Dangerous Passage by Lisa Harris

Dangerous Passage
by Lisa Harris

ISBN-13: 9780800721909
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: September 1, 2013

Source: Free ebook.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When two Jane Does are killed on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, detective and behavioral specialist Avery North discovers they share something in common--a tattoo of a magnolia on their shoulders. Suspecting a serial killer, Avery joins forces with medical examiner Jackson Bryant to solve the crimes and prevent another murder. But it doesn't take long for them to realize that there is much more to the case than meets the eye. As they venture deep into a sinister world of human trafficking, Avery and Jackson are taken to the very edge of their abilities--and their hearts.


My Review:
Dangerous Passage is a Christian romantic suspense novel. The romance was more "we'll see what happens after this craziness is over" than something developed in this book. The heroine didn't have enough time to meet all of the demands on her life, and she was concerned that she didn't have time to add yet another demand in the form of a serious boyfriend. I was irritated that her family kept pushing her to date while dismissing this concern, and they certainly didn't offer to drop their demands on her so that she had time to date.

I liked the characters, and they were fairly well-developed. The mystery involved human trafficking and murder (among other things), and the heroine was driven to solve things before more people die. The suspense mainly came from the physical danger. The Christian element was the heroine dealing with so much evil and death yet maintaining her faith in God. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this suspenseful 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.

From the Ashes by Sabrina Flynn

From the Ashes
by Sabrina Flynn

ISBN-13: 9781955207027
Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace
Released: May 23, 2014

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
San Francisco, 1900. Atticus Riot returns home with death on his heels and grief in his heart. After twenty years of roaming the Barbary Coast, the gambler-turned detective is about to toss the game for good. But the case of a missing heiress draws him in its wake. As he searches for the elusive Isobel Kingston, all is not what it seems, and he is sure to clash in a battle of wits and murder that will send his life spiraling down a most perplexing path.


My Review:
From the Ashes is a mystery set in 1900 in San Francisco. Atticus Riot doesn't think he's clever compared to his (now dead) detective agency partner, but he's very good at observing details, finding clues, and getting people to tell him useful information. He wishes he was better at preventing crime, not just solving it, so he's determined to find the kidnapped woman before she's killed.

We also got the point of view of the woman who was kidnapped. She tried to work out who ordered her abduction even as she resourcefully worked to save herself--from her kidnappers but also from society's social expectations of a young, well-to-do woman. There's suspense from the physical danger she faced. Her part of the story was timed so it didn't spoil the enjoyment of watching Riot figure out the clues. Historical details were woven into the story to immerse you in the time and place.

There was no sex (though prostitutes played a small role in the mystery). There was a fair amount of bad language (about 1 every 8 pages). Overall, I'd recommend this engaging 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.

Texas Ranch Cold Case by Virginia Vaughan

Texas Ranch Cold Case
by Virginia Vaughan

ISBN-13: 9781335598172
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: June 25, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Twenty years after her mother vanished, Ally Fulton returns to Harmon Ranch—the last place she was seen—and barely makes it out alive. Someone doesn’t want Ally digging up the truth. With a target on her back, she reluctantly accepts protection from Officer Tucker Harmon. Can he keep Ally alive?


My Review:
Texas Ranch Cold Case is a Christian romantic suspense. Ally acted like a teenager with no relationship experience and little maturity. She's determined to hate all Harmons because her mother disappeared from their ranch 20 years ago. She resented that people weren't giving the case serious attention. Tucker helped her find the available information, but it happened so long ago there's not much to go on. When a recent murder appeared to be linked to the cold case, Tucker and the police turned their focus to it since it had active clues to track down. Instead of being happy that the case might finally be solved, she completely rejected Tucker for his 'betrayal.' She didn't want to see or talk with him ever again, even though his protection was the only thing keeping her alive after multiple attempts to kill her. The mystery was interesting, but Ally's immaturity didn't seem consistent since she's an otherwise responsible adult with a job as a teacher. Yet somehow she inspired Tucker's unwavering love.

Ally learned to trust God even before she got her answers, because of who God is rather than for what He gives. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this to fans of cold case mysteries.


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.

An Amish Country Reunion by Patricia Johns

An Amish Country Reunion
by Patricia Johns

ISBN-13: 9780369737441
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming
Released: June 25, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Arriving at the State Police K9 Training Center in Amish Country, Trooper Genevieve Austin learns that she’ll be reporting to her former partner, Sergeant Scott Simpson. Gen hasn’t seen Scott since he transfered to a new job. Her own struggles to climb the ranks are why she's there, a punishment for insubordination designed to test if she can take orders and if Scott can be her boss. Gen soon is unofficially investigating a case of theft involving the neighboring Amish, and Scott helps her. But working together makes old feelings resurface, and Gen and Scott must choose their careers or each other.


My Review:
An Amish Country Reunion is a romance with a mystery. The main characters were complex in the sense that their intentions and actions didn't always line up. However, the author wrote this so the solution to their problems was obvious to the reader but it was a struggle for the characters.

Gen wanted to do dangerous police work. Seriously, she should do undercover work as no one expected the skinny, stunning beauty to really be a cop. All she had to do is smile and ask a question to get most people talking. The problem was that her rich, influential father told her bosses to keep her safe, so she now lacked the experience to move up the ranks or take on the more dangerous jobs. Scott wanted to be commander over the station where Gen worked, but he couldn't have a relationship with her and be her boss. It didn't matter when he thought she didn't care for him, but then they both realized that they loved each other.

Frankly, I couldn't really accept that Scott's old boss would really think he could command a station full of cops. A dog looked at Scott with sad eyes, and Scott treated him like a personal pet even though he knew that wasn't in the dog's best interests. Gen easily manipulated him into to giving her what she wanted. Gen kept choosing to defy orders because she knew better, and it was only because Scott loved Gen that he said she'd reformed. Her attitude got better when she saw the truth about her situation, but she still couldn't be trusted to follow the chain of command.

I also didn't feel like the author really knew how K9s were trained as it mostly involved taking the dogs for a walk or cuddling puppies. And, yes, a dog would find it confusing for his handler to command him to attack his handler like a bad guy. I liked the story, it just didn't feel very realistic. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this story to fans of Amish and K9 fiction.


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.

Cry in the Night by Colleen Coble

Cry in the Night
by Colleen Coble

ISBN-13: 9781401688646
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: April 8, 2013

Source: Free book.


Book Description from Goodreads:
A mysterious sound leads search-and-rescue worker Bree Matthews and her dog Samson to an abandoned baby in the woods outside Rock Harbor, Michigan. Bree takes the baby girl in and begins to search for the mother—presumably the woman reported missing just days earlier.

While teams scour the wintery forests, Bree ferrets out clues about the woman. Where is she and why did she leave the child behind? And how does that connect to Bree’s first husband’s mysterious death years ago in the Upper Peninsula? Everything Bree thought she knew about her life changes with the sound of a cry in the night.


My Review:
Cry in the Night is a Christian suspense novel. It's the fifth novel about Bree, and it spoiled some events from previous books. I'd recommend reading them in order.

The main characters were complex and generally reacted realistically to events. The author focused on personal problems for Bree to deal with. Her dead husband is back and a criminal--so who did they bury? Is her current marriage legal? And he wants his son, Davy, whom another bad guy wants to kill because the boy witnessed something. Bree's having trouble getting pregnant and maintaining a pregnancy while her husband is worried he may be laid off from his job. When searching for a woman, they find an unknown infant hidden nearby. Bree instantly falls in love with the baby and wants to adopt it even though others warn her that the legal parents will probably want it back. While there was some investigation into the identity of the baby, the suspense was focused on the danger to Davy and the turmoil in Bree's life.

Bree struggled with why God would let the current challenges happen to her. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to fans of Bree who want to read every novel about her.


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.

Into the Deep by Colleen Coble

Into the Deep
by Colleen Coble

ISBN-13: 9781401688585
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: April 8, 2013

Source: Free book.


Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
A local scientist misses his son's birthday party and turns up dead in Lake Superior. A radical environmental group blames a mysterious lab for dead fish found in a remote stream. Then an Alzheimer's patient goes missing and his home is ransacked.

Bree Nichols and her beloved search-and-rescue dog, Samson, pitch in to help investigate the events disrupting their small community. But new discoveries soon throw her shaky love life into tilt, dredge up her painful past, and threaten her family. Bree must dive deep for the faith to keep going, the strength to defend those she cares about, and the courage to keep her fearful heart open to love.


My Review:
Into the Deep is a Christian suspense novel with some romance. It's the third novel about Bree, and it spoiled some events from previous books. I'd recommend reading them in order.

So previous books established how much Bree loves her dog and how tuned in she is to him even when not technically working SARs. About a third of the way in, a man tried to abduct the dog in front of the Sheriff's house only to be seen by an adult and scared away. Bree swore to never let her dog out of her sight again. Yet then she repeatedly sent her young son and the dog out by themselves without even bothering to check on them. I couldn't believe it. Worse, one time her dog tried to indicate trouble to Bree, and she totally ignored it. I dropped a star off my rating simply because this seemed so out of character.

The main characters were complex and generally reacted realistically to events. There was so much going on, at times it felt like the author tried to pack too much in. Both Bree and her best friend had relationship troubles on several fronts. They were largely self-induced in Bree's case as she didn't handle several relationships very well and had to learn not to run away from close relationships. The mysteries were missing dogs, dead fish, and who's targeting the people working at the new lab. Kade initially blamed Bree for not totally committing to him when he never indicated that's what he wanted with her. Several people got on his case about that. They ended up a good match since they grew in how they handled relationships.

Bree's a new believer in Christ and sometimes struggled with how that works out in real life. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery/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.

Beneath a Crescent Shadow by A. L. Sowards

Beneath a Crescent Shadow
by A. L. Sowards

ISBN-13: 9781639932467
Hardback: 360 pages
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Released: June 4, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Balkans, 1373. A devastating battle claimed the lives of Konstantin’s father, uncle, and most of their Serb army, leaving him to rule as a vassal of the Ottoman sultan, a role he is wholly unprepared for. Between war, famine, and a persistent band of brigands, Konstantin is nearly bankrupt. He will need to find a wealthy bride to marry if he is to have any hope of saving his lands and securing his future.

A betrothal to Suzana, the daughter of a prosperous merchant, is soon arranged, and upon meeting her, Konstantin immediately feels hope that their marriage could someday grow into love. Yet from the moment of Konstantin and Suzana’s betrothal, enemies threaten their lives, outlaws prey on their lands, and the terrors of Suzana’s abusive past haunt their fragile new relationship. As this onslaught of threats closes in, the two face challenges that will test their love, their faith, and their hope to save their people and win their freedom from the heavy weight of Ottoman oppression.


My Review:
Beneath a Crescent Shadow is a suspense/romance set in 1373 in the Balkans. Vivid historical and setting details were woven into the story, bringing it alive in my imagination. The main characters were engaging, complex, and felt like real people. The suspense came from repeated attacks against Konstantin's people and strained resources needed to protect his people and his family.

A famine and defeat in battle left the area that Konstantin ruled short on fighting men and food. Then brigands started burning the fields and later set what were obviously traps to kill Konstantin. I wondered why it took so long (and others pointing out that he's a target) before Konstantin started to wonder who was behind the attacks. He wasn't proactive in trying to stop the attacks or to figure out how they were pulled off. I guess it's because he's young and inexperienced, but I had a fair idea of what was going on long before Konstantin. Anyway, I still really enjoyed the story.

Suzana grew stronger in her faith in God throughout the story. Konstantin felt he had failed his wife and God at one point by not standing against evil and thought that God was punishing him. He came to realize that both family and God would forgive him. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting, suspenseful historical 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.

The Hudson Collection by Jocelyn Green

The Hudson Collection
by Jocelyn Green

ISBN-13: 9780764239649
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: June 4, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Elsa Reisner's lifelong dream of working as an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History is fading as the monotonous job begins to drain her passion. She's assigned to catalog the bequest of a recently deceased patron whose Gothic country mansion holds secrets and treasures waiting to be discovered.

As Elsa delves into her task, she forms an unlikely bond with the estate's delightful gardener and her daughter, as well as an architectural salvage dealer who still bears scars from the Great War. Together, they embark on a thrilling treasure hunt for a missing relic intended to safeguard the servants' futures before the estate is sold. At the same time, Elsa's body seems to betray her with new symptoms from a childhood disease that isn't through with her yet.

Elsa must navigate the tangled web of secrets and hidden motives along with the changing state of her health. As her deadline looms ever closer, will she be able to secure a new life for her friends before the estate slips from their grasp?


My Review:
The Hudson Collection "The Hudson Collection" is a Christian romance set in 1926 in New York. Elsa had polio as a child and felt rejected by her parents and looked down on by others when she didn't recover fully. She can walk but not smoothly and she has weak lungs. When she's sent to catalog and pack a huge collection of birds at a mostly-empty estate, she meets an odd young girl and her mother, a gardener, who quickly become her friends. She also befriends two men scared from the Great War who are removing architectural elements that can be reused (since the house is to be destroyed). They're told to keep an eye out for a rare book that's been willed to the child, but the house's inheritor believes in eugenics and sees the child as unfit and therefore unworthy of such a gift. Elsa wants to find it first to make sure the child gets it, but everyone (including people with no possible legal claim to the book) are also trying to find the treasure.

The main characters were complex, well-developed people. I cared about what happened to them. They struggled with real issues, and relationship tensions were created by realistic behavior (rather than manufactured obstacles). Elsa and her man supported each other and made each other feel more confident and lovable. Interesting historical details were woven into the story and immersed me in the time and place. There were a couple of 'just how did that dog find her?' type moments that pushed believability.

The Christian theme was that we're made in the image of God and have value, even if we aren't physically perfect. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical.


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.

The Crown Conspiracy by Connie Mann

The Crown Conspiracy
by Connie Mann

ISBN-13: 9781496487391
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Released: June 4, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The media spotlight is the last thing art thief and forger Sophie Williams needs. But when one of three long-missing royal portraits turns up in Germany at her best friend’s art gallery, the spotlight is exactly what she gets. Since the tragic deaths of Princess Johanna of Neuhansberg and her two children forty years ago, the whereabouts of these portraits have been unknown . . . and the timing of their reappearance―just days before a new prince’s coronation―reignites questions surrounding the infamous accident.

Then Sophie’s best friend vanishes, and a rumor about hidden treasure connected to the paintings surfaces, seemingly confirmed by a cryptic message on the back of the first canvas. Convinced that finding the other two portraits will lead to her friend, Sophie begins a twisty investigation that pits her against other ruthless treasure hunters, a handsome man who seems to dog her trail at every turn, and a mysterious group that offers help, wearing an emblem identical to one in the painting.

From Germany’s grand castles and soaring cathedrals through the Alps to the canals of Venice, Sophie must choose her allies carefully if she hopes to find the portraits, rescue her best friend―and perhaps save a throne―before time runs out.


My Review:
The Crown Conspiracy is a Christian suspense. Sophie is talented at mimicking other people's paintings down to the last detail. She uses this skill and her talent for disguises to return stolen artwork to its rightful owners. To pay the bills, she works for her best friend at an art gallery. When the friend receives a long-lost painting as an inheritance from her mother, the media finds out. A lot of people want that painting, especially as there's a clue on each painting that leads to treasure. When her best friend is kidnapped, Sophie's determined to follow the clues, retrieve the other missing paintings, and save her friend.

She's used to working alone, but a small, diverse group of talented women show up to help. Turns out her friend is a part of a group of women who work to protect each other and vulnerable women and children. And she needs help as at least one man is willing to kill to get the paintings. Another man steals from her even as he occasionally helps protect her from the other painting seekers. Though they kiss intensely at times, I wouldn't really call him a love interest as he's intent on his own interests.

It was really fun to have women saving the day and outwitting the bad guys for once. They used their intelligence, talents, and determination to overcome all obstacles. The characters were engaging and reacted to events in realistic ways. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense and look forward to the next in this series.


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.