Deadly Ties by Vicki Hinze

HER ENEMY WILL STOP AT NOTHING FOR CONTROL…



SHE WILL RISK EVERYTHING FOR FREEDOM.


A horrific crime shatters Lisa Harper’s idyllic childhood. Her father is dead and her desperate mother, Annie, quickly marries Dutch Hauk, an abusive monster who soon reveals his hatred for Lisa. To protect her, Annie defies her ruthless husband and forfeits custody to a trusted friend. Enraged, Dutch vows to keep Annie and Lisa apart—and he does. Years later, though keenly aware of Dutch’s evil intent, Lisa and her mother seize a chance to be a family, safe in a home where love dwells. But they fail to fathom how far Dutch will go to keep his vow.


Determined to control his women, Dutch proves resourceful. His associates in crime are feared at the highest levels across the globe—and for Lisa they plan a fate worse than death. Yet she too has formidable connections, including former Special Operations Officer Mark Taylor. Burdened by his own traumatic past, Mark has loved Lisa from afar. Now, for Lisa and her mother to survive, Mark must risk his life—and even more difficult for him, he must trust God. All as one question haunts them: Can Mark and Lisa untangle these deadly ties before it’s too late?

My review:
Vicki Hinze is a new author to me, this being only the second book of hers I have read and reviewed. She has written some secular books, and her first Christian novel was Forget Me Not, which I read and reviewed in April.

This is book two in the Crossroads Crisis Center series. I am always eager to read sequels, wondering if they will be as good, or better than the first in the series. In this case, it is even better. I literally could not put this book down. I was pushing to finish it before I left for work, and succeeded. Totally awesome. My favorite genre' to read is mystery/suspense, and this author nails it.

The book, and the whole series, is set around a Christian run crisis center. I enjoy the characters. The author takes some time for character development, which always helps in a book. The plot is great and covers abuse and human trafficking. It has romance, and of course suspense. I love it when a book is so exciting that you are just pulled into the story and can't wait to find out what happens next, and that is exactly what this book did to  me. This is suspense at its best.

Also explored in the book are trusting God, and fully embracing His grace, instead of clinging to past mistakes. Some don't like much of a Christian theme in Christian fiction, which doesn't make sense to me, and though this book is not preachy, there is a definite Christian theme to it, and God's provision and protection are clearly shown.

If Christian fiction was a ball game, Vicki Hinze hit a home run with this. Check her books out. If you enjoy clean suspense, you will love her books.

About the author:

Vicki Hinze is an award-winning author of more than twenty novels (including Forget Me Not), three nonfiction books, and hundreds of articles. Hinze is active in Romance Writers of America and serves as a vice president on the International Thriller Writers board of directors. Vicki lives in Florida with her artist husband, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel. Visit http://www.vickihinze.com/ for more about Vicki’s books, blogs, and writing programs.
 
Deadly Ties, and the other book in the Crossroads Crisis Center series is available from Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishing.
 
Thanks to Waterbrook/Multnomah for the review copy.