![]() Author: Janice Cantore Genre: Romantic Suspence/Mystery Pages: 352 Release Date: March 4, 2025 Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Thirty years after a federal agent and two suspects disappeared in the wilderness, the case is cold, and they’ve never been found. Now their suspected killer is about to go free. But is the truth really what it seems? In Dry Oaks, California, Chief of Police Hanna Keyes has long believed her father, Joe, is a murderer, justly imprisoned. When she’s told he’s dying and is being given compassionate release from prison, she wants nothing to do with him. But taking him in might be Hanna’s one shot at cracking the cold case, so she reluctantly agrees to oversee his care. Joe’s arrival in Dry Oaks seems to set off a chain reaction of crimes. Then an infamous true-crime podcaster comes sniffing for information, and Hanna’s first love, Jared, shows up just when she least needs the distraction. As Hanna tries to convince Joe to reveal what he knows about the missing persons, evidence in the cold case surfaces at a suspiciously rapid pace . . . suggesting there’s more to the murders than people thought. With Joe’s strength failing, Hanna and her colleagues look for answers, not only about the past but also about recent criminal dealings in Dry Oaks. As the puzzle pieces start to fit together, it becomes clear that there’s a sinister plot at work, far more wide-reaching than anyone suspected, and that someone is desperate to silence the truth at any cost. ![]() Reviewer: Mindy Houng I have loved the author’s books that I read in the past. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this book and was sad to feel this way about a Janice Cantore book. The plot was interesting and lots of twists and turns kept me reading the book as the current murder investigation ran parallel with a thirty-five-year-old murder case. But the pace of the story was slow, and I found myself skimming some of the descriptions and characters’ thoughts to get to the investigation parts. I don’t like love triangles, so Hanna’s relationship with Nathan and Jared did not endear me to the romantic aspect of the story. I found it surprising that both Nathan and Jared had voices in the story since they were vying for Hanna’s heart, but the approach worked to set both men as heroes. There were too many characters from the onset and I had a hard time keeping track of the secondary characters. The main characters themselves got lost in the shuffle and were not fully fleshed out. The dialogue and personalities felt flat and one-dimensional. I did like the faith component of the story, which emphasized forgiveness, repentance and sacrificial love. However, even after putting all the pieces together, I still felt like I missed something. Though I didn’t love the book, fans of Janice Cantore and romantic suspense will likely love it. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own. Leave a Reply. |
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