Crime Procedural

Right now, I have a ridiculous list of books to review over the next two months. The good and bad of it is there are so many great books coming out right now it’s hard to keep up. Great news for Christian fiction (and for those who are looking for an excellent book to give to family or friends as gifts come December 25). And with the number of books I read in a year, I’m shocked to still find authors who have written several books that I am just learning about. DiAnn Mills is one such author.

On her first day in the Houston office’s violent crimes division with a brand new partner, Special Agent Bethany Sanchez wants nothing more than to find the person who murdered the woman at the crime scene. While Bethany is a by-the-book, analytical agent, her partner, Thatcher Graves’ reputation is one of a maverick. If office gossip can be believed, his out-of-the box approach extends to relationships as well as the job. And to top it all off, he once put Bethany’s brother in jail.
As the pair runs around the city interviewing witnesses and potential suspects, their different approaches cause a little head-butting. When attempts are made on their lives, Thatcher questions whether Bethany can severe her connections to the case and protect him. What’s even worse? He’s attracted to the short, smart, brown-eyed agent.

This is the third book in the FBI:Houston series. While I haven’t read the other two books, if I hadn’t read the first few pages with Mills’ other books, I wouldn’t have realized it. Characters from the other books make a cameo, but they’re not an integral part of the book. This story belongs to Thatcher and Bethany.

Mills does an excellent job of weaving Bethany’s family troubles in with the case and kept me guessing until about ¾ of the way through who might be the person(s) behind the murders. While I never actually felt like the agents were actually deadlocked in their investigation as the title suggestions, they did hit several dead ends. But don’t worry, that didn’t slow down the pace of the book at all. From beginning to end, I felt like I was on a ride-along with these two agents.

Available now from booksellers and online.

And here’s some bonus material from author Diann Mills

An extended interview with DiAnn Mills about her newest novel

What inspired Mills to write Deadlock

****Tyndale House Fiction provided me with a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.