Crisis Shot (The Line of Duty)

My book club loves suspense. If I didn’t force, bully, encourage them to read other genres, I think that is all they would choose. And with that focus, we come close to running out of authors to read as well. Well, I hit a home run when I suggested Crisis Shot by Janice Cantore. This novel by a new-to-us author had everything we love getting it a unanimous thumbs up from my group.

The story arc of small town police chief tackles hostile attitudes and big city crime is set up when main character, Tess O’Rourke is forced from the police force and city she loves by bad press from an officer involved shooting. Tess moves to Rogue’s Hollow, Oregon to take over the job of police chief and to try to begin again, but longing for home and show more doubts of her own combine to make her rethink her new job. But then the action starts, and Tess is determined to gain the trust of the town while solving violent and mysterious crimes.

Characterization is strong in Crisis Shot. We all loved main characters Tess and Oliver, the pastor of the local church. The two are good foils for each other — one a logical, independent thinker, the other a man of deep faith. Both are challenged by the circumstances they face. The book is fast-paced, and the reader is given glimpses of the bad guy(s) before the characters, but the mystery is not easily solved by either, keeping both on their toes. There is only a hint of romance for Tess — something we really liked. It seemed much more natural than books where the crime-solving sleuths spend as much time gazing in each other’s eyes as solving a case. 😉 Crisis Shot explores the theme of a good and just God in the midst of unfair and evil circumstances. It also provides the realistic struggles of one maintaining faith within the fire. The promise of a future romance, some unresolved spiritual questions for Tess, and a town that is sure to harbor more criminals makes this series one we want to continue. In fact, book 2, Lethal Target is on our selection list for early 2020.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(I purchased Crisis Shot from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

Tess and Steve are fantastic characters. Tess needs to learn that you don’t have to be like your father. She made a promise to him before he died that she tried to live up to which can be very hard to do. This has a bit of romance with a lot of suspense. This is the type of book I love. I had a hard time putting this down. I received this book from Tyndale Blog Network for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Author Janice Cantore’s many years in law enforcement add great authenticity and an insider’s eye for detail to her storytelling. “Crisis Shot”, Book One in her “The Line of Duty” series is a compelling romantic suspense tale featuring an appealing heroine. When a tragedy in the line of duty ends Tess O’Rourke’s dream of becoming the first female chief of police in Long Beach, California, she relocates to the small town of Rogue’s Hollow, Oregon. Serving as chief of police of the small community is an adjustment to say the least, but small towns often have big secrets which lead to big trouble, and Tess soon has her hands full of problems. She finds a friend in sheriff’s deputy Steve Logan, and he proves to be a show more much-needed ally with finding a missing person and solving a murder. Tess has always had her own rules regarding not becoming involved with someone with whom she works. Will she break the rules this time? Faith, courage, and a dedication to law enforcement, along with trust, will be needed to bring all matters to right—can Tess and Steve find the strength of conviction to see justice served? I highly recommend other works and series by Janice Cantore.

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