Also by this author: Labyrinth of Lies, Body of Evidence, Into the Fire
Series: Undaunted Courage #2
Published by Revell on October 1, 2024
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Romance, Suspense
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Trauma survivor Lindsey Barnes hasn't fully recovered from the ordeal that almost took her life, and now she's in the middle of another crisis. Not only is she the sole witness in a high-profile murder case, but someone is also pushing her to question her sanity.
Police detective Jack Tucker doesn't know what to make of her story, especially when her elusive enemy leaves no evidence behind to lend credence to her claims. Yet the more he gets to know the appealing personal chef, the more he's convinced someone is targeting not only her sanity, but her life.
And unless they can figure out who is behind the campaign to undermine her credibility, a murderer could slip away--leaving more than one body in his or her wake.
With her signature spellbinding style, the bestselling and award-winning "queen of inspirational romantic suspense" (Library Journal) delivers another riveting tale that will keep you turning pages long into the night.
Over the Edge by Irene Hannon follows the romantic growth between two flawed, traumatized characters as they try to solve a murder. Personal chef Lindsey Barnes survived a mass shooting nearly two years ago, and now someone has shot and killed one of her clients…and she witnessed the attack. The police force assigns Detective Jack Turner to the case, who must compartmentalize his job from his growing attraction to Lindsey. She keeps reporting suspicious circumstances, bizarre occurrences with no evidence whatsoever. Should he believe her, or has all her trauma finally caused her to mental state to go over the edge? Hannon’s newest novel is the first book I have read in a long time that kept me up past my usual bedtime, and I don’t regret it.
Irene Hannon kept me guessing. She presented multiple characters who could’ve had motives to commit the crimes, and I didn’t truly figure everything out until close to the end of the novel. Hannon also included minor characters that tugged at my heartstrings, especially Chad and his wife. A formerly homeless veteran who found Christ, Chad finds himself in the crosshairs of police suspicion. When circumstantial evidence points to Chad, his wife must decide whether to believe him. I loved seeing these two and how they supported each other. I also grinned when Bri from Into the Fire reappeared. While the main characters in any story must be well developed, the background characters are just as important. Irene Hannon is a master in that regard.
Thank you, dear author, for including therapy so prevalently in Over the Edge. The stigma associated with seeking counseling breaks me. People hesitate to seek help for mental health for fear of being seen as “crazy,” or “unbalanced.” Friends, there is nothing wrong with seeking help, as Lindsey does. Hannon overviews multiple visits Lindsey has with her therapist, Dr. Oliver, as well as the benefits medication can sometimes provide. I am fully convinced therapy/counseling saves lives. Authors, however, rarely seem to include it, even when characters have gone through severe trauma or stress.
My one issue with Over the Edge by Irene Hannon: It was sometimes hard to follow. By presenting multiple suspects with possible motives, the plot occasionally got…convoluted. I scratched my head a couple times, and I’m still not wholly certain how one character was involved. Hannon wrapped up most everything by the novel’s conclusion, but she provided few indications of the true motives until the last few chapters. Which is…fine, I guess. But I like clues, though it’s possible I missed them. Do I understand why things happened? Yes. Do I like how everything eventually went down? No. In my opinion, everything could have been set up better.