Reviews

Target Stores has chosen to feature Judy Merrill Larsen and her debut novel ALL THE NUMBERS as their "Break Out Author" for September 2006 in stores across the USA

Booklist – June 4, 2006

Larsen’s compelling debut opens as Ellen, a divorced mother of two, takes her son James’ burial outfit to the funeral home, four days after he was hit by a Jet Skier during their annual lakeside vacation. Larsen shadows Ellen as she tentatively makes her way from the mind-numbing hospital vigil and her agonizing decision to donate James’ organs, on to the funeral, and then the difficult months of dealing with her grief and that of her older son. Larsen limns familiar scenarios—Ellen’s return to work and the ever-present sympathy of her fellow teachers and students, her immersion in the criminal case against the young Jet Skier, barely older than her remaining son, and her stifling feelings of guilt amidst her grief—with a perceptive eye and an acutely intuitive feel for the complexities of these painful situations. Ellen’s attempt at romance with a too conveniently “nice, smart, and good looking” prosecuting attorney feels a little contrived, but Larsen depicts a mother’s year of grief and recovery with a sure and honest voice.
-- Deborah Donovan

Bookloons.com -- July 2006

Keep a box of tissues nearby while reading All the Numbers, as dry eyes are impossible. Readers will feel for Ellen, cheer her on, and silently applaud the wise and compassionate decisions she finally makes. . . . . All the Numbers is a quick but gripping summer read, both incredibly sad and very satisfying.
-- Hilary Williamson

Freshfiction.com

ALL THE NUMBERS is a powerful novel that expertly touches on every emotional aspect of motherhood. Larsen's descriptive writing immediately grabs the reader as the drama rapidly unravels from happiness to heartache. Leaving nothing to the imagination, Larsen leaves no stone unturned as she painstakingly describes the raw emotions of each character, from the victim to the accused. Rarely does an author succeed in mastering the art of storytelling on so many levels in a debut novel. Engrossing, exceptional, and emotional! ALL THE NUMBERS is a novel not to be missed.
-- Jennifer Vido

The Lakeland Times (Minocqua, WI)

‘All The Numbers’ is a ‘five-hankie’ novel

I don’t think I have ever read a more emotionally stirring book than “All The Numbers” by Judy Merrill Larsen.
In her publishing debut, Merrill Larsen pulls the reader’s heart strings with her story of tragedy, grief, rage, and, finally, healing.
-- Joyce Laabs

Curled Up With A Good Book (www.curledup.com)

ALL THE NUMBERS captures great pain, powerful in showing the strength and resilience of spirit and beautiful in portraying the complications in emotions. Not for the faint at heart, this book should be read with a box of Kleenex at your side. Judy Merrill Larsen has a gift for drawing the reader into her story and never letting them go.

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