Deadly Echoes ~ Review

Deadly Echoes
Finding Sanctuary 2
Nancy Mehl

Sarah Miller's life seems to finally be in a place where everything is looking up.  She's recently reconnected with her sister Hannah and Cicely, the niece she didn't know she had.  But tragedy is again to make its presence known is her life when Hannah is murdered.

But even more disturbing is the similarities between Hannah's murder and that of her parents more than ten years ago.  The Kansas City police don't see the similarities or a possible connection, but Sarah's determined to find the truth and get justice for her sister.

With the support of Janet Dowell and local Deputy Sheriff Paul Gleason, Sarah begins looking into Hannah's life as well as that of her parents.  Meanwhile she is dealing with her own grief while trying to help Cicely work through her own.

But someone seems determined to thwart Sarah's efforts.  Is the killer determined to keep her from discovering the truth?  Or is it merely coincidence that her investigation keeps being blocked?  The Deadly Echoes of the past make her doubt coincidence, but can she prove it before more lives are lost?

One can't say that a book in which lives are lost to murder is delightful, but this is an excellently written book in which the facets of grief are explored.  And there is hope.  Hope for justice, hope for healing, and hope for the future.  The various character are well developed and there are complexities that add layers that are revealed as the story develops.  Overall I would recommend this book to fans of clean romantic suspense and mysteries.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher through their blogger program in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

After a youth filled with tragedy and upheaval, Sarah Miller's life is finally settled with all echoes of the past silent at last. She happily calls Sanctuary her home and spends her days teaching at the local school.

Sarah's joy at her recent reunion with her sister, Hannah, and meeting the niece she didn't know she had is too soon interrupted when Deputy Sheriff Paul Gleason informs Sarah her sister has been killed.

As she learns more about Hannah's death, the circumstances are eerily similar to their parents' murder. Sarah enlists Paul's help in digging deeper into the murders the police are dismissing as burglaries gone wrong. Paul's concern encourages Sarah's growing feelings for him, but as their investigation peels back the layers of lies almost twenty years old, they get close to uncovering the truth one person will do anything to hide--even if that means coming after the last remaining members of the Miller family.

About the Author:

Nancy Mehl is the author of eighteen books and received the ACFW Mystery Book of the Year Award in 2009. She has a background in social work and is a member of ACFW and RWA. She writes from her home in Missouri where she lives with her husband, Norman, and their Puggle, Watson. Visit her website at www.nancymehl.com.