Las Playas Police Detective Carly Edwards is 33, her divorce has just come through, and she is frustrated, having been moved from patrol into juvenile investigations after a shootout that killed a civillian. Carly has no time for things of God, nor respect for her 'Jesus freak' mother who spends her time trying to save people. She also has no time for men, after her husband of eight years cheated on her.
Carly is surprised to be called into assist in a homicide investigation, at the request of the juvenile gang member who is caught driving the Lexus belonging to the town mayor, who has been missing for four days. Unfortunately for the teen, the body of the mayor is in the trunk of the car. The murder investigation is soon closed despite evidence that the teens in custody are innocent of the murder. Further events make Carly wonder if the case is being shut down deliberately to hide something. Is there corruption in the force? If so, who is behind it?
I enjoy romantic suspense novels, and Accused
ticked all the boxes for me. An intelligent, feisty heroine who was on a spiritual and emotional journey, a hero that was both strong and humble, a page-turning story and a bit of romance thrown in too. I do admit that it took me a while to get into the book, but after about six chapters I was totally hooked. However, not everyone will like it, as Accusedis most definitely a Christian novel. It contains an unashamed gospel message, although I did not consider it 'preachy' as the prayer and Christian discussion were a natural part of a story of one woman coming to terms with her personal background and the possibility of a loving God. Author Janice Cantore spent over twenty years in the police force, so the novel has a ring of authenticity, even down to the veterans making fun of rookie cops spouting unintelligible ‘cop-speak’. Accused
is the first in the new Pacific Coast Justice series, with the second book, Abducted, due out in mid-2012. Thanks to Tyndale Publishers and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
The ending was beautifully done . . . not too rush, not trite, but realistic and a good pace. And ... Janice did an amazing job at tying up the loose ends of Accused while obviously setting the stage for the next book in the series. I can't wait to read the next installment of Carly and Nick's story!
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