Y’all. For real. I am a such a fan of Carrie Stuart Parks’ books. They are some of my favorite suspense/thrillers. For those of you who enjoy romance, there are light romances…hints really in her books. But they can’t be labeled as romantic suspense.
I just finished reading her latest thanks to Netgalley. Fragments of Fear is a new book and seems to be a stand alone.
Evelyn McTavish’s world came crashing down with the suicide of her fiancé. As she struggles to put her life back together and make a living from her art, she receives a call that her dog is about to be destroyed at the pound. Except she doesn’t own a dog. The shelter is adamant that the microchip embedded in the canine with her name and address makes it hers.
Evelyn recognizes the dog as one owned by archaeologist John Coyote because she was commissioned to draw the two of them. The simple solution is to return the dog to his owner—but she arrives only to discover John’s murdered body.
As Evelyn herself becomes a target, she crosses paths with undercover FBI agent Sawyer Price. The more he gets to know her, the more personally invested he becomes in keeping her safe. Together, they’re desperate to find the links between so many disparate pieces.
And the clock is ticking.
There’s so much I adore about Carrie’s books, but let’s just chat about this one.
Characters: Well-crafted. Real. I related to the main character Tavish (love that nickname). She’s a bit cynical, but not in a “whiny I don’t like you” way. She’s had some hard hands dealt her in life. I also love her wit/humor. She’s a fighter, a survivor, and a searcher. I will say she finds everything she’s searching for which brings us to…
Faith Thread: Carrie always has a faith thread in her books, some a little more overt than others. This one is in the middle. I wouldn’t consider it preachy in any way and I think it can cross both markets, Christian readership and General Market without getting dinged for being “too Christian” or “not Christian enough”.
Suspense/Thriller: I enjoyed putting the puzzle pieces together while hanging on throughout the danger scenes and there were aplenty to keep avid suspense readers enthralled as well as mystery readers who love trying to figure out what is going on and whodunnit.
Resolution: Everything is wrapped up and explained in a natural way that makes sense. No ‘give me a break’ moments! At least not for me.
Highlight: If you love dogs, you’ll love really all of Carrie’s books as they have a direct role, but this one features a pretty cool Puli.
So put it on your TBR pile or go preorder it now so it will drop right into your Kindle on July 23rd, 2019 when it releases!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.”
