Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Patricia Bradley: Justice Delayed

By Kelly Bridgewater



It's been eighteen years since TV crime reporter Andi Hollister's sister was murdered. The confessed killer is behind bars, and the execution date is looming. But when a letter surfaces stating that the condemned killer didn't actually do it, Detective Will Kincaide of the Memphis Cold Case Unit will stop at nothing to help Andi get to the bottom of it. After all, this case is personal: the person who confessed to the crime is Will's cousin. They have less than a week to find the real killer before the wrong person is executed. But much can be accomplished in that week--including uncovering police corruption, running for your life, and falling in love.

From Amazon

My Review:

Besides Robin Jones Gunn's Christy Miller series, romantic suspense was my introduction to Christian fiction. Thanks to Dee Henderson's O'Malley series. Before then, I devoured every single Nancy Drew novel and looked forward to reading mysteries and solving the crime before the author draws her characters to the conclusion. So of course, when Bradley threw her hat into the Romantic Suspense genre with her Logan Point series, I couldn't wait to read them. Stories with cold case are incredible because of the police officers chance to serve justice after a long time. With Bradley's new Memphis Cold Case series, I became introduced to new characters, saw justice served, and met some interesting characters.

The writing was concise and clear. Bradley did not head hop or switch point of views. She did a good job at creating a setting that I have only driven through. I had no problem visualizing the surroundings as the characters moved around. The research Bradley had to do to make Will and Brad as officers for a cold case unit seemed realistic to me. I had no doubts that Will and Brad were doing exactly what they should be doing as officers.

In a romantic suspense, the romance is just as important as the suspense. But in Justice Delayed, Bradley allowed romance between Andi and Will, but it didn't overwhelm the story. It was more just internal feelings between two people who grew up together, even though Will was Andi's older brother's best friend. As for the suspense, it was an original story that I haven't seen done before, and I really enjoyed how Bradley incorporated the diamond smuggling. It was an unique and timely suspense element. I was glued to the fast pace of the novel.

I really liked spending time with Andi. I enjoyed her love and honor of her dead sister, Stephanie. She still had a torch for her older sister, even though there were many years in between them. Bradley gave Andi a flaw with her pain pills, and I really believed this is becoming a sad reality in our culture today, so Bradley brought it to life in Andi. While I enjoyed Andi's character, I really didn't see anything remarkable about Will. He is an officer who still works with his best friend and has a crush on his best friend's little sister. I wished he was someone that I liked more, but I don't.

Justice Delayed had an ending that I saw coming pretty early. I figured out who the bad guy was. Not that it ruined the story, I stayed with the story, wanting to prove that I was right, which makes for a good mystery in my humble opinion.

I recommend this book for fans of Bradley, Lynette Eason, Colleen Coble, Irene Hannon, and other fans of Romantic Suspense fans. There really is nothing that only mature audiences can read. Fans of a good mystery would enjoy this novel.

In conclusion, Patricia Bradley's introduction to her Memphis Cold Case series Justice Delayed is a fast-paced story with a heroine worth rooting for and a hero that missed the mark for me. I really enjoyed seeing the Justice served by the end of the novel. I can't wait to see whose story she will write next.

I received a complimentary copy of Justice Delayed from Revell Publishing, and the opinions stated are all my own. 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

When you read a genre that you are vastly familiar with, do you expect the author to keep the formula intact?

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