Deadly Echoes (#02 in Finding Sanctuary Series)

I was hooked on this novel after the first chapter, unable to put it down. A mystery novel, it weaves several elements of faith into the storyline without becoming too preachy. Both Christian and non-Christians would enjoy this novel. For fans of mystery and suspense, this is a great story you will enjoy. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Sanctuary, the setting for Deadly Echoes, has a large Conservative Mennonite population. This gives the town a particular Christian feel and allows the author to have more of a Christian focus than many Christian novels, something she manages to integrate naturally into the plot without it seeming preachy, and without over-spiritualising any of the characters or turning them into Christian caricatures. This seamless integration of Christianity was a strength of the novel, and I especially liked seeing Sarah's growing realisation of her value in Christ. \\r\\n\\r\\nThe other strength was around Sarah and her ten-year-old niece, Cicely (although I did think some of Cicely's dialogue seemed too old for a ten-year-old). Sarah and Cicely were both orphaned by murder, and both find the bodies, so Sarah has a unique-if tragic-understanding of what Cicely is going through. I liked the way this was dealt with. \\r\\n\\r\\nWhat wasn't so strong, to my mind, was the romantic suspense plot. I found parts of it somewhat clich (which took away from the suspense), and the romance was perhaps too understated. That's not to say it's not a good book-it's just that it was missing that 'zing' factor that would have made it excellent. \\r\\n\\r\\nThanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for revi