{"id":4497,"date":"2010-04-08T22:54:09","date_gmt":"2010-04-09T03:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=4497"},"modified":"2010-04-08T22:54:09","modified_gmt":"2010-04-09T03:54:09","slug":"sworn-to-protect-by-diann-mills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=4497","title":{"rendered":"Sworn to Protect by DiAnn Mills"},"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


<\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n


<\/p>\n

DiAnn Mills<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sworn to Protect (Book #2 in Call of Duty series)<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (March 4, 2010)<\/p>\n

***Special thanks to Mavis Sanders, Corporate Publicist, Tyndale House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***<\/p>\n

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

\"\"<\/a>Award-winning author DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels. DiAnn’s first book was published in 1998, and she currently has more than 40 books in print, with combined sales of over one million copies. In 2009, Tyndale House introduced Breach of Trust, Book #1 in her Call of Duty series about women with dangerous occupations. Six of her anthologies have appeared on the CBA best-seller list. Eight of her books have been nominated for the American Christian Fiction Writers’ book-of-the-year contest, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005 and 2007. Lightning and Lace was a 2008 Christy Award finalist.<\/p>\n

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive; Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope, and Love chapter; and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also a mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins’s Christian Writers Guild. DiAnn and her husband live in Houston, Texas.<\/p>\n

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

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

Product Details:<\/p>\n

List Price: $12.99
\n Paperback: 400 pages
\n Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (March 4, 2010)
\n Language: English
\n ISBN-10: 1414320515
\n ISBN-13: 978-1414320519<\/p>\n

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

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

We are truly a nation of immigrants.
\n <\/strong> But we are also a nation of laws
\n . . . Brent Ashabranner<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n


<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

McAllen, Texas<\/p>\n

The Rio Grande was not just murky. It was toxic. Danika Morales respected the river\u2019s temperament\u2014lazy and rushing, crystal and muddy, breathtaking and devastating. To many illegal immigrants, its flowing water signified hope and an opportunity for a better tomorrow, while others viewed the river crossing as a means of smuggling drugs or spreading terrorism. But for Danika, the depths meant death, and it didn\u2019t discriminate among its victims. That was why she chose a Border Patrol badge and carried a gun.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the 8 a.m. muster, Danika snatched up the keys to the Tahoe assigned to her for the next ten hours and checked out an M4. A hum of voices, most with Hispanic accents and clipped with occasional laughter, swirled around the station. A labyrinth of sights and sounds had succeeded in disorienting her. A daze.<\/p>\n

She took a sip of the steaming coffee in hopes no one saw how the day\u2019s date affected her. Her hands shook. The twelfth of July. The second anniversary of Toby\u2019s murder. She thought she could handle it better than this, but the raw ache still seared her heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cTough day for me too,\u201d Jacob whispered beside her. \u201cWe can get through this together.\u201d The familiar tone of voice, as in many times before, nearly paralyzed her. Jacob sounded so much like his brother.<\/p>\n

She stood shoulder to shoulder with her brother-in-law and glanced at his muscular frame and the silver streaks in his closely cropped hair, everything about him oddly different from Toby. Gone were the gentleness, the patience, and the outstretched arms of love.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks. But I\u2019m all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned, a typical expression. \u201cWell, I\u2019m not, and you shouldn\u2019t be either.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was in no mood to rile him today. \u201cI miss Toby every minute of the day, but we have to move on. He would have wanted it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot till his murderer is found.\u201d Jacob\u2019s jaw tightened. \u201cI\u2019m disappointed in you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Danika took another sip of the hot coffee, burning her tongue. Caustic words threatened to surface and add one more brick to the wall dividing them. \u201cI want the killer found too. I\u2019m committed to it. I think about him every day and mourn for our daughter, who will never know her daddy. But I choose not to spend my time harboring hate and vengeance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must not have really loved my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

The words cut deep, as Jacob must have known they would. No woman could have loved Toby like she did. \u201cI refuse to be browbeaten by you anymore. Your hate is going to explode in your own backyard one day.\u201d She stopped herself before she lit a match to his temper. Actually, she\u2019d rather have been dropped in the bush for the next ten hours with a shotgun and a can of OFF! than argue with him. But the time had come to distance herself from Jacob.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Danika,\u201d an agent called, \u201cdo these belong to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned to see wiry Felipe Chavez carrying a vase with a huge bouquet of roses. They remembered. She swallowed a chunk of life. \u201cOh, guys, you didn\u2019t have to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felipe made his way toward her. The other agents hushed; then one of them started to clap. She smiled through the tears as he handed her the clear glass vase. The sweet fragrance no longer reminded her of death, but of life and her resolve to live each day in a way that commemorated Toby\u2019s devotion to her and their little daughter. Perhaps this was what the two-year marker meant.<\/p>\n

She took the roses and studied the small crowd of agents. Good men, all of them\u2014even Jacob.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cared about what happened to Toby too,\u201d Felipe said with a grim smile.<\/p>\n

Danika brushed her finger around one of the delicate petals and formed her words. Memories had stalked her like a demon since last night. \u201cDon\u2019t know what to say except thank you. Toby was a soldier for his own cause, and he spent his life doing what he believed in. Just like all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

One agent shook his head, frowned, and left the room. Far too many explanations for his disapproval raced through her mind. But Danika needed to put the ugliness behind her.<\/p>\n

She set the flowers on the long table in front of her. \u201cToday is the second anniversary of Toby\u2019s death. All of you have looked after me and my daughter, especially during holidays and special occasions. His death is why I\u2019m more dedicated than ever to help protect the border.\u201d She paused, sensing her emotions rushing into chaos. \u201cI appreciate your remembering him and the sacrifice he made, especially since his beliefs were controversial.\u201d Enough said.<\/p>\n

She took a deep, cleansing breath. \u201cI brought doughnuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

And they were buttermilk, Toby\u2019s favorite.<\/p>\n

She glanced at Jacob, hoping to end the tension between them. How Barbara could stay married to him was beyond her comprehension. He treated her and their four kids like yesterday\u2019s trash.<\/p>\n

Danika wound through the crowd of agents, greeting those who offered condolences and others who offered a good-morning.<\/p>\n

The field operations supervisor, Agent Oden Herrera, stood in front of the flags\u2014the U.S., Homeland Security, and the Border Patrol. Pushing the emotions of regret and grief about Toby aside, Danika captured the supervisor\u2019s attention. \u201cDuring the muster you said intel had picked up a cocaine drop last night?\u201d<\/p>\n

Herrera walked to a wall map and pointed. \u201cLike I said earlier: arrested seven men and two women right along here, your area. A kid had a small bag of cocaine on him. Most likely a deterrent. The drug smuggler either hid it before being apprehended, or he\u2019s still waiting for someone to pick him up. Dogs have been out there most of the night, but Barnett and Fire-Eater are headed that way in a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Danika finished her coffee and made her way into the stifling heat and stopped by Jon Barnett\u2019s truck. As Fire-Eater\u2019s handler, he had everyone\u2019s admiration, and the Belgian sheepdog had a reputation for being the best of the K-9s. Barnett snapped on the dog\u2019s leash and waved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear we\u2019re working the same area today.\u201d Danika refrained from patting Fire-Eater. Some days he wasn\u2019t people friendly. After seeing the dog in action a few times when he\u2019d found drug runners, she sometimes felt sorry for those he brought down.<\/p>\n

Barnett grinned and wiped the sweat already beading on his face. \u201cHe\u2019s a good dog, Morales. Just needs a little help with his people skills.\u201d He laughed, his freckles deepening in the intense sun. \u201cAnd he\u2019s great with the wife and kids. Like another member of the family.\u201d He pulled out his keys. \u201cDo you want to talk? We have a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

All she really wanted was for the day to be over. Talking increased the chances of liquid emotion\u2014which was more lethal than the river flowing between the U.S. and Mexico. \u201cNo thanks. I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you need to talk?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been two years.\u201d Therapeutic or not, she would not open up, even to a sweet guy like Barnett. She\u2019d spent hours building a reputation as a tough agent, and she wasn\u2019t about to take a nosedive now.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, and the sooner you admit that today has crept up on you worse than a case of food poisoning, the better you\u2019ll feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had to agree. \u201cHave you turned psychologist?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFire-Eater and five kids taught me all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a dog when I was a kid,\u201d she said, looking for any subject except Toby. \u201cGentle, sensed my moods, smart. My best friend. Sure missed him when he was gone.\u201d Danika blinked back a tear, despising her reaction. She stared at Fire-Eater rather than look into Barnett\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI bet he slept at the foot of your bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fire-Eater climbed into the backseat of the double-cab truck.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes in it. We even shared meals. I didn\u2019t like meat, and he\u2019d eat it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s your best friend now?\u201d<\/p>\n

She swallowed the ever-increasing lump in her throat. \u201cToby\u2019s gone, and I have a tough time in church.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConfession is a beginning. Any family?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToby\u2019s family has been good to me.\u201d Never mind Jacob. \u201cMy folks never approved of my marriage.\u201d She sucked in a breath. It hissed like the poisonous snakes she feared. \u201cWell-meaning friends do this to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you feel any better?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sneak. \u201cYeah, thanks, doc. You\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Fire-Eater barked. No doubt anxious to get moving. The animal and Jacob had similar personalities, but today she\u2019d rather be with the dog.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Danika turned off Old Military Road and bounced along a narrow dirt and gravel path, bordered by tall, thick grass and brush and laden with prickly pears on the Rio Grande side and more thick brush on the other. Jon had radioed ahead and reported signs from last night, but nothing new. Every agent was on alert. Trouble brewed along the entire two-thousand-mile border between Mexico and the United States. Drug cartels were slaughtering innocent people in the streets, and those on the U.S. side feared it was only a matter of time before the fighting spilled over the line. Not on her watch.<\/p>\n

She drove slowly past the few houses perched on the right side of the road, most of which had been stash houses at one time or another, havens for illegal aliens and drug smugglers. She stopped the truck beside a well-worn trail to look for recent signs in the dirt. After a generous spray of mosquito repellent on her uniform and hands, she stepped into the stifling ninety-degree heat and bent to study the hours-old footprints indicating where the illegals had gained access into Texas before being apprehended. Most of them only wanted an opportunity to better themselves, but others had a darker agenda. At least she hoped the footprints had been accounted for.<\/p>\n

A breeze from the north fanned her face and offered a brief reprieve from the unrelenting sun. The tall grass with its thick growth waved as though mocking her commitment to the Border Patrol.<\/p>\n

Fifteen minutes later, Barnett radioed a call for assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpotted a man wearing a backpack near the 112 sensor. He headed into the carrizo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Danika ran back to the truck and raced her vehicle toward Barnett\u2019s location. She wanted to tell him to wait for backup and not search through the thick grass alone, but she knew Barnett and Fire-Eater were a team and stayed on the traffic. The smuggler probably hid on a rattler\u2019s nest.<\/p>\n

She was the first to respond to Barnett\u2019s request. Pulling in behind his truck, she unclipped her HK from her belt while radioing her arrival. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed his number.<\/p>\n

\u201cBarnett, I\u2019m here,\u201d she said. \u201cTell me you\u2019re not in the middle of the carrizo.\u201d<\/p>\n

He chuckled. \u201cFire-Eater\u2019s after him. I\u2019m skirting it. Neither one of us is coming out until we have our man.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pocketed her cell phone and followed the agent\u2019s footprints on the dusty road until they disappeared into the thicket. Hot as it was, the Kevlar vest felt good, even if it was worthless against a stab wound or a shotgun blast.<\/p>\n

Fire-Eater barked, snapping Danika\u2019s attention toward the riverbank. The dog growled from somewhere in the depths of the overgrowth.<\/p>\n

Gunfire cracked in the still morning air. Alert to the danger, she pulled her weapon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the United States Border Patrol! Come out with your hands up!\u201d Barnett\u2019s voice roared.<\/p>\n

Another shot fired. Fire-Eater yelped.<\/p>\n

Blood pumping, Danika yanked out her radio. \u201cShots fired. Shots fired. Agent or K-9 may be down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two more shots pierced the air.<\/p>\n

When Barnett didn\u2019t respond, she clicked the radio in place on her belt. \u201cBarnett,\u201d she yelled, \u201ctell me you\u2019re all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

A dark-haired man emerged from the right side of the road several yards away, wearing a backpack that no doubt contained drugs. His attention scattered in different directions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlto, o disparo,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The man turned and fired at her before racing across the road. The bullet angled to her left. Danika returned the fire and sank a bullet into his thigh. He fell, and she raced toward him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrop the gun, or I\u2019ll be forced to shoot again.\u201d<\/p>\n

He kept his fingers wrapped around it. She wrestled with the rage that always seemed to lie below the surface of her control. If she killed him, she could claim self-defense. But her job title meant self-control.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said drop the gun.\u201d She fired above him and kept running in his direction.<\/p>\n

He lifted his hand and aimed. Instinctively she pumped a bullet into his hand. His wound caused a burst of blood to splatter the ground and the quiet air to echo with obscenities. Still he refused to release the hold on his gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want your whole hand blown off?\u201d She stood over him and clamped her booted foot over his injured hand.<\/p>\n

He screamed, and she pointed her firearm at his face. Danika trembled. She wasn\u2019t a murderer, but anger did struggle to rule her emotions.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll pay for this,\u201d the man said. \u201cI know who you are, and there\u2019s a contract out for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou aren\u2019t the first or the last to threaten me.\u201d She picked up the man\u2019s gun, an older model Beretta. With his leg and hand bleeding, he wasn\u2019t going anywhere. She slipped the handcuffs from her belt and clamped them on his wrists. Rolling him over, she brushed his bleeding leg against the hard ground, and he moaned. Where was backup? Please, let Barnett be okay. Five kids. A respected agent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drug cartels will destroy the Border Patrol.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBig talk for a man in handcuffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wait and see who wins.\u201d He spit on her boot. \u201cYou\u2019ll never find out who killed your husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smothered the gasp that nearly stole her breath. How did the man know her? know about Toby\u2019s death? He clearly had inside information\u2014information that couldn\u2019t have been obtained easily. Unless Toby\u2019s murder was related to something bigger than she had imagined.<\/p>\n

Focus. Now was not the time to weigh the shooter\u2019s words. Later she\u2019d look into it.<\/p>\n

Her gaze searched the area. An outstretched arm poked through the overgrowth where the downed man had attempted to cross the road. She hurried, gun raised, eyes taking in every inch of the brush. As she grew closer, she saw the rest of Barnett\u2019s body sprawled on the trodden grass. Blood soaked the ground, creating a small puddle of red against the vibrant green. Danika bent to his side.<\/p>\n

Barnett moaned. \u201cHe shot Fire-Eater,\u201d he whispered. \u201cGet him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have him cuffed. Hold on. Help\u2019s coming.\u201d She pulled out the radio. \u201cNeed EMS. Agent down.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hadn\u2019t been there for Toby, but she could be there for Barnett.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The second installment of DiAnn Mills’ Call of Duty Series, Sworn to Protect<\/a> is a fast paced page turner that kept me up past my bedtime. There just didn’t seem to be a good place to stop reading. This book has everything I look for in a suspense novel – great characters, intense situations, believable plot, enough twists and surprises to keep me guessing, and just maybe a little romance for good measure.<\/p>\n

Sworn to Protect<\/a> gives the reader an up close and personal look at the illegal immigrant problem along the Texas and Mexico border and the agents who patrol it. Ms. Mills examines every aspect of the problem from the violent Mexican drug cartels to the immigrants who just want a better way of life for their families to the people who get rich by taking advantage of the illegals. The picture she paints is not a pretty one but through her characters she asks some pertinent questions about immigration.<\/p>\n

I am afraid I will give away too much if I attempt to tell more about Sworn to Protect<\/a>. Just let me say that it is one of the best suspense novels I have read in quite awhile and that I look forward to the next episode of this series.<\/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":[8,60,56,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-contemporary-fiction","category-law-enforcement","category-suspense"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4497","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=4497"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4531,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4497\/revisions\/4531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}