Deceived

January 12, 2009
Former trial lawyer and Christy Award–winner Bell (Presumed Guilty
) hits his stride in this twist-filled suspense thriller with punchy dialogue and a resurrection ending to keep readers awake at night. When Liz Towne and her husband, Arty, find diamonds and a corpse along a trail in Pack Canyon, something takes over Liz that one doctor calls “sin dissociation.” She stops at nothing to get rich and take a gift to her role model, who taught her to kill. When her sister-in-law Roxanne “Rocky” Towne suspects foul play, Rocky calls on a tortured but praying and faithful Gulf War veteran to help her track down Liz, who is on the run. Dialogue carries the book with rich characters and flashbacks, but time stamps and a confusing wraparound narrative device feel tacked on and unnecessary in this fast-paced thriller with its Los Angeles music scene, creepy canyons and a slew of cons. Bell, who also writes nonfiction books on writing, is a master of the cliffhanger, creating scene after scene of mounting suspense and revelation in this heart-whamming read.

February 1, 2009
Liz Towne does not understand why her husband, Maca Gulf War veteran trying to restart his life after doing time in prisonhas given up a great job. When Liz finds a saddlebag of stolen diamonds, she, her sister, Rocky, and Mac fall into a deadly trap. Another thriller from a top author of Christian suspense.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.