After a harrowing experience with an obsessed patient, oncology nurse practitioner Leigh Weston needed a change. She thought she’d left her troubles behind when she moved home to Carrington, North Carolina, and took a job in the emergency department of the local hospital. But when someone tampers with her brakes, she fears the past has chased her into the present. She reaches out to her high school friend turned homicide investigator, Ryan Parker, for help.

Ryan finds satisfaction in his career, but his favorite way to use his skills is as a volunteer underwater investigator with the Carrington County Sheriff’s Office dive team. When the body of a wealthy businessman is discovered in Lake Porter, the investigation uncovers a possible serial killer–one with a terrifying connection to Leigh Weston and deadly implications for them all. Dive into the depths of fear with an exciting new voice in romantic suspense. Award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn grabs readers by the throat and doesn’t let go until the final heart-pounding page.

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About the Author

Lynn H. Blackburn is the author of Hidden Legacy (Love Inspired, June 2017) and Covert Justice, winner of the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery and Suspense and the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel. Blackburn believes in the power of stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the Truest Love. She’s passionate about CrossFit, coffee, and chocolate (don’t make her choose) and experimenting with recipes that feed both body and soul. She lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina, with her true love, Brian, and their three children.

Special Content — Dig Deep into a Quote

[Leigh] pulled out her mom’s baking pans and fitted the beater on the stand mixer. Anytime she baked, memories of her mom filled the room along with the aroma of whatever was in the oven.

Her mom had been a firecracker. Her dad had always said she was the perfect complement to him. As a judge, he got used to people doing what he told them to do, but she kept him grounded. Whenever he said that, her mom would roll her eyes at him or give him a gentle slug to the shoulder.

The truth was her mom wasn’t one to keep her opinions to herself, and she wasn’t afraid to rock the boat. But even when they disagreed, such a strong undercurrent of love and genuine respect flowed between them that Leigh had never experienced a moment of worry that their relationship was in danger. If anything, the way they disagreed and reached consensus had taught her it was okay to have a contrary opinion — just because she didn’t agree with someone didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends, Or more.

It also taught her that true, meaningful, long-lasting relationships were built more on the way a couple handled conflict and adversity than on romantic dinners and moonlit strolls.

I know this is a really long quote, but I love this whole piece. I like it for several reasons. First, I appreciate the relationship between Leigh’s mother and father. I believe that when we are in right relationships, we are with the people God meant us to be with. We are with our complements. These right relationships allow us to grow into the people God meant for us to be.

Second, I like the word consensus in the third paragraph. Consensus means “general agreement or concord; harmony.” I appreciate the notion that a couple can lovingly argue — that a couple can come to agreement and harmony even though they have unique opinions and ideas, and see the world differently. This is so contrary to how I grew up that I’m a little envious of Leigh. It took about 8 years for my husband and me to learn how to argue respectfully because I didn’t have good “fighting” models when I was younger. I want to be a good role model in this regard for my daughter so she doesn’t endure half the heartache I experienced because I didn’t know how to argue with another courteously.

Lastly, I love the final paragraph I quoted. It’s such an important truth that I think ALL humans should internalize. The rough times in life really showcase who we are as people. I’m not proud of this, but my standard go-to when things get rough is to blow things way out of proportion, worry until I am sick to my stomach, and clean and organize. If I can clean and organize then I can control things. I love to control things! I’m working on all these negative foibles, and I think I am getting much better, but when I boil myself down to my core being I admit that I’m just a scared little girl. As I have gotten older, I have realized that my go-to reaction should be to immediately go to God. My husband is a great example of this. On the outside, when things get all kinds of crazy, my husband looks like the coolest, calmest cucumber ever. It actually makes me a little crazy because I think to myself, “is he feeling anything?!” He totally is, but instead of freaking out he just goes to God. It’s his immediate course of action. My husband handles adversity and conflict so well because he always takes it to God first. I am so grateful God put my husband into my life because he is a great model of how to handle the rough stuff, and he helps me be a better women — the woman God made me to be!

To read my review of this FANTASTIC novel, click HERE.

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