Book Review: Body of Evidence by Irene Hannon (Triple Threat #3)

About this Book-

Forensic pathologist Grace Reilly has seen her share of unusual deaths in rural Missouri. But when she begins to notice a curious pattern in autopsies of elderly residents whose demise appears to be natural, she takes her concerns to Sheriff Nate Cox.

Nate is skeptical about the link Grace is seeing between the deaths–and her suspicions of foul play. But her persistence is compelling. Once she finally convinces him her theory is credible and they join forces to investigate, danger follows. Because exposing the truth could destroy several lives–including Grace’s.

Queen of inspirational romantic suspense Irene Hannon closes out her bestselling Triple Threat series with this gripping tale of secrets revealed and romance sparked.

My Review-

Similar Reviews:

• Point of Danger by Irene Hannon (Triple Threat #1)
• Labyrinth of Lies by Irene Hannon (Triple Threat #2)
• Dangerous Illusions by Irene Hannon (Code of Honor #1)

This was a really satisfying story and a great ending to this series! I liked the first two books in this series–they weren’t my all time favorites, but I really enjoyed them–and I had high expectations for this book: I loved it! Now, I had the same problems with it as I had with the first two books in the series, but this one is my favorite out of the three.

tw // vomiting (including discussions of and descriptions of the smell), infidelity (not detailed, but a heavy part of this book), assault, Grace is a pathologist, so there are some pretty graphic descriptions of her job, including her sawing into a skull, weighing a liver, etc.

This book was super well-rounded, which I really like. The pacing is really well done: it kept my attention the whole time and I was hooked to see where the story would go. There was also more development for the characters: Grace and Nate were better developed than some of the other characters written by Hannon that I’d read. Their internal monologue was consistent and made sense with the plot line, which sometimes doesn’t happen in Christian suspense fiction.

There was once again a lot of physical attraction between the two main characters, but it was less than the other books by Hannon I read, which was good (some of the other descriptions are . . . A Lot). There was definitely quite a bit of noticing, and there were some spicier innuendos (one scene where one character mentions on the phone that they are about to go change and leave, and the other finds that information very interesting, and they make a joke about it, Nate sees Grace’s “curves” under her shirt and thinks that he needs to go take a cold shower, among others). The two characters do have insta-love, but not in an annoying way.

One thing about this book that I wasn’t a huge fan of was the strict male and female divide: Nate’s testosterone was mentioned multiple times, which was a little uncomfy, and there other such observations: women’s intuition, a man’s strength, and stuff like that, which I’m not a huge fan of. Nate is immediately very protective of Grace, almost as soon as they meet, which is supposed to be a marker of his manly protectiveness, which is also a little . . . sus for me.

By far the best part of this book is the suspense plot: it had the best plot out of Christian suspense fiction that I’ve read in a while, and it kept me guessing all the way up to the end. The ending was really well foreshadowed, with the appropriate stakes and the appropriate responses by the characters. There were just enough red herrings to keep the mystery complex, but without making it confusing. The ending wasn’t rushed, and everything tied up in a satisfying way. I was really afraid that the plot was going to go one direction that is overused (at least in my opinion) and it didn’t go that way, which made me really happy. There were some chapters from the perspective of the antagonist, revealing more information as the story went on, which I really liked, because it added to the foreshadowing.

There were some comments that made me not enjoy this book was much as I would have (Grace has an intense security system on her house in rural Missouri, and the author describes it as a security fetish??????? WHY USE THE WORD FETISH), but overall the plot was really interesting and overall, I really enjoyed this book!

My Rating-

4/5

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.

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Book Review: The Deadly Shallows by Dani Pettrey (Coastal Guardians #3)

About the Book-

A mass shooting.
A stolen weapon capable of immense destruction. 
A painful secret that threatens to tear two hearts apart.

CGIS Agent Noah Rowley is rocked to the core when he learns of a mass shooting raging on his Coast Guard base. He and his team stop the attack, but not before numerous innocent lives are lost. Furious and grief-stricken, he determines to do whatever is needed to bring the mastermind behind the attack to justice.

Coast Guard flight medic Brooke Kesler evacuates the scene of the shooting in a helicopter carrying the only surviving gunman. Gravely wounded, the man whispers mysterious information to Brooke that immediately paints a target on her back.

As Brooke and Noah race to uncover answers, emotions between them ignite. Noah struggles to protect Brooke at all costs and to conceal the secret that prevents him from becoming what he longs to be–the right man for her.

Everything is at stake as a horrifying truth emerges. . . .

The mass shooting wasn’t the end game. It was only the beginning.

My Review-

Similar Reviews:

• The Killing Tide by Dani Pettery (Coastal Guardians #1)
• The Crushing Depths by Dani Pettrey (Coastal Guardians #2)

My main issue with this book was that it was utterly unmemorable: I read it a month or two ago and now, sitting down to write the review, I remember effectively none of what happened in the book. Even after skimming through the book again, I still have trouble thinking of what the plot was. Part of it is my own issues with reading comprehension (I get easily confused when there are many side characters, and I can’t follow plots with multiple POV changes easily), but I also think that this book was just confusingly written, because I was much more confused in this book than I usually am.

There were at least 4 or 5 POVs, and 2 romances going on, as well as about a half dozen other characters that also made an appearance in this book, so needless to say, there was a lot going on all the time. Even though it has been the same cast of characters since the first book, keeping all of them straight didn’t seem to get any easier in this book.

On top of everything, there was a lot of gore. The book opens with a mass shooting, with graphic descriptions of blood and people dying. While it wasn’t particularly visual, it was shocking and overall had more blood and murder than I’ve been used to in Christian suspense.

The actual suspense/mystery part of the book was good: I thought that the chase and suspense built up well and kept me reading. However, the parts where there was suspense fell second to the interactions between the characters and the romantic plotlines. While there was a lot of suspenseful moments, overall I think the suspense could have been done better.

Overall, this is the third book by Dani Pettrey that I’ve read and overall, I think that I am not cut out for books by her. As much as I enjoy a fast-paced suspense book, something about the writing style and the number of characters in her books leads me to not enjoy her books as much, and I don’t think I’ll be picking up her books from this point forward.

My Rating-

3/5

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: Free Fall by Nancy Mehl (The Quantico Files #3)

About the Book-

The closer she comes to the truth, the deadlier her chase gets.

FBI behavioral analyst Alex Donovan and her colleague Logan Hart have been called upon to write a profile for a missing woman, but a little digging quickly turns up more disappearances in Virginia with the same physical description.

Alex is in a race against the clock to rescue the missing victims, so when the UNSUB makes demands of her in exchange for information, Alex takes the bait. But when her life is put in jeopardy, Logan must do whatever it takes to track them down before time runs out.

Alex works to think one step ahead of the suspect, but the more Logan and the BAU learn about the serial kidnapper, the more they fear Alex may not make it out alive.

My Review-

Similar reviews:

• Night Fall by Nancy Mehl (The Quantico Files #1)
• Dead Fall by Nancy Mehl (The Quantico Files #2)
• Mind Games by Nancy Mehl (Kaley Quinn Profiler #1)
• Fire Storm by Nancy Mehl (Kaley Quinn Profiler #2)
• Dead End by Nancy Mehl (Kaley Quinn Profiler #3)

I’ve been looking forwards to reading the finale for this trilogy for so long, and I was so glad it was finally time to read this book! Unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown, but overall I am glad I read it!

This book is primarily the finale between Alex Donovan (the female protagonist) and Logan Hart (the male protagonist) and their relationship that has been developing over the past few books. In my opinion, the romance in this book doesn’t really develop all that much–it’s just a bunch of physical attraction, and mostly Logan pining after Alex. In that regard, it was a bit . . much? It was a lot of romantic ~feelings~ and “ooh do they like me back” instead of any truly good chemistry, and honestly I wasn’t a huge fan of Alex and Logan together.

The setting for this book was really well done! There was some historical background set in an abandoned amusement park/circus, and part of the investigation was also set there, and I thought that was really creepy and unique. Haunted/old circuses have a particular flavor of spooky and I thought that the setting was a really good choice.

The main storyline was also really good: I think it progressed at a good pace, and the story itself was interesting and unique, and kept me hooked. It was different from the standard Christian fiction politics-motivated/drugs/terrorism that seems to be all anybody writes about anymore, which was really nice. I was a little bit skeptical of the realism of some of the plot points, but overall, it was the most interesting part of the story and I thought it was interesting.

The side stories were a little confusing to me, and in parts it felt more like the side story was there to fill space rather than contribute to the story. Several of the side storylines (Logan’s medical side story, Jeff’s whole conversion story, etc) were interesting, but I much preferred the main story to the side plots. Truth be told, a lot of this book seemed to be trying to fill space, and that was a bit annoying to slog through.

With that being said, I REALLY liked the perspective of the antagonists and their chapters: it was so suspenseful seeing their point of view, and those chapters were really well done.

Overall, this was a good book, if a little bit weak. I think the second book in the series was my favorite. I much prefer the Kaley Quinn Profiler series and the characters in that book over this one, and this entire set of books was mediocre (I think the author tried to imitate the Kaley Quinn Profiler series too closely but didn’t think through the plotline closely enough) but didn’t succeed.

My Rating-

3/5

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: The Catch by Lisa Harris (US Marshals #3)

About this Book-

After a harrowing attempt on a judge’s life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge’s wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is not who they think she is.

Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the men who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.

USA Today bestselling author Lisa Harris concludes her thrilling US Marshals series with this breathless tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and ultimately, justice prevailing.

My Review-

Similar Reviews:

• The Escape by Lisa Harris (US Marshals #1)
• The Chase by Lisa Harris (US Marshals #2)
• The Traitor’s Pawn by Lisa Harris

I was excited to finish reading Lisa Harris’ US Marshals series: the series so far has been building up to this book and I was looking forwards to seeing how the whole story resolved!

I liked the premise of this book a lot: it was different from a lot of the standard Christian fiction books, and that made it really interesting. There was a lot of fast paced action scenes: chases, manhunts, kidnapping, etc., and that kept me reading the book. I really liked the commentary about people who become indebted to others for their survival, and the ability for those in power to abuse that position easily. What looked like an infidel man in power and his money-fueled schemes turned into a kidnapped woman and child, a manhunt, and the lives of many at stake.

The storyline that’s been building throughout the series resolved with less fanfare than I would have liked: I thought that there would be a huge reveal of that thread but it seemed rushed and half-hearted, which was disappointing.

Honestly, at the end of the series, Madison and Jonas’ relationship is just . . . fine. They don’t have any particular chemistry (not the “lighting flared between their touch”) kind of chemistry, just . . . any sort of chemistry really that made me want to cheer for them as a couple.

One thing to note is that there are a lot more sexual references in this book than in the average Christian fiction book. Primarily, this is due to the fact that the premise of the main story is based off of a man having an affair with a woman other than his wife, and the consequences of that affair, so there are a lot of references to extramarital activities.

All in all, I think this book was good, if not particularly memorable. It was very fast paced, which made it easy for me to want to keep reading, but there was also not anything particularly memorable about this book I’ll remember about it in a year. I was disappointed by the resolution of the series-long arcs, but the story from this particular book was good.

My Rating-

3/10

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: Malicious Intent by Lynn H. Blackburn (Defend and Protect #2)

About this Book-

Dr. Ivy Collins, founder and CEO of Hedera, Inc., is ready to begin clinical trials of her company’s cutting-edge prosthetic. Her work has been heralded by government, medical, and advocacy groups and everyone hopes the device will be a success. Well, almost everyone. Someone is trying to sabotage Hedera and the launch, but to what purpose–and how far will they go to get what they want?

Meanwhile, U.S. Secret Service Agent Gil Dixon can’t believe he’s finally been reunited with Ivy, his childhood best friend. Now that he’s found her again, Gil intends to spend the rest of his life with her. But it will take all his skill to uncover the truth in time to save Ivy’s life’s work, her own life, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire.

Perfectly balancing chilling suspense and uplifting romance, award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn delivers a story of revenge, greed, and overcoming that you won’t want to put down no matter how late it gets.

My Review-

From this series: Unknown Threat by Lynn H. Blackburn (Defend and Protect #1)

This book was really fun! It was really fast paced and the story moved rapidly. I read through the whole book fairly quickly and really enjoyed it!

I had some issue with the believability of the plot points: even though suspension of disbelief comes with the territory of Christian suspense, there were aspects of this book that were difficult to believe even with a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. For instance, someone like Ivy, who had MILLIONS of dollars at her disposal, would be unlikely to work with law enforcement and more likely to work with a security team/private investigators of some sort. I’m not convinced that wills just . . . give you 20 million dollars directly into a bank account, and furthermore, if you HAD 20 million dollars, you would have them in investments and not just . . . loose in a bank account?

Further things I have issue with: ransomware/computer experts/servers/etc, how smart people work???, research conferences, hospitals/medical work/injuries/physical trauma and such. I think my academic background is strong enough that some of the points that the author assumed the audience would gloss over don’t do it for me, and that took away quite a bit of the overall believability of the story for me to a point where I could not properly ignore it.

With that being said, there were also several things that I really did like! I LOVED the reunion story between Gil and Ivy as childhood best friends falling into each other’s lives. I thought that was so sweet, and their gradual shift towards their previous interrupted romance was so cute. Gil’s relationship with his sister Emily (and Emily & Ivy’s relationship) and his mom and the way they all acted was just so sweet and I really liked that a lot.

Gil and Ivy’s characters were basically perfect, but that gave them a chance to focus on their romance from their childhood. I think the amount of ~angst~ in this book was well done, but they are a little too perfect as people in general. I also liked the small thread of working through historical problems and the unanswered questions from when they were young. It seemed really healing to Gil and Ivy and the forgiveness and understanding that they had for each other was really good to read.

There was SO much packed into this story, and it only took place over the course of several days, which was a little wild. There was the counterfeit event, the ransom/hostage attack, the ransomware, the ex, the conference, the bomb, the house attack, and more. It become a little difficult to keep track of after a while, but simultaneously, the fast pace made the story move quickly so it was understandable.

I really liked the teamwork between Gil and his Special Agent team: it was so clear that they had each other’s backs, even Morris, who seemed gruff at first, but still worked cohesively as a group. The group completely trusted each other and would go out of their way to support each other and that work environment seemed so lovely!

All in all, I really liked this book! I’ll definitely be picking up more of Lynn Blackburn’s books in the future, and other than the slight unbelievability, this story was really enjoyable!

My Rating-

8/10

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: Dead Fall by Nancy Mehl (The Quantico Files #2)

About the Book-

He has a deadly endgame in mind–and he’s already chosen each victim . . . including her.

After putting to rest the most personal case of her career, Alex Donovan is ready to move on and focus on her future at the FBI’s elite Behavioral Analysis Unit. When the BAU cofounder is discovered dead in his hotel room, the FBI is called in to work on the strangest case they’ve ever faced. How do you find a killer who murders his victims from a distance?

When it becomes clear that the killer is targeting agents in Alex’s unit, they are ordered into lockdown, sheltered in the dorms at Quantico. Alex bunks with controversial agent Kaely Quinn, and as they work together, Alex discovers in Kaely the role model she’s never had–despite being warned away.

As Alex questions the type of agent she wants to become, things get personal when the brilliant killer strikes close to home. Now Alex will do anything to find the killer–even at the risk of her own life.

My Review-

Similar Reviews-

• Night Fall by Nancy Mehl (The Quantico Files #1)
• Mind Games by Nancy Mehl (Kaley Quinn Profiler #1)
• Fire Storm by Nancy Mehl (Kaley Quinn Profiler #2)
• Dead End by Nancy Mehl (Kaley Quinn Profiler #3)

Nancy Mehl writes my favorite Christian suspense novels that I’ve come across: they are fast paced and suspenseful, with just enough suspension of disbelief to be interesting without being absolutely improbable, like some other Christian suspense I read. Dead Fall wasn’t my favorite Nancy Mehl book, but overall it was really fun and very suspenseful.

Alex Donovan is the main profiler in this book, but Kaley Quinn from Mehl’s other series (Kaley Quinn Profiler) is also prominently featured in this book, which was really fun. I really enjoyed Kaley Quinn’s series so it was nice to read more about her. The relationship between Alex and Kaley was also really fun to read about, and there was some interesting discussion that was generated from the them working together that I enjoyed.

The mystery/suspense aspect of this book was more disbelievable than some of her previous books, and it took me a while to get into this book (whereas for some of her other books I’ve read, there is nothing but action from the first page). The conversation seemed a little more stilted than usual and the story seemed to flow a little less smoothly. Not to say there wasn’t action early on, which there was, but it took me a bit to get into the story. The suspension of disbelief was greater than the other Mehl books, and so it wasn’t quite what I was used to also.

This book was SUPER suspenseful when it picked up though, and I could not put it down: it was such a thrilling experience! Once I got into the story, it was nothing but action. The villain was incredibly masterful, and the suspense built very well until the conclusion.

Overall, this wasn’t my favorite book written by Nancy Mehl, but I did really enjoy reading it! The twists and turns of this story made it really fun to read about, and I also really enjoyed the interactions between Alex and Kaley and the discussion of the field of behavioral analysts and why they were in the field.

If you’re looking for a good Christian suspense author, Nancy Mehl is a good one to pick up.

My Rating-

3/5

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: Labyrinth of Lies by Irene Hannon (Triple Threat #2)

About the Book-

When the daughter of a high-profile businessman disappears from an exclusive girls’ boarding school, police detective Cate Reilly is tapped for an undercover assignment. It doesn’t take her long to realize that beneath the veneer of polish and wealth, things are not as they seem at Ivy Hill Academy. But the biggest surprise of all? The only man she ever loved is also working at the school.

Zeke Sloan has never forgotten Cate, but now isn’t the best time for their paths to cross again. When their two seemingly disparate agendas begin to intertwine–and startling connections emerge among the players–the danger escalates significantly. But who is the mastermind behind the elaborate ruse? And how far will they go to protect their house of cards?

Queen of romantic suspense Irene Hannon invites you to scale the heights of human folly and plumb the depths of the human heart in this second gripping book in the Triple Threat series.

My Review-

Similar Reviews:

• Point of Danger by Irene Hannon (Triple Threat #1)
• Dangerous Illusions by Irene Hannon (Code of Honor #1)

This is the third book I’ve read by Irene Hannon, and to be honest, I don’t really know about her books, or maybe just this series. While the suspense is well done and gripping, the rest of the book wasn’t good enough for me to fully enjoy it, and overall the story line is weak and the characters lack depth.

Like other Hannon books I’ve read, this book was extremely focused on appearance and looks: from the first time the characters meet, there is a lot of thinking about how attractive the other person is, a lot of “she fills out those jeans well” “he left the top button of his shirt unbuttoned” energy, and overall just a LOT of attention focused on the physical aspects of the two main love interests. Both of them are stereotypical attractive people doing well for themselves, but ~somehow~ single. They had had a relationship in the past (which is heavily alluded to, including when they [spoiler, highlight to read] lost their virginities to each other, which isn’t explicitly said but heavily implied, but only for Cate?? like Zeke also participated but it was phrased as “something she gave to him” as if they didn’t mutually agree which was bizarre but anyways). As I’ve made clear from my other Christian fiction reviews, it’s a particular pet peeve of mine when two characters are drawn to each other because of their physical attributes: it’s extremely shallow, and does not bode well for their relationship, and this was extremely prevalent in this book.

Another thing I didn’t really understand/like about this book/romance was the reason for Cate and Zeke’s original breakup? They had great chemistry and seemed to have not broken up over a *huge* fight, and it just seemed like overall they broke up 8 years ago over a miscommunication, then their romance reignited immediately once they saw each other again. It was also bizarre to me how [slight spoiler, highlight to read] Cate didn’t have ANY idea Zeke was about to propose 8 years ago?? like did they not,,,talk about getting married AT ALL orrrrrr and also with that WHY did they have sex with each other if they didn’t intend on getting married. Like you don’t just *accidentally* have sex, it’s something that you can control????? All in all, the relationship just didn’t seem healthy in this book.

The other thing I really wasn’t a huge fan of in this book was the extraordinary profiling that was being done. The “crime” in this case focused on drug dealing and “the cartel,” which was fine in and of itself, but there was significant talk about illegal immigrants and the Spanish-speaking character was part of the drug business. It wasn’t outright racist, but there were definitely some . . . *implications* about people from Mexico specifically (regardless of their immigration status), which really does not sit well with me.

There was also a black character in the book, who turned out to be fairly major to the plot. However, the way she was pulled into the storyline was because Cate wanted a “diverse roommate to broaden her exposure to other demographics and enhance her ethnic sensitivity,” which, 🤢. Granted, it was said semi-ironically, but STILL.

Also related to the drug thing, this book treated alcohol as something bad, but not something absolutely horrible: like the protagonists didn’t drink, but the antagonists would drink beer. It definitely had negative connotations, but wasn’t actively villainized. However, they treated marijuana at the same level as heroin and meth, which was so bizarre to me: if anything, marijuana is closer to alcohol than hard drugs, but they were acting like it was something so absolutely awful. The only real distinction was that the white people were interacting with the marijuana and the Hispanic people were interacting with the heroin, which has,,,Implications to be sure.

Lastly, the antagonist in this book was so built up, and the plot reached such a peak, but the motivation of the antagonist was really unknown? It was surprising and memorable to be sure, but the internal motivation of the antagonist was simply “[they] were not okay in the head. How does someone get to this point” without any more justification on their actions, which was really poorly executed, in my opinion. Some of the story was told from their point of view, but it was very much action based and didn’t justify the reason they were done, which did not justify the way the antagonist was thinking.

Overall, I did really like the buildup of the story: the suspense was really well done and the romance wasn’t all too unbelievable. However, with the other content and other stuff factored in, I would not recommend this book.

My Rating-

4/5 for the storyline, 2/5 for the content: 3/5 altogether

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: Hostile Intent by Lynette Eason (Danger Never Sleeps, #4)

About the Book-

Ava Jackson entered the military shortly after high school, but her mother’s illness has forced her to request an early discharge. She already lost her father while deployed, and there’s no way she’s going to let her mother die alone. But after a visit to the nursing facility where her mother lives, Ava is attacked walking back to her car. Fortunately, FBI Special Agent Caden Denning arrives in time to help fight off her attacker.

Caden reveals to Ava that she may hold the key to the murders of three families, and he needs her help before anyone else is harmed. The hits show a pattern, and clearly the killer has an agenda. But if Caden and Ava can’t discover what it is, Ava may be next on the hit list.

Bestselling author Lynette Eason concludes her latest suspense-filled series with a bang as secrets are revealed and the guilty are brought to justice.

My Review-

Similar Reviews-

• Acceptable Risk by Lynette Eason (Danger Never Sleeps #2)
• Active Defense by Lynette Eason (Danger Never Sleeps #3)

This story blew me away! This has been my favorite book in the series so far: while it was still wasn’t a book that I would consider ~literature~, it was definitely one that I might actually reread in the future and recommend to other people.

If nothing else, this book was so fast paced and exciting! Once I started, I could not put it down until I had finished the book. Some things that I think really contributed to my enjoyment of the book were: a POV from the antagonist–I always think that books are so much creepier and more exciting when there is a POV from the antagonist!–, the fact that it wasn’t a military based story–previous books in this series were focused on the military, and while Ava was in the navy, it was a very minor point in this book–, and that there was so much history based action/backstory. With that being said, there was quite a bit of brutally described murder, so if you’re particularly sensitive to things like that, this would not be the book for you.

The chemistry between the protagonist and the love interest was good, better than in many books that I’ve read. While childhood friend romances are sometimes hit or miss for me, this one felt really natural and sweet, and I really liked Caden and Ava’s dynamic. They were both realistic characters with depth to their personality, and I liked seeing the various aspects of their life as they also worked to solve this case, such as Ava’s relationship with her parents and sibling (the special connection she had with her father was so special and I loved reading it!).

I’m not 100% sure how I feel about the Russian KGB being tied into this: I don’t really know enough about it to be well informed about the history and the likelihood of what occurred, but from what I knew, it was interesting I guess? It very much assumed a particular political stance blanketly, which I don’t fully agree with or understand, but like I said, I don’t really know enough to criticize it one way or another. While the background of the antagonist is very Russian KGB driven, the story overall doesn’t involve Russia a ton, which makes it much better than I would have otherwise rated it.

Like any Christian suspense book, there is a certain suspension of disbelief required to really enjoy this story: for instance, one of the office manager type people, Daria, seems to be able to procure and transmit information instantaneously, getting search warrants and BOLOs and cell phone tracking at an instant, which is . . . definitely not how it works. A lot of Ava’s ~knowledge~ really just isn’t feasible for any one person to be able to do, but chalking it up to her ~military background~ works for kind of disregarding the whole thing. Overlooking small things and not nitpicking unlikely scenarios like that really make the book a lot more enjoyable.

Overall, this is my favorite book out of the series (though I haven’t read the first one). It is very, very gory with descriptions of point-blank murder, so if you don’t like reading graphic violence like that, I would definitely not recommend it to you. However, if you enjoy fast paced suspense that isn’t laden with technological terms, characters, and legalism, this is the book for you.

My Rating-

4/5

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.