I just finished a "Bend in the Road" and I must say that it is definetly not my favorite Nicholas Sparks book. It isn't as romantic or as touching as his other novels and I felt almost like I really didn't get to know these characters or see/feel their relationship branch out because it was so engrossed or involved around the murder of Missy Ryan. It's nice to see Sparks trying to mesh his talent out into a murder mystery genre but I really was looking forward to enjoying a satisfying romance, which I only partly experienced in this book.
I am still a Sparks fan. With 13 best selling books, there is bound to be one that I personally find a "hit or miss".
(From what I have read, 1 out of 7 still isn't bad.)