This story is the second installment featuring a brother – a former police officer and investigator – and a sister – who is a law school student – getting involved with investigating crimes and finding the culprits.

You will find the authors’ synopsis on Goodreads.

The “God” Element

The characters provide some advice, rely on God for their lives, pray often, and are open to being guided. They portray the epitome of the Christian life; be kind, do good, help others, make a positive difference, and guide and protect.

MY LIKES

A tertiary character`s redemption. Among all the tragedies occurring in this story, his storyline is the one that touched me the most. Buster is his name.

Another of my likes is seeing the main characters’ lives evolve and watching them seek guidance from God rather than hastily react to their circumstances. They reflect and seek ways to grow rather than make a mess and hurt others. They are unafraid to explore what does not feel right and wait on the Lord.

Many characters have positive arcs; they changed their ways for the better and now live better lives, extending the blessing they received to others in the community. Many of them are humble people, and that’s very noticeable.

MY DISLIKES

It is not a great dislike, but it is noticeable. The main characters don’t sin, barely make any mistakes, and have a word of wisdom ready for anyone who crosses their paths. Even their struggles, if any, are short-lived. I understand this is a mystery novel, and psychological arcs are not a primary focus, but they seem to live in a shallow way despite their reliance on God. I like characters with depth and arcs that are manifested, not “hinted at.” Only Riley does it more to my taste; other characters do not seem “this serious” about their lives. That’s just my personal preference.

If you want to read this novel for the mystery genre, you will be pretty happy. I did not find hints pointing me to the culprit; they were too subtle for me, and it was fine with me.

Takeaways

This novel is as good as the first novel I reviewed from these authors, and although the storyline is quite different, you can feel the similarity aside from the fact that the main characters are the same people.

The last chapter took me aback. It raised a question in my mind, and once I answered it, it left me with only a few words: “That was God‘s will.”