Burden of Proof

In a bizarre and unsettling moment, a frustrated woman shoves a crying baby into the arms of Special Agent April Ramos and then disappears. Right afterwards, a man who says he's the baby's father abducts April and the child at gunpoint. After learning that the man, Jason Snyder, is a fugitive accused of murder, April will have to find out the truth of the situation—fast—in Burden of Proof by author DiAnn Mills.

This author has pretty much become my go-to for romantic suspense. While I enjoy suspense with little or no romance just fine, I've yet to read a book by this author that I didn't either like or love.

Now, I'll admit this one had a bumpy start for me. Through the first quarter or so, I had some trouble making technical and show more emotional sense of the story. And because I couldn't get too good of a handle on Jason and his logic for some time, I wasn't feeling him.

I'll further admit that I didn't buy into the romance. First kisses when one or both of the characters are injured, bloody, and dirty doesn't strike the most romantic note. Also, in most cases, I have a hard time with stories where the hero or heroine is "finding God" for the first time while simultaneously getting romantically involved with someone. Because both of these brand new relationships require such soul-deep connections, adjustments, and commitments, I can't help thinking that if one relationship hits a big bump too soon, the other one (or both) might not stick, especially when both relationships formed over just a few days.

Besides that, yes, I know it's fiction, but if desperation drives a man to abduct and proceed to order a woman around by threatening her with a gun (while she's holding his baby, no less), I just don't see the abductor becoming a wise or fitting option for a romantic partner, and certainly not in less than a week's time. Sure, he may not be a bad person at heart, but he's shown what he's capable of in a crisis. What happens the next time a huge crisis blindsides him and he again becomes desperate?

If you've not heard of Stockholm syndrome, when hostages form an emotional bond with their captors, you may want to look it up.

Anyhow. With all that said, I still enjoyed the suspense storyline in this novel, and I found the heroine relatable in other ways. I'll be keeping my eyes open for the next book in this series. show less

Burden of Proof, DiAnn Mills’ latest romantic suspense novel, begins with action and continues to give the reader a twisting reading ride throughout. A kidnappings lead an unjustly accused businessman and an FBI hostage negotiator to join forces to uncover the truth of corrupt officials in a small eastern Texas town. Likable characters, a puzzling mystery, and fast-paced plotting make this one a recommended read.

While I always love the suspenseful stories that Mills creates, with Burden of Proof being no exception, the characterization in this novel is its strongest element. Main characters April Ramos and Jason Snyder are believable in their reactions to the situation they find themselves in and interactions with each other. They show more make a great team in more ways than one. Secondary characters, both the good guys and bad, are interesting and add depth to the small town feel of the novel. There’s an FBI connection, but April and Jason often find themselves on their own in their quest for truth and justice. The two characters’ relationship develops amidst the car crashes, explosions, and danger that seems to lurk around every corner. As stated, April is a hostage negotiator, and I think Mills got that part of the story spot-on. There’s great insight into the dynamics of managing difficult situations and exploration of the motives and thinking of criminals and victims. The spiritual journeys of both Jason and April are intriguing as well, and I found they unfolded naturally. Jason must come to grips with the anger that has accompanied his life and April discovers relationship rather than religion.

For fans of romantic suspense, this novel is a must-read. I really liked Burden of Proof. It kept me guessing and turning the pages!

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

Burden of Proof is another fast-paced FBI thriller from author DiAnn Mills with a smart and sensitive heroine and a story line with plenty of twists and turns.
One thing I think Mills does really well is character development. This is especially relevant with a plot line such as the one found in Burden of Proof, as you need to convince the reader that a character kidnapping your central character – and one who happens to be an FBI negotiator – is as trustworthy and honest enough to make said FBI agent take his side and help. Her characters are believable and complex, and her dialogue flows and is believable as well.
While this was an element that I struggled with at first – not as much how readily April Ramos moved to support her show more kidnapper, Jason Snyder, but the attraction she felt for him – but then I realized that my disbelief was probably somewhat hampered by other storylines I’d read recently that also involved supposedly strong females just dropping their guard and becoming suddenly accepting when put into uncomfortable circumstances. I acknowledged that my recent reading was flavoring my thought process, and as a result I set aside disbelief. Even more, Jason soon convinced me of his innocence as the storyline progressed and the attraction appeared to be mutual. I was further assured that concerns weren’t mine alone when it was acknowledged that the relationship wasn’t necessarily a good idea, as April’s boss warns:
“No relationship lasts when it begins with danger and supercharged emotions.”
April’s relationship with her own Christian beliefs take on a minor storyline of its own. While many of the main characters are comfortable in their own beliefs, April is still searching. Miss Ella, a sweet big hat wearing, church-going older woman has told her “Before this is over, you’re gonna see the power of Jesus”, a thought that is interesting when directed at a person for whom prayer makes her uncomfortable and does serve as a bit of foreshadowing. The author works to make her journey part of the story line, and generally it works.
Above all, the plot moves along at breakneck pace. Jason knows who is behind his framing, but still doesn’t know why, and that person seems to be beyond reach at every turn of the plot. As a reader, I shared their frustration at the untouchability of the villain. As they get closer to solving the crime, more roadblocks and twists come up, and I totally didn’t see the ending coming. show less

Once you turn the first page this book is going to pull you in and keep you right to the end, there is non-stop action, and we don’t know who will survive to the end.
Blew my mind how this all turned out and I never saw it coming, the book is full of surprises, and not all good ones.
A don’t miss mystery with some clean romance, and hope for the future.

I received this book throu

I loved this romantic suspense with so many twists and turns. I had a hard time putting this book down. I loved the characters. I love reading books with FBI agents. It is interesting to see how they might truly work. April and Jason have to go through a lot of adversity before everything ends. I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Blog Network for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Really enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next in the series.