The Book Stops Here - Review of Too Close to Home by Lynette Eason

Here's another book I had the privilege of reviewing. If you like suspense with just a touch of romance, you'll want to check this one out.


From the back cover:

The FBI has a secret weapon. But now the secret's out.

When missing teens begin turning up dead in a small Southern town, the FBI sends in Special Agent Samantha Cash to help crack the case. Her methods are invisible, and she never quits until the case is closed.

Homicide detective Connor Wolfe has his hands full. His relationship with his headstrong daughter is in a tailspin, and the string of unsolved murders has the town demanding answers. Connor is running out of ideas--and time.

Samantha joins Connor in a race against the clock to save the next victim. And the killer starts to get personal.

My thoughts:

This is the first time I've read Lynette Eason and it didn't take too many pages before I knew I would like this book. Besides characters that are real and relatable, and an easy-to-read, natural writing style, the plot drew me in. As the mother of an almost-thirteen-year-old daughter, the issue of internet predators is of great interest and concern to me. And the author did a wonderful job of informing the reader while presenting an entertaining story at the same time.

The back of this book warns readers to "read this one with the lights on." I wouldn't go that far. It wasn't scary in a "lights on" kind of way, but the content definitely instills a bit of fear, which isn't necessarily a bad thing in this case. If readers get nothing else from this book, they will at least understand what a dangerous reality this is and hopefully will become more proactive in the online activities of their kids.

As for the plot line, I have to say I figured out quite early on what would happen in the end, but my mind is one that's always considering the possibilities, so maybe it wouldn't be as obvious to other readers. But even still, the author added several twists I did not see coming. Twists that were surprising, yet made the story even more realistic - and satisfying - for me. I don't usually like books that are sugar-coated and everyone lives happily ever after. Give me a little grit. Well, this book does more than that. It also suggests that despite the grit and the disappointment and the tragedy, God is still good. And justice ultimately triumphs.

Overall, I'd say the author crafted a great story with characters I came to care about. I look forward to the October release of the second book in this series, Don't Look Back, which continues with a storyline introduced in Too Close to Home.

*Too Close to Home is Available April 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

Thanks to Revell for providing me with a copy of this book to review. A positive review was not required and all thoughts are my own.
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LYNETTE EASON grew up in Greenville, SC. She attended Converse College where she obtained her Masters degree in Education. She and her husband Jack have two precious children. Lynette loves to ice skate, go bowling, walk on the beach, visit the mountains of Asheville, NC-and of course, read. She is often found online and loves to talk writing with anyone who will listen. She gives God the glory for giving her the talent and desire to spin stories that bring readers to the edge of their seat, but most importantly, to the throne of Christ.

Visit Lynette online at www.lynetteeason.com