"Don't let the darkness win . . . . Someone may have taken her life, but it doesn't erase the person she was - is. She's alive in heaven. And if she shared all of that with you, it's because she wanted you to know it. Don't discount the truth of her words just because she's no longer here." - Griffin McCray
Description:
In college, Griffin McCray and his four best friends had their lives planned out. Griffin and Luke Gallagher would join the Baltimore PD. Declan Gray would head to the FBI and Parker Mitchell would go on to graduate school as a crime scene analyst. But then Luke vanished before graduation and their world--and friendships--crumbled.
Now Griffin is a park ranger at Gettysburg, having left life as a SWAT-team sniper when a case went bad. The job is mostly quiet--until the day he captures two relic hunters uncovering skeletal remains near Little Round Top. Griffin just wants the case to go away, but charming forensic anthropologist Finley Scott determines that the body is modern--a young social justice lawyer missing since spring--and all evidence points to the work of an expert sniper. When FBI agent Declan Gray takes over the case, past and present collide. Griffin soon realizes he'll need to confront some of the darkest days of his life if he--and those he cares about--are going to escape a downward spiral of murder that crosses continents.
About the Author:
Dani Pettrey is the bestselling author of the Alaskan Courage series and winner of the 2014 Daphne du Maurier award for Inspirational Novel, the 2014 Christian Retailing's Best Award for Suspense, and the 2013 Holt Medallion for First Novel. She and her husband reside in the DC Metro area. She can be found online at www.danipettrey.com.
My Review: 5 stars
First comment: I loved this book! I’m a pretty frequent reader of suspense novels and even though Dani has been one of my go-to authors since I picked her first book, she definitely blew this one out of the water! I can’t even imagine her topping it. It kept me on the edge of my seat from the very first page and I bemoaned every single time that I had to stop reading and pretend to be a productive employee/member of society.
Dani always does a fantastic job with the technical details of her stories and this one is no exception. I love the investigative side to any mystery and this one kept me especially enthralled. I had to know what would happen next! Her writing is also excellent and I enjoyed meeting a whole new cast of characters. Each one is unique and I appreciated how she defined them all and brought them to life. The extra details here will definitely make it easier for me whenever I pick up the next book to remember who is who and what’s going on. Speaking of, when is the next one coming out?! I cannot wait! There’s also a bit of a mystery that seems to be trailing from this book into the next and I’m really anxious to find out where that’s going to go!
Even though Finley and Griffin are technically the main characters in this book, all of the characters share page time, which was unique. I found that I really liked that approach. The view point comes from several different perspectives throughout the story, which I personally enjoyed. Some may find it a bit confusing at first, but all of the characters were so distinctive that I was able to sort them out pretty quickly. I easily fell in love with the whole cast, but definitely Finley and Griffin. They are such vivid characters and seemed to climb right off of the page. They’re both struggling with past wounds and doubts, and I really enjoyed watching them overcome them. I also adored their relationship! It’s so sweet! Though there are a couple “steamy” moments, much of it focuses on them just getting to know one another and working to solve the crime.
This book is also a little different in that both Finley and Griffin are already Christians. There isn’t a “come to Jesus” moment to be found in this book. The spiritual side of the book was very unobtrusive and beautifully done. It focuses on topics such as trusting in God’s timing and learning to lean on His strength. I loved the lessons woven throughout the story - they highlighted, without overshadowing the main plot.
Overall opinion: This is a book that will definitely be claiming a place on my keeper shelf and most likely a spot on my list of favorite reads from this year!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to read my review!
Have a delightful week!
P.S. Purchasing links are below, per usual. Christian Book currently has the best deal, with the paperback being $7.99, for those who love print books.
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Christian Book
No comments:
Post a Comment