Words of Conviction by Linda J. White

I really liked this novel of FBI suspense.

The daughter of a well known senator is kidnapped and Kenzie, an FBI forensic psycholinguist, is brought in on the case. Her expertize at analyzing words and sentences will help them create a profile. This is her first field case and one agent in particular is not so sure she should be there.

This novel combines action and suspense with an exploration of the stress this situation creates. The senator and his wife have a strained relationship and as we follow the case we wonder if their marriage will survive. Kenzie has some issues she needs to work through too. As a child she had been once locked in a closet that had spiders. Her sensitivity to spiders is important at the suspenseful end of the novel.

Another issue Kenzie must address is spiritual. Her immediate supervisor, the agent who requested she be included in the case, is a strong Christian. He encourages her to renew the faith she has abandoned.

White's novel is well written and has characters who are believable and well developed. It was interesting to see them work through their issues. It was also interesting to see how the FBI, in the form of Kenzie, can tell a great deal from how one communicates. For lovers of FBI suspense in the Christian genre, this is a top choice.

Linda White writes FBI thrillers with a twist of faith. She is an award winning journalist and lives in rural Virginia, near the FBI Academy where her husband worked for 27 years. They have three grown kids and two grandkids.

Abingdon Press, 304 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.