Code of Courage (Paperback)

** “When I say God is in control, I'm not saying he punches buttons and I go a certain way. I'm saying he has a plan, and no matter what happens, he can work out all my choices for my good. I believe and I trust.” ** Janice Cantore again delivers a great suspense thriller — one ripped from today's headlines — with her latest novel “Code of Courage.” When rioting in Los Angeles after a police-involved shooting rolls over to neighboring La Rosa, Detective Danni Grace finds herself right in the middle of the violent acts. After suffering an injury, she questions her future on the police force until a friend is also blamed in another shooting. As the anti-police sentiment continues to grow, Danni must determine whom she can trust, including her former husband Gabe Fox who now works as an investigator for the city prosecutor. Together they must also figure out if a cold case Gabe is working on has anything to do with today's protests. What follows is a powerful — yet relative to today — plot, filled with intensity and thrills. Cantore always does an incredible job creating a story that's both intriguing and suspenseful. Her past as a former police officer always deeply adds to her storylines. “Code of Courage” also contains several great themes, like showing loving-kindness and being a peacemaker; the power of prayer; God is not the author of confusion, and can fix any situation (“Problems of life. You might not be able to fix any of it, but God can fix all of it”); ugliness will always be a part of a broken world; God doesn't abandon His children; and everything happens for a reason. Fans of authors like Robert Whitlow, Cara Putman and Colleen Coble will love “Code of Courage.” Five stars out of five. Tyndale House Publishers provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

'Why should she continue to put her life on the line for such an ungrateful public?' I have enjoyed every book by Janice Cantore I've read. She knows her stuff. As a retired police officer, she writes very convincingly of police and crime matters. This time around, she deals with a city that has leadership that decides the police are no longer necessary. Rioting and property damage are the normal happenings and the police are suspended or relieved of their duties when trying to solve crimes. Police officer Danni Grace and investigator Gabriel Fox, once man and wife, are trying to do their jobs in spite of this upheaval in the community and the subsequent directives from the mayor and city prosecutor's office for the police to virtually stand down. These folks think citizens should just watch out for crime and most of these citizens are rioters and protestors. It was a bit scary reading of what was happening here in this city. Then a cold case comes to light that has Gabe wondering if this could be related. He and Danni didn't make a go of their marriage, but both are now having second thoughts. She has always depended on her faith and he has never depended on faith. But things are ramping up and about to change for both of them. I'll be honest: I didn't know how Cantore was going to bring this book to a satisfying conclusion given her subject matter. I was captivated throughout the reading and eager to see the ending, just to see how this would all play out. But Cantore did a masterful job! She continued to layer the story nearly each chapter and I was completely hooked. This was a totally satisfying read. Well done! My thanks to Tyndale House for a copy of this book via the Net Galley platform. The opinion in this review is expressly my own.