologically advanced world of nanobots and painful serums. Del uncovers a conspiracy of unimaginable horror, a plot that threatens to destroy us all. Will humanity be sacrificed for the taste of eternal life?

"Cheryl Kaye Tardif has once again captivated readers in her third novel and latest suspense thriller, The River. Set in the wilds of Canada's north, The River combines intrigue, science, love and adventure and is sure to keep readers clamoring for more."
-Heather Andrews Miller, Edmonton Sun

"Exciting and vivid. Tardif's latest novel sweeps readers along into uncharted, wild Canadian territory. A thrilling adventure where science sniffs harder, desperate to find the fountain-of-youth."
-Christina Francine, Midwest Book Review

"A wild river ride of tension, intrigue and romance as a motley crew of adventurers take you on a search for a man of the past who holds the key to the future, and the secret to eternal youth and power. Hang on--it's going to be a bumpy ride! Excellent read!"
-S.L. Bartlett, Silver Moon Magazine

To view Cheryl's events: www.cherylktardif.com/events.htm

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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