#BookReview Formula of Deception by Carrie Stuart Parks @CarrieParks @tnzfiction

Formula of Deception by Carrie Stuart Parks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When her twin sister was murdered, Murphy Anderson changed her name and appearance and moved to Kodiak to avoid the press and publicity. But when local authorities discover she’s an artist and request her help in drawing a dying man’s memories, she unintentionally ends up in the limelight again—and may be back in the killer’s crosshairs.

The memory that Murphy was asked to draw was from an Alaskan hunter who discovered five bodies on remote Ruuwaq Island ten years ago, but has only shared the information with the police now that he’s dying of cancer. When they go to the island to investigate, no skeletons remain but there is evidence that the bodies may have been deliberately destroyed. But the big discovery is of a World War II Quonset hut.

As one by one the people who were at the hut die, Murphy knows there is something much deeper at stake. What happened there during WWII? And who is willing to kill to keep those secrets buried?

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Formula of Deception is a book that hooked me from the start. I love how the present crime story has a connection to WW2. Also, the setting Kodiak, Alaska really worked great for me. I love stories set in remote towns or islands. And, a crime novel set in Alaska worked well with me since I don't read many books set in that state. 

I was engrossed with the story. I found Murphy Anderson to be an interesting character. She's a person I felt I connected with. Her losses in life really moved me. I liked the characters she met in the book and Carrie Stuart Parks managed to add some really nice surprising twists to the story. All and all is this a great book and I hope this is the first book in a series!

I have previously read Portrait of Vengeance by Carrie Stuart Parks that I enjoyed and I'm glad to say that this one was just as good as Portrait of Vengeance (from the Gwen Marcey series) and that I definitely want to read more books by her. 

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview Portrait of Vengeance by Carrie Stuart Parks (@CarrieParks) @TNZFiction @Marablaise

Portrait of Vengeance by Carrie Stuart Parks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An unsolved case. A tempest of memories. The future’s at stake—and time is running out...

Gwen Marcey has done a good job of keeping the pain of her past boxed up. But as she investigates the case of a missing child in Lapwai, Idaho, details keep surfacing that are eerily similar to her childhood traumas. She doesn’t believe in coincidences. So what’s going on here?

No one knows more about the impact of the past than the Nez Perce people of Lapwai. Gwen finds herself an unwelcome visitor to some, making her investigation even more difficult. The questions keep piling up, but answers are slow in coming—and the clock is ticking for a missing little girl. Meanwhile, her ex-husband back home is threatening to take sole custody of their daughter.

As Gwen’s past and present collide, she’s in a desperate race for the truth. Because only truth will ensure she still has a future.

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I've been wanting to try out the Gwen Marcey series for a while so when I got the chance to read this, book four in the series, did I not hesitate.

First I want to say that I was curious to see how this, a book labeled Christian mystery, would be like. I mean that's not often I come across a mystery book that is defined as a Christian one. And, as far as I can tell, after reading this book is it worked out OK. Not too preachy, just the mentioning of God now and then. Second, I was intrigued to discover that Gewn Marcey has had a double mastectomy. This is the first time I've come across that in a novel (I think) and I quite liked it because that's something that so many women have to do and I like reading books where the main character goes through situations that can happen to anyone.

However, Gwen's upbringing is definitely not normal and in this book, Gwen will learn more things about her past that will chock her. She's been running from the past for so many years, but now she finally can confront her demons. There was a moment went I thought that Gwen leaped to a conclusion without any proofs while she searched for information about her past. I mean sure, things can seem to be true, but I thought she would at least be a bit more skeptic and not take it at face value. However, I did find most of the book very interesting and I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. The funny thing is that I figured out who the killer was, and was a bit disappointed about that, but then Carrie Stuart Parks twisted the story and I must say that was a nice touch.

A great book and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!