Gazing Into Darkness by Heidi Glick Book Review

About the Book:

Instead of moving closer to his girlfriend, Chance McPherson gets dumped and relocated to Cincinnati—farther from his dreams and closer to his shameful past. Stacey Sanderson is excited to finally secure a role in law enforcement, like the rest of her family, especially as an EPA CID agent, where she can protect God’s creation.

On the job, Stacey’s perfectionism and faith rub Chance the wrong way, while his antics and wisecracks irritate Stacey. When federal employees who worked an old case with Stacey start dying, Chance becomes concerned, and not just because Stacey is his partner. Stacey senses a closeness between them but has vowed not to get involved with men in law enforcement and especially not someone who doesn’t share her faith.

The anniversary of the case is creeping closer. Time is running out. Can Chance and Stacey stop the person who is out to kill her before it’s too late?

My Review:

I liked this investigative novel with a refreshingly different focus. The agents involved work on environmental issues like chemical spills, part of the criminal investigative unit of the EPA. This makes for a different focus than traditional FBI novels. I appreciate learning quite a bit about the agency and the kind of work they do. But it's not just mundane environmental work as murder is involved and there are good doses of suspense as the plot develops.

The characters are developed well. Both agents, Stacey and Chance, have issues from their past they must overcome. There is a potential romance but it is a rough road with many obstacles to face. A major one is that Chance is not a believer. He is, in fact, really mad at God for the death of a close friend when he was young. Stacey and Chance are opposites in their lifestyles too, Stacey meticulous and careful in her diet while Chance is addicted to chili dogs and always seems to have a messy desk. Glick provides a good balance of personal issues and investigative procedure so character growth happens right along with advancement in the investigation.

This is a good inspirational romantic suspense focusing on a different aspect of law enforcement. It is entertaining and informative. It also contains a clear faith message. The best part is that Glick says this is the first in a series. I will certainly be watching for the future adventures in the queen city.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Heidi Glick has a B.A. in biology from Cedarville University, a Master of Technical Communication from Utah State University, and a passion for writing Christian fiction. Additionally, she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith, Hope, and Love Christian Writers and has written two articles for Intercom. Before becoming a suspense writer, Heidi taught science to middle and high school students and edited science documents. Heidi resides in rural Northwest Ohio with her husband, two children, and six pets. https://authorheidiglick.com/

Scrivenings Press LLC, 344 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the author. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)