I forgot I had read book 2 in this series until I picked up Deadly Revenge last week. Unfortunately, I much prefer Fatal Witness, for its characters if nothing else.

Ratings for Deadly Revenge

Story: 4/5

Worldview: 3/5

The story had a really interesting premise, with a great start in the first few chapters. The added element of seeing the villain’s POV was really cool! With every new character introduced, I was trying to put the pieces together to see if I could figure out who it was (I didn’t, haha). The mystery alone was pretty solid, but there were points where the story felt almost too complicated for the length of the novel. Even by the end, a few plot threads were left unresolved. Or they were so quickly resolved that I didn’t really feel the resolution.

The two main characters, Jenna and Max, had little chemistry and most of the attraction between them felt physical more than real connection. In the first few chapters, you learn that they had kissed at an office Christmas party. Even though Jenna and Max were new characters in this book, I was left with the distinct impression that I had missed something important. (I didn’t, but that initial feeling of being unsettled never really went away.) By the 50% mark, the story picked up again, and all in all I would say it was entertaining.

The worldview was fine. I didn’t expect much of a faith message in this book, and it didn’t have one. The main themes of the novel revolved around trust, both others and yourself. Jenna as a character struggled with PTSD and second-guessing herself. The villain of the novel played into her PTSD, but after about the 60% mark it became really annoying to see that no one believed Jenna.

Overall thoughts

In any case, if you’re looking for a light, entertaining story, you’ll probably enjoy Deadly Revenge. I prefer a little more substance in the novels I read, and I couldn’t really connect with the characters and plot, so I was left disappointed with this one. Note: I received a free eARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

If you’re looking for another Christian thriller, I do recommend Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble or Cold Case Tracker by Maggie Black.