Lisa Harris is a new author for me. I was impressed with her writing style in "Dangerous Passage". This is book one in her new series, Southern Crimes.
I LOVED it! I was instantly hooked. Her writing has an easy flow. The characters grab your attention. All I was missing was popcorn and a big screen. Seriously, as I read it was like I was watching a movie. She is amazing with detail and giving the reader a vivid scene. This was a quick afternoon read for me. Once I began reading I couldn't put it down. The story is fast paced and believable.
The main character is Avery North. Just her name sounds strong. I loved her character. One thing I admired about Avery is her sheer determination. She doesn't give up easily. She knows what is most important in life and she isn't one to take life for granted. Avery is a detective in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been through the death of her husband and brother. She is now a single mom who is dedicated to her daughter and her family. Her partner Mitch is very important to her too. On the outside Avery looks as if she has it all together, but on the inside she is fighting a few battles. I think this is what I enjoyed about her character the most. She's real. She has fears of not being the mom she needs to be and is afraid in trying to do it all something will fall to the side. I could relate to her in the fact that she doesn't want to let anyone down. We get to see Avery grow as she faces life head on. She is realistic and knows the impact her faith has in her daily life.
We too get to know Mitch and we see the relationship that he and Avery share. There is another character that I loved as well, Jackson Bryant, who is the Medical Examiner that helps aid in Avery's cases. Murder has happened, suspects are questioned, but there is more to these murders and they hold the key to uncovering even more crime that is happening. We see the relationship between Jackson and Avery grow. This is one area where Avery is uncertain. She's not sure she's ready for a relationship. But then Jackson too is a widow. We see their relationship grow in God's perfect timing.
Suspense, intrigue, friendship, and romance. These pages hold a story that has me anticipating book 2, "Fatal Exchange", that will be released in the summer of 2014.
Sadly in our world today we have human trafficking and in this first book of the series Avery uncovers young girls that are being touched by this horror. I admire authors who share a story that changes the heart.
This book was a gift from Revell for sharing my review with you.
Lisa Harris is an award-winning author with more than 400,000 copies of her works in print. She was a 2011 Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom and lives in Mozambique together with her husband, Scott Harris, and their three children. Visit her website at www.lisaharriswrites.com.
