Deb’s Dozen: A Cat Burglar? No, Kelsey Allen Climbing Walls to Test Building Security

“It wasn’t too hot for 10:00 p.m. in the middle of May unless you were about to climb over the ledge of a fourteen-story building in downtown Memphis.” So begins Justice Buried, the second book in Patricia Bradley’s Memphis Cold Case series. Nothing like an intriguing first line to make you read on! Further intrigue? The apparent cat burglar is a woman, Kelsey Allen.

Kelsey is starting her own security business. Rutherford Security hires her to see if she can break into a supposedly secure building. She’s already a white-hat hacker and an avid rock climber. Down the building and through an unlocked window and into the CEO’s office where she leaves her calling card—The Phantom Hawk.

Okay, the hard part is over; going up is much easier than climbing down. But as she is on the wall, a helicopter with a spotlight flies by. Hugging the side of the building and hoping they don’t discover her, Kelsey sees a lighted room and a silhouette—a man? Not lingering to find out, she scrambles toward the top of the building. Suddenly, a bullet whizzes by her head and chips the cement on the ledge. Her job is now much more serious and deadly.

Enter the handsome distraction, Brad Hollister, a homicide detective from Kelsey’s past recently assigned to cold cases. Kelsey’s mom hooks Brad and Kelsey up for the gala at the Pink Palace Museum. Appalled, Kelsey must come up with a new plan. She’s supposed to break into the museum later that night as part of her security gig. What will she do with a cop hanging around?

Justice Buried is a wonderful book with complex characters, an ever-changing plot, and murder. In short, everything you want in a suspense-thriller. You’ll love getting to know Kelsey and her sister, Sabra, along with the persistent detective, Brad. Four stars and an excellent addition to Patricia Bradley’s Memphis Cold Case series.

Patricia Bradley is an award-winning author. You’ll love her Logan Point series as well as this one. Winner of an Inspirational Reader’s Choice award in Suspense and a Daphne du Maurier award, she lives in Mississippi and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America.

Revell, a division of Baker Books gave me a copy of Justice Buried, but I was not obligated to write a review.