Shattered by Death: A Jo Oliver Thriller (Paperback) by Catherine Finger

This author is at the top of my list for suspense writers . She easily puts faith elements throughout the story in very specific places that heighten the character?s flaws. I had to stop in the middle of reading the book to jot down notes. I didn?t want to forget anything that I felt were important for readers to know. \n\nYou can read the back cover and find out what the book is about. I want to highlight Josie so that readers will understand how powerful this story is. Josie is the chief of police and you could tell some people were not excited about her position. There is a definite power struggle between two women that really showed how catty females can be. Can?t we just celebrate when a woman is in authority instead of that ugly green eyed monster showing up? I have worked at several places were there was nothing but drama between the women. I wanted no part of it and refused to play into their hands. \n\nJosie has a moment when she feels helpless and the enemy whispers in her ears to end it all. That one scene gave me chills as she cries out to God to save her, to take away those thoughts running through her mind and rescue her from evil. The author wrote it so well I could see it playing out right before my eyes. \n\nShe is in a fight for survival when fingers point to her as guilty. Who would kill her soon to be ex-husband and his mistress? The crime scene is a bit graphic but I understood why the author wrote it that way. The question arises of why someone wanted to brutally murder two people? I began to think that someone was very angry and it showed in the way the people died. There is definitely a battle between light vs darkness in this story. Will there be more murders? Can Josie find the killer while trying to keep her private life from being poisoned by evil? \n\nI was glued to my seat and only stopped to take notes. This is a story that takes readers inside the mind of evil and wraps itself around people to destroy them. Josie will need to continually cover herself in prayer as she battles against something only God can save her from. Will Josie learn to surrender all to God and trust Him even in her darkest hour?\n\nI received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Although this is Book two in A Jo Oliver Thriller it read perfectly fine as a stand-alone. This reads like riding on a curvy country road with lots of twists, turns, and switchbacks. This is a new author to me and I found it enjoyable. I could definitely identify with the feelings of betrayal that Jo experienced. I love being kept guessing in a who done it, but I solved this early on. I still kept turning pages to make sure I was right and to find out the motivation that drove the killer. I loved Gino and his voice of reason and faith to encourage Jo in her walk. I liked that the character of Jo grew and showed that we can overcome abuse and learn to trust again. I was somewhat disappointed in the ending as I felt it was rushed but all in all a solid good read. \nI received a complimentary copy from CelebrateLit. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.