Cold Light of Day by Elizabeth Goddard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


With its engaging characters, non-stop action, and a uniquely gritty plot, I couldn't put this book down.

Cold Light of Day is the first book in author Elizabeth Goddard's new Christian romantic suspense series, Missing in Alaska, and I must say that I was taken completely by surprise by the fast-paced, gritty action and naturally expressed faith-forward narrative. This story hit the ground running and never stopped.

I loved the two main characters, Police Chief Autumn Long and Grier Brenner. They both are good, strong individuals with burdens to carry and secrets to keep. I was behind their relationship from the first exchange of dialogue, but to be clear, the story is more the suspense over the romance, once again making this unputdownable. The author slowly and tantalizingly revealed their stories amidst the danger and tension, and I didn't want to put the book down.

Like many readers, just the mention that the setting of a book is in Alaska, and I'm on board. What is the lure of The Last Frontier? Is it the remoteness? The inherent danger? The sheer challenge of absolute self-reliance? I don't know, but it is like catnip to a cat, with just so much that can go terribly wrong in a blink. Something makes this location uniquely compelling, and this book delivers all of these feelings and the wild beauty besides.

In addition to the broader Alaskan setting, the story unfolds in the small town of Shadow Gap. While there is an underlying assumption that the people who make their way to the 49th state are a different breed from those in the lower 48, people are still people. The small-town feel is front and center, amusing at times, even comforting, and everyone knows everyone else and, inevitably, all their business. The disgruntled and vindictive city councilman naturally causes Autumn trouble, but the author has a unique spin, and I found the ramifications very interesting.

With its engaging characters and non-stop action, I recommend COLD LIGHT OF DAY TO READERS of Christian romantic suspense who enjoy a grittier storyline set in "The Land of the Midnight Sun."

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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