Shadow of Doubt

Celia Shepherd recognizes the symptoms all too well. Unless she receives help immediately, her beloved husband will die of arsenic poisoning. She'll be accused of murder, just as she was when her first husband died. But Celia didn't do it, and this time she'll find out who did. Given his gravelly British voice, John McDonough delivers a surprisingly fine Cajun dialect and beautifully believable female characters. His always sparkling narrative lends the story a touch of elegance far removed from the bayou, and his compassion during the passages of prayer carries conviction. This Christian crime title is just as entertaining as its secular sisters. R.P.L. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

September 1, 1998
When police officer Stan Shepherd is rushed to the hospital complaining of gastric pains, his horrified friends and family find out that he has been poisoned with arsenic. The situation is especially traumatic for Stan's wife, Celia, whose first husband died after being given arsenic. Although she was acquitted of that crime, local police decide that there is no way two husbands being poisoned in the same way was a coincidence, and Celia is arrested. The number of people who believe in her dwindles. Trying to prove her innocence, Celia finds herself turning more and more to her faith in God to get through her troubles. Blackstock's second mystery in the "Newpointe 911" series (following Private Justice, Zondervan, 1998) is a real page-turner, with some exciting sequences and a truly surprising ending. Libraries looking for mysteries with a strong Christian element should find this book pleasing to most patrons.