Janice Cantore: Cold Aim

By Kelly Bridgewater

Police Chief Tess O’Rourke’s small town is still reeling from a devastating fire when the FBI asks for help: Could she shelter a witness in a high-profile human trafficking case? Initially reluctant to put the townspeople of Rogue’s Hollow at risk, Tess is swayed after she sees Pastor Oliver Macpherson’s genuine conviction to rescue those in need, a trait in him she’s coming to love more each day.

Tess’s fledgling faith is tested when crews of workmen from out of town come in to assist with the fire cleanup and she worries that one of these strangers might shine a light on things best kept hidden. Neither she nor Oliver knows that Rogue’s Hollow is already home to a suspect from a twenty-five-year-old murder case . . . and someone is taking cold aim at those Tess is sworn to protect.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Returning to Rogue Hollow with Tess and Oliver made for quite an amazing ride. In Cold Aim, Janice Cantore took readers on a wild ride through the world of running away from human trafficking. While this topic has become quite popular in suspense novels lately, Cantore actually created a story about the characters on the run about to squeal on their captors. The action started in the first chapter and did not let up. Cantore stuck Tess in a number of horrible situations and allowed her to sink or swim. I liked spending more time with Tess and, after reading all three novels, seeing her change from the character we encountered in the first series. The romance between Oliver and Tess does change and have a little bit of romance, but nothing too gushy. Nothing close to a contemporary romance take on the love. The only downside to the entire novel, in my opinion, is what will happen to Tess and Oliver. Does she learn to balance police work and her love of the pastor? Does she cling to her faith more? Hopefully, Cantore creates something that have them appear in another story later in their lives. I really enjoyed this installment, and I really can't wait to see what comes next from Janice Cantore.

I received a complimentary copy of Cold Aim by Janice Cantore from Tyndale Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase Cold Aim

About the Author:

From Amazon

A former Long Beach, California, police officer of twenty-two years, Janice Cantore worked a variety of assignments, including patrol, administration, juvenile investigations, and training. She's always enjoyed writing and published two short articles on faith at work for Cop and Christ and Today's Christian Woman before tackling novels. She now lives in a small town in southern Oregon, where she enjoys exploring the forests, rivers, and lakes with her Labrador retrievers, Abbie and Tilly.

Janice writes suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired. Crisis Shot is the first title in her latest series. Janice also authored the Cold Case Justice series--Drawing Fire, Burning Proof, and Catching Heat--the Pacific Coast Justice series--Accused, Abducted, and Avenged--and the Brinna Caruso novels, Critical Pursuit and Visible Threat.

Visit Janice's website at www.janicecantore.com and connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JaniceCantore. (Taken from Amazon.)

Janice Cantore: Lethal Target

By Kelly Bridgewater

Police Chief Tess O’Rourke thought she’d taken care of her small town’s drug problem last year. But now Rogue’s Hollow residents are up in arms over a contentious vote on legalizing the sale of marijuana within city limits. And when an eighteen-year-old is found dead of a possible overdose, Tess wonders if the local pot farms might be involved and begins to fear that a new, deadlier drug supply chain has cropped up. As tempers flare and emotions boil over, Tess faces the possibility of losing the town’s support.

With her relationship to Sergeant Steve Logan on shaky ground, Tess could really use a friend, and she feels drawn to Pastor Oliver Macpherson’s quiet presence. But the anger she holds over her father’s death prevents her from embracing his faith and finding peace.

Battling storms within and without, Tess is shocked when a familiar face from her past shows up in town to stir up more trouble. And his threats against Tess may prove lethal.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I adore Janice Cantore's raw ability to tell a story that captures the honesty and hard working police officers. Being a retired police officer, Cantore brings the emotional side to the job, but also shows the hard work and the grim reality of the police force. With the newest addition to her Line of Duty series, Lethal Target, Cantore held my attention and forced me to deal with the drug overdose and corruption of the pot farmers.

One of my favorite aspect of a Cantore book is her ability to bring in the realistic world of the police force without boring me with too much textbook information. She brings the world to life for me as an innocent bystander who doesn't know much about the inside workings of the police world, but she allows me to experience it through Tess as she works through the case. Cantore's writing is clean and crisp, allowing me to experience the emotions of Tessa as she travels through the ups and downs in her story.

The plot kept me engrossed in the plot. There were some moments where the plot dragged, and I couldn't wait to move passed those spots, but for the most part, the story moves a fast clip, begging me to stay focused, so I don't miss who killed the boy in the opening chapter. Right from the beginning, Cantore begs me to enter the chase for the killer of a young boy. I really enjoyed the chase.

The spiritual element was not preachy at all. Cantore does a fabulous job at allowing Oliver to explain and draw Tess back to God in her own terms. Cantore doesn't force the gospel down the reader's throat. She slowly dribbles it, allowing the reader to empathize with Tess as she tries to find her own way back to the God who her father loved dearly. I really loved the scene with Tess and her father's Bible near the end. Very touching.

Overall, Lethal Target by Janice Cantore shows the inner workings of a police chief and her struggle to work in the ever changing world we live in. The plot moved quickly and held a tiny aspect of a romance. Just the way I liked my romantic suspense. I believe if you are a fan of Lynette Eason and DiAnn Mills, then this novel might be right up your alley. I really enjoyed it.

I received a complimentary copy of Lethal Target by Janice Cantore from Tyndale Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Click here to purchase a copy.

About the Author:

From Amazon

A former Long Beach, California, police officer of twenty-two years, Janice Cantore worked a variety of assignments, including patrol, administration, juvenile investigations, and training. She's always enjoyed writing and published two short articles on faith at work for Cop and Christ and Today's Christian Woman before tackling novels. She now lives in a small town in southern Oregon, where she enjoys exploring the forests, rivers, and lakes with her Labrador retrievers, Abbie and Tilly.

Janice writes suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired. Crisis Shot is the first title in her latest series. Janice also authored the Cold Case Justice series--Drawing Fire, Burning Proof, and Catching Heat--the Pacific Coast Justice series--Accused, Abducted, and Avenged--and the Brinna Caruso novels, Critical Pursuit and Visible Threat.

Visit Janice's website at www.janicecantore.com and connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JaniceCantore. (Taken from Amazon.)

Janice Cantore: Crisis Shot

By Kelly Bridgewater

Tess O’Rourke dreams of becoming the first female chief of police in Long Beach, California. As commander of the East Division, she is well on her way . . . until the night she responds to an officer-needs-assistance call and fatally shoots an unarmed teenager. Despite being cleared of wrongdoing by a grand jury, Tess is so hounded by the public that she takes a job in Oregon to escape the bad press.
Winning over the residents of Rogue’s Hollow might be more difficult than adjusting to her new role as police chief in the small, backwater town. Especially when her closest friend, the pastor’s wife, goes missing and the woman’s cousin is found shot. Tess finds an ally in sheriff’s deputy Steve Logan, but as they track down Rogue’s Hollow’s first murderer, she worries that she’s breaking one of her rules and getting too close to him.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I enjoy Janice Cantore's writings because she has been an actual cop and knows what goes on behind the scenes, which she does well at bringing into her fiction stories. So when I heard that Cantore was writing a new series, I got excited. I enjoy a good mystery with a murderer and the hunt for the killer as the story moves along.

Cantore really does jump right in and include the reader in the drama. I never once doubted anything that Cantore has written about the work of the police work. She writes from experience and allows her cop characters to jump off the page with their lives' work. I could picture the setting of Rogue Hollow and the rustic backwoods small town in the northern part of Oregon. While the change in scenery is hard on Tess since she comes from South Beach, California, Cantore does a good job at allowing me to see and understand the surrounding characters feelings of this outsider.

As for the character of Tess, I felt bad for her. She was doing her job and had to move in order to keep face and make the public in California happy. The story could have been ripped from the headlines, especially with all the stories of the police injustice today. Tess moved without really any complaint and allowed herself to take over another police force, knowing she didn't feel right, but she loved her career choice, so she did it willing.

At the end of the first book, there really isn't any romance that stands out to satisfy those romance needing readers. But . . .  there might be two guys that could stand out as a potential romance in the future. I have to keep reading to find out if Cantore allows Tess to find romance in this series.

The plot. The reason I am reading the book in the first place. While I have read Cantore's stories before, so I had a good idea of how she writes and creates her stories, Crisis Shot is a lot more tame and laid back from her normal stories. In Crisis Shot, it takes a while to get to the murder of the story. While most suspense stories have the cop in danger and running for their life, Cantore doesn't write Tess as being threaten at all. Her life moves along through the interviews without once someone trying to stop her. Crisis Shot felt more like a pre-curser to the rest of the story. The beginning to the drama. I wanted more and expected more from Cantore.

Even though this novel didn't hit it out of the park for me, some other fans of romantic suspense or suspense in general might enjoy this novel.  Fans of Christy Barritt, Irene Hannon, and Colleen Coble might enjoy Crisis Shot. I'm not going to write off Cantore all together; I will still look forward to her next book.

I received a complimentary copy of Crisis Shot by Janice Cantore from Tyndale Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars