What We Hide by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker gives readers an intriguing mystery. Savannah Webster is in deep trouble. She’s been accused of murder, and she turns towards the best attorney she knows, her ex-husband, Hez. While trying to clear Savannah’s name, they start to uncover secret after dangerous secret.

I love this kickoff to the series and love novels where everyone is a suspect. Readers get the best from both authors. Coble brings the suspense mixed with heartwarming characters, and Acker brings the legal twists and turns.  The emotional drama grips readers with Savannah and Hez having to deal with their past head on. I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble has become one of my favorites from the author. Colleen writes suspense mixed with romance and family drama – and this family has plenty of secrets to keep suspense fans up all night.

Carly Harris is a widow. Her husband was murdered, leaving Carly and their son Noah behind. But the mystery behind the murder remains…until Carly discovers what the killer was after – a rare and priceless find in Carly’s possession. The only person she can trust with the secret find is Lucas Bennett, her not-so-friendly neighbor and police detective. But as danger escalates, colossal secrets are revealed and the couple fights to the end to protect Carly’s family.

I loved this book from start to finish. Just when you think you’ve figured it all out – BAM – another twist knocks you over or a crazy secret changes the whole story. I love a good family drama, and this has a host of crazy family members, relationship drama, and tension woven throughout. I’ve always been a fan of Colleen Coble, but this one is going down as one of my favorites.

Definitely check out Fragile Designs. For audiobook fans: I thought the narrator really brought the story to life. I recommend the audio version, and I’m picky about my narrators so this was a win for me. Karen Peakes did a great job with it!

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Concrete Evidence by DiAnn Mills is set on Brazos River Ranch in Texas where Avery Elliott manages the family business. She discovers her grandfather, a man she admires, may have murdered a man. Enter FBI Agent Marc Wilkins, who helps Avery sort out the mess her grandfather left behind after he disappears. The bad guys turn the tables and go after Avery when she gets too close to the truth.

What’s not to love about Concrete Evidence? I love books that start right in the action, and the shocking chapter one reeled me in. I also love books with a long list of suspects for me to try and figure out the who-dunnit. And there are plenty of suspects in Concrete Evidence, as Avery’s grandfather is a former senator with a long list of enemies. And finally, I love books that have a chase. Avery goes on the run, and Marc helps her pick up the pieces of her shattered life while keeping the bad guys at bay.

Definitely pick up a copy of Concrete Evidence on October 4^th for an action-packed, suspenseful read.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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Fallout by Carrie Stuart Parks is a complex mystery with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers intrigued. Samantha Willis finds herself smack dab in the middle of a mystery with ties to her past. A car crashes into her classroom full of students. Her life pretty much falls apart, and she has no money, ID or place to stay after the crash. She meets a few strangers, including Mary Thompson who is looking for her wayward husband, and Dutch Van Setter, an anthropologist working for Clan Firinn. Sam has to figure out who she can trust and who might be trying to kill her.

I love Carrie Stuart Parks for her quirky characters! You’ll never have boring run-of-the-mill characters in one of her novels. Sam is definitely the quirkiest, and it makes her all the more likable. I like that Clan Firinn comes into this story (I think it was first mentioned in Woman In Shadow) because it’s an interesting concept – it’s a retreat/rehab center that works with former military/law enforcement who suffer PTDS among other things.

The mystery is complex and filled with danger. The only thing I did struggle with was that the pacing was a bit slow. It was hard to connect everything together until about part way through the story. However, the author takes seemingly random events and weaves it into a fabulous tale with creative characters and an intriguing mystery. Just a warning for fans of romantic suspense, there wasn’t much in the way of romance…fine by me, but I know some readers may look for this. All in all, if you are a fan of complex mysteries with even more complex characters, definitely check out Fallout when it releases 9/13/22.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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Edge of Dusk by Colleen Coble takes readers back to Rock Harbor for a whole new series. Readers will love seeing some of the original characters pop in, as well as meet new ones. Annie Pederson is a resident of Rock Harbor with a tumultuous past. After losing her husband and parents in a boating accident, Annie struggles to raise her eight-year-old daughter, manage her families’ campsite and work as a Ranger. But all she wants to do is solve the mystery of finding her sister that was kidnapped when they were children. But when her ex-fiancé shows up in town, old feelings ignite. But Jon Dustan brings up way too many memories from the past for the small town to handle.

If it’s mysteries you want, Colleen Coble always brings complicated and intriguing storylines to life. There are plenty of plot twists, secrets, lies, and drama to delight any suspense fan.  I love how the author creates complicated twists and turns that keep readers guessing. Just a warning, the ending is definitely a cliffhanger and I felt like things were unresolved. I guess that means I’ll just have to wait for the sequel.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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The Record Keeper by Charles Martin is the third installment of the Murphy Shepherd series. I highly recommend reading the series in order or you’ll miss key parts. This story centers around Bones – where he came from and what he overcame to lead an operation that rescues people from human slavery/trafficking. This story is dark and intense, but Martin weaves such powerful themes of hope, freedom, and salvation throughout every word on the page.

The Record Keeper follows Murphy as he tracks down Bones. He hires a new team of hackers to help him scour the earth to find his friend and mentor. I love the new characters (and hope maybe some of them get a spin-off series of their own someday.) And many characters return from the previous stories (like Summer, Clay, and Gunner.) But just like the first two in the series, this story has lots of action and intense moments that kept a suspense fan like me hooked. I appreciate the overall themes of The Record Keeper. The sacrifices both Bones and Murphy make to find the lost and forgotten is powerful.

The whole series is so well done! This releases on July 5^th – and what better way to celebrate Independence Day than with a story about a Shepherd seeking that one lost sheep, bringing freedom to the hopeless and lost.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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We Were Kings by Court Stevens takes a page right out of Agatha Christie’s playbook.  Nyla Wagner’s mother has spent her life trying to get Frankie Quick out of jail for murder. But when Nyla learns the truth about her family connections to Frankie Quick, she starts her own investigation.

I love murder mysteries with a big cast of crazy characters and the reader gets to track down out the murderer along with the main character. The book is filled with lots of bizarre plot twists and moments that leave the reader gasping, “What just happened!?!” Everyone’s a suspect, and the ending was completely unpredictable. I’d definitely recommend this for suspense fans, even if it’s labeled YA because I think adults would appreciate the story as much as young adults.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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A Stranger’s Game by Colleen Coble brings danger and suspense to Jekyll Island. Torie Bergstrom is an heiress to a hotel empire, but decides to go on her own undercover mission, returning to her hometown of Jekyll Island to find out what happened with her best friend’s death. She doesn’t buy that her friend committed suicide and hopes people will open up to her if she keeps her identity hidden. She meets Joe Abbott, and the two tackle the unfolding mysteries together. But danger hits them from all sides because someone knows who Torie really is and sends threatening messages for her to leave.

This story has the perfect balance of suspense and romance. I like how both Joe and Torie struggle to reconcile their pasts to move forward to a future relationship. Torie relates to Joe’s daughter, as they both lost their mothers in tragic circumstances. But the suspenseful elements make this a fast-paced story (I think any story with sharks in it is a must-read!) There’s danger practically on every page. Colleen Coble always has fantastic and intricate plot twists coupled with super-unique settings that leave readers breathless.

I love how the mystery in this story unfolds. This is a great story to kick off the new year for all suspense fans!

Overall Rating:
5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down)

Suspense Rating:
5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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 “The wounds of the past carry a lot of weight when it comes to walking into one’s future, and if anything can rob you of now, it’s yesterday.”

The Letter Keeper is the follow-up to The Water Keeper. You definitely need to read these in order.  While The Water Keeper brought the action, The Letter Keeper focusses in on the repercussions of the life Murphy Shepherd has chosen. He’s given up his life to rescue people from human trafficking, but the toll is high. He doesn’t know how to handle new relationships, and an injury forces him to let others take care of him for a while. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of action in the story as Murphy faces many life and death situations, because he always leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one. Nothing can keep that man down.

The name of Freetown says it all: what is freedom worth? The story dives into the dark spots of humanity but Charles Martin weaves a message of hope through every page. The rescued women struggle with love and understanding that everyone is worth being rescued, but Murphy shares a similar struggle. He needs to let go of the past and so he can find hope and love in the future. Such great themes in this story make the characters come alive on the pages.

This story captured my heart on such an emotional and insightful level, and it will be one of those novels that I think about long after I put the book down. I am excited that there’s a third in the series – this does end on a bit of a cliff hanger, so I’m ready for book three!

Overall Rating:
5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down)

Suspense Rating:
5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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Aftermath focuses on the circumstances after a bomb is detonated at a political rally.  Taylor Reed narrowly escapes the blast, but her friends are killed. She struggles to deal with survivor’s guilt. Dustin Webb is pulled over by police, only to find that someone stashed explosives in his trunk. He’s framed for the bombing. Jamie Powell, longtime friend of Dustin, becomes his lawyer. She knows he’s innocent, but the charges are serious, and they don’t have much time to prove Dustin’s innocence.

I’m a fan of the author, and this story is what readers expect from a Terri Blackstock novel. She has a way of creating characters that work their way into your heart, but she doesn’t shy away from the suspense. Aftermath mixes danger and high stakes action with intense emotions during the aftermath of a terrible tragedy. The author tackles the subject of mental health head on, but also shows the characters struggle with grief, overcoming the past, and some serious betrayal. This book sucked me in on page one with the intensity of the bombing, but I couldn’t put it down. I became so invested in the characters and had to keep reading to the very end.

This is definitely high on my list of books to recommend. Terri Blackstock is always a must-read author for me, and with stories like this, I will keep coming back for more.

Overall Rating:
5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down)

Suspense Rating:
5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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