justice-delayed

Justice Delayed – Patricia Bradley – Memphis Cold Case #1 – Revell  – Published 31 January 2017

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Synopsis

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.

My thoughts

Justice Delayed is the explosive start to a new suspense series by Patricia Bradley and it has all the features of a novel that keeps you guessing. Romance, a new cold case team, mysteries that hit close to home, flawed and relatable characters, and plenty of tension combine to keep the suspense high.

Andi Hollister is a journalist who takes risks to uncover the big stories. When a murder is linked to the death of Andi’s sister, Andi knows she has to help uncover the details, especially since the man convicted of her murder is about to be executed. Along with her brother, police Sergeant Brad Hollister, and family friend Detective Will Kincade, who has just joined a new cold case team, Andi puts her life in danger to find the truth about who really killed her sister and why.

Justice Delayed snagged my attention from the first page. Andi is a flawed but realistic character. She takes risks and usually jumps in head first to dangerous situations, so it’s no wonder her brother and friends worry about her and tend to hover. Andi is also battling an addiction to pain pills, but her major problem is denying she has an addiction.

The reader is given the major clues to the crime right from the prologue. We can guess who was involved in Stephanie’s death we just don’t know who that person actually is or the details of the crime. I enjoyed the way the mystery unfolded, with Will, Andi, Brad and the cold case team director David all playing key roles in uncovering the clues. I had hazarded a good guess at who was behind the whole thing and was correct, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the mystery.

Along with the mystery, this book incorporates family and romance. Will and Andi have known each other since they were children but their relationship has never strayed beyond friendship. Andi knows she is more aware of Will than she would be if he was just her brother’s best friend, but she’s not sure how Will views her. And the same goes for Will, never acting on his feelings because of his friendship with Brad and his fear that Andi only sees him as another big brother. The case brings them together, but other things threaten to push them apart, like Andi’s pain pill addiction and the details from the case itself. I would have liked to see more personal details shared between them, particularly at the end, but the focus of the book remains on the suspense and the investigation.

While the ending of Justice Delayed gives readers a conclusion to the mystery, I would have liked another chapter or epilogue to tie up the personal issues raised in the story. I can only assume that the following books in the series will have readers rejoin this group of characters – there is certainly plenty of scope for further romances and cold cases to be investigated within the group.

With Justice Delayed, Patricia Bradley affirms her place among Christian suspense authors such as Dani Pettrey and Irene Hannon.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

More information

Category: Fiction

Genre: Mystery/ thriller.

Themes:  Crime, murder, family, cold cases, mysteries, detective, law, journalists, addictions, death penalty, romance, diamond smuggling.

Published:  31 January 2017 by Revell.

Format: Hardcover, paperback,  ebook. 352 pages.

ISBN: 9780800727086

Find it on Goodreads