Deceived (Private Justice Series #3)
by Irene Hannon
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Description:
A grieving mother. A mysterious child. And a dedicated PI who’s determined to solve the puzzle.
For three years, Kate Marshall has been mourning the loss of her husband and four-year-old son in a boating accident. But when she spots a familiar-looking child on a mall escalator, she’s convinced it’s her son. With police skeptical of her story, she turns to private investigator Connor Sullivan for help. As the former Secret Service agent digs into the case, the boating “accident” begins to look increasingly suspicious. But if Kate’s son is alive, someone is intent on keeping him hidden–and may go to lethal lengths to protect a sinister secret.
As Irene Hannon’s many fans have come to expect, Deceived is filled with complex characters, unexpected twists, and a riveting plotline that accelerates to an explosive finish.
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5 stars)
My Thoughts:
Kate Marshall is finally getting to a place in her life where she can accept the heartache of three years ago when her husband and four-year-old son were killed in a boating accident. Every day she heals a little more—with the help of her move to St. Louis, a wonderful job, and friendly church community. Everything changes when she spots a young boy at the mall who looks and speaks exactly as her son Kevin did. When the authorities chalk her crazy theory to her being a grief-ridden mother and decide not to investigate, she turns to a private investigator as her last hope. Connor Sullivan knew from the moment he met Kate he would do anything to help her. As the former Secret Service man starts investigating the boat accident that killed Kate’s husband and son, he begins to find several anomalies that make him think that maybe it wasn’t an accident after all…and Kevin could still be alive. Further investigations bring Kate and Connor closer, as well as bringing old secrets to light.
I would have to start by saying that Irene Hannon is a master storyteller, especially when it comes to the suspense variety. Deceived has everything—powerful mystery, hold-your-breath suspense, swoon-worthy yet realistic romance, engaging characters, and a “bad guy” that wasn’t one-dimensional. When I first began Deceived, I was worried that it was impossible for it to have a truly happy ending considering the plot-line. And I’m a girl who likes happy endings *wink*. But there was no reason for hesitation, as Hannon weaved the story intricately peeling one layer after the other until we the reader saw everything as a whole. The ending was perfect, as I should have expected from this talented author. Another main thing I loved about this book was that it was very much character-driven, with a lot of attention into building the character’s relationships. This made reading along as Kate and Connor grew closer all the more lovelier. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat, sporadically holding my breath until the conclusion. For the last half of Deceived, I literally couldn’t put it down.
If you enjoy inspirational suspense novels, this book is for you! This is my first experience with the Private Justice series, but I’m practically jumping to get my hands on the others as soon as I have time. For fans of Ronie Kendig, DiAnn Mills, or Lynette Eason, Deceived definitely makes it onto my top suspense novels I’ve read thus far this year…maybe even onto my top suspense reads ever!
So glad you liked this one, Bekah; it’s really one of Irene’s best and I’m eager to see what comes next from Irene in 2015! 🙂
Great review – as always.
Yeah, I agree it’s definitely one of my favorite of hers. I am really excited too for her upcoming series! I think it’s called something like ‘Men of Valor’? Something like that. Anyways, it looks *really* good.
Thank you for reading! 🙂