Trust Me - A Review

 

Trust Me 

by

Kelly Irvin

A Review

Delaney Broward (aka Laney) had lost everyone. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was young. Her grandparents had died months apart while she was in college. Her brother, Corey, was murdered. And her best friend, Hunter Nash, the man she thought she was going to marry, was charged with the murder and was convicted of manslaughter 10 years earlier. And now he was out on good behavior and was hounding her a bit too much. It was not just her opinion - it was an opinion shared by the San Antonio TX Police Department and Laney’s friends.

The day Hunter Nash returned was also the day that Ellie Hill, Delaney’s best friend now, was killed in an horrific murder.

Suspect number 1 for Ellie’s murder was Hunter Nash - if he had any hopes of rewinning Delaney’s heart, he now had to prove that he was innocent of two murders. And that was something Delaney, the San Antonio TX PD, and Laney’s friends did not think possible.

The resulting story is a stomach-churning, edge-of-your-seat, thriller, that did not let this reader relax until the very last chapter. The story has the reader traveling throughout San Antonio, gathering clues, with and without the help of the police department. In the midst of this story we watch two young adults struggle with their faith. One’s faith grew in the most harrowing of places; the other lost their faith through a similar set of circumstances.

With the exception of the last chapter, the book was perfect. Most (all?) of the last chapter could have been omitted, allowing the reader to fill in the story’s final details. 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.

Her Every Move - A Review

Her Every Move

by

Kelly Irwin

A Review

 Reading is a gift. I read when I can’t sleep
I read when I’m sad. I read when I’m happy.
Reading gives me joy,
takes me places I’ve never been,
and I learn things.
What person wouldn’t want that gift?”

(Her Every Move, p. 343)

Though it opens a bit slowly, Her Every Move becomes a heart stopper as Jackie Santora, San Antonio Public Library librarian, and SAPD Detective Avery Wick stumble among the various suspects who may be placing bombs around the city. They have identified three or four, but could it be somebody who has not yet been named.

The book builds believable characters within a real-life setting (downtown San Antonio and the Alamo) to create a thrilling story that this reader could not put down. I now want to add San Antonio to my bucket list of places to visit.

Kelly Irwin has given us a faith-based thriller that explores the doubt that many live with when life gets tough without being preachy. It does not resolve those questions, but in a well-written story she allows the reader to explore those themes along with the book’s characters. 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 are mine alone.

Closer Than She Knows - A Review

 

Closer Than She Knows

by

Kelly Irwin

Her prayer life was more
a series of discussions
between an Abba Father and
His recalcitrant daughter. 

It is not often I read a book for a second time - I did this one. Not because it was great (though, it was good), but because I read it the first time last February. I was ready to review it, but then the 2020-pandemic hit. My schedules changed, my wife was home, meals were a bit different. And for 6-8 weeks my habit of reading and reviewing got sidelined. I have mostly caught up on my reviews, but this book got pushed to the bottom of the pile. Now, six months later, I discovered the missing review; but to prepare a current and fair review, I needed to reread the book. I am glad I did.

Kelly Irwin has written a faith-based novel that focuses on the court recorder daughter of a law enforcement heavy family. Her father and two of Teagan O’Rourke siblings were in law enforcement. One stepsister chose law school - a close second. A serial killer was slowly murdering the important people around her, co-workers, friends, and now, it seemed, family members. The clock was ticking before another would die. The family, working with the San Antonio Police Department, and the youth pastor, who was sweet on Teagan, would need to follow the clues - would they lead to a murderer or to a trap.

Teagan would need to learn (or was it relearn) to trust God - both for her and her family’s safety and for her future. They would be hard lessons to learn. 

The book held this reader’s attention from chapter one to chapter forty-two. Though not planned, it was a book worth reading a second time.

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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.

Collision of Lies - A Review

Collision of Lies 

a

by

Tom Threadgill

The accident had occurred three years ago. Benjamin Reyes was one of the 17 children who had died on the Cotulla school bus that had been hit by the freight train. Along with the tanker cars that exploded, not much had been left for identifying the remains except for a few bits of DNA.

And yet his mother had received the text message, “Help me, Mom.” It had to be a wrong number or a terrible prank - Enzo and Marisa Reyes son had died three years ago. But each time San Antonio Property Crimes Detective Amara Alvarez tried to verify the “prank”, more questions arose. At first, she was alone in looking at the evidence, then she was joined by Homicide Detective Jeremiah “Starsky” Peckham, the Chief Medical Examiner Douglas Pritchard, and others. Eventually, the case would involve the Texas Rangers, the FBI, the CIA, and even the White House.

Tom Threadgill has built a thriller that grows on the reader chapter by chapter - each adding another, albeit small, piece to the puzzle. The kind of book that those enjoying international mysteries will not want to put down. Written by an explicitly Christian author, the book is not quite as clearly Christian; not offensive, but not explicitly so. I will be looking for the next book from this talented writer following the life of a, now, newly minted homicide detective.

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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.