Weaver's Needle

April 24, 2017
Nickolai Baptiste and Landry Parker, competing recovery specialists who make their living finding valuable lost or stolen items, have been offered the job of a lifetime: find a map of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. When wealthy widow Winifred Winslet calls them both to her stately home in uptown New Orleans to discuss her husband’s recent murder and the task of recovering the map, Landry is immediately intrigued by mysterious Nickolai. The two set out as a team to recover the document, but someone doesn’t want them to succeed, which puts them (and their budding romance) in danger. This fast-paced faith-based thriller comes with unique elements not normally covered by Christian fiction, particularly the in-depth discussions of mental issues and caregiving. Caroll does a fine job of weaving Native American spiritual elements into the story, but the settings of New Orleans and Arizona are frustratingly underdeveloped. And Nickolai, a former police officer and savvy recovery specialist, draws readers in, but Landry, a former army MP now in charge of a struggling business, feels static throughout. While book begins quickly with high stakes, the plot drags in the middle as Nickolai and Landry go about their investigation surrounded by secondary characters who are never fully fleshed-out. However, despite some uneven plotting, Caroll’s novel will go down easy for fans of romantic suspense.

June 1, 2017

Now rival recovery specialists, ex-Army MP Landry Parker and retired New Orleans police officer Nickolai Baptiste are summoned to the luxurious Winslet mansion to meet with widow Winifred Winslet. Winifred offers $50,000 for the recovery of the treasure map stolen from her murdered husband. Pitted against each other in the search for the map, Landry and Nickolai eventually join forces against an unknown third party who knows their every move but does not reveal himself. The trail leads them to an Arizona mine, but other secrets uncovered along the way may cost them their lives. Caroll's (Bayou Blackmail) latest tale imagines the real-life legend of Dutchman's Lost Mine, reportedly hidden in Arizona's Superstition Mountains. Plenty of dialog makes for a fast-paced read and the steadily developing romance between Landry and Nickolai adds to the satisfying ending. VERDICT For romantic suspense fans, especially those who like a bit of Western flavor and lore mixed in with their thrills.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.