Hinrichsen: A Writer Worth Emulating

Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen is a writer worth emulating. She knows how to hook a reader, write emotion, and keep up the pace. Her first book, Missing, is a web of tension and, like a spider weaving an intricate design, Hinrichsen constructs a carefully spun story which captures her prey—her audience--through the horror of a drowned child, the terror of a kidnapped child, the anxiety of romantic conflict, and the desperation of her heroine, Stacie Cox.

In the brief prologue, Hinrichsen hooks readers into caring about Stacie as she grapples with catastrophe. To do this, Hinrichsen balances believable dialogue, tragic action, and heart-felt emotion. Hinrichsen's emotion works so well, her readers will cry before Stacie cries—I did. And, as prologue ends with Stacie's tears, chapter one begins with villain's tears. But sorrow for the villain is quickly replaced by outrage when the villain kidnaps an innocent child. Then, disgust rises as the reader discovers the drowned child's mother is still suing after eight years. Turn the page and out jumps romantic collision. At this point, Hinrichsen's readers are as helpless as a fly trapped in a spider's weave. Snaring them deeper, on the final page of chapter one, Hinrichsen's heroine recognizes the kidnapped girl and bolts through a crowd in pursuit. As good plot demands, Stacie will not find the missing girl until the very last moment, 250 fast-paced-action-plotted pages later.

Hinrichsen writes an admirable heroine who portrays courage and action. By novel's end, the reader sees Stacie pass through desperate grief to attain peace. Additionally, the reader watches Hinrichsen's heroine change from an emotionally cut-off young woman into a person capable of accepting the risks of becoming emotionally involved with another. Furthermore, Stacie, who has vowed never to marry, nor to bear children, comes to accept a suitor and commit to a courtship which could lead to marriage and family.

There is only one major drawback to Hinrichsen's MISSING, and that is that it wasn't written for the national market. Not to say that the LDS influence is not enjoyable, but it would be advantageous to see Hinrichsen's book in the hands of more readers.