DEAD END and DEAD HEAT by Susan Sleeman, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

DEAD END

Truth Seekers #3

"He's not my father? What do you mean?"

Seemingly impossible, but true. Sierra Byrd has just been handed some incredulous news, the man who has dearly loved and cared about her for her entire life is not her biological father. Naturally Sierra wants to meet the man who is . . . except . . . that man, Eddie Barnes, has left town under suspicious circumstances.

"The Fed was tall. Six foot two, Sierra figured, and wore what looked like a custom black suit that fit him very well."

The man had handcuffed her! It appeared that Sierra wasn't the only person looking for Eddie Barnes. F.B. I. Agent Reed Rice had been trying to piece together the reasons for the property manager's disappearance as well; from all appearances, the man had embezzled quite a large sum of money from his customers . . . and there was absolutely nothing on record about a daughter, who just happened to show up poking around the man's place of business.

Out of handcuffs, and suggesting that she lend her skills as a highly skilled forensics expert, Sierra offers Reed a teammate approach of sorts; they both want to find the same man, right? Before they can sort through all those details, the case takes a gruesome turn, and their partnership begins to exhibit all the markings of a "relationship", which has Sierra wondering what, or who, she is really looking for.

Definitely an "edge of your seat" story! 

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

SEE WINNIE'S REVIEW

BackCover Blurb:
Evaluating trace evidence is her job…

When Sierra Byrd’s father needs a kidney transplant, despite her parents’ protest claiming they could never ask for her help, Sierra insists on being tested for the transplant. But when results prove it is physically impossible for her father to be her biological father, her family finally confesses their long-held secret. She was conceived in an affair her mother had the summer before her parents’ wedding. The man she’d come to know as father is named on her birth certificate, but he truly isn’t her father.

But the job just turned personal.Shocked and hurt, Sierra goes in search of her biological father in the small coastal town where he owns a property management business. But when she arrives in town to find her father has recently disappeared, and she starts asking questions, FBI Agent Reed Rice delivers her second shock in as many days. Her father is wanted for embezzling money from the properties he manages. Despite the evidence staring her in the face, Sierra holds out hope that her father isn’t the criminal that Reed believes him to be. But as Sierra’s desperate search for the truth unearths long-buried secrets and she runs into dead end after dead end, she ignites a killer’s fury, and suddenly her own life is on the line.

Available in digital ebook, audiobook, and paperback:
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DEAD HEAT

Truth Seekers #4

"I'm FBI Agent Piper Nash . . . You're interfering in my op, and I need you to come with me before you blow our cover and the op."

Had she just kissed a man to get him to cooperate? Apparently, she had . . . and the handsome stranger had the gall to smile about it . . . right before he dropped, rolled and covered her body with his own as the bullets started flying.

Piper Nash meet Nick Thorn . . . cyber crime expert extraordinaire. Not only were they after the same criminal, Nick was the man recommended to work with the F. B. I. to catch a dangerous hacker; screen name . . . Jinx.

It was nearly impossible for me to put all the pieces of this complicated puzzle-plot together, but one thing was certain from the very beginning, Pipe and Nick fit together perfectly! Fast action, amazing characters, great story! 

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

SEE WINNIE'S REVIEW

BackCover Blurb:

Tracing cyber criminals is what he lives for…

When hackers breach hospital security to steal patient records and begin blackmailing them, Veritas Center’s cybercrime expert, Nick Thorn is hired to locate security holes and patch the system. But he doesn’t stop there. He wants to bring down the hacker and make her pay. Problem is, he inadvertently inserts himself in FBI Agent Piper Nash's sting to catch the same hacker, and Piper has no choice but to arrest him and force him to stand down.

But the job is suddenly hitting too close to home.Nick finds himself attracted to Piper and wants to comply, but when his grandmother falls prey to a cyber-attack by the same hacker, he takes the assault very personally and will stop at nothing to find the hacker. Not even stop for Piper’s warnings to take care. They’re in a dead heat to the finish line, but what Nick doesn’t realize is the hacker has no intention of going to jail, and she’s reserved a bullet with Piper’s name on it. With time ticking down can Nick partner with Piper to find the killer before a point-blank shot takes her out?

Available in digital ebook, paperback, and audiobook:
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26 BELOW by Kimberley Woodhouse, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise #NewRelease

A crazy lady is sure there will be a disaster when temperatures hit 26 below zero in Fairbanks, Alaska. But nobody takes her seriously and she cannot be found for questioning.

Darcie Phillips has just assumed her job as director of the Emergency Operations center. The governor has given her leeway of a year to get fully operational. So much to coordinate! Her small team of cyber security specialists needs to head off the threat before winter blasts to 26 below!

Ms. Woodhouse has proven her versatility with this super suspenseful story that had me flipping pages quickly. The team is smart and capable and works well together. Jason is a wonderful hero. He is intelligent, caring and romantic. Several characters have a solid faith in God and Darcie struggles with her dormant spiritual condition. Although she is methodical and cool in the face of the threat, her past comes back to throw a monkey wrench in at the worst time. When the villains act, Darcie sees that “bad people still did bad things.” She is reminded that if God seems far away, God has not moved- she has.

A scary thought that the very security we take for granted could be compromised. Ms. Woodhouse has penned an up-to-the-minute fascinating scenario that has me wishing the next book was ready to read!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kregel on behalf of the author. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*5+ stars and a solid faith thread

BackCover Blurb:
In her new role as Emergency Operations Center director for Fairbanks, Alaska, Darcie Phillips prevents disasters. But none of her training can prepare her for the terror that's coming.

As a cybersecurity specialist, Jason Myers is determined to ferret out any threats to the town he now calls home--and that includes his reckless brother and his ecoterrorist friends.

When an old woman's wild prediction--widespread destruction as soon as the Fairbanks temperature falls to 26 below--hits national headlines, neither Darcie nor Jason sees a real risk to anything but tourism.

Then the bodies start dropping.

Darcie is relying on her experience and intelligence to stop a killer; Jason is relying on God to guide the way. They'll have to work together to find the truth and prevent their Alaskan town from becoming a city of nightmares. The first in a thrilling new suspense series from best-selling author Kimberley Woodhouse, 26 Below will delight fans of Lynnette Eason, Irene Hannon, and Lynn Blackburn. 

Kregel Publications, April 2023

Available in digital ebook and paperback

Buy 26 BELOW at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House 

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT by Christina Suzann Nelson, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

"Usually, I work on stories with happy endings despite horrific traumas. I wouldn't even touch this if we didn't have a connection."

"Do you know the name Heather Crane? The people of Deep Valley, Oregon do. Every last resident has something to say about the girl who has been missing for thirty-six years. Follow along and hear the story. Maybe you hold the key to bringing Heather home."

Podcaster Faith Byrne suddenly has time on her hands, an entire summer to be exact; her recent divorce managed to divide her family in half giving her two daughters the opportunity to spend the summer with their dad and his soon-to-be new wife. However, returning to Deep Valley, Oregon was the last thing Faith expected to be doing, where unknown to her, one of her childhood friends had disappeared without a trace over three decades earlier . . . and now, Heather Crane's older sister Brooke is desperate to find closure; her mother having grieved to the point of no return and the entire town still bearing the brunt of the tragedy.

Admittedly, the three interchangeable viewpoints from both the past and the present, were a little confusing to navigate at the beginning of this story. Once that hurdle was crossed, the narrative took fascinating twists and turns as most investigations into cold cases are apt to do. Grief is a formidable adversary, but necessary at times, as each of these characters grew to realize. On the other hand, truth is a powerful defender and in this instance clears the way for "what happens next".

"In the end, this was a story that fit right in with her theme. It rang out with hope, perseverance, and strength. When Faith drove away from Deep Valley this time, she could do it knowing the job she came to do was complete."

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

SEE REVIEWS BY KIM AND PAULA

BackCover Blurb:
Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne has made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy--but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. But all that changes when she's asked to spotlight her childhood best friend's missing person case on her podcast.

Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her, and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter's belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.

As the investigation moves forward, the two women uncover desperate secrets, and Faith and Dora must face the long-hidden truth before they can begin to move forward.

Award-winning author Christina Suzann Nelson masterfully leads readers on a journey of discovery, healing, and friendship in this suspenseful and poignant tale. 

Bethany House Publishing, January 17,2023

Available in digital ebook, paperback, or audiobook:

Buy WHAT HAPPENS NEXT at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House

 

THE VANISHING AT CASTLE MOREAU by Jaime Jo Wright, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise #ReleaseDay

 

Wow! Jamie Jo Wright has done it again! I just love how she takes this topic of a mysterious castle that seems to gobble up young women and turns it on its head.

Through many decades, the legend of Castle Moreau warns people away from its hidden secrets. An authoress worthy of Poe in 1870, spins an aura around the castle which continues into the present. Daisy, in the past, and Cleo in the present are hired by the Tremblay family and may be too curious for their own good. Both are hiding from events in their background and would not be missed, should they disappear. “Her life was becoming a Gothic novel that rivaled an Ora Moreau classic, and Cleo was not exactly cool with that.” “In another life-in another world-she would be living in a dream. Here, she was just living a nightmare.”

I love the way Ms. Wright goes from frightful happenings when suddenly humor pops up. She even pokes fun at herself talking about Gothic novels as: “The perversion of an author’s mind.”

But through it all the characters show a genuine faith in God, trying to do the right thing when everything seemingly falls apart. The characters come across as real and the mystery is fascinating. “Nothing in Castle Moreau was ever as it seemed.” Causing Daisy, then Cleo to ponder what was substance and what was illusion. The romance is a bonus in both timelines which balances the suspenseful tone in this story with scary situations and an overarching theme of redemption.

*I purchased a copy of this book. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.”Beyond 5 stars and a solid faith thread

BackCover Blurb:

A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.

In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman's stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle's curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.

Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two women who must do all they can to seek the light amid the darkness shrouding Castle Moreau. 

 

Bethany House Publishing, April 4,2023

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

Buy THE VANISHING AT CASTLE MOREAU at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House