DEATH FOLLOWS HER by Rachel Dylan, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

Deadly Justice Book #1

REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"This case could be a career maker."

Three executive officers of major corporations have died, and F. B. I. Special Agents Samira Addad and Jaylen Smith are tasked with determining whether or not their deaths are connected in some convoluted sort of way. The victims were all represented in high profile lawsuits by attorney Quinn Kelly; which by the way, she handily won. So is this a matter of someone taking the law into their own hands?

Obvious or obscure, Samira and Jaylen follow every lead, to no avail. Encouraging the defendant in Kelly's current case to employ private security, they urge Quinn to accept protection as well, the theory being that the deaths could be a vendetta against her widely known success, especially after the attorney senses that someone is watching her every move. Nothing in this investigation is adding up.

With expert precision the author leads readers down multiple rabbit trails littered with red herrings and innuendos that prove exactly why the investigators are so confused. Ultimately, a resolution is reached, but totally different than the kind that readers are expecting. Fascinating book! 
*I purchased a copy and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

BackCover Blurb:
Three powerful CEOs. Three deaths. One attorney connected to all of them.

When FBI Special Agent Samira Haddad is called in to investigate the deaths of three high-profile executives, one name keeps surfacing: Quinn Kelly, Atlanta's most formidable trial lawyer. She has a flawless record and no shortage of enemies.

Quinn is used to high stakes. But when the threats against her escalate from online noise to something far more dangerous, she becomes both Samira's greatest asset and her greatest liability.

As the investigation pulls them deeper into a world of corporate power, buried secrets, and a killer who is one step ahead and always watching, one thing becomes terrifyingly clear—someone else is going to die. 

August, 2025

Buy DEATH FOLLOWS HER at Amazon

EDGE OF TRUTH by Janice Cantore, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"I'm so much bigger than you know. You're too small and insignificant to stop me."

One of her first arrests as a rookie cop has come full circle for Detective Lainie Jensen, she just doesn't know it yet.

After years of struggling over "the one that got away", Lainie can scarcely believe that Dallas Vine has criss-crossed back into her orbit as she frantically searches for answers to her sister's disappearance while on a Hawaiian vacation with her husband. Stranger still, FBI Special Agent Ben Isaacs shows up in Hawaii, determined to find out more about his partner's undercover work to take down a widespread money laundering enterprise, before he too, went missing.

Ben and Lainie get off on the wrong foot, but eventually the evidence leads them to an obvious conclusion; they are working different sides of the same case and would be better served working together. As the larger case gets stranger and stranger and the smaller details become more and more dangerous, Ben and Lainie seem poised to teeter on the very edge of truth.

This story moved along at such a graceful pace that the harrowing details never seemed rushed, but written in seamless harmony with the overall plot, which was a touch of genius, by the way. The twists and turns were meticulously timed, making the story continually interesting while slowly pulling back the curtain on a relationship that suffered setbacks, for sure, but managed to rise triumphantly in the end. Great faith elements through-out made this romantic suspense very high quality! 
*I purchased a copy and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

BackCover Blurb:
One case almost destroyed her career. Now the past seems to have caught up with her. And as a high-stakes game of truth and lies unfolds, someone’s out for retribution at any cost.

As a detective in the Long Beach Police Department’s violent crimes division, Lainie Jensen is no stranger to hard-to-crack cases and unusual disappearances, but then her sister Evie vanishes on a trip to Hawaii. After traveling there to look for her, Lainie quickly realizes her brother-in-law Stan is telling law enforcement a story that doesn’t appear to add up.

FBI special agent Ben Isaacs has spent six months collecting evidence to take down a money laundering operation. While his fellow agent Efren Gomez goes undercover to infiltrate the ring, Ben investigates those connected to it, including Stan Moffitt, who Ben believes could help lead to the criminal kingpin. Then Stan’s wife goes missing just days after Ben contacted her seeking information, and he knows there’s more to this case, especially when he loses contact with Efren and law enforcement comes up short in their search for him.

When Ben’s and Lainie’s investigations converge, Lainie’s not eager to work alongside Ben given their complicated history, but she’s willing to do so if it means figuring out what Stan knows and locating Evie. Soon, Lainie can’t deny Ben’s dedication to finding the truth or her growing admiration for him. And the more the two examine the evidence, the more they suspect Evie’s disappearance is tied to a highly publicized criminal case from Lainie’s past . . . and someone is playing a perilous game aimed at personal revenge.

-Great for fans of thrillers by Lynette Eason, Colleen Coble, and Allison Brennan
-Police procedural featuring a detective and an FBI agent written by a former police officer
-Clean, stand-alone romantic suspense novel filled with high stakes, edge-of-your-seat adventure, elements of mystery, and themes of fighting for justice
-Includes discussion questions for book clubs 

Tyndale Fiction, February, 2026

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:

BUY Edge of Truth at Amazon, Christianbook, or Baker Book House

THE FILLING STATION by Vanessa Miller, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

A USA TODAY Bestselling Historical Fiction Novel about the Tulsa Race Massacre

REBECCA'S REVIEW: 
"I choose to believe that God is good. What do you choose to believe?"

Margaret Justice believed no such thing. After she and her younger sister Evelyn survived unspeakable horrors on the night that their prosperous community of Greenwood, Oklahoma had been burned to the ground, countless citizens mowed down by gunfire, and local businesses utterly destroyed . . . while elected officials and law enforcement looked the other way . . . how could anyone declare that God was good? There was no way that Margaret was going to sit back and wait on the Almighty to rebuild what had been reduced to rubble.

What happens next is the most remarkable of stories, told with the actual 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre sewed into its very fiber from beginning to end. Courage, determination, heartache . . . insurmountable obstacles and unbelievable blessings; so many unsung heroes who deserve the microphone and others who are suitably garbed in fictional attire. These are the kinds of stories that need to see the light of day so that they are never repeated, except between the pages of a book; which once read, can never be forgotten.

The overriding question remains . . . do you have a "filling station"? 

*I purchased a copy and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

BackCover Blurb:
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER! · A LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOKS OF 2025 PICK · A BOOKLIST EDITORS' CHOICE PICK FOR 2025 · 

Two sisters. One unassuming haven. Endless opportunities for grace.

Sisters Margaret and Evelyn Justice have grown up in the prosperous Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma--also known as Black Wall Street. In Greenwood, the Justice sisters had it all--movie theaters and entertainment venues, beauty shops and clothing stores, high-profile businesses like law offices, medical clinics, and banks. While Evelyn aspires to head off to the East Coast to study fashion design, recent college grad Margaret plans to settle in Greenwood, teaching at the local high school and eventually raising a family.

Then the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre upends everything they know and brings them unspeakable loss. Left with nothing but each other, the sisters flee along what would eventually become iconic Route 66 and stumble upon the Threatt Filling Station, a safe haven and the only place where they can find a shred of hope in oppressive Jim Crow America. At the filling station, they are able to process their pain, fill up their souls, and find strength as they wrestle with a faith in God that has left them feeling abandoned.

But they eventually realize that they can't hide out at the filling station when Greenwood needs to be rebuilt. The search for their father and their former life may not give them easy answers, but it can propel them--and their community--to a place where their voices are stronger . . . strong enough to build a future that honors the legacy of those who were lost.

The Filling Station weaves together themes of love, hate, hope, trust, and resilience in the face of great turmoil. With every turn of the page, you will be transported into a story about strong Black women in a pivotal moment of history.

Discussion questions are included, so it's perfect for book clubs! Keep your tissues nearby because this one is practically guaranteed to make you feel all the feelings.

Thomas Nelson, March, 2026

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:

BUY The Filling Station at Amazon, Christianbook, or Baker Book House 

 

SUNG IN THE SHADOWS by Crystal Caudill, Reviewed by Winnie Thomas #NewRelease

 

The Art of Love and Danger Book Two

WINNIE'S REVIEW
“Hiding your pain and thoughts doesn’t make you a stronger person. It makes life lonelier to walk through.”

Sung in the Shadows by talented author Crystal Caudill is a heart-tugging story filled with engaging main characters, despicable villains, and an assortment of other people ranging from cruel to kind and everywhere in between. Also included is Tristan, a demon of a cat with an attitude. The plot of the tale is very creative and attention-grabbing, and it kept me turning the pages.

Nora was the victim of a kidnapping as a child, and her parents changed their names and hid their identities to try to keep themselves safe from the villains. Nora’s mother is a renowned singer, Constanza Brisbane, and her paranoia has caused her to be confined to the Longview Asylum. As Nora visits her mother there, she meets Ezekiel Beaumont whose mother also resides at asylum. He works at an opera house, which is a forbidden place for Nora, so she intends to avoid him. I loved Ezekiel’s compassionate and caring personality, and his persistence in trying to help Nora.

“Maybe Jesus has paired us under the same yoke so we can share each other’s burdens as He guides us through this mess of life.”

As past collides with the present and Nora’s family is once again in danger, the intrigue, mystery, and intensity ramp up. The author does a wonderful job of interjecting some humor and lighter moments into the rather gritty and heart-wrenching subject matter. Themes of family, faith, and hope among the darkness give an inspirational tone to the story. The author handled the subject of mental illness realistically and compassionately.

This book is part of Caudill’s Art of Love and Danger series but can be read as a stand-alone book. I enjoyed seeing Nora’s friends, The Guardians, show up in this book and be a support for her. 
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Kregel Publications. All opinions are my own.

SEE REVIEWS BY PAULA AND REBECCA

 

BackCover Blurb:
When past darkness prowls, will stepping into the light lead to a brighter future?

In nineteenth-century Cincinnati, fear keeps Nora Davis caged with secrets and lies. Her true identity as the daughter of a famous opera singer is too dangerous to reveal with her former captors still on the loose. But weekly singing lessons at Longview Asylum—her paranoid mother's permanent residence—light a flame in Nora, and it's one she can avoid fanning for only so long.

With his suicidal ma in the asylum, Ezekiel Beaumont's soul is weary, but Nora's presence at the asylum intrigues him. As a Pike's Opera House employee, Ezekiel thinks Nora might be cut out for the stage. He also begins to wonder if Nora's ma is really the famed Constanza Brisbane, who went missing mid-performance. He's determined to find out.

Though Ezekiel brings the performance world a little too close for comfort, Nora is drawn to his warm personality all the same. The two of them steadily grow closer, but then Nora begins to fear she's being watched, and her own paranoia blooms. 

 

Kregel Publications, March, 2026

Available in digital ebook, paperback,

BUY SUNG IN THE SHADOWS at Amazon,  Christianbook, or Baker Book House