To the FBI it’s a cold case. To Kariss Walker it’s a hot idea that could either reshape or ruin her writing career. And it’s a burning mission to revisit an event she can never forget. Five years ago, an unidentified little girl was found starved to death in the woods behind a Houston apartment complex. A TV news anchor at the time, Kariss reported on the terrifying case. Today, as a New York Times bestselling author, Kariss intends to turn the unsolved mystery into a suspense novel. Enlisting the help of FBI Special Agent Tigo Harris, Kariss succeeds in getting the case reopened. But the search for the dead girl’s missing mother yields a discovery that plunges the the partners into a witch’s brew of danger. The old crime lives on in more ways than either of them could ever imagine. Will Kariss’s pursuit of her dream as a writer carry a deadly price tag?
***********************
***********************
***********************
(From author’s website) Award-winning author DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn’s first book was published in 1998. She currently has more than fifty books published.
Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won placements through the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Awards and Inspirational Reader’s Choice awards. DiAnn won the Christy Award in 2010 and 2011.
DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.
She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
Awards
2012 Golden Quill Award Winner – Attracted to Fire
2012 Booksellers’ Best Award Finalist – Attracted to Fire
2012 Golden Scroll Novel of the Year Finalist – Attracted to Fire
2012 Award of Excellence Finalist – Attracted to Fire
2011 Christy Award Winner – Sworn to Protect
2011 Carol Award Finalist – Pursuit of Justice
2011 Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence Finalist – Pursuit of Justice
2011 Golden Quill Award Finalist – A Woman Called Sage
2011 Award of Excellence Finalist – Pursuit of Justice
2010 Christy Award Winner – Breach of Trust
2010 Inspirational Reader’s Choice Winner – Breach of Trust
2010 RITA Finalist – Breach of Trust
2010 Carol Award Finalist – Breach of Trust
2008 Christy Award Finalist – Lightning and Lace
2005 Inspirational Reader’s Choice Winner – Footsteps
2005 Inspirational Reader’s Choice Winner – Novella At the End of the Bayou from Hidden Motives
My Impressions:
The Chase by DiAnn Mills is By The Book’s selection for our November discussion. I tackled it early due to a long road trip. I enabled the text-to-speech on my Kindle and cruised down the road listening to this romantic suspense novel. Text-to-speech can be a little odd, but once you get used to it, you get immersed in story rather than the voice. The plot line of The Chase sounded great: a women’s fiction author decides to write suspense and shadows a Houston FBI agent for research. There is tension between the two characters, Kariss and Tigo, something that is expected in romantic suspense. Also Kariss repeatedly gets into situations in which Tigo must rescue her. But I thought the situations strained credibility. I cannot imagine why Kariss’s character took such risks. She is definitely passionate about her subject and gets involved in trying to find justice for a murdered child, but the risks she took seemed just a bit too convenient to further the story along. I did like the insight into the publishing business and the pressure put on authors to write what the public wants to read. I admired Kariss for taking a stand against her agent to follow her dream.
While I didn’t really like The Chase, I think readers who like suspense with a heavy dose of romance will. If you have read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts. I will share your comments with my book club when we meet on November 9th.
(I bought The Chase for my Kindle.)
Recent Comments