The Catch - A Review

 

The Catch

by

Lisa Harris

A Review

The judge’s wife has been killed, a courtroom has been ambushed, a protected WITSEC witness has disappeared. And it is all connected.

Madison James and Jonas Quinn, US Marshals, are assigned to one case, but find that they are working on all three. The plot takes us from Seattle’s inner city to the rural forests surrounding the ciTy to the waterways that define the city’s western boundary. Murders, kidnappings, and chase  scenes define the crimes - even as we learn to appreciate the courage and strengths of the Marshals and the victims.

The result is a satisfying faith-based thriller that will hold the reader’s attention from the beginning to the end. Speaking to faith, courage, and grief, the book will be of value to many readers. Though not the author’s best work, it was worth the time I spent reading it. 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.

The Chase - A Review

 

The Chase

e

by

Lisa Harris

A Review

Lisa Harris has written a faith-based novel that follows two US Marshals who are trying to track down four bank robbers that have “hit a least a dozen banks” in the Seattle area. though a motive is difficult to track down, the robberies are well-planned and with solid escape plans in place.

Whereas the first book in this series, The Escape, covered a half dozen states as the duo tracked down escaped criminals; this book focuses on Seattle and the surrounding area. The setting is gorgeous, giving this reader more reasons for vacationing in the area - maybe without the crime.

The book focuses on two themes as the Marshals do their work - loss (with its accompanying grief) and the need many feel to fix the people around them. These are important issues. Much of the book takes place as conversation (too much conversation?) between the two main characters as they evaluate how they have personally dealt with these issues. Though I would not expect a fictional book to provide answers to these kinds of problems, it would have been helpful to suggest places (as an epilog?) where those struggling with these issues could reach out for support. I give the book 3-½ to 4 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.

Hours to Kill - A Review

 

Hours to Kill

by

Susan Sleeman

A Review

“For the Spirit God gave us 

does not make us timid, 

but gives us power, 

love and self-­discipline.”

II Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

That was Mack’s verse. He had learned to rely on it as he worked with a Christian counselor on the issues surrounding his PTSD from his time in the Middle East. It had almost allowed him to kill his wife, Agent Leigh Jordan, after a nightmare - they broke up over that incident. Now he had to work with her.

Normally stationed in Washington DC, the attempt on his wife’s life brought him to Portland to track down the person responsible - a drug runner, a gun runner, and a sex trafficker. The RED Team of the US Marshals Service followed suit. And Bear, the retired police dog, added a new twist to this faith-based thriller.

A fast paced story that travels from Alabama to Oregon to California takes a number of unexpected twists and turns keeping this reader up late. The book includes all the tension of Criminal Minds and all the romance of Bones, providing an entertaining story with lots of excitement. 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.

The Escape - A Review

 

The Escape

By
Lisa Harris

Lisa Harris presents the first book of a series focusing on two US Marshals stationed in Seattle WA. The two US Marshals, Madison James and Jonas Quinn, are charged with transporting two fugitives from Seattle to Denver; but mid-way, the small plane they are on runs into a storm that brings the plane crashing down into the tree tops of the Rocky Mountains somewhere in rural Idaho. The two pilots and one of the fugitives dies; James and Quinn will spend the next week tracking the remaining fugitive, Damon Barrick, across much of the western US.

Their search will take them to Salt Lake City UT and to Houston TX, among other stops along the way. Their search will also allow the two US Marshals to become familiar with each other’s skills and gifts. A romance is possible - but not in this book. That is one of the hints that suggest another book or two is in the offing. The other hint is the unexplained death of Madison James’ first husband and subsequent threats against her life.

The story itself is a mixed bag of exciting and patient reading (i.e. sometimes slow). Lisa Harris has done a great job of describing the rural Rocky Mountain environment offering an inviting description of the area - leaving this reader wishing that he had the time and energy to explore a part of the country to which he has not been. As she weaves a bit of faith into the story, the reader begins to understand how God can meet people wherever they are or in whatever circumstances they find themselves.

I could easily see the story serving as the foundation for a TV series (CBS, are you listening). But it could just as easily belong in the church library or on the reading list of anyone who enjoys law enforcement thrillers. Though the book is faith-based, the reader does not feel that he has been drenched in unneeded spirituality, proving amble reason for also making room for it in the public library.
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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.

Blind Betrayal - A Review

Blind Betrayal

by

Nancy Mehl

A Review

A crime thriller involving the protection of a witness who has more to risk than her own life. Valerie Bennett and E. J. Queen, both part of the US Marshals Service, were frenemies tasked with transporting journalist Casey Sloan from St. Louis to Washington DC to testify before a grand jury. The catch: after completing her own research, her original source has disappeared and is presumed dead.  Mehl moves the story from St. Louis to upstate Ohio to Seattle to Pittsburgh in order to save the life of both the protagonists and the life of the one who they are charged to protect.

The result is a believable story that will hold the reader’s attention from the initial attack in chapter one to the last few pages of the Epilogue. A bit of faith draws the reader allows the reader to get a glimpse of how God works in the life a believer while on the job.

The book certainly belongs on the shelf of the local public library. For some it will be a welcome addition to the church library. For the individual looking for the perfect summer getaway read, this would fill the bill nicely. This reader enjoyed the book greatly — hopefully other readers will as well.

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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.