Cold Case Secrets by Maggie K. Black

Cold Case Secrets by Maggie K. Black ISBN-13: 9781335232212 Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense Released: July 2, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGally.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Solving his sister’s murder is Mountie Jacob Henry’s only priority—until his daring helicopter rescue of Grace Finch leaves them stranded in the Canadian wilderness. Now with a storm raging and escaped convicts in pursuit, Jacob and Grace must rely on each other for survival. But when Jacob discovers Grace’s deadly secret, can he look past it in the fight for their lives?


My Review:
Cold Case Secrets is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It is the 4th in a series, but it works as a stand-alone. The hero feels guilt over not being there to stop is little sister's (unsolved) murder when they were children, so he chose a job involving rescuing people. The heroine is a smart and capable journalist who's determined to be the opposite of her secret, biological father--a criminal and murderer. Only he's threatening to ruin her career by exposing their relationship, so she's traveled deep into the wilderness to retrieve evidence that he says is there and will prove his innocence. But three killers just made a prison break and are armed and roaming free in that same area.

The hero seemed determined to force the heroine into the damsel in distress role by removing her means of defending herself. I'm not convinced that he wouldn't have immediately allowed a man trained to use firearms to keep the extra gun given the situation. I understand he's a strict rule follower and didn't quite trust her, but the convicts were armed and trying to kill her. Still, she refused be a helpless victim and rescued him as much as he rescued her. It took him a while, but he started trusting her and treating her more like a competent partner even as he worked to protect her.

Suspense was created by the continuous physical danger from the wilderness and the killers. I enjoyed the characters and cared about what happened to them. The romance developed as they got to know each other. They became better people and found healing through what they went through together. The hero freely prayed to God for help and protection, and the heroine started doing so after having been angry at God for years. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense novel.


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.