The Cost of Betrayal by Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason

About the Novellas:

Dee Henderson - “Betrayed”

After serving six years of a twenty-year sentence for a murder she didn't commit, Janelle Roberts is finally freed. But the truth is still waiting to be discovered, and a murderer is still at large. Janelle needs to be somewhere safe with someone she can trust. She may not survive another act of treachery.

Dani Pettrey - “Deadly Isle”

Tennyson Kent is trapped on the isolated island of her childhood by a storm surge, and she is shocked when the typically idyllic community turns into the hunting grounds of a murderer. Cut off from any help from the mainland, will she and first love Callen Frost be able to identify and stop a killer before they become the next victims?

Lynette Eason - “Code of Ethics”

When Detective Isaac Martinez lands in the ER with a gunshot wound, he pulls through thanks to trauma surgeon Ruthie St. John. But as the witness to a crime and possible corruption, Martinez is at risk from someone intent on silencing him – and those around him – forever. When he barely survives another attack while recovering, both he and Ruthie must flee, trying to outrun deadly killers while locating the evidence they need to end the danger.

My review:

A collection of fiction by various authors often reveals differences in writing style. That is the case here.

The first novella, Betrayed, is from Dee Henderson and is a very mellow one. There is really no suspense nor is there any romance. A retired Ann and her FBI husband Paul are the main characters. (They met in Full Disclosure.) Much of the plot revolves around their calm actions and calm discussions. An interesting aspect of the narrative was an exploration of the psychological issues one must face when being freed after having been in prison for six years.

The second novella, Deadly Isle, is a true romantic suspense. The story starts out with a murder and the action stays high throughout. Pettrey does a good job of building the suspense. The action takes place on a Delaware island and it was interesting to learn about island life.

The last novella, Code of Ethics, is another suspenseful one. It was a little hard for me to believe that a trauma surgeon would help a wounded policeman escape the hospital and shelter him. But then, Ruthie is part of the St. John family who readers have met in the Blue Justice series. Ruthie's mother is the chief of police and all of her siblings are in law enforcement. Once the action got going, it never stopped. There is great suspense and a good budding romance too.

Reading a collection like this one is a good way to sample authors and see if you like how they write.

You can download an excerpt here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Dee Henderson is the author of numerous novels including the O'Malley series. Her works have won many awards, including the RITA Award, the Christy Award, and the ECPA Gold Medallion. She is a lifelong resident of Illinois. You can find out more at http://www.deehenderson.com/

Dani Pettrey has written the award winning Alaskan Courage series. The awards include the Daphne du Maurier Award, two HOLT Medallions, and Christian Retailing's Best Award. The Chesapeake Valor series takes place in her home state of Maryland. You can find out more at https://www.danipettrey.com/

Lynette Eason has written several series and is the winner of two ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Readers' Choice Award. She lives in South Carolina. You can find out more at https://lynetteeason.com/.

Bethany House Publishers, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review. The book synopses were from the publisher website.