I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Beneath the Surface by Lynn H. Blackburn Series: Dive Team Investigations #1
Published by Baker Books on March 6th 2018
Genres: Christian, Fiction, Romance, Suspense
Pages: 352
Source: Revell
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After a harrowing experience with an obsessed patient, oncology nurse practitioner Leigh Weston needed a change. She thought she'd left her troubles behind when she moved home to Carrington, North Carolina, and took a job in the emergency department of the local hospital. But when someone tampers with her brakes, she fears the past has chased her into the present. She reaches out to her high school friend turned homicide investigator, Ryan Parker, for help.
Ryan finds satisfaction in his career, but his favorite way to use his skills is as a volunteer underwater investigator with the Carrington County Sheriff's Office dive team. When the body of a wealthy businessman is discovered in Lake Porter, the investigation uncovers a possible serial killer--one with a terrifying connection to Leigh Weston and deadly implications for them all.
Dive into the depths of fear with an exciting new voice in romantic suspense. Award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn grabs readers by the throat and doesn't let go until the final heart-pounding page.
I was in like Flynn in the first chapter of this book. There were so many hooks that all just worked together. Leigh draws you into her heart from the very beginning. Having recently moved back to her childhood home after the passing of both her parents she leaves behind the memory of a stalker and changes her career specialty. She finds herself in contact with her older brother’s best friend, who she may or may not still carry the embers of her teenage crush, and a body found in the lake behind her home. By chapter two, her brakes are cut and the hunt is on. More bodies pile up and more people around Leigh, as well as herself, are hurt. The bigger issue is whether they are all tied together. And if so why?
This book was overall very fast paced but not breakneck. I might have stayed up entirely too late because I needed to know the answers. I needed to know if the crimes were related and why and how and and and. . . I needed to know. I needed to know if Ryan ever got over his fear of disappointing his best friend by being in love (since high school!) with the off-limits baby sister. There were a few things I found a little unbelievable such as the spare no expense to protect Leigh and the everyone hold team meetings at a victims house while including the victim. I’m not law enforcement but somehow I feel like that’s taking a stretch for the sake of the story. There was some lull in the middle but never too much to make me lose interest.
I’ve never read Lynn H. Blackburn before but I’m on board for just about anything she can put out. Enticing story lines with believable characters made this book for me. Leigh felt a little juvenile at times for me with wanting things her way but then if I stop to think how I’d react in her same situation I’d be dead already. So there’s that. Well, to be fair a lot of the team felt juvenile a time or two. Ryan with his concern over how his bestie would react. His bestie, Leigh’s brother, and his over-protectiveness of his grown 30 year old sister. That didn’t detract for me though. And a bonus for keeping me guessing throughout the ENTIRE BOOK for the bad guy. I had some inklings here and there and even the actual person was on my radar for a bit but I didn’t solve the case until they solved the case. Always a win for me.
About Lynn H. Blackburn
Lynn H. Blackburn believes in the power of stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the Truest Love. She’s passionate about CrossFit, coffee, and chocolate (don’t make her choose) and experimenting with recipes that feed both body and soul. She lives in South Carolina with her true love, Brian, and their three children. Her first book, COVERT JUSTICE, won the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery/Suspense and the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel. Her second book, HIDDEN LEGACY, released June 2017. She begins a new series, Dive Team Investigations – with BENEATH THE SURFACE in March of 2018.
Adding this to my TBR shelf on Goodreads!