This is the third Christian thriller I’ve read, right after Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble, and it delivers. Fatal Witness follows Dani Collins as she discovers the truth about her parents’ murder, a truth that the perpetrator wants silenced.
All in all, I loved the characters, the plot, the tension, and the mystery. Bradley has a masterful way with prose. While most mystery/thrillers hint at the killer, Bradley lets the reader come to their own conclusions as they read. I loved Dani’s chemistry with Mark Lassiter, a veteran K-9 police officer. And even though I haven’t read book 1, I loved seeing how Alex and Nathan definitely didn’t take to the sidelines.
Ratings for Fatal Witness
Story: 5/5
Worldview: 2/5
This was my first book by Bradley, but unfortunately, I think it will be my last.
The story was spectacular, as I shared earlier, but my qualms lie with the worldview. Some things were off for me.
This is a Christian book, but the author has a character talk about evolution and do yoga when they’re stressed. They also have the same character repeat a psalm for “peace.” The one character that did believe in God (I think?) talked about how God gives us peace but never ever mentioned how or why–which is almost criminal when it could’ve been such a strong message. At some point, I think one character turned to trusting God but it seemed to happen off-screen somewhere. Also, the ending was somewhat rushed and undeserved. The killer, after spewing their crazed reasoning for killing Dani’s parents, then asked for forgiveness–and Dani considered it. I love stories of redemption and forgiveness, but this was literally the last chapter, and it felt so shallow and unjustified, especially considering how it could have been built up more and really been a moving moment.
Overall Thoughts
In any case, the story and plot was great, but the theological aspect had me reeling. If you’re interested in Christian thrillers with a little bit more depth, you can check out Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble here.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
