Elizabeth Goddard continues her Uncommon Justice series with “Always Look Twice,” an action-packed tale of overcoming shame and guilt.
Harper Reynolds is taking a break from her job as a crime scene photographer while traveling the national parks with her mystery writing sister Emily. When she witnesses a murder while photographing nature near her childhood hometown, Harper finds herself reuniting with her former best friend Heath McKade to solve a murder that she can’t prove happened after losing her camera while running from the murderer.
As Harper and Heath work together to solve the mystery, they get pulled into several more crimes that happen around town — just as they also get pulled deeper and deeper into their feelings for each other.
Will they be able to solve the mysterious crime — and does today’s crime have anything to do with the murder of her father when she was 12 years old? And will both Harper and Heath be able to overcome their past feelings of guilt — she who always seems to survive horrible circumstances and he who always seems to lead his loved ones into dangerous situations?
“Always Look Twice” is an incredible romantic suspense, filled with twists and turns, murders, shootings, explosions, misdirections and just enough romance to please the lovers of love. Goddard does a great job of developing characters, including the deeply hurting Harper and Heath, as well as the mother-like Evelyn and her son Leroy, Harper’s sister Emily, members of the local police department, and the mysterious villain who goes by the moniker “the judge.”
This story is more than just a great thriller though. Goddard fills it with several amazing concepts, like the grief of the past can stand in the way of healing if we allow it; God looks at the intent of the heart, not the outcome; overcoming shame and guilt; and nothing can move God because he is like an unmovable mountain.
A huge theme is survival and survivor’s guilt. This story shows the impact of survivor’s guilt and how it allows for an inability to act when it’s needed most, but we can call out to God who will help us overcome it.
The second in the series, technically this book could be read as a standalone, but I’d highly encourage you to check out the series’ first installment, “Never Let Go.”
Fans of authors like Carrie Stuart Parks, Lynette Eason, Lisa Harris, Patricia Bradley, Sandra Orchard and Terri Blackstock will truly enjoy this novel.
Five stars out of five.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“Always Look Twice” (Uncommon Justice series, #2) by Elizabeth Goddar