Formula of Deception by Carrie Stuart Parks – A Review

Murphy Anderson is looking for answers. She’s also running. From the past. From an escaped murderer. She’s changed her name, her looks, and her hometown. Will Kodiak, Alaska bring her the answers she seeks about her twin? Or will she be pulled into a dark mystery that threatens the thread holding her sanity?

As an artist, she is called to draw a ten-year-old crime scene from the memory of a dying man—a crime scene that has ties to secretive experiments of World War II. But soon, people involved in the investigation begin to die by not-so-natural causes.

I liked the unique storyline. The author has knowledge to sprinkle into the details to give it belief. The plot was thick with potential suspects. There were lots of twists and turns to keep the pace going.

I was sympathetic to the main character. I was also surprised by revelations about her personal story that eventually come to light. The ending tied everything up nicely.

I did find it a little difficult to keep track of the characters and the details in the beginning. This is a book you should read in chunks—not bits and pieces—or you risk getting lost.

I give this book four stars, and would read more by this author.

Available for pre-buy now, Formula of Deception releases on July 3, 2018.

I received a complimentary copy of this 

book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. 

Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Review of Submerged by Dani Pettrey

A plane crashing into the ocean sets the pace for this energetic story. The cast of characters try to solve an ancient mystery in order to point them to the person responsible for the crash and more than one other murder.

I really loved the main character, Bailey. She comes with lots of baggage, returning to the small town where she earned her reputation, to take care of her aunt’s affairs after her aunt’s untimely accident. Even though she has turned to Jesus and changed her life, she can’t let go of the shame of her past.

An old flame, Cole, is waiting in Alaska. Bailey is ashamed to see him and all the others that remember the girl she was, but the death of her aunt throws them together.

The storyline is unique, involving a Russian bloodline and historic artifacts. Set in Alaska, the main characters do a lot of deep-water diving in search of these artifacts. This made for a fun—though not accurate—story setting.

Cole has three siblings who interact with him through much of the book. Unfortunately, there is not much development of these characters, but I suspect they will be explored more in the other books of the series. In some scenes, they seemed like set extras, adding unnecessary busyness to the dialog. There are a couple of other places in the book where too many characters interrupt the pace, but only briefly.

This is Christian fiction, and so is sprinkled with Scripture and mentions of Jesus, but in just the right amount to not be preachy.

This story held my interest and the mystery was well thought out, tying up nicely in the end. Overall, a good read.