MY REVIEW:
I often receive raised eyebrows when I mention that I enjoy Christian suspense. They probably wonder how a novel that includes murder and/or other potentially violent content could ever be considered Christian. Yet these same people think nothing about reading their true crime or other secular novels or watching violent TV or movies. I personally love that authors such as Patricia Bradley offer me an alternative that not only includes a riveting mystery and a bit of white knuckle suspense but I can count on their novels to be squeaky clean in romantic relationships and even the violent content does not include gratuitous blood and gore.
Crosshairs is Bradley’s latest and final novel in her Natchez Trace Park Rangers series. Action starts on the beginning pages and ramps up as the pages turn. Featuring Ranger Ainsley Beaumont who has return to Natchez to investigate the murder of a teen and former FBI sniper Lincoln Steele whose current position as an interpretive ranger is a bit puzzling to Ainsley. The pair must work together to solve the crime but they have a past together that could make that difficult.
The narrative includes multiple characters and story lines that offer more than one motive for the murder as well as the fact that Ainsley also is an obvious target. Is everything connected or just a coincidence? As family secrets are revealed and the suspect list grows, there are enough twists and surprises to confuse even the best detective.
I thoroughly enjoyed Crosshairs and the previous books in this series. I love the author’s attention to detail and the way she manages to weave the Gospel message subtly into the story. I highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When evil just won’t quit, good must prevail
Investigative Services Branch ranger Ainsley Beaumont wishes the visit to her hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, was under better circumstances. When she arrived to investigate the murder of a pregnant teenager, she never imagined that she would become the killer’s next target–or that she’d have to work alongside an old flame.
After he almost killed a child, former FBI sniper Lincoln Steele couldn’t bring himself to fire a gun, which had deadly consequences for his best friend. Crushed beneath a load of guilt, Linc is working at Melrose Estate as an interpretive ranger. But as danger closes in on Ainsley during her murder investigation, Linc will have to find the courage to protect her.
The only question is, will it be too little, too late?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Patricia Bradley is the author of Standoff, Obsession, and Crosshairs, as well as the Memphis Cold Case novels and Logan Point series. Bradley won an Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award in Romantic Suspense, a Daphne du Maurier Award, and a Touched by Love Award; she was a Carol Award finalist; and three of her books were included in anthologies that debuted on the USA Today bestseller list. She is cofounder of Aiming for Healthy Families, Inc., and she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters in Crime. Bradley makes her home in Mississippi. Learn more at www.ptbradley.com.
