Sins of the Past Novella

  This novella jumps out at me because of one of my favorite authors.

Missing by Dee Henderson pulls you into the the suspense from the first page.  I feel like I am picking up the phone and finding a close friend on the other end of the line.  You slip into the story and get acquainted with new and old friends instantly.

John's mother has disappeared.  So John returns to Chicago to find her.  Being a former gang detective and current Chief of Police in Wyoming only muddies the waters of who has taken his mother and why would they do it.

Sharon is the lead investigator for this case.  She immediately impresses John with her professionalism and the team she puts together to work this problem.  John and Sharon work to figure out where his mother is, and why was she taken.  The story takes some unexpected twists, but that is what makes it suspenseful.

Shadowed by Dani Petry
A competitive long distance swimmer, swimming in the freezing waters of Alaska.  Petry takes you back in time to the Cold War era with a timeless story.  Libby is the swimmer, and Ben is the Alaskan fisherman, turned tour guide, turned defender.  A dead body in the water opens up a world of intrigue for Libby and Ben.  They are sucked into a world that turns crazy at every turn.  They find their center in God and each other.

I was totally taken in by this story.  I forgot that it was written in the past until Petry would bring out gentle reminders of a time gone by.  Petry does a masterful job writing about the cold war era.  Yet the relationships and problems are timeless.  You end up caring for the characters and learn a little more about the Alaskan frontier.

Blackout by Lynette Eason
Macey Adams can't remember things and someone is trying to kill her.  Her neighbor, Chad, is a homocide detective that is protective of this good looking woman.

The action starts form the first scream and doesn't let up until the last shot is fired.  Eason takes you on a mysterious, action-filled thriller.  Her use of flashbacks is masterful.  I finished the story wanting more.

This is a great introduction into the world of romantic suspense by these three authors.  I look forward to reading more from each of them.

My thanks to Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers for the complimentary e-book to read and review.

Henderson at her best!

  Traces of Guilt by Dee Henderson

Explosive for Henderson fans.  First time readers will be pulled into the story very quickly, but the impact won't be the same.  Henderson continues Ann and Paul Falcon's story as they take up the role of secondary characters in Traces of Guilt. The main characters are Evie Blackwell and the Thane family.

Evie Blackwell arrives in the small town of Carin, Illinois, thinking that she will solve 2 cold cases.  Instead she has an unfortunate accident with a buck, that scrambles her plans and her brain.  Gabriel Thane is the sheriff of Carin county, and heads out to take care of the deer accident.  He meets up with Evie Blackwell, and learns about her mission to solve a couple of cold cases.  Gabe gives his full cooperation and even suggests a better place to work than the house Evie rented for 2 weeks.

Evie works hard at her job, and the Thane family quickly surrounds her with love and support.  As the story unfolds, we see the family step up to help, love, and do whatever they can for Evie as the investigations get into the messy parts of life. I love the way that this family sticks just like the O'Malley family sticks through the good and bad parts of life.

I loved getting to know Evie and the Thane brothers.  Each of them have interesting stories to tell, along with potential future story lines to be told.  I love that Henderson simply hints at a romance between Evie and Gabe.  There are romantic hints for Gabe's two brothers as well.  Henderson leaves a breadcrumb trail of future cold cases for Evie to solve, as she will take over a new task force for the state solving cold cases.

Once again, Henderson has left me wanting more.  I love that I get to be reacquainted with the Falcons, while getting to know the Thanes.  New readers will want to be sure and read Full Disclosure to get to know Paul and Ann's story. I want to go back and re-read this story to see what new things I pick up on that make this newest installment from Henderson more colorful and interesting.

My thanks to Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers for the free e-copy of the book to read and review.

Tangled Lies by Connie Mann

  Tangled Lies is full of action, suspense, and heartbreak.

Sasha returns home for her mother's birthday and gets tangled in the mystery of what happened to her brother so many years ago.  Sasha feels like she lets the family down in so many ways, so when her mama asks her to check into her brother's disappearance to find the answers she can't say no.  Sasha is caught in the middle because her father doesn't want her checking things out.  The only person will to help her is Jesse, her high school sweetheart, and now a convicted felon.  At least that is what his record says, and the town believes.

Jesse has returned to Safe Harbor to restore a boat, and enter it in a race to win the prize money.  First he has to get the boat running, and he is encountering resistance from some people in town.

Jesse and Sasha renew their friendship and romance.  They each have their own issues with the people of Safe Harbor, and those issues end up pulling them together to find answers to their problems.

I loved the action in this story, and trying to figure out what really happened to Tony. My heart would break for Sasha as she struggled to do what was right for her family. Can Sasha fulfill a wish for her mom without alienating her father and the rest of the town.  Can Jesse repair a boat and win the race all while trying to capture Sasha's heart?  Read Tangled Lies to find out.

My thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-copy to enjoy for my review of the book.