*****************************************Solving a cold case
could rob her of her future.
When skeletal remains are uncovered in the Yukon forest, forensic botanist Keeley Ash is called to the crime scene—and ends up abducted. She never expects her ex, paramedic Brett Ryerson, to come to her rescue, or her gathered evidence to be linked to a cold case. And when their son—who Brett never knew existed—is kidnapped, they’ll stop at nothing to save him and outrun the hunters determined to silence Keeley.
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
Crisis Rescue Team
Book 1: Fatal Forensic Investigation Book 2: Explosive Christmas Showdown Book 3: Mountain Abduction Rescue Book 4: Buried Grave Secrets Book 5: Yukon Wilderness Evidence Book 6: K-9 Ranch Protection
About the Author:
Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. You can connect with Darlene at http://www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.
My Impressions
Darlene L. Turner’s books just get better and better. Turner is now not only writing great romantic suspense, but has found a way to outmatch the best armchair detectives (and no, I don’t claim to be the best, but I sure try) with her twists at the end.
There is a new excitement when I read her books now, and Yukon Wilderness Evidence does not disappoint. We learn about forensic biology, and how people like Dr. Keeley Ash use it to help solve cold cases. So interesting!
Unfortunately, not only is Keeley working a cold case, but it becomes active as those working with Keeley lose their lives trying to deliver evidence. Enter another “cold case,” paramedic Brett Ryerson, whom Keeley dated more than 5 years ago and hasn’t seen since. This relationship left Keeley with a son, MJ, and a heart of steel.
Keeley and Brett share a renewed attraction, but both fight it. Keeley doesn’t want another broken heart, already has huge issues with her nearly-famous judge-mother, and the two are not in the same plane spiritually. When asked how she can endure her world crumbling so quickly and completely around her, Keeley responds, “ I have to trust that God is in the middle of this storm. He’s the only thing that’s keeping me from falling apart. If I don’t have my faith, I don’t have anything.”
You’ll have to read the book to discover all the answers to the different threads woven into this beautiful tapestry. Like why Keeley’s mom is so downright mean and demeaning to her. ( Even Keeley doesn’t know.) Why is Brett’s dad holding on to life against the odds of his cancer? ( I love the answer!)
Most of all, who is the mastermind behind the dangerous Diglo brothers gang? I had my mental whiteboard out. I had clues written, lines drawn, erasures, and it wasn’t a pretty site. And still Ms. Turner’s perpetrator eluded me! Bravo!!
All the while, there is some serious character growth going on!! Double bravo!!
I received a copy of the book from the author, plus I bought an ecopy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“He didn’t know which was worse—facing the Diglo brothers or the wrath of Chief Justice Olivia Ash.”
“Peace washed over her. She knew its source. Her Father. Her life was in His hands.”
“Sometimes God allows us to enter the wilderness to shape us. Mold us.”
Genre: Christian Historical Romance, Christian Western
Release Date: January 24, 2023
Gripping western romance and murder mystery set in Prescott, Arizona Territory in 1893.
Deacon Colter was happy in his job as the stockyard vet. But when his best friend asks him to work as a livestock inspector, he must confront his own obsessive-compulsive nature to support his friend. Even though he hopes for a family of his own one day, he believes that no woman will see past his quirks. Will he find a woman who can overlook his behavior to see his true heart?
Grady Thatcher waited six long years for justice for his parents’ murder. When a strange twist of fate puts him in a position to find the killers, he must decide if he will sacrifice his budding romance with one of the Harper sisters to pursue justice. Will he choose love over justice?
Lilian and Justine Harper were two sisters who moved to Prescott to escape the abusive men their father tried to pair them with. When Lilian meets Deacon Colter, she wonders if he could ever love someone with her past. Justine falls hard for Grady Thatcher. Yet she doubts if he truly loves her or if he befriended her only to get information about the men who killed his parents. Will Lilian and Justine find true happiness with the men they love?
Karen Baneyis passionate about writing stories full of flawed characters. She enjoys weaving together stories of second chances, redemption, and overcoming personal trials. As a transplant to Arizona in the late 1990s, she loves researching the state’s history and finding ways to seamlessly incorporate real history and real settings into her novels. In addition to writing and speaking, Karen works as a Software Development Manager for a Christian ministry.
Her faith plays an important role both in her life and in her writing. Karen and her husband, Jim, make their home in Gilbert, Arizona, with their two dogs, Bella and Daisy. Both Jim and Karen are active at Rock Point Church in Queen Creek, Arizona.
Visit Karen on the web at: www.karenbaney.com
More from Karen
What was the inspiration behind the Colter Sons Series?
The Colters (Will and Hannah) are the central characters from my first series, the Prescott Pioneers. For years, I have wanted to write stories about their children. I love the idea of writing many series about several generations of the same family.
Nothing came of the idea until I brought back a character, Joshua, from the Prescott Pioneers who fancied Hannah before she married Will. Joshua’s unrequited love led me to write a scene where he meets Hannah and Will again after eight years. To hit home the point that Hannah had everything he always wanted, I spontaneously wrote that she had five sons. Only a few sentences sparked the idea for the entire Colter Sons Series. (Joshua’s story is in Joy for Mourning, Book 2 in the Desert Manna Series).
Before I mapped out a series outline or developed the characters, I wrote the introductory chapters in the first person from each of the son’s point of view. Their personalities came to life, and I eventually fine-tuned that writing exercise in Chapter 1 for each of the books in the series.
Where does Deacon Colter fit into the series?
Deacon Colter is the fourth Colter Son, and his book is the fourth in the series. Since he was a very minor character earlier in the series, I refined some of his character traits. (Don’t worry, I write each book in a series to stand on its own, so you won’t miss anything.)
Out of all the Colter Sons, Deacon is the most socially awkward. What made Deacon special for me was that behind his looming, large exterior lies a soft heart and fierce loyalty for those who he cares about. When under stress, his obsessive-compulsive tendencies become harder to control.
Do you normally write a story with over two points of view? Why write the four points of view in The Resourceful Stockman?
Other than my very first series, The Prescott Pioneers, I usually stick with two points of view in my novels: the hero and the heroine.
However, earlier in the Colter Sons Series, I wrote that Deacon Colter became fast friends with Grady Thatcher, the younger brother of the woman who married Deacon’s older brother Sam (The Reluctant Cattleman, Book 1). When it came time to outline the story, I knew Grady’s story had to be told along with Deacon’s. Doing anything else would disappoint fans and leave the story feeling incomplete.
Grady’s quest to solve his parents’ murder provided the perfect catalyst to force the routine-loving, obsessive-compulsive Deacon outside of his comfort zone. Because he is fiercely loyalty, he risked much to help his friend.
Where did the idea for livestock agents come from?
I initially wanted to make Deacon and Grady Arizona Rangers. However, during my research, the timing and even some duties didn’t fit either of these men. I like to stay true to history. Rarely do I take creative liberty because I want readers to learn about Arizona history. Deacon and Grady’s ages put them about a decade before the Arizona Rangers formed.
So, I continued with my research about brand-burning and rustling. When I stumbled on an Arizona Territorial statute to create a Livestock Commission, complete with details on what the duties entailed, I had my answer. The timing and duties fit. Many livestock agents started as veterinarians or ranchers. They had the authority to hunt down the rustlers and deal with disease outbreaks. All this fit with my characters.
And, yes, everything in the novel about their jobs and the livestock commission’s start is true to history, except for the names of real people.
My Impressions
“My entire life was about control. Somehow, feeling like I controlled every aspect of my life helped me feel safe.”
Karen Baney’s The Resourceful Stockman is a Christian romantic Western that details the courtship of two AZ veterinarians turned livestock inspectors during the late 1800s, when cattle were being driven to large stockyards to be sold and shipped further on. While this book is the fourth in a series about five brothers, it easily stands alone. Point of view is shared between the two vets, Deacon and Grady, and the women they fall for, Lillian and Justine.
I enjoyed seeing how the bond had developed between Deacon and Grady. Deacon can notice things most people don’t, which is both a blessing and a curse. He often offends people with his extreme obsessive-compulsive personality. “When I get upset, I must fix things. Like… Like the brand wall. Only worse. It makes little sense…” “I have to fix them…” “I can’t stop myself from doing it.” (My honey and I had a good discussion about whether Deacon with his special gift-big flaw could be on the spectrum.) Grady, whose goal in life is to bring his parents’ murderers to justice, is a good people-person to balance out Deacon. He needs Deacon’s ability to see things super clearly, and his loyalty.
Lillian is probably my fave character. She had endured so much, yet she is always looking out for others. She is beautiful, inside and out, even though she is struggling with her unfair past.
The action really picked up in the last one-third of the book. There were a few times that what I felt what the reader knew about the characters didn’t match what happened, in order to make the story flow a certain way.
It would be interesting to pick up the other books in the series and find out more about this family.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
A car accident that might not be an accident at all. A murderer bent on revenge. And a woman desperate to keep her family together.
She’s already lost her soul mate. She’ll do anything to protect her children.
For the sake of her kids, Camilla Wright managed to survive after her husband’s murder. When she’s awakened in the night with the news that her teenage son and nephew have been in a horrific car accident, she rushes to the hospital in a haze of shock and panic.
The boys were supposed to be skiing in the mountains east of Salt Lake City. What were they doing so far west? More alarming, the wreck might not have been an accident at all.
While Jeremy fights for his life, Camilla is running out of time to discover who lured her son and her nephew into the desert. With each new clue, the terrifying truth becomes clearer.
Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Nutfield Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. After college, working in marketing and public relations, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while she homeschooled her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.
More from Robin
It was Monday, July 16, 2018, at about nine-thirty at night.
I was home with my husband and daughter, watching TV, when my sister called. Since my son was visiting her family in Utah, I rushed to pick up.
“Robin,” my sister said. “The boys have been in a terrible accident. They’re being life-flighted to Salt Lake City. They’re both alive. That’s all I know.”
My knees hit the floor. Then I was lying prone on my kitchen tile. Ninety-nine percent of me was thinking, Oh, God. Please, please…
Nine-tenths of one percent was thinking, Why am I on the floor?
And I’ll be honest. About one-tenth of a percent was thinking, When was the last time I mopped?
Such are the inner workings of a human mind in the midst of tragedy.
The next twelve hours were chaos. We needed to get from our Oklahoma home to Salt Lake as soon as possible. We found a flight that left at eight a.m. and booked it.
And then we waited.
While the minutes ticked past in slow motion, we got occasional updates on the boys’ condition. Joshua, my nephew, had a head injury and trauma to his gut.
Jacob, my son, had severe lung damage. Severe enough that, as soon as he arrived at the ER, they intubated him.
Both boys were transferred to the ICU and pronounced stable.
When my husband and I arrived the following morning, we saw Jacob. A tube down his throat. Tape across his face. Scrapes and cuts and bruises all over his upper body. One arm in a plaster cast from his biceps to his fingertips. Unconscious.
And then the hard part began.
The boys’ accident was such a unique and life-altering event in our lives. Watching a cherished child battle for his life, not knowing if he’ll win or lose, is like nothing you can imagine.
Or maybe you can. Maybe you’ve experienced something similar. People are in car accidents every single day. And motorcycle accidents. And other accidents.
And there are illness and addictions and mental health struggles. The list goes on and on.
If you’ve dealt with any of those, then your trauma was probably very different from ours. And yet, you and I could probably find a lot in common. The fear. The surreal moments. The pendulum swinging between hope and helplessness.
The constant litany of prayers.
We were fortunate. Our son and our nephew both survived and recovered. When we were on the other side, I knew I’d write about the experience someday.
And so…I did.
A Mountain Too Steep tells the story of two boys in a car accident in the middle of the Utah desert. The physical trauma the boys experienced is almost exactly what our boys endured.
The rest of the story is purely fictional, thank God. I like a little danger in my life—safe danger. Let’s leave the vengeful gang members in the realm of fiction, shall we?
I cried throughout the writing. And the editing. And the rereading. Even though five years have passed, the memories are still fresh.
Tears aside, I love this story. It’s about a woman whose husband was murdered, a widow who’s endured her own nightmare and who’ll do anything, anything, to protect her children.
I think you’re going to like it.
My Impressions
didn’t want goat feet. She didn’t want to scale mountains. She wanted a lush valley with tall grass and a pretty, meandering stream where she and her children would be safe. Was that too much to ask?”
What a soul-challenging book! A Mountain Too Steep by Robin Patchen is classified as Christian Women’s contemporary fiction with a side of mystery. Hmmm… How about romantic suspense, even though a marriage is involved?! From the opening paragraph, you know you’d better buckle your seat belt and hang on for dear life- because you’re in for the ride of your life!
Camilla Wright and her two children have suffered the loss of her husband and their father four years ago after he testified in a gang-related killing. Then, Jeremy, the 17-yr-old son and his cousin, are in a life-threatening car accident in the desert. When they were supposed to be in the mountains. Rev up for non-stop emotions, plus plenty of action!
I loved the realism. Many times Camilla realizes that this horrible new reality she’s been catapulted into, is too much for her. She’d like to curl up and give up, but then realizes that is not the choice she will make. She will continue the hard, tortuous journey, step by step, with God strengthening her as she goes. “Lord, help me go from strength to strength until I reach the end of this battle.”
Indeed, she finds hope in the fact that one day she will look out and see that she has crested the mountain. She knows where her power has to come from. “Scriptures she’d memorized over the years came back to her. She recited them silently, hanging onto God’s Word, the only solid thing in her life.”
I really couldn’t envision as I read how this terrifying mystery-light romance would end. Kudos for the way Patchen ties it together.
I also loved the way we learn about Daniel, the absent husband. Bit by bit we read his letters penned to his wife just before his death.
I also loved that though the viewpoint originally seems to place the failure of the marriage squarely on Daniel, slowly
Camilla surmises she contributed greatly to her marriage’s decline.
The ultimate underlying theme is doing the right thing, then trusting God with the results. So hard! We don’t always get the results we want.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Anybody who tells you sin isn’t fun is lying. It is. At least at first.”
“In repentance and rest is your salvation. In quietness and trust is your strength.”
“You, Miss Camilla, are a strong woman, not because you wield your own strength but because you know the One who strengthens you.”
“I was valued at work. I made a difference there. You didn’t need me. You managed our home with ease.”
“Jesus had carried her sins to the cross. She was meant to leave them there.”
“Justice matters. When we choose selfishness over justice, we’re lost as a community, as a society. Ultimately, I know my God is a God of justice. To deny justice is to deny Him.”
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Magnificent! I just pre-ordered the next two Wright brothers novels, The Wright Heroes of Maine, books 1& 2, ( If they’re this powerful, I can’t afford to miss them!!)
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions 