12 Days by Heidi Glick Novella Review

About the Novella:

Scott Newton retires from the sheriff' s office after a fellow officer is killed. Wracked by sorrow and the need for justice, Scott grows distant from his girlfriend, aspiring crime writer, Lindsay Billings. But, when Lindsay goes missing, and Scott discovers her research on the missing person cases thought to be the work of a serial murderer known as the Christmas Killer, Scott vows to find her at all costs. Police have never found the bodies of the people who went missing many Christmases ago, and Lindsay won't become just another statistic.

Then, someone kills again in Blanchardville. Police locate a corpse atop one of seven inflatable swans on a pond, and another body in a pear tree. Scott receives odd texts from Lindsay' s phone and deduces they' re from the killer.

In order to save Lindsay, Scott agrees to meet the madman and play his game. As time runs out, Scott must learn to trust in God again, no matter what.

My Review:

I liked this entertaining short mystery for the Christmas season. It got off to a bit of a confusing start for me. There is a gap of ten months between chapters one and two. The situation has totally changed for Scott, the hero. He went from being a sheriff deputy to working in an insurance office and from being nervous at asking Lindsay to go with him to a church dinner to dating her regularly. While there are vague hints, we do not find out what actually happened in that intervening time until much later. I do like backstory as soon as possible so I can enjoy the present situation completely.

When past events are explained, Scott's current actions begin to make sense and the novella takes off with a good pace. Plenty of action and suspense follows. A serial killer is using a Christmas song as a template for murders, also giving clues to Scott about the next victims. One of those victims is going to be Lindsay.

After the initial lack of backstory, this novella is a compelling read. It can be read in an evening so don't get started until you have a couple of hours free because you won't want to stop until you are finished. 

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Heidi Glick grew up in California but now calls Ohio home. Heidi taught middle and high school science and edited technical science documents before becoming an author. She has a passion for writing suspense novels from a Christian worldview. When she is not busy discovering unique ways to wreak havoc upon the lives of her fictional characters, she spends quality time with her family. You can find out more at https://heidiglick.weebly.com/. 

Harbourlight Books, 79 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. 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.)