When life is murder, who can you trust?
Mia’s a natural for heading up the murder investigation, but these days she has all she can do to hold her life together. As a new widow with a pile of debts, a troubled teenaged son, and a four-year-old who wakes up screaming at night, she needs more time with her family, not less—and working Colleen’s case will be especially demanding. But Colleen was her friend, and she needs to keep her job. So she reluctantly teams up with detective Charlie Carlson to investigate Colleen’s death. But the deeper they dig, the more complications unfold—even the unsettling possibility that someone may be coming after her.
Lis Wiehl’s signature plot twists and relatable characters shine in this absorbing series debut . . . with an intriguing cameo from her best-selling Triple Threat series.
My review:
The first book Wiehl did for Thomas Nelson had inappropriate language and content in it for it being Christian fiction, and I almost passed on her other books. I am glad I gave them another chance, as the rest of her books have not had that issue and she has become an author whose books I enjoy reading. This one is the first in a new series and I was looking forward to reading it, and read it pretty quickly after I got it in the mail.
A Matter of Trust did not disappoint. I liked the characters the authors have come up with, and enjoyed the plot. The book was very suspenseful and gave a look at solving a crime from the view of a prosecutor who is working with a police officer. The topic of bullying was covered in the book also, and although the story was fictional, it packed a punch with a message about kids bullying and what happens when that bullying goes too far.
There isn't a lot about the book that sets it apart as Christian fiction. The main character's father has become a Christian and talks about that some, but in spite of it not being very Christian, it is a great story and clean and free of inappropriate language.
A side note: I did get the book to review, but if I hadn't, I would be unhappy with the size of the book. For a hardback that retails for $26.99, it only comes in at 311 pages, and that is including a study guide and acknowledgments. If it is OK to make that part of a book review, I do wish the book was longer, especially at that price.
About the authors:
Lis Wiehl is a New York Times best-selling author, Harvard Law School graduate, and former federal prosecutor. A popular legal analyst and commentator for the Fox News Channel, Wiehl appears on The O'Reilly Factor and Imus in the Morning, and was co-host with Bill O'Reilly on the radio for seven years.
April Henry: I write mysteries and thrillers. I live in Portland, Oregon with my family.
When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He took it to lunch and showed it to the editor of an international children's magazine - and she asked to publish the story! (For no money, which might have been a warning about how hard it is to make a living writing.)My dream of writing went dormant until I was in my 30s, working at a corporate job, and started writing books on the side. Those first few years are now thankfully a blur. Now I'm very lucky to make a living doing what I love. I have written 13 novels for adults and teens, with more on the way. My books have gotten starred reviews, been picked for Booksense, translated into four languages, been named to state reading lists, and short-listed for the Oregon Book Award. And Face of Betrayal, which I co-wrote with Lis Wiehl, was on the New York Times bestseller list for four weeks.
I also review literary fiction, YA literature, and mysteries and thrillers for the Oregonian, and have written articles for both The Writer and Writers Digest.
A Matter of Trust is available from Thomas Nelson Publishing. Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy.
