Murder, Suspense, Terrorism, and Romance.

To purchase A Secret to Die For, click the picture or link.

Deb’s Dozen: Two lost souls, the US electrical grid under attack, murders and suspense.

A Secret to Die For by Lisa Harris falls a bit short of her “signature pulse-pounding suspense” but is a good story nevertheless. Nate Quinn, a detective who’s just returned to work after losing his partner and team in a bombing, is called in to cover a burglary gone wrong at the home of Grace Callahan, psychologist. What starts out as a simple burglary attempt quickly turns complicated as one of Grace’s patients, Stephen Shaw, is found murdered—and has left Grace a cryptic note about what he’s been involved with.

Turns out Nate and Grace know each other from long ago—Grace dated and married on of Nate’s best friends. However, the husband is long gone and their daughter has died from cancer. Grace, too, is suffering from PTSD. But Grace is determined to help Nate solve the case—Stephen was her patient, after all.

So starts a merry-go-round of kidnappings, murders, unsafe safe houses, missed clues, cryptic clues, and a situation that could take down the entire electrical grid of the United States. I enjoyed the story, liked getting to know Nate and Grace—they were both sympathetic characters. And I liked the police procedural portions as well as how they got stymied on occasion. However, there was too much “preaching” conversation between Nate and Grace toward the end for my liking. All in all, a good book but not a great one. Three stars.

A Secret to Die ForLisa Harris has won a Christy Award and twice won the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel from the Romantic Times for Blood Covenant and Vendetta. She and her family have spent almost fifteen years as missionaries in southern Africa. She enjoys cooking, photography, and bush safaris. Find out more at LisaHarrisWrites.com.

Revell Books gave me a copy of A Secret to Die For, but I was in no way obligated to write a review.

Missionary Mixed Up in Murders

To purchase Silence in the Dark, click the link or the cover.

Deb’s Dozen: Missionary Threatened in Mexico, Danger Follows to States, Must Protect Innocent Child

Bailey Adams runs away as a habit. When her engagement to Danny Maxwell ends, she flees Logan Point to be a missionary in Mexico. Patricia Bradley’s Silence in the Dark romantic suspense novel begins with a vignette showing why Bailey runs and then takes us to Mexico where Bailey is a missionary.

Bailey’s running again—threatened by the “priest” in the Mexican village she serves, she runs to another town. Then she and a visiting friend from the village see poppy fields on their way back home, and in turn, the owner of the field spots them. Warned by her friend not to go to the police or to say anything, Bailey heads back to the States.

She’s shepherding a little girl on her way to her grandparents. Surely, Bailey can handle this assignment. Then she sees Danny in the restaurant she is dining in with the child’s uncle, Joel McDermott. And life comes crashing in again.

Why is Danny there? And why is Joel acting so strangely? How do Danny and Joel know each other? Is that the Father Horatio who terrorized her in the village? Bailey’s happy she’ll soon be on a plane and away from all the danger. But the danger’s only beginning.

Bradley then leads us on a twisted trail of drugs and gambling and gun running and corruption—and does so brilliantly. You will be frightened for Bailey, cheering for Danny, and caught up in the puzzles of the events. I couldn’t put the book down and finished the Silence in the Dark in one sitting. Five stars!

Silence in the DarkPatricia Bradley lives in Mississippi. She is the founder of Aiming for Healthy Families, Inc., and a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She wrote the Memphis Cold Case series that you’ll want to get as well as the rest of her Logan Point series. Check her out at PTBradley.com.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, gave me a copy of Silence in the Dark, but I was in no way obligated to write a review.

Human Trafficking in Romantic Suspense

To purchase Called to Protect, click the links or the cover.

Deb’s Dozen: Charmed, then Captured for Sex Trafficking—Will She Be Rescued in Time?

Lynette Eason continues her streak of excellent, high-action suspense with a dash of romance tossed in for good measure. Called to Protect does not disappoint.

Chloe St. John decides her K-9 partner, Hank, is the only man she wants in her life. Then they get a case involving not only sex trafficking, which may have a connection to her missing cousin, but also close contact with a handsome US Marshal.

Deputy US Marshal Blake MacCallum is not the best man for this job—he’s emotionally involved—the kidnapped girl is his daughter! Chloe’s not sure she can trust this guy, and she’s more woman than he’s comfortable being around. But Rachel, his daughter, is his life, he’ll do anything to get her back safely. His world is challenged when the kidnappers call and threaten to kill Rachel unless Blake kills a judge.

The FBI, the US Marshals, and the local police are in a race against time to find the kidnappers, protect the judge, and stop the sex trafficking ring. Action abounds on every page, yet Eason develops her characters so strongly we care about them, their problems, and their case. Chloe and Hank the K-9 are my faves. You’ll love the story and the way Eason weaves in characters from other novels to build continuity. Called to Protect rates five stars.

Called to ProtectLynette Eason is an award-winning author and prolific writer. She has several law enforcement-oriented series and has won two American Christian Fiction Writers Carol awards, a Selah award from the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, and a Golden Scroll award from the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association to name a few. Lynette holds a master’s degree in education and lives in South Carolina with her husband and family. She often teaches at writers conferences and sometimes travels as “flat Lynette”—you’ll have to ask her about that one!

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, gave me a copy of Called to Protect, but I was in no way obligated to write a review.