{"id":3051,"date":"2009-10-16T21:59:53","date_gmt":"2009-10-17T02:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=3051"},"modified":"2009-10-16T21:59:53","modified_gmt":"2009-10-17T02:59:53","slug":"the-last-word-by-kathy-herman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=3051","title":{"rendered":"The Last Word by Kathy Herman"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\"\"<\/a>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/strong><\/span> <\/strong> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n
Kathy Herman<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Last Word (Sophie Trace Trilogy)<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

David C. Cook (2009)<\/p>\n

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings of The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Best-selling suspense novelist Kathy Herman has written fourteen novels, including CBA bestsellers The Real Enemy, Tested by Fire and All Things Hidden, since retiring from her family\u2019s Christian bookstore business. Kathy and her husband, Paul, have three grown children and five grandchildren and live in Tyler, Texas.<\/p>\n

Visit the author’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

The Last Word, by Kathy Herman<\/a> from David C. Cook<\/a> on Vimeo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Product Details:<\/p>\n

List Price: $14.99
\nFormat: Paperback
\nNumber of Pages: 340
\nVendor: David C. Cook (2009)
\nISBN: 143476785X
\nISBN-13: 9781434767851<\/p>\n

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Police Chief Brill Jessup pored over the department\u2019s budget for the rest of the fiscal year and couldn\u2019t see any way she could afford to hire another patrol officer without going to the city council. She sighed. The last time she asked those tightwads for additional funds she practically had to beg.<\/p>\n

A strange noise interrupted her thoughts. She peered through the blinds on the glass wall into the bustling detective bureau and listened intently. There it was again.<\/p>\n

A burly man appeared in the doorway. He bumped off either side, then staggered into her office. Facedown. Hands dripping with blood, clutching his abdomen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat in the world \u2026?\u201d She jumped to her feet, frozen in place.<\/p>\n

Detective Sean O\u2019Toole looked up and stretched out his hand toward her, his eyes screaming with pain. He collapsed in front of her desk and hit the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cOfficer down!\u201d she shouted. \u201cI need an ambulance\u2014now!\u201d<\/p>\n

She hurried around the side of her desk, grabbed the clean hand towel next to the coffeepot, and got down on her knees. She laid the towel over the bloody wound and applied pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cSean, talk to me. What happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

The detective\u2019s face was ashen. \u201cHe c-came from behind \u2026 put me in a choke hold \u2026 stuck a knife in my gut \u2026 said he was coming after you\u2014to f-finish the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never saw his face?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Hairy arms. White guy. Navy blue short sleeves. Smelled like c-cigarettes. Deep voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did this happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHallway. Watercooler.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sean moaned, his face pallid and contorted with pain, his eyes slits of icy blue.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Sean, stay with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Detective Captain Trent Norris burst into her office. \u201cI\u2019ll take it from here, Chief.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did he get from the watercooler to my office without someone in the DB seeing he needed help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess we were all focused on other things. It\u2019s been crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trent got down on the floor and swapped places with her, his palms pressed over the wound. \u201cHang in there, buddy. The paramedics are just down the block. They\u2019ll be here any second. You\u2019re going to be fine. Stay with me. Talk to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brill sprang to her feet and hurried over to the officers who crowded outside her door. \u201cO\u2019Toole was just stabbed by some lowlife who snuck up behind him at the water cooler. We\u2019re looking for a white man wearing a short-sleeve, navy blue shirt, possibly bloodstained.\u201d<\/p>\n

She locked gazes with Sean\u2019s partner. \u201cDetective Rousseaux, secure the scene and make sure it\u2019s not compromised.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain Dickson, lock down the building and search every corner of every room.<\/p>\n

\u201cSergeant Chavez, set up a containment for two blocks around the building.<\/p>\n

\u201cSergeant Huntman, clear the route to St. Luke\u2019s and make sure we have officers in radio cars ready to escort the ambulance. Come on, people, move it!\u201d<\/p>\n

The officers scrambled in all directions, and she ran out to the restroom.<\/p>\n

She tore off paper towels until she had a stack, folded them in half and held them under the faucet, then pressed out the excess water and rushed back to her office.<\/p>\n

She got on her knees and gently pressed the wet towels onto Sean\u2019s forehead, all too aware he was sweating profusely and still bleeding despite the pressure Trent was keeping on the wound. \u201cWe need something to elevate his legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

She went over to the bookshelf and grabbed several thick books and put them under Sean\u2019s feet, hoping he wouldn\u2019t die of shock before the paramedics arrived.<\/p>\n

Lord, don\u2019t take him now. He\u2019s young. He\u2019s got a wife and three kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, buddy, talk to me.\u201d Trent patted Sean\u2019s cheeks. \u201cWhat else do you remember about this creep?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell Jessica I love her. The kids, too. Promise me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to die,\u201d Trent said. \u201cThe bleeding\u2019s slowing down. Talk to me, Sean. We want whoever did this to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s coming after the chief. Going to kill her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s going to kill her?\u201d Trent\u2019s dark eyes shot Brill a glance. \u201cGive us something else. You\u2019re too sharp of a detective to have missed anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHad a mark. Top of right hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of mark?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA tattoo. Or b-birthmark. Size of a quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brill heard voices and heavy footsteps in the DB, and seconds later two paramedics glided through the door and asked her to stand aside with Trent.<\/p>\n

She observed in disbelief as the pair worked to save her detective\u2019s life, heartsick that she might have to tell his wife and children he\u2019d been murdered on her watch\u2014and just feet away from armed police officers.<\/p>\n

She started to brush the hair out of her eyes and realized her hands were bloody. She shuddered with the realization that whoever thrust a knife into Sean O\u2019Toole had threatened to finish the job when he got to her.<\/p>\n

~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\n

Five hours later Brill sat at the conference table in her office with Detective Captain Trent Norris, Detective Beau Jack Rousseaux, Patrol Captain Pate Dickson, and Sheriff Sam Parker trying to assess where they were in the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a miracle Sean made it through surgery.\u201d Brill looked from man to man. \u201cWe could be sitting here planning his funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s too stubborn to die,\u201d Beau Jack said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStubborn\u2019s no match for a knife blade, Detective. I want this animal locked up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget he threatened to come after you,\u201d Trent said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d he get in here, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pate\u2019s face turned pink. \u201cOne of my sergeants, Tiller, reported that a white man dressed in navy blue coveralls with the Miller\u2019s Air Conditioning logo on the pocket was standing outside the door when he arrived this morning. The guy said he was here to fix the AC. He had a toolbox and a big smile. Dark hair and mustache. Big guy. Looked fifty to fifty-five.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the sergeant just keyed in the combination and let him in without checking with maintenance?\u201d Beau Jack said. \u201cReal smart move.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pate stroked his chin. \u201cCome on, Miller\u2019s service people are in here all the time. The sergeant let down his guard. We\u2019ve all done it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, my partner nearly died because Sergeant Tiller let down his guard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s done is done,\u201d Brill said. \u201cIt\u2019s not like we have a precedent for this kind of thing in the Sophie Trace PD.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beau Jack stuck a Tootsie Pop in his mouth. \u201cI guess we do now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely need to tighten security,\u201d Trent said. \u201cSince we have no idea who this guy is, everyone we bring into the DB to be interviewed will be suspect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t spend the rest of my life in fear of this nutcase coming after me,\u201d Brill said. \u201cI have a job to do. Trent, you take charge of tightening security. All of us need to heighten our awareness of our surroundings. Anything or anyone that doesn\u2019t feel right, check it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam\u2019s white eyebrows came together. \u201cI can\u2019t believe y\u2019all were that trusting. My deputies would never let unauthorized individuals into a secured area. They\u2019re trained to follow protocol.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo are my officers.\u201d Brill forced herself not to sound defensive.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut those of you in the county sheriff\u2019s department deal with a broader range of criminals. Until now, the Sophie Trace PD had no reason to fear an officer being attacked in a secured area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll cover it in each briefing,\u201d Trent said. \u201cFrom this day forward, no one gets in the secured area until he has clearance. I don\u2019t care how inconvenient it is to check him out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brill looked over at Pate. \u201cTell me about your search of the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo evidence was found in the building, ma\u2019am. My officers searched every nook and cranny and checked the sinks for hair and blood. Doesn\u2019t appear the attacker stopped to clean up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d Chavez do with the containment?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe contained a two-block area around city hall, checked license plates, and talked with pedestrians. That yielded one female witness who passed the suspect on the sidewalk around 10:45\u2014just after O\u2019Toole was stabbed. The suspect was headed down First Street at a pretty good clip. Our witness says he was overweight, average height, dressed in navy blue coveralls and a black windbreaker and carrying a gray toolbox. She said he was wearing sunglasses and did not have a mustache. She\u2019s working with Tiller and our sketch artist. We ought to have something soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid she see which way he went?\u201d Trent said.<\/p>\n

Pate shook his head. \u201cOnce he passed her, she didn\u2019t give him a second thought until Chavez questioned her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Brill said, \u201cI\u2019m eager to see the sketch. If this man has threatened to come after me, I\u2019d sure like to see if I recognize him.\u201d<\/p>\n

~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\n

A short time later, Brill sat at her desk and studied the artist\u2019s sketch of the man who stabbed Sean O\u2019Toole. Sergeant Tiller was the only one who saw the suspect\u2019s eyes, and the female witness was the<\/p>\n

only one who saw his mouth without the mustache. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn\u2019t put a name to the face or even explain what it was about him that looked familiar.<\/p>\n

Her cell phone vibrated, and she read the display screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere you are,\u201d she said. \u201cI guess you got my message?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoney, I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d Kurt Jessup said. \u201cI\u2019ve been following the news. I\u2019m glad Sean pulled through. Must\u2019ve been horrible for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought we were going to lose him.\u201d<\/p>\n

She told Kurt everything that had happened from the time Sean O\u2019Toole staggered into her office until the paramedics took him to St. Luke\u2019s in an ambulance\u2014except that the assailant told O\u2019Toole he was coming after her to \u201cfinish the job.\u201d Why get into that over the phone?<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds intense. You must be emotionally drained.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s caught up with me yet. It was surreal washing Sean\u2019s blood off my hands, and I had to throw away my uniform shirt. Beau Jack lent me the extra shirt he had in his locker so Emily wouldn\u2019t have to see the mess. Does she know about the stabbing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but I made sure she\u2019s not planted in front of the TV, listening to the gory details. It\u2019ll just trigger thoughts of the hostage ordeal, and we both know she\u2019s not over it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are any of us? Brill glanced up at the clock. \u201cI\u2019ll be home in forty-five minutes. Is Vanessa there yet? I can hardly wait to see her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019ll be here between seven and eight. Said not to plan on her for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time I get home, it\u2019ll be too late to cook anything,\u201d Brill said. \u201cAnd you know what Friday night is like. If we go out, we\u2019ll have to wait forever, and I don\u2019t want Vanessa to come home to an empty house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got it covered, honey. I bought a baked chicken and a quart of potato salad at the grocery store. We\u2019ve got stuff here for a green salad. That should work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would I do without you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kurt laughed. \u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll see you soon. I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLove you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brill hung up the phone and looked out the window. Through the leafy trees and beyond the ridges of hazy green foothills, the blue gray silhouette of the Great Smoky Mountains dominated the early evening sky. She sat for a moment and just enjoyed the beauty and the calm.<\/p>\n

Lord, thank You for letting Sean pull through.<\/p>\n

Her office phone rang, and she picked it up. \u201cYes, LaTeesha.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain Donovan from the Memphis PD is on line one for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d She pushed the blinking button. \u201cHello, John.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey. It\u2019s great to hear your voice. Saw you on the news last fall. I figured you\u2019d make a name for yourself, but I didn\u2019t think you\u2019d go to such extreme measures.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled. \u201cThings got pretty crazy, all right. So are you enjoying my old office?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot today. I\u2019ve got bad news \u2026 Zack Rogers was stabbed night before last. Happened in his driveway. Some worthless piece of garbage came up behind him and stuck a knife in his gut, and said to tell District Attorney Cromwell he was coming after him. I didn\u2019t call you because the doc said Zack was going to be all right. But his heart gave out \u2026\u201d\u2014John\u2019s voice cracked\u2014\u201can hour ago. No one saw it coming. His kids are still in high school, and with their mother dead \u2026 well, it\u2019s a tragic loss. I knew you\u2019d want to know since you and Zack were partners for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brill felt a wave of nausea sweep over her, a decade of memories flashing through her mind in an instant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing is,\u201d John said, \u201cwe knew Zack was being targeted because one of my detectives was stabbed last week, and the perp told him he was coming after Zack. We offered Zack protection, but you know how independent he was\u2014bound and determined he could take care of himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brill\u2019s heart pounded so hard she was sure he could hear it. \u201cJohn, one of my detectives was stabbed today just outside the detective bureau. The attacker told him he was coming after me, to finish the job. This can\u2019t be a coincidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a long moment of dead air, and she figured John was processing the implications.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and Zack helped put away lots of perps, Brill. And Jason Cromwell was district attorney during the time you two were partners. Did anybody ever threaten you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you kidding? All the time. We blew it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, looks like one of them was dead serious. Anybody in particular stand out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Bart and Sampson Rhodes. But they\u2019re lifers and not eligible for parole. Zack and I busted them what, nine or ten years ago? If they had been serious about taking us out, they could\u2019ve snapped their fingers and gotten it done in nine or ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe they\u2019re patient,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr maybe this is someone else,\u201d Brill said. \u201cSomeone who was forced to wait a long time for the chance to get even\u2014someone who served out his sentence. Someone who wouldn\u2019t think of hiring a hit man, but rather delights in the systematic elimination of the people who put him away. Someone who enhances his enjoyment by first stabbing a person who is close to the intended victim and making sure that person lives long enough to tell the intended victim that he or she is next.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve worked with the FBI profilers so long you actually sound like one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, John, I think I\u2019m right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a92009 Cook Communications Ministries. The Last Word by Kathy Herman. Used with permission. May not be further reproduced. All rights reserved.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/br><\/code>
\nMY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yet another time Kathy Herman has proven why I will read everything she writes. Characters portrayed in The Last Word<\/a> are realistic with emotional responses appropriate for the circumstances. Christians are not shown to be perfect but exhibit flaws and make mistakes just like those the world calls “normal”. However their reactions to the Spirit’s conviction is what sets this story and Kathy Herman apart. She manages to write a gripping, suspenseful tale with valuable spiritual truths, usually with a specific lesson for living a Christian life.<\/p>\n

As the second installment of the Sophie Trace Trilogy<\/strong><\/em>, The Last Word<\/a> opens with a brutal attack on a deputy – right in police headquarters. The attacker made sure that Brill Jessup, female police chief, knew she was the next victim. As the number of dead and wounded victims increase, Brill’s problems escalate when her daughter arrives home from college seven months pregnant by her psychology professor who has disappeared. As the law enforcement agencies race against time to find the murderer and protect Brill, her officers, and her family, the suspense builds until the satisfying ending with some unexpected twists and surprises along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-suspense"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3051"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3059,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3051\/revisions\/3059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}