Series:
Amish Country Justice (Book 15)
Finding a safe haven
is the only way to stay alive
When crime scene cleaner Lissa Page discovers a clue at a
murder site, she's attacked and becomes the killer's new target. Now Deputy US
Marshal Micah Bender must protect the single mother from becoming another
victim. But with threats coming from every direction, Micah needs to hide Lissa
-- and the Amish community he left behind might be the answer to keeping his
witness safe.
Another gripping Amish Country Justice book that kept me
hooked from beginning to end. The suspense was intense, the action was
fast-paced, and the romance was sweet.
Lissa is a strong and resilient character. Born deaf, she
hears with the help of cochlear implants. Her first love deserted her when she
became pregnant, and her parents kicked her out, leaving her to fend for
herself. Determined to give her daughter the best life possible, Lissa gave up
her dreams of a culinary career and took a job as a crime scene cleaner. The
work isn't pleasant, but the pay and benefits keep her going. As the book
opens, Lissa is called to a familiar address for a cleanup job - that of her
best friend, who has been murdered. Tracy was a rookie police officer with the
local department. As Lissa finishes the job, something catches her eye, but someone
hits her over the head before she can pick it up, knocking her unconscious.
Deputy US Marshal Micah Bender is a former Amish man who
left the community to become a law enforcement officer. When he was eight, his
younger sister was kidnapped when he was supposed to watch her. She remained
missing for 22 years before being found (
Her Secret Amish Past). The guilt of that
event stayed with him for many years and motivated him to join the marshals. A year
and a half earlier, Micah's fiancée was brutally murdered, adding to his
feeling of failure at keeping his loved ones safe. Micah was assigned the case
of a serial killer, BCK, the Birthday Card Killer, which brought him to the
killer's latest victim - Lissa's friend Tracy. He arrives just in time to keep
Lissa from becoming the next victim.
The blow to her head affected Lissa's memory, so she
doesn't remember the piece of evidence that started the trouble. The killer
doesn't know that and is determined to eliminate the only person who can
identify him. The action is nonstop as Micah attempts to keep Lissa and her
daughter, Shelby, safe, and they can barely keep one step ahead of the killer,
who is constantly on their heels. From exploding houses to exploding arrows and
from Lissa's home to Micah's family's farm, the twists and turns of this story
kept me guessing to the very end. Just when I thought I had it figured out, an
unexpected twist proved me wrong. The final confrontation was a nail-biter.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Micah
and Lissa. Both are wary of giving their hearts. Lissa has been burned twice by
men she thought she could trust, and she has trouble trusting her judgment
regarding Micah. Meanwhile, Micah has difficulty
opening his heart to another woman after losing his fiancée so tragically. The
more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny the growing feelings
between them. I loved Micah's protectiveness toward Lissa and Shelby. It was
also sweet to see him with Shelby. It was obvious that he would be a terrific
father.
Lissa loves him and believes in him, but when everything is over, Micah
is still weighed down by what he believes is his inability to keep her safe. He
pulls away, telling Lissa he's too broken and must fix himself. I wanted to
shake him for wallowing in self-pity and was happy to see his brother Gideon
call him out on his idiocy. Thank goodness Gideon got through to him. Micah's
arrival at Lissa's house and his emotional confession of his feelings and fears
were fantastic. Lissa was sweet and didn't make him grovel for long. The
epilogue was great, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.
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