Abby Hart, now serving on the West Coast’s Federal Cold Case Squad, is still seeking justice for the murder of her parents 27 years ago — and getting closer and closer to proving California’s First Lady Alyssa Rollins is guilty.
In the meantime, she and her partners, retired cop Robert “Woody” Woods and private investigator Luke Murphy, begin a new cold case — finding the killer of Ciara Adessi who went missing in 1996 and whose body was later discovered.
As Abby, Luke and Woody look into finding Ciara’s killer, they are also brought into a missing fugitive case, with life-threatening results.
Janice Cantore’s “Catching Heat” deals repeatedly with the theme of justice, as the team works toward proving Alyssa’s involvement in the murders of Abby’s parents and Luke’s uncle almost three decades ago, as well as justice for characters in both the cold case and fugitive case. The characters, Abby in particular, must decide if they are willing to allow God to provide justice — in His timing.
It also deals with trust, especially as Luke and Abby find themselves possibly growing in a relationship, and forgiveness — of oneself and of others, and reminds us that God has all the answers, even when we don’t. A good theme verse for this novel, which is briefly referenced, is Romans 8:28.
I will caution readers that the books in this series are not really standalones. I would highly recommend reading each book, and in order.
Cantore does a great job of blending the three cases together into one story. The action moves along quickly and efficiently, drawing the reader in deeper and deeper. I’ve really enjoyed how the author has managed to fill each book with new cases and stories, yet smoothly continue the underlying story of Abby’s parents throughout all three novels.
And with the author being a retired Long Beach police officer herself, I have truly enjoyed how knowledgeable she is on the police procedures and methods, and her familiarity with that particular location’s operations. It makes her plots easily readable and believable.
Five stars out of five.
Tyndale House Publishers provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“Catching Heat” (Cold Case Justice series, #3) by Janice Cantore