Trace of Doubt - A Review

 

Trace of Doubt  

by

DiAnn Mills

A Review

Why do I remember

The sins that stalk my soul?

Why can’t I hold on to the

Forgiveness that makes me whole?

Ashes rise to steal my breath.

I choke from downing fear.

Help me, Lord, to cling to You

In never-ending prayer.

When I pick up a new book by DiAnn Mills, I expect to experience the best in Romantic Suspense. Trace of Doubt is no exception. Marissa is the epitome of evil; even the fifteen-year prison sentence had not changed her. Now she would kill her sister and her daughter and break her father’s heart.

Two narrators trade places throughout the book as Shelby Pearce and Denton McClure take turns telling their stories and how those stories interact with Marissa’s malignant behavior. It would not be easy as they each had to deal with lies and misconceptions that wounded their lives and the lives of those around them. They each would need to experience far more of God’s forgiveness and grace than they thought they needed. But He would provide.

The book was intense at places and held my attention. My only concern was the implication that a pastor can provide the level of counseling needed by two of the main characters. Unless the pastor had at least a MS in Counseling, the kind of support needed by Aria and Shelby should normally be done by a professional counselor. Seminary training is not sufficient for the consistent therapy these two women needed. I would suggest that an appropriate warning be added as part of the front matter or immediately following the book’s epilogue. Despite this oversight, the book is worthy of 5-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Labyrinth of Lies - A Review

 

Labyrinth of Lies

by

Irene Hannon

A Review

Cate Reilly, a detective for the St. Louis MO Police Department, and Zeke Sloan, an agent assigned to the DEA, have both gone undercover at the Ivy Hill Academy, an elite girls’ private high school. She to help locate two missing teens; he to investigate a drug cartel that seems to have connection to the same school.

Two problems immediately present themselves. First, the two cases appear to be interconnected. Second, Cate and Zeke have a years-old relationship that went bonkers eight years ago - a breakup that left both very disturbed. Working at a girls’ high school would seem like a cushy assignment except both Cate and Zeke will find their lives in danger. The story is well-written, though at times gaps appear in the story. For example, at one point Cate is out, lost, on a snowy road. The next time we see her, she is on the phone conversing with her handler. No explanation, no hint from where her help came.

The faith-based story held this reader’s interest and might easily appeal to anyone interested in suspense or romantic-suspense literature. I give the book 4-½ stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Danger On The Loch - A Review

 

Danger On

The Loch

by

Paige Edwards

A Review

Covenant Communications (the publishing arm of the LDS Church) presents a well-written faith-based novel that seems more like a romance novel than a suspense novel. Having said that, it did hold this reader's attention. Though the action begins in Virginia, it quickly moves to Scotland where Paisley finds herself in the midst of a mystery that would threaten her life and the lives of those around her.

At the same time, a childhood friend finds his job also moving him to Scotland - together they would need to unravel the “Danger on the Loch”. Together they would also need to discover the meaning of love.

Though the reading was a bit slower than I would like (romance might do that for me), the scenery, locations, and people of Scotland provided an interesting backdrop for this charming novel. I give the book four stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Backlash - A Review

 

Backlash

by

Rachel Dylan

“God hasn’t left you, Hunter. God’s there even when we think we can’t feel Him or hear Him. Sometimes it may just be a whisper in the wind or a beautiful sunrise, and that’s all it takes to remind me that the Lord is so much bigger than us. Than this earth. Than our lives. He is everything and everywhere while at the same time He cares about each of us.” (Page 85)

I could not put down this faith-based romantic thriller. With three friends being accused of three very different crimes, the CIA and the DEA are on high alert as they seek to find the villains who are out to discredit three strong patriots in the employee of the US government. It will take the work of all the friends to find the guilty parties. And as they seek their answers we also get a glimpse at the romantic lives of this group. 

The book read like a movie that might appear in Hallmark’s Movies and Mysteries channel - except it dealt with three relationships rather than focusing on a single couple. Nonetheless, it was a satisfying and fun read.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Acceptable Risk - A Review

Acceptable Risk

by

Lynette Eason

PTSD, suicides, drug trials, and families, provide the ingredients for a tightly wound suspense novel that has roots in the mountains of Afghanistan and ends up in an east coast VA hospital. 

For one family to experience so much pain was unfair and Sarah Denning was determined to find out where it was coming from. It would not be an easy search - she would need to convince her friends and family that she was on the right track. That would not be easy - she had been on serious pain killers that could disrupt her memories and emotions. And there were powerful men and women who did not want her to discover the truth. Could she survive her own demons and those being thrown at her by a corrupt medical community?

Though published by a faith-based publisher, faith has but a small part in this story, leaving this reader a bit disappointed. Also, as I often suggest, when a fiction book deals with issues that real people face daily (in this case PTSD), I would hope that a resource or two (phone number and/or web page) would be suggested to find real help in our broken world.

Though I would see no problem putting this book into a church library, its lack of a serious spiritual focus may allow some to reconsider. It would easily belong on the public library shelf and would be enjoyed by any reader who enjoys suspense or medical thrillers. I give it a 4-½ star review.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Standoff - A Review

Standoff

by

Patricia Bradley

Patricia Bradley has wrapped together the best from several different genres. Standoff provides us a look at dirty Southern politics, a brief glimpse at a romantic suspense, and a walk through the workings of the U.S. National Park Investigative Services which Brooke Danvers has been training for and ready to be sworn in as a Law Enforcement Officer. Before that can occur two men are found dead - the son of the chief ranger and a Mississippi State Senator. Though barely ready to serve, Brooke is drawn into the midst of the investigations surrounding these deaths and puts her life on the line in finding the needed answers.

The first 30% (literally) of the book presented an overly complex mystery that was difficult to follow. After reading the first third of the story, the writing settled down and became the intense thriller the reader expected to find. The story is rooted along the Natchez Trace running between Natchez MS and Nashville TN. Originally used by the indigenous Indians, then by the traders moving slaves from the south to the north, it is now used by the illegal Mexican drug cartels moving their illegal goods further north. This provides the backdrop for Standoff.

Once started, the book was a good read that kept me up for several nights. Running over 400 pages, the reader will need to be patient as he or she tracks the settings and people found throughout the story. This reader was also glad to hear that there will be more in the series.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Dead End - A Review

Dead End

by

Nancy Mehl

Norman Webber had just received s new, and unwanted, birthday gift - a metal detector. He was surprised when, on his first day out, he discovered a large diamond ring. His wife was extremely happy with the discovery until he pointed out that it was attached to the finger of a dead woman.

Thus begins Dead End. The book is a faith-based, emotional, and romantic, thriller starring protagonists FBI Special Agent Kaely Quinn and FBI Special Agent Noah Hunter, first introduced in Nancy Mehl’s Mind Games and Fire Storm. Both Quinn and Hunter are based out of the St. Louis, MO, FBI Field Office, and were surprised to receive a call for help from Des Moines, IA, normally served by the Omaha, NE, FBI Field Office. First thinking it was a mistake, before finding there were very valid reasons for their involvement, they would be assigned to assist for a month in the case under the jurisdiction of the Des Moines, IA, Police Department.

The book held the reader’s attention as it wrapped together elements of an old case whose perpetrator is serving a life sentence in prison and a new case begun with the discovery of the diamond ring by Norman Webber. The reader will watch Quinn and Hunter as they seek to discover the new UNSUB and listen to the UNSUB’s twisted mind as he seeks to lead them astray. The climax is a mixed blessing as it ties together some threads seen in all three novels, but it also leaves some plot holes that the reader hopes might be answered in a fourth book. Alas, there is no hint that a fourth book is in the works.

The book deserves a place in the church library as well in the public library. Readers enjoying books from this genre will have a difficult time putting the book down.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Silent Shadows - A Review

Silent Shadows

By

Natalie Walters

Silent Shadows is a well-written faith-based romantic suspense that should be enjoyed by all who follow this genre of fiction.

A series of twists make it unclear who is the villain and who is the victim. Pecca Gallegos, her family, and friends from Walton GA, along with her new client, Colton Crawford, will spend weeks working toward understanding the danger facing the community. It may be just a bunch of misdirected kids, but that seems too simple a solution. And the most likely answer does not fit the evidence that has been found. Making the solution more complex is that a good number of the players are disabled veterans who have served their country and now needed healing themselves.

The book is the conclusion of a series of three books begun a little less than a year ago - but I had no idea of this until I read the “Acknowledgments” found at the end of the book. This, of course, means that Silent Shadows can be read as a standalone story without having read the two previous books in the series. There were times that the romance slowed down the suspense, but not by much and this reader stilled greatly enjoyed the book.

This book will easily find a home in the church or public library. _____________
This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.