"severed trust" by margaret daly

About the book (from the publisher): Is it suicide—or murder?

The day Sadie Thompson finds her high school student, Lexie, asleep in class and can't wake her is the day she realizes how entrenched a prescription drug ring is in her school. As Sadie is pulled into doing something about the growing problem, she becomes involved with Ethan Stone—a Texas Ranger who suspects the drug ring reaches far beyond the high school. Helping Lexie recover from the overdose, Sadie feels she is making a difference—until the 16-year-old's best friend dies. Lexie doesn't think her friend took her own life, but her relationship with her Uncle Ethan is precarious, and she doesn’t know if either he or Sadie will help her discover the truth.

My take: Severed Trust is one of those novels that's scary not because it is spooky or supernatural but because the events portrayed could happen in your town. In that way, it reminded me of a Lifetime movie—those always take place in a small town or the suburbs, and evil lurks where you least expect it.

I'd like to believe that the events in this novel could never happen in my small Nebraska town, but I'm not so sure. And that realism drew me completely into this novel.

At first, I had trouble keeping track of all the characters—there are many. And I do think that limiting the novel to two or three points of view (say Ethan, Lexie, and Sadie) would have made the novel easier to follow. But overall, I really enjoyed Severed Trust. The author put in a few twist I didn't anticipate, and though I did finally discover the killer's identity, it wasn't until pages before the author revealed it.

For a romantic thriller that really could happen in your backyard, check out Severed Trust. It's book four in Daly's Men of the Texas Rangers series, but it functions as a complete stand-alone novel.

My rating: 4 stars

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About the author: Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of eighty-five books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread, and corralling her three cats that think they rule her Tulsa, Oklahoma, household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at www.margaretdaley.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an advance reading copy of this book for review from Abingdon Press through its early reader program.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”