Windigo Twilight by Colleen Rhoads

This is book 1 of Rhoads Great Lakes Legends series for Love Inspired Suspense books. I thought Rhoads was a new author for me, but then I learned that she has also published under the name Colleen Coble. So not a new author for me, but a new name.

Windigo Twilight is a nice story, not overly suspenseful and with plenty of predictable romance tossed in. It played out a bit like a television suspense show.... which isn't necessarily a bad thing... but it was a bit too predictable for my taste. That said, I still enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading the other two books in this series.

Not by Chance by Kathy Herman

This is the 4th and final book of the Seaport Suspense Series. I cannot say enough good about this series. I plan to go back and read Herman's earlier series - the Baxters - as well as her more recent series - Phantom Hollow.

Not by Chance deals with an issue that has been with us since the tower of Babel and will continue with us until the end of time... racism. Brandon Jones has come home in hopes of finding a purpose for his life... what he finds is a friend in RuWeeza Taylor. Her faith amazes Brandon and challenges him to take a deeper look at himself. Unfortunately there are those who don't approve of a white man spending time with a black woman and as a result, Brandon and Weezie find themselves targets a hate crime. But it doesn't stop there. More African-Americans are targeted and the hatred builds. Despite their best efforts, law enforcement cannot find the culprit (or culprits) and the community is getting angrier and more frightened.

Add into the mixes a young biracial boy struggling to find where he fits in... an age old secret society.... a hotshot report who needs to learn to use some discretion.... and you find yourself on the brink of chaos.

While Herman exposes blatant, vile, evil racism, she also sheds light on more subtle forms of racism that most people display without even realizing it. As is true with the other books in this series, Herman makes her reader stop and think... to look into their own lives and see what needs pruning and refining.

Again, I cannot recommend this series enough! Excellent writing, wonderful characters and thought provoking story lines!

All Things Hidden by Kathy Herman

Book 3 of the Seaport Suspense series.. wonderful! Each book in this series seems to get better! In All Things Hidden, Herman once again tackles some difficult issues in a sensitive and realistic way. Unforgiveness... stubbornness... pride.... and consequences of sin are just a few. There is a lot going on in this book, but it works! Ellen Jones is facing the fact that her father, a widower, has Alzheimer's... fairly advanced. She has avoided him for so long due to unresolved issues and anger in their lives and now she may not have the chance to make peace with him. In the mean time her older son, Owen, is facing the consequences of past sin. I have to admit I love that Herman gives a clear picture (through Owen) of how we become new creations in Christ, but she doesn't sugar coat his life. Yes, he's been saved, but he has consequences from the sins of earlier years that will have a lasting effect on his life and his family. And then there is the murders. Ellen's father wanders off and apparently witnesses a stabbing. Due to his mental incapacity he is unable to help the police, but does the killer know that? Strange phone calls... possible peeping toms... attempted break ins... someone is trying to get the Jones' attention.

Excellent read... and book 4 is as good or better!

Eye of the Beholder by Kathy Herman

Eye of the Beholder is Book 2 of the Seaport Suspense Series by Herman. Another great book. It seems that each book in this short series gets better. Maybe it is the fact that the repeat characters are becoming more and more like old friends.

There are a number of hot topics in this book.. mainly terrorism and relations between Jew, Christians and Muslims in the United States. Herman does an excellent job of handling all the various mindsets and opinions. Not everyone is a whacked out nut who hates folks who are different (although there are some of those represented). Many are normal folks who are scared because of past events like 9/11, as well as the treatment of Arab (or anyone who looks Arab) as a result. In no way does Herman excuse terrorism, not at all! She just makes a great point about not assuming someone is the enemy just because they look different and have different beliefs. And she doesn't just deal with how non-Muslims feel about Muslims... she looks at the way Muslims look at the non-Muslim world. It is a good thorough representation of prejudice and fear from many different angles. She also looks at prejudice from other levels.. mental, social, financial and more.

Ellen Jones has become friends with an Iranian-American couple, the Tehrans... as well as a young mentally challenged couple and a blue-collar family... and her husband is not thrilled about it. He feels she needs to elevate her choice in friends to "their standard". Ellen's not going for it... she has a heart for the people God places in her life and prays to see them as He does.

When a boat full of explosives is found near Seaport and Dr. Tehran is questioned, Guy Jones forbids Ellen to have anything to do with them... and the tension arises not only in the Jones home, but in this close knit community where everyone knows everything that is going on.

As Guy and Ellen's marriage starts to fray, Guy's assistant Kinsey slips in all to ready to make things better for not only Guy, but for herself. Guy finds himself turning into someone he's not... and he finds himself caught up in a scandal that will rock the community, his career and most of all his family.

Eye of the Beholder takes a strong forceful look at the question "Who is My Neighbor?" and many of us will find conviction as we realize the answer.

Excellent book!

p.s. I am in the midst of book 3 of this series and it is even better than the 1st two!

A Shred of Evidence by Kathy Herman

My neighbor is a bookaholic also. We regularly share books and as a result find out about new authors we might not have read otherwise. She came bearing 4 books recently. The Seaport Suspense series by Kathy Herman. I had never heard of the books nor the author. I am sooo glad she introduced me to both!

A Shred of Evidence is book 1 in this wonderful series. What I am enjoying is not only the well thought out plot lines and finely developed characters, but the issues that Herman covers and how she handles them. For instance in this book gossip plays a huge role in several different plot lines. There is idle chitchat gossip that takes something simple.. like a date.. and lets it grow into something larger than life.. a wedding. There's overhearing someone say something and letting your imagination go wild... or you emotions (anger in this case) make it into something it wasn't. There's journalistic gossip... personal.. church.. community.. several different kinds and all are not exaggerated. I could see every one of these situations happening in real life. And what is fun is often the gossiper is also a victim of gossip, so that he / she learns first hand the effects words have on others. One thing to note, the suspense in the novel isn't who is spreading the gossip.. the gossip is a consequence of the various action in the book.

Ellen Jones and her husband, Guy, have recently moved to the small quiet community of Seaport, FL. While enjoying a break from writing her first novel, Ellen overhears someone talking about the husband of a young woman she has recently befriended. Instead of telling the wife or confronting the husband, Ellen decides to do some digging on her own and soon finds herself caught up in a web of half-truths and heresay that could destroy a man and his family.

Shred is a wonderful introduction to Seaport and the various characters there. (Although it appears Ellen and her husband are characters from an earlier series by Herman.) This book is full of real life dilemmas such as the struggle most believers have walking the talk.

Great book!