Deadly Echoes

Book Review: Deadly Echoes
Author: Nancy Mehl

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Romance

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: February 3, 2015

Rating: Five stars (near perfect)

Pros: Well written plot, story moved quickly without slowing down, good mystery, likable characters, and a sweet, realistic romance

Cons: None

            When the sister Sarah hasn’t seen in years reappears, it stirs up hard memories of the past and their parents’ murder. Even so, Sarah’s joy at being reunited with Hannah and meeting the niece she didn’t know she had is too soon interrupted when Deputy Sheriff Paul Gleason informs Sarah her sister has been killed. As Sarah learns more about Hannah’s death, the circumstances seem eerily similar to her parents’ death. She enlists Paul’s help in digging deeper into these murders the police are dismissing as burglaries gone wrong. Paul’s concern encourages Sarah’s growing feelings for him, but as their investigation peels back the layers of lies almost twenty years old, they get close to uncovering the truth one man will do anything to hide—even if he must do away with the last remaining members of the Miller family.

            Deadly Echoes is the second installment of Nancy Mehl’s Finding Sanctuary series. I have never read the first book, but after reading Deadly Echoes, I am looking forward to reading Gathering Shadows. The author did a great job of keeping me informed on the events of her past book without overdoing it or causing more confusion. I was hooked on this book from the beginning. The opening scene really draws the reader in, creating a suspense that never dies down. Nothing about the plot was slow. Everything moved right along without any pauses or hesitations. My first reaction to the ending was that it moved a bit too fast, and the mystery could have been solved a little less abruptly. I don’t feel that it hurt the book, however. I was surprised by the ending when I discovered who the “bad guy” was. I was expecting a slightly different outcome, but it created just the right amount of tension in the story.

            This novel is written in first person, which is not the most common-found point of view for novels I have found. Normally I wouldn’t prefer it, but I liked it in this story because it helped me get to know the character of Sarah Miller a better without wordy descriptions. She speaks directly to the reader. Her character was well developed, with her experiencing a change when she realizes that she has always lived in her sister’s shadow. When she begins to understand that she is “fearfully and wonderfully made”, her character develops into a deeper version of herself, and the reader can see Sarah Miller for who she really is. The romance between Sarah and Paul was perfect. Their romance was very realistic and in the background, as it really wasn’t the focus. The story concentrated on the mystery, weaving in between perfectly subtle notes of a romance between the two. I felt there was a good amount of conflict in the story that really kept the story from going stale. When Hannah dies, Sarah becomes guardian to her niece, Cicely, who brings about her own share of conflicts to the story. A cop and a retired cop turned PI both working on the case bring mystery to Sarah and Paul. When told by both men not to trust the other, they realize again how complicated this case is. Sarah seeks the Lord for guidance with the mystery, as well as with problems between her and her newfound niece, Cicely. The reader can clearly see Sarah’s relationship with God, and how she grows throughout the book.

            This was a well-written suspense novel that I will definitely be buying for my own bookshelf. A quick read even at 300-some pages, I couldn’t put it down. I read most of the book in one afternoon. There was no “fluff” to this book, making the story flow freely without boring the reader. Five stars!


I received a complimentary copy of Deadly Echoes from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The opinions stated are my own.

This review also appears on The Christian Manifesto. http://thechristianmanifesto.com/fiction/deadly-echoes/