Trace of Doubt

Title: Trace of Doubt

Author: Diann Mills

Publisher: Tyndale House

Genre: Christian Suspense

Source: Net Galley

My Review:

From the beginning, we doubt that Shelby is the one who killed her brother-in-law. I found this book to have a slow start, but once it got moving it was difficult to put down.

My life had been frozen in time, and now that I had permission to thaw, the world had changed.

I found Shelby to be more naive than she should have been, especially after spending so many years in prison. I guess it's true what they say, that love is blind. However, in other ways, we admire her tenacity in rebuilding her life, standing firm in her faith, and refusing to let others walk all over her. She refuses to cower when she is threatened over and over again, and she refuses to let the darkness in and depression overtake her, even when it would have been easy to do.

Officer Hughes, I’m not your doormat. So clean your muddy boots somewhere else.

I am not entirely sure what to make of Denton. I didn't like him much at the beginning, especially since we are made aware of his agenda. I thought it was weird that he was working undercover but used his real name, that seemed completely unbelievable. However, his character grew on me and I felt like he was alright by the end of the book.

There are some surprises and the villain is wickedly warped. The villain portrays the darkest sides of human nature with absolutely no remorse. It is incredible to think of people as truly that wicked. This is a story of dark versus light, secrets, and redemption, with love covering a multitude of sins.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tyndale House for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to give a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

★★★★/5

Synopsis: 

Bestselling and award-winning author DiAnn Mills delivers a heart-stopping story of dark secrets, desperate enemies, and dangerous lies.

Fifteen years ago, Shelby Pearce confessed to murdering her brother-in-law and was sent to prison. Now she's out on parole and looking for a fresh start in the small town of Valleysburg, Texas. But starting over won't be easy for an ex-con.

FBI Special Agent Denton McClure was a rookie fresh out of Quantico when he was first assigned the Pearce case. He's always believed Shelby embezzled five hundred thousand dollars from her brother-in-law's account. So he's going undercover to befriend Shelby, track down the missing money, and finally crack this case.

But as Denton gets closer to Shelby, he begins to have a trace of doubt about her guilt. Someone has Shelby in their crosshairs. It's up to Denton to stop them before they silence Shelby--and the truth--forever.