Trace of Doubt – Diann Mills

Trace of Doubt by DiAnn Mills
Also by this author: Airborne, Fatal Strike, Deadly Encounter, High Treason, Deep Extraction, Where Tomorrow Leads, Long Walk Home, Trace of Doubt, Concrete Evidence, Facing the Enemy
Published by Tyndale on September 7, 2021
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Suspense
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four-stars

Bestselling and award-winning author DiAnn Mills delivers a heart-stopping story of dark secrets, desperate enemies, and dangerous lies.
Fifteen years ago, Shelby Pearce confessed to murdering her brother-in-law and was sent to prison. Now she's out on parole and looking for a fresh start in the small town of Valleysburg, Texas. But starting over won't be easy for an ex-con.
FBI Special Agent Denton McClure was a rookie fresh out of Quantico when he was first assigned the Pearce case. He's always believed Shelby embezzled five hundred thousand dollars from her brother-in-law's account. So he's going undercover to befriend Shelby, track down the missing money, and finally crack this case.
But as Denton gets closer to Shelby, he begins to have a trace of doubt about her guilt. Someone has Shelby in their crosshairs. It's up to Denton to stop them before they silence Shelby--and the truth--forever.

The mystery in Trace of Doubt is quite an intriguing one. I found it refreshingly different from most romantic suspense novels I’ve read. Shelby Pearce, the heroine, is an ex-con, and has just been released from jail after serving 15 years for murdering her brother-in-law. She met Jesus during her time behind bars, and now she wants to make a fresh start in a new town.
But someone is out to get her! Who? And why? Diann Mills starts things slowly, but things continue escalating until Shelby is not safe anywhere. What exactly is going on??!!

I enjoyed reading this story, seeing who Shelby was, getting to know her. It’s all about getting a second chance at life. Shelby’s back story is revealed quite slowly, but I was rooting for her right from the get-go. How could such a sweet lady possibly have committed such a terrible act of murder? What really happened, and why was Shelby in prison for it?! There is so much of God’s love woven throughout the pages. Shelby is very open about why she made the choices she did, and why those choices brought her to where she in her current time of life.

The mystery had me stumped for most of the story. But then….I had an “aha moment”.

Diann Mills has done a masterful job at telling this tale. I highly recommend it to all who love mysteries.

four-stars