"snapshot" by lis wiehl

About the book (from the publisher): Two little girls, frozen in black and white. One picture worth killing for.

Federal prosecutor Lisa Waldren’s estranged father wants her to investigate a cold case from his FBI days. Lisa nearly refuses, even though a wrongly convicted man faces execution for murder. Then her father reveals a photograph: a little white girl playing alongside a little black girl at a rally in 1965 where the shooting of a civil rights leader took place. She recognizes herself in the photo.

She was there.

Lisa agrees to help, resolved to boldly seek answers she’s skirted for decades. What she discovers are layers of deception, both personal and professional, reaching as high as the head of the FBI. Possibly even the president.

And though Lisa and the other girl may have escaped the 1965 shooting physically unharmed, her little friend, now grown, bears the scars of it. All because of the color of her skin. As Lisa and her father get closer to the truth, the real killer turns the hunt around.

My take: Snapshot is a fast-paced mystery that takes the reader through several twists and turns before ultimately being resolved. It's written well, and the story is very compelling as it examines race relations in the 1960's and today.

I enjoyed Snapshot very much, even though it never quite reached the I can't put this book down until I know how it ends stage for me. As for what kept it from being a 5-star book, I'd say that sometimes the author told rather than showed what she wanted to get across. (An example of this is Lisa's relationship with Molly, the other girl in the picture. The two don't really connect at first, but the reader only knows this because the author spells it out in the narration—when the two actually interact, there is no indication of an awkward relationship.) There are also several sexual references in the novel—nothing explicit, but still more than you'd find in most Christian fiction.

I've read and enjoyed several of Lis Wiehl's other novels, and, while Snapshot wasn't as intriguing to me as some of her other work, it was still good. I look forward to reading what Wiehl writes next!

My rating: 4 stars

Buy the book.
Read my reviews of Wiehl's Waking Hours & Darkness Rising (written with Pete Nelson) and Hand of Fate, Heart of Ice, & Eyes of Justice (written with April Henry).

About the author: Lis Wiehl is a New York Times best-selling author, Harvard Law School graduate, and former federal prosecutor. A popular legal analyst and commentator for the Fox News Channel, Wiehl appears on The O'Reilly Factor and was co-host will Bill O'Reilly on the radio for seven years.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook blogger 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 an 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."

"darkness rising" by lis wiehl with pete nelson

About the book (from the publisher): The evil in East Salem is no longer content to hide in the shadows. The stakes—and the darkness—are rising.

Dani Harris thought there wasn’t much left that could surprise her after serving as a forensic psychiatrist in East Salem. And Tommy Gunderson has faced few challenges in his life that he couldn’t overcome by either physical strength or his celebrity status.

But as they race to uncover what’s really happening behind the high walls of St. Adrian’s Academy, it becomes clear that supernatural forces have been at work here for generations. And now their focus is on making sure Dani and Tommy don’t interfere.

When the unseen becomes seen, faith is the only weapon strong enough to fight in a battle involving not just murder and betrayal—but angels and demons.

My take: Darkness Rising is the sequel to Waking Hours ... and yes, you really do need to read Waking Hours first! Both books are incredibly quick, captivating reads, but Darkness Rising really kicked things up a notch. Waking Hours really just laid the groundwork for the battles to come, and Darkness Rising kicks off with a bang and continues at a frenetic pace until the end.

One thing you should know: Darkness Rising doesn't just deal with the battle between good and evil, involving angels and demons, but it also depicts a Christian who is demon possessed. If you're sensitive to that type of thing (as I am...) you may want to think hard about whether you want to read it.

So in the end, I'm torn. On one hand, I loved the book while I was reading it. On the other, it left me dwelling on things that aren't healthy for me to be thinking about (and it really stuck with me). Because of the subject matter and how it affected me, I'm giving it 3-1/2 stars. But if you enjoy supernatural thrillers and aren't bothered by reading about demon possession, you'll probably really like this novel.

Read my review of Waking Hours.
Read my reviews of Wiehl's "Triple Threat" novels (these are crime novels that do not deal with the supernatural): Hand of Fate, Heart of Ice, and Eyes of Justice.

About the authors: Lis Wiehl is a New York Times best-selling author, Harvard Law School graduate, and former federal prosecutor. A popular legal analyst and commentator for the Fox News Channel, Wiehl appears onThe O'Reilly Factor and was co-host will Bill O'Reilly on the radio for seven years. 

Pete Nelson is the author of I Thought You Were Dead. He was listed in the Esquire Register of Best American Writers, the recipient of the 2003 Christopher Award, and nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award. He lives with his wife and son in Westchester, New York.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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."

"waking hours" by lis wiehl with pete nelson

About the book (from the back cover): All towns have secrets. Some have demons.

Welcome to East Salem. A deceptively sleepy town where ancient supernatural forces are being awakened.

A local high-school girl is found murdered in a park amid horse farms and wealthy homes of northern Westchester County, New York. The shocking manner of her death confounds the town and intrigues forensic psychiatrist Dani Harris, who is determined to unravel the mystery. All the suspects are teenagers who were at a party with the girl—yet none remembers what happened. Could one of them be a vicious killer? Or is something more sinister afoot—something tied to an ancient evil?

But it's not just her waking hours that challenge Dani. Each night, her eyes open at 2:13 due to troubling dreams. Dreams filled with blood, water, and destruction. Is it a clue—or a supernatural sign?

Across town, former NFL linebacker Tommy Gunderson finds his state-of-the-art security system has been breached by an elderly woman. Mumbling threats in Latin, she attacks him with an uncanny, preternatural strength. Before he has time to process the attack, someone close to him is implicated in the girl's murder at the park. He agrees to help-and finds himself working with Dani, the only girl who could resist his charms years ago when they were in high school.

A heavy darkness is spreading. Yet a heavenly force is also at work.

It will take astute analysis and forensic skills to solve the crime. But Dani and Tommy suspect there's more the the mystery than murder, more to their growing friendship than chance . . . and more to the evil they're facing than a mere human killer.

My take: Lis Wiehl has done it again! I'm a longtime fan of her Triple Threat series (written with April Henry), and Waking Hours is just as engaging as—though completely different from—those books. Taken as a mystery/detective novel, Waking Hours is good. But when you add in the supernatural element (which really doesn't come to the forefront until the end), you have a fantastic story that sets up what will hopefully become a long-running series.

Because Waking Hours is the set-up to the series, it's not as suspenseful as I expected. (It kind of acts like a TV show pilot—it gives you all the elements you need to embrace the series as it continues.) The action definitely ramps up at the end, and the book ends on a cliffhanger. I wish I could have kept reading—I can't wait to get my hands on book two! 4 out of 5 stars.

About the authors: Lis Wiehl is a New York Times best-selling author, Harvard Law School graduate, and former federal prosecutor. A popular legal analyst and commentator for the Fox News Channel, Wiehl appears on The O'Reilly Factor and was co-host will Bill O'Reilly on the radio for seven years.

Pete Nelson is the author of I Thought You Were Dead. He was listed in the Esquire Register of Best American Writers, the recipient of the 2003 Christopher Award, and nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award. He lives with his wife and son in Westchester, New York.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product free for review from Amazon.com through its Vine reviewer program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. 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."

"eyes of justice" by lis wiehl with april henry

About the book: The members of the Triple Threat Club—crime reporter Cassidy, FBI agent Nicole, and federal prosecutor Allison—have solved multiple crimes together. When one of their own is murdered, the other two must scramble to uncover the truth behind her death ... or they could be the murderer's next targets.

My take: It's hard to review this book because I don't want to give away which of the Triple Threat is murdered ... so it becomes difficult to discuss much of the plot! I guess I'll leave it at this: Eyes of Justice was my favorite of all the Triple Threat novels so far. Big things—some good, some bad—happened to each character, and, while I wish no one had to die, I am "happy" Wiehl chose to kill the character she did. Also, the addition of technology-whiz Ophelia to the team inserts a nice quirkiness into the group, and I think she'll be very fun to read about in future novels.

This is an edge-of-your-seat suspense novel, and I highly recommend it! 5 stars.

(Eyes of Justice is book four in the Triple Threat series. You could jump in here without getting lost, but to have an emotional connection with the characters, I'd recommend you read the others first. I reviewed book two, Hand of Fate, here and book three, Heart of Ice, here.)

About the authors: Lis Wiehl is a New York Times best-selling author, Harvard Law School graduate, and former federal prosecutor. A popular legal analyst and commentator for the Fox News Channel, Wiehl appears on The O'Reilly Factor and was co-host will Bill O'Reilly on the radio for seven years.

April Henry is the New York Times best-selling author of mysteries and thrillers. Her books have been short-listed for the Agatha Award, the Anthony Award, and the Oregon Book Award. April lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneezebook review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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."