Friday, February 20, 2026

Deadly Rodeo Threat by Sami A. Abrams

Book cover
Deadly Rodeo Threat
by Sami A. Abrams


ISBN-13: 9781335957610
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: February 24, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When his twin sister disappears, Navy SEAL Logan Russell returns home to help her best friend, Sheriff Isabelle Sinclair, track down leads. Isabelle is determined to solve Lisa’s mysterious disappearance the night of her last rodeo—and someone will do anything to keep her from digging too deep. When crucial evidence links Lisa’s case to a string of barrel racers who’ve also vanished, Logan and Izzie fight against the clock to track down a suspected serial killer. But when he sets his sights on Izzie, can they outsmart their enemy before both women end up dead?


My Review:
Deadly Rodeo Threat is a Christian romantic suspense. Isabelle's previous boyfriend broke down her confidence, so now she's determined not to show any weakness and prove her abilities. Logan never doubted her abilities, but he wasn't able to save a friend on his last, disastrous mission and suffers from PTSD and survivor's guilt. Both characters built each other up and supported each other. They worked well together to track down clues about what happened to Lisa. The suspense was high as other missing barrel racers turned up dead (and Lisa might be next) and the killer kept attacking Ivy to stop her investigation.

Both Isabelle and Logan prayed to God for help, and Logan trusted God with the future. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery/suspense.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Friday, February 13, 2026

Edge of Truth by Janice Cantore

Book cover
Edge of Truth
by Janice Cantore


ISBN-13: 9781496487971
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Released: February 17, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
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. 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. Then Efren goes missing.

When Ben’s and Lainie’s investigations converge, Lainie’s willing to work alongside Ben if it means figuring out what Stan knows and locating Evie. 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.


My Review:
Edge of Truth is a Christian romantic suspense. As a rookie, Lainie pulled over a drunk only to discover a murdered woman in the back of the car. The driver convinced a jury that there was no proof that he actually murdered the woman. Now he's a crime boss. When Lainie's brother-in-law calls claiming her sister died in a shark attack, she investigates only to discover that things don't add up. But where's her sister? Ben's been watching the car wash were her brother-in-law works unknowingly for the crime boss, and Ben's partner has gone missing. Lainie and Ben work together to find her sister, his partner, and the truth.

The suspense remained high due to the danger and uncertainty around the disappearances of the sister and partner. The characters were engaging and reacted realistically to events. Ben admired how Lainie took good advice and managed to save her career after a rocky start. Both were tenacious in discovering the truth and were good a spotting inconsistencies. Lainie and Ben supported each other and shared a passion for justice.

Lainie felt like God let her down and maybe didn't even listen to her prayers, but she started praying during this crisis and regained her trust that God's in control. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this engaging, suspenseful story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Sunday, February 8, 2026

A Study in Secrets by Jeffrey Siger

Book cover
A Study in Secrets
by Jeffrey Siger


ISBN-13: 9781448317066
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Severn House
Released: February 3, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Michael A— lives a quiet, comfortable life since his retirement from the intelligence services. Practically a recluse, he spends his days imagining the lives of the anonymous people he watches in the park beneath the window of his elegant New York townhouse—number 221—his every need tended to by his housekeeper, Mrs. Baker.

For weeks, a girl has sat in the park every morning at dawn. Always alone. Always watchful. And when the sun rises, she vanishes, as if she was never there. But one day her routine changes—and Michael realizes that she faces terrible danger. He makes an uncharacteristic decision to abandon his solitude and help her. Soon, Michael finds himself plunged into the New York underworld, and he’ll have to use all the tricks of his former trade if he’s to keep not just himself, but his new friend, alive.


My Review:
A Study in Secrets is a mystery with some suspense. Michael managed to get himself into and out of some rather dangerous situations. He used his wealth and connections to uncover information and solved the murder of a bad guy with the help of his housekeeper and a local restaurant owner. But his sense of justice was more concerned with giving victims a second chance to change and make better choices. I usually don't like civilians acting as judge and jury, but this story was such a delight to read that it felt like true justice had been served. Michael's a master at manipulating people (by guessing motives, probable past actions, etc.) into giving him information, yet people rarely acted completely as he expected leading to some funny moments. So many moving pieces, and yet it all worked out in the end.

There was occasional bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this delightful mystery.1931


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Friday, February 6, 2026

Mists over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin

Book cover
Mists over the Channel Islands
by Sarah Sundin


ISBN-13: 9780800741877
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: February 1, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
The German invasion of the British Channel Islands shatters Dr. Ivy Picot's peaceful world, forcing her to shoulder the weight of her father's medical practice and hold together a family unraveling under the strain of war. As conditions worsen in Jersey with the arrival of thousands of forced laborers, Ivy's quiet allegiance to the Allies compels her to risk everything--providing medical aid to escaped workers even as danger closes in.

Dutch engineer and resistance member Gerrit van der Zee volunteers to build fortifications for the Germans so he can secretly send maps and diagrams to the Allies. On his arrival in the Channel Islands, he crosses paths with Ivy, who shows him contempt for the uniform he wears. As tensions mount and their missions grow increasingly dangerous, Ivy and Gerrit must confront the cost of courage, the meaning of sacrifice, and whether love can survive in the shadow of war. Will their covert efforts turn the tide--or will they pay the ultimate price for defiance?


My Review:
Mists over the Channel Islands is a Christian romantic suspense set in the British Channel Islands mainly during 1942-44. Gerrit planned to send layouts and maps of the German fortifications to the British, but he needed someone to take the drawings--and Ivy's younger brother worked on a ship that regularly went to France. Ivy didn't initially know this, but she secretly treated forced workers that ran away. Their sister, however, undermined and belittled Ivy and then went to work for a German officer. The suspense came from the high danger to those involved in the resistance and tension in the family from the split loyalties.

The historical details were woven into the story and brought the story alive in my imagination, from food and medicine shortages to details of the harsh German occupation. The characters were well-developed, complex, and acted realistically to events. They felt like real people who really lived through these events. Gerrit and Ivy were engaging characters who shared values and built each other up. Gerrit and Ivy struggled to see God's goodness when things were going so wrong and people died. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Sunday, February 1, 2026

Whiteout by Lynette Eason & Dani Pettrey

Book cover
Whiteout
by Lynette Eason
and Dani Pettrey


ISBN-13: 9780764245978
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: February 3, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In Buried in Shadows by Dani Pettrey, Cassandra Parker arrives at her best friend's destination wedding, praying her stalker hasn't tracked her to Colorado. Also part of the wedding party is Sheriff Joel Brunswick, the man she stunned by leaving at the altar to hide a dangerous truth. When an avalanche strands their ski group in an abandoned lodge, it becomes chillingly clear that Cassandra's stalker has followed her . . . and he's willing to kill to make her his.

In Snowbound Secrets by Lynette Eason, Dr. Maya Sullivan fully intends to escape her past and finish planning a retreat for military veterans at the ranch she's inherited. Unfortunately, her plans go sideways when an avalanche traps her in a Colorado ski resort. An unexpected reunion with her high school crush forces her to confront past wounds, but she soon realizes someone is targeting her, and their search for a shadowy enemy becomes a matter of life and death.


My Review:
Whiteout contains 2 Christian romantic suspense novellas. Buried in Shadows is almost a horror movie, with a ski group stuck in an abandoned lodge after surviving an avalanche and surrounded by a whiteout snowstorm. Cassandra's stalker is killing people one by one, and her love, Sheriff Joel, is the killer's ultimate target. The killer must be one of their party, made up of close friends and family, but who? Throw in some secret passages and some injuries, and the suspense never stops. The main characters were likable and reacted realistically to events. I am a little confused, though: the killer expected the party to end up at the out-of-the-way lodge, so I assumed he'd caused the avalanche, but no one (in either novella) suspects anything but a natural cause.

Snowbound Secrets unexpectedly reunites high school friends, all with some level of PTSD. After the avalanche cut the main ski lodge off from help, Maya uses her medical skills to help those injured. Only, someone's trying to hurt HER and she doesn't know why. She's an understanding, caring woman, determined to help others heal from their wounds. Gideon vows to keep her safe, but he doesn't feel worthy of her due to his PTSD and some compromising choices he made that cost him his construction business. The two worked well together and shared a vision to help others with PTSD.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend these suspenseful novellas.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Friday, January 30, 2026

A Field Guide to Murder by Michelle L. Cullen

Book cover
A Field Guide to Murder
by Michelle L. Cullen


ISBN-13: 9798892424639
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Released: January 27, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Once a globe-trotting anthropologist, Harry Lancaster is now certain that all his grand adventures are behind him. Recently widowed and suffering from a fractured hip, Harry spends his days and nights behind a pair of binoculars, nose-deep in his neighbors’ affairs. His millennial caregiver, Emma, is determined to get him out of his armchair and back into the world.

Fate intervenes when Harry’s mysterious neighbor Sue phones, pleading for help. But instead of rescuing her, Harry and Emma find Sue dead: poisoned, days after a break-in at Sue’s house. Harry resolves to find out what happened, and Emma insists on going along for the ride. Together, they discover motives and suspects abound in Harry’s quaint condominium community—putting them both in the crosshairs of a cold-blooded killer.


My Review:
A Field Guide to Murder is an amateur detective mystery novel. It's a clue-based puzzle mystery. Emma and Harry were both very observant (noticing even small details) and were logical in how they considered the things they heard and observed. Harry used his life experience in observing people and discovering what motivated them along with his skill in leading people in casual conversation to provide the information he desired. It seemed like everyone in the community had secrets so there were many potential clues to expose and sort through. I was certain of whodunit several chapters before Harry figured it out, but I didn't identified whodunit until near the end of the book.

The characters were likable and reacted realistically to events. There was actual character development, too. Emma was engaged to a handsome, successful man who was nice but who had different goals in life. Emma wanted to use her skills to help people, but he wanted to primarily make money. Harry tried to help her find the confidence to chose the life she really wanted while she tried to get him engaged with life again rather than feeling like a has-been. They were a good team.

There were only a few uses of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable puzzle mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Sunday, January 25, 2026

Hunting a Killer by Sarah Varland

Book cover
Hunting a Killer
by Sarah Varland


ISBN-13: 9781488237690
Audiobook, Unabridged
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Released: Jan. 27, 2026

Source: Audiobook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
During an investigation into a series of homicides, FBI agent Finn McDaniel is unexpectedly attacked, and a blow to the head leaves him with amnesia. Left for dead, he’s discovered by cadaver dog Cipher and her handler, search and rescue specialist Jordyn Williams — who is also Finn’s missing sister’s best friend. As Finn and Jordyn work to recover his crucial memories, they unearth evidence that links his sister’s disappearance to the killings. After finding the body of the latest victim, can they stop the murderer from striking again?


My Review:
Hunting a Killer is a Christian romantic suspense. Finn discovered an important, overlooked clue to the killer's habits and identity and didn't tell anyone those details or apparently write it down anywhere. In an attempt to keep the latest missing woman from dying, he searched in the deep woods by himself, witnessed the murder, saw the killer, got hit over the head, and was left for dead. Happily, Jordyn followed her cadaver dog straight to him while searching for the missing woman. He didn't remember the important clues or whodunit but insisted that he needed to hide because he's certain he can't trust someone on the FBI team.

The main characters were likable, honorable, and reacted realistically to events. Finn and Jordyn both had a long-standing crush on each other that they never acted upon when they were younger. They got to know each other in the couple days that they worked the case together and came to admire each other. They worked well together. Both struggled with trusting God with their future when he let a loved one die despite their prayers. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel.

The narrator of the audiobook did a good job of saying the text in a way consistent with the text (with surprise if surprised, etc.) and spoke in a way that kept my interest. It was easy to follow who was talking and what was going on.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.