It is very unusual for me to have a Danielle steel book less than five stars but this one was a Shakey four stars. This book is drivel, and it's taking up space in a competitive market just because of the author, and that author is no longer doing work that is worthy of being published. A thought-provoking and moving story of second chances and living the best life from the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel. This is a great parable for our time, one I believe many of Steel’s fans will connect and identify with.

Charles manages to get out of the car and swim to safety and even manages to climb up the cliff and back onto the road, where he walks, in the dark, until he finds a remote cabin. What would you do if your life was unhappy and you had a chance to disappear and start your life all over again? But Aude has secrets of her own, and before long their pasts catch up to them, threatening everything they have fought to build.I think I’d enjoy reading this for the settings but not so much for the character developement or romance. After gathering the courage to climb to safety, he starts to walk—bruised, bloody, and desperate for help. Charles Vincent may seem like he has an enviable life with his beautiful wife, successful children, lucrative career, posh Parisian apartment (with a view of the Eiffel Tower, no less), and even a chateau in Normandy. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children’s books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood. I must say that it took me a while to understand that while in America, the family would have had to wait a number of years for him to have been declared dead since there was no found body, and then they could split the estate.

He manages to stumble upon the house of a gorgeous younger woman living on the outskirts of town who opens up the door and lets said injured, bloody man in. But trapped in a job he doesn’t like and wife who wants to live the life of luxury, he is anything but happy. Without a Trace is a moving tale of second chances and creating a life worth living, from the billion copy bestseller, Danielle Steel. Aud wasn’t very well developed and although she had a rough past, I didn’t understand her rush into a new relationship. Charles hates his job, is unhappy in his cold marriage, and wants nothing more than to move on in his life.

I did not enjoy the rest knowing it was dropped of the cliff near the end and felt like it was unfinished, but not in an exciting cliff hanger way. Not long later we discover she is a victim of domestic violence and her ex-husband is in prison for murdering her last boyfriend eight years before. Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world’s bestselling authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. He’s wealthy and successful, doing a job he doesn’t want to do, in a marriage to a woman where the romance died many years ago. But Aude has secrets of her own and before long their pasts catch up to them, threatening everything they have fought to build.

Her many international bestsellers include The Whittiers, The High Notes, The Challenge, Suspects, Beautiful, High Stakes, Invisible, Flying Angels, The Butler, and other highly acclaimed novels. One night, following yet another argument with his employer, he leaves the city and drives up the coast toward his chateau and a weekend spent entertaining his wife’s friends. The setting is gorgeous, part of the book is set in Paris, some of it is set in Charles’s lavish château in Normandy, and part of it is set in Aud’s small cabin, also in Normandy. As Charles and the new woman he’s fallen madly in love with face devastating complications, the only truth is their love and devotion to each other. I try to be as fair as I can because I realize how hard it is to put a book out and let the world see a piece of your work.I have read some of Danielle Steel, but the more I keep reading, the more I fall in love with each new adventure. As his “widow” makes arrangements for his memorial service, he finds a job he enjoys, and makes new friends who become truly important to him.

Steel needs to spend more energy writing one well-written solid story instead of releasing 8 or 9 in one year that aren't worth a toot. Steel twists your head around and blows your mind in this romantic, suspense, adventure and heartfelt novel. Charles Vincent appears to have everything he’s always wanted in life, his two children are grown and off doing their own thing, and while his marriage isn’t perfect, he’s worked hard to keep it together. I did like the book The Whittiers, which came out in November, and that is why I agreed to read the next two books, this one (published in January 2023) and Worthy Opponents, which I hope isn't as far-fetched as this book was.Without a Trace is a beautiful novel that examines what it takes to seize happiness, and why it takes honesty and great courage to do so, especially when life has pushed us to our breaking point.