Book Review: Counter Point by Marji Laine

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

I did the following review for the Suspense Sisters blog. If you love Christian suspense and want to keep up with some of the latest in the genre, check out their Monday reviews.

Here’s the back cover blurb from Amazon:

Someone wants to complete the final assignment of a murdered hit man. 

Her dad’s gone, her diner’s closing, and her car’s in the lake. Cat McPherson has nothing left to lose … except her life. And a madman, bent on revenge, is determined to take that, as well. Her former boyfriend, Ray Alexander, returns as a hero from his foreign mission, bringing back souvenirs in the form of death-threats. When several attempts are made on Cat’s life, she must find a way to trust Ray, the man who broke her heart.

Keeping Cat safe from a fallen cartel leader might prove impossible for Ray, but after seeing his mission destroyed and hearing of the deaths of several godly people, he knows better than to ignore the man’s threats. Cat’s resistance to his protection and the stirring of his long-denied feelings for her complicate his intentions, placing them both in a fight for their lives. How can a small-town girl survive when ultimate power wants her dead?

This one starts off creepy (in a good way) and keeps on charging with suspense and yummy twists. Poor Cat is dealing with the recent death of her father and the future loss of his restaurant—his legacy. Throw in the return of the man with whom she once thought she’d spend her life, along with someone trying to kill her, and… Well, her days get a little hairy, like this:

A loud explosion rocked the car. The wheel jerked out of her hand. The right side reeled. […] Screeching tires silenced when the car shot over the edge of a steep embankment. Another loud pop. The world went white. She lost her breath as the airbag pressed her against the seat. […] The car contacted solid mass and glass shattered.

[…] The airbag drained with puffs of white powder and she found herself in the upper branches of a cottonwood tree overlooking Lake Grayson.

Ray deals with a sense of failure. He’s hailed a hero when he returns home, but people don’t know the truth of the situation, and he’s trying to find a way to tell them, especially Cat. This plot line was built up quite a bit—as it should have been—but I would have liked to have seen a bit more reaction from Cat and others. I liked Ray, though. He’s an everyday guy, dedicated to telling people of the gospel and someone who wants to do the right thing, but doesn’t always succeed. In other words, he’s human.

While I had an idea of the “whodunit” (won’t say if I was right or not), I have to tell you Marji Laine threw in various twists, but came up with one at the end that took me by complete surprise. And she doesn’t play nice with her characters. She makes them earn their place in the story.

Bottom line: If plenty of action and danger gets your reading juices flowing, you’ll want to read Counter Point, the first book in the Heath Point Mystery series. As for me, I’m looking forward to meeting Daisy, Grady, Dell and others in Book Two.

So far, what has been your favorite romantic suspense story for 2016?