BOOK REVIEW: Catching Heat

Catching Heat, the third installment in the "Cold Case Justice" series by Janice Cantore is a thrilling read. Picking up soon after Burning Proof ended, we find Detective Abby Hart, and P.I. Jake Murphy finally working together in an official capacity on the Cold Case Task Force of the Long Beach Police Department. Along with their beloved friend, retired detective Robert "Woody" Woods, the three take on two cases while all the while seeking to solve a third: the role of the governor's wife, Alyssa Rollins, in the murder of Abby's parents and Luke's uncle. All three cases converge in central California, where much of the book takes place. As Luke and Abby begin to acknowledge their feelings towards and to each other, Woody provides fond comedic relief.

What I have enjoyed most about the Cold Case Justice series are the side plots. In Catching Heat, I especially found interesting the case of Stuart and Victoria Napier. Both pointing the finger at the other for the murder of their children--while Victoria obsessively seeks Stuart's whereabouts and Stuart just as obsessively tries to anticipate and avoid detection--the couple is a macabre portrait in whodunit. I think the subplots add backbone to the ongoing thread of the Triple Seven murder investigation.

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for a fair review. For more on the author, go here.

BOOK REVIEW: Saffire

Set in the crowded, humid streets of Panama in the early 1900s, Saffire, by Sigmund Brouwer, captures machinations of political intrigue that wrested a country from the hands of another...only to threaten it with even further instability. 

James Holt, a cowboy from the Dakotas, comes to Panama at the request of his friend and President Teddy Roosevelt. Sent on a seemingly straightforward mission, Holt finds himself caught up in the schemes of a man desperate to hide his past deceit by creating future smokescreens. He also finds himself in love with a woman betrothed to an evil man...and protector of a young girl who yet appears to need no protection. 

The story is splendidly told, but I personally had a difficult time grabbing hold of the plot as the story began. I had to reread a few pages a couple of times and still couldn't make the connections.The main character was always a few steps ahead of me, to my frustration, and, conversely, sometimes the rationale for characters' actions didn't make sense to me. However, by the final few chapters I was up to speed, and the epilogue weaves all the loose threads together. I can close the book with appreciation for the writer's ability to weave a tale that isn't simple or predictable. Well done. 

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah free of charge in exchange for a fair review. 

For more on this title, go here.