Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Pages: 416 pages
Publication Date: October 4, 2022
Categories: Christian Fiction / Mystery & Thrillers
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Bestselling and award-winning author DiAnn Mills delivers a heart-stopping story of a faulty construction job, the discovery of a dead body, and a sinister plot.
On the family’s Brazos River Ranch in Texas, Avery Elliott helps run her grandfather’s commercial construction business. Raised by Senator Elliott, Avery has never doubted her grandfather is the man of integrity and faith she’s always believed him to be …. until the day she finds him standing with a gun over the body of a dead man. To make matters worse, Avery’ just discovered a billing discrepancy for materials supposedly purchased for construction of the Lago de Cobre Dam.
Desperate for answers, Avery contacts FBI Special Agent Marc Wilkins for help. As Marc works to identify the dead man Avery saw, threats toward Avery create a fresh sense of urgency to pinpoint why someone wants to silence her. With a hurricane approaching the Texas coast and the structural integrity of the Lago de Cobre Dam called into question, time is running out to get to the bottom of a sinister plot that could be endangering the lives of not only Avery and her loved ones but the entire community.
Praise For CONCRETE EVIDENCE
“* VERDICT Mills . . . delivers another action-packed novel that offers intrigue and an adventurous ride. Recommend to fans of Dani Pettrey, Lynette Eason, and Carrie Stuart Parks.” – LIBRARY JOURNAL, Shondra Brown
“The confident plotting keeps the mysteries coming, and red herrings will have readers guessing the culprit through to the satisfying conclusion. Fans of Colleen Coble and Susan Sleeman will savor this thrilling standalone.” – PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY
PURCHASE LINKS ARE FOUND AT:
https://diannmills.com/books/concrete-evidence
Action, adventure, danger, excitement. Romance. Faith. Concrete Evidence has them all and so much more. Like the approaching hurricane in the story, the events in this book happen fast and furious with surges of violence and the occasional calm that only portends of more devastating crises to come. It wasn’t until the very end that my heartbeat settled into its normal pace.
…truth is first believed in the heart.”
Suspicious deaths brought construction business owner Avery Elliott and FBI Special Agent Marc Wilkins together in the most fraught of ways. Confused and afraid, Avery was on the run after seeing her beloved grandfather standing over a dead man’s body with a gun in his hand. Marc just buried the father who abandoned him when he was a child and was dealing with a mother who didn’t believe her former husband died of a heart attack as the autopsy declared. To top it all, he found out he has a teenage sister now under his guardianship.
Through explosions and shootings, sabotages and storms, these two somehow found themselves falling for each other. As a Romance reader, I approve and appreciate their decision to keep things slow and get to know each other better once the cases are resolved. As a Romance author, I’d have gone in a direction more in keeping with my Carpe Diem brand, but that would be a different story altogether. The choices Ms. Mills made here fit her particular subgenre of Christian fiction perfectly.
None of us have any control of when the good Lord takes us home. What we do control is how much we love and show our love.”
One of the things I love about this book is the fact that faith is observed and practiced, not merely paid lip service. Many of the characters’ actions are driven by their belief that a higher power will reveal truths and deliver them to safety. This gave them the courage to face dangers head-on. Some of their actions could be considered reckless which could potentially frustrate readers or have them chalk it up to adding suspense. I’m in the latter camp that found the intrepidity of the main characters acceptable.
What frustrated me is the ease with which I guessed who the main villain is. Ms. Mills provided plenty of red herrings and cast suspicions on several people but I zeroed in on the mastermind as soon as they were introduced in the story. I wanted to be proved wrong but I wasn’t, hence the slight disappointment. I recognize that it’s a ‘me problem’ and not an issue shared by the majority of readers. As they say, your mileage may vary.
In the note Ms. Mills wrote me, she said, “Expect an adventure.” I expected and she delivered spectacularly. Thanks, Ms. Mills and Tyndale Fiction, for providing me with a copy to review and enjoy. Thanks, Lone Star Lit, for including me in the blog tour.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND AUTHOR PAGES:
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Ms. Wilder thoroughly immerses the reader in the detailed process of Liz Adams’s investigation of her best friend’s murder where she is also the prime suspect. Along with the main character, we scrutinize various suspects and get informed of their probable innocence or guilt all the while experiencing daily life in the fascinating city of Charleston, South Carolina. The city totally comes alive through Ms. Wilder’s extensive description of the food, the weather, the fashion, and the establishments. The same marvelous sense of place is showcased in the scenes that take place in Paris. I may have said oh là là a couple of times while reading.
Overall, I like the procedural aspect of the storytelling. I also like the diversity of characters and expect the inclusion of more underrepresented groups in future books. It could use a bit more build-up of tension, fewer mentions of brand names, expansion of Liz’s lab Duke’s role in the investigation, and less telling of deep emotions. Finally, I hope to see a progression of the romance introduced in this first book.
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Maida Malby 
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