Missing women, a seriously messed-up bad guy, and moments of pulse-racing suspense will keep you riveted to the page in Patricia Bradley’s latest contribution to the Logan Point series, Gone Without A Trace.
Summary:
The past is repeating itself–and time is running out.
It’s been more than two years since homicide detective Livy Reynolds’s cousin disappeared from Logan Point. Unlike most people in her hometown, Livy has never believed that Robyn left voluntarily. When Dallas private investigator Alex Jennings contacts her concerning a senator’s missing granddaughter who was last seen in Logan Point, Livy notices eerie similarities between the two disappearances. With self-doubt plaguing her and an almost instant dislike of the self-assured PI, she’s finding this investigation an uphill battle. But with the prospect of finding her cousin on the horizon, she’ll have to find a way to work with Alex–before it’s too late.
Award-winning author Patricia Bradley keeps you on the edge of your seat with a case–and a relationship–that is anything but certain.
My Review:
Wow! Don’t plan on sleeping until you finish this book! This is movie-worthy suspense, folks. At times chilling, at others heart-stopping, but never too easy to solve. I come from a long line of mystery fans and I grew up solving fictional crimes, both on TV and in books – Perry Mason, Matlock, Murder She Wrote, Law & Order, Castle, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, you get the idea. If you’re like me, then you know that there are certain tells (or clues, if you’d rather) that often give away the criminal to the reader/viewer long before the actual detectives figure it out. Well. Not in Gone Without A Trace. I didn’t nab the bad guy until just before they did. Ms. Bradley is extremely skilled at writing suspense that holds your attention (translated: make sure you have no pressing engagements before you start reading her books) and keeps you guessing.
There are really two love stories going on in Gone Without A Trace but the main one is between Livy Reynolds, a Memphis cop suffering post-traumatic guilt after a fatal shooting, and Alex Jennings, the Dallas P.I. who reminds her too much of her flighty dad. (When you read the book, you’ll see what I did there with that adjective “flighty”. I’m delighted at my own cleverness lol.) While Alex is drawn to Livy pretty much right away, Livy is more hesitant due to what she perceives as similarities between him and the father that abandoned her after her mother’s death. As they work together to solve the disappearances of Samantha Jo and Robyn, Livy softens under Alex’s steady presence… with a little help from her cousin’s precocious matchmaking daughter Abby. I really liked the two of them as a team and as friends, and their growing mutual affection for each other was sweet to read. (Side note: It’s always fun to see the characters I loved from the first two books show up in the other books in the series. Ben, Taylor, Kate – all back in book 3.)
Another main theme in Gone Without A Trace revolves around Livy and how she is affected after fatally shooting a young suspect who appeared to have a real weapon. Her career suffers, her faith suffers, and her relationships suffer. Slowly, Livy’s eyes are opened to her flawed belief that if she marked off everything on God’s to-do list then He would have her back. When He seemed to drop His end of the bargain, she was left floundering. I think this is something that everyone faces at some point in their faith journey – what do we do when God “lets us down”? A tough question. A real-life, rubber-meets-the-road question. And I thought Patricia Bradley did a good job of very gently addressing the answer.
Bottom Line:
Riveting suspense, sweet romance, and real faith are all on the menu in this third book in the fantastic Logan Point series! You won’t want to put it down once you start so make sure you have plenty of time carved out to finish reading it. Highly recommend the whole series for readers who enjoy romantic suspense.
I give Gone Without A Trace 4 out of 5 stars. Hoping a book 4 in Logan Point is on the horizon for this author!
(I received a copy of this book from Revell Publishers in exchange for only my honest review.)
About the Author:
Patricia Bradley is the winner of a 2012 Daphne du Maurier Award and a 2012 Touched by Love Award and was also a finalist for the 2012 Genesis Award. The author of Shadows of the Past and A Promise to Protect, she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Bradley makes her home in Mississippi. Learn more at www.ptbradley.com.
This one sounds really good!
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