Didn’t he care?
She didn’t have the answer. Her parents would have said of course he cared. That he was working out everything for her good and his glory. But it certainly didn’t feel that way.”
Lynn H. Blackburn’s newest novel, “Beneath the Surface,” is an intense, can’t-put-it-down, keep-you-guessing-until-the-end romantic suspense thriller that will definitely gain her many new fans.
When homicide investigator and dive team member Ryan Parker, along with his partner Gabe Chavez, finds a body — missing its head, feet and hands — in Lake Porter, his life is thrown in a flurry of craziness. Seeking the help from childhood friend and secret crush Leigh Weston, a nurse who happens to live near the recovery site, sends his life into even more of a tailspin.
When a second body in a similar condition is found, and when attempts on Leigh’s life are made, Ryan and his police buddies must dive deep into what’s happening in their quaint little North Carolina town … and determine if the two dead bodies have anything to do with the incidents against Leigh.
“Beneath the Surface” is a heart-pounding, fast-paced suspense thriller with just enough romance thrown in to delight both the fans of love stories and thrillers. And Blackburn has developed a great core of characters that I’m sure we will see again in future installments of this series. Ryan and Leigh are both strong characters but with very real flaws. Fellow cops Gabe, Anissa and Adam are dedicated yet quirky. And computer genius Sabrina is both funny and delightful.
But Blackburn offers more than just an amazing romantic thriller with a great plot and great characters in “Beneath the Surface.” She also offers many great lessons and gems — how to carry on when God seemingly stops answering your prayers; how struggles can draw us closer to God; God’s faithfulness and His promise that he “will never leave you, nor forsake you”; and safety and security are ours as children of God.
And as the title even hints, this story reminds us that there is so much more to what we can see in each of our lives … beneath the surface.
Fans of Lynette Eason, Patricia Bradley, Terri Blackstock and Sandra Orchard will enjoy “Beneath the Surface.” Blackburn was a new author to me, but I’m now a fan and I can’t wait for the series’ second installment, due out in December.
Five stars out of five.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“Beneath the Surface” (Dive Team Investigations, #1) by Lynn H. Blackburn