Laurel Evertson is an FBI agent investigating a group of scammers targeting the elderly. She is horrified when the evidence points to Morton Wilmington, a convicted felon she’d arrested on her first undercover assignment—one she’d rather forget.
Daniel Hilton is a Houston Police officer who fears his grandparents are the next target. Dan would do anything to protect them and keep them safe. After all, they’re the ones who raised him after his mom was put in prison.
Earl and Abby, Dan’s grandparents, are in their golden years. Earl is slowly progressing into Alzheimer’s, but still sharp sometimes. Abby is quite a pistol for her age and can still shoot one accurately, thank you very much. They spend their days at the Silver Hospitality facility where Earl can socialize and play cards with his friends there. Abby stays there too so she can watch over Earl.
Dan and Laurel meet and connect at the Silver Hospitality center when one of the residents is scammed and subsequently dies. Dan fears Earl and Abby may be in danger because Earl can recognize one of the men. Laurel feels strongly that Milton may be at the bottom of the scheme and that his jailhouse conversion is in itself a scam.
They team up to solve the crimes—will that lead to them teaming up in other areas? Will Earl and Abby survive? Is Milton involved or has he truly reformed? Mills quotes Abraham Joshua Heschel, “When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.”
You will be sitting on the edges of your chairs while reading Double Cross—first biting your fingernails and then sighing with relief. There are twists and turns aplenty as Mills leads us on the chase for the scammers. You’ll also gain an empathy you may not have had for the elderly and their caregivers. Dan and Laurel and Abby are complex, well-written characters that you will root for throughout the story. But as Laurel says at one point, “Finding answers often meant looking into dark and angry places … a survivor on the outside, a fragile soul on the inside.”
Double Cross is five stars in my book—and I wouldn’t scam you! To get your copy of Double Cross, click this link: Double Cross (FBI: Houston)
DiAnn Mills is a multiple award winning author. This year she finaled for the Christy Award in the Suspense category and for the Golden Scroll Award in fiction for her novel, Firewall. Double Cross will surely be up for awards in the future.
I had the privilege of interviewing DiAnn about Double Cross and her other novels during the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in Orlando the end of June. She is a delightful woman, enviably petite, and extremely articulate about her art. When asked why she chose this topic for Double Cross, she replied that she is now seeing her friends with parents in their 80s and older who are no longer sharp and are relying on their children for counsel and care. She feels it is of utmost importance to grant the elderly the dignity they deserve and not to ignore them or neglect them. Respect, honor, and love are important themes in Double Cross. Abby is a strong example that age doesn’t have to mean you quit doing what is important to you.
Double Cross intends that we become aware of the elderly and what they face. We realize this situation could be happening to me when I am older. There is danger and suspense to be faced as we become aware of the physical and mental danger that arises for the elderly.
DiAnn and her husband live in Houston, Texas. DiAnn says she enjoys being a wife, mother and grandma—loves playing with her three grandkids. They give her great story ideas.
DiAnn attended Moody Bible Institute online and would have a BA of Biblical Studies “if not for the math!” She’s always enjoyed writing and telling stories—story has always been important to her. Her passion is writing Christian suspense fiction with a risk of romance—to give hope even in a dangerous world. To quote Laurel’s feelings as she observes Dan and Abby and Earl … “The love and unity the small family shared was more than blood or the same last name. She recognized it. Craved it. Hope.”