Also by this author: One Little Lie, A Stranger's Game
Series: Pelican Harbor #2
Published by Thomas Nelson on September 8, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Suspense
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Gripping romantic suspense from USA TODAY bestselling author Colleen Coble.
A lie changed her world.
Police Chief Jane Hardy is still reeling from the scandal that rocked her small-town department just as she took over for her retired father—the man who wrecked her life with one little lie. Now she’s finally been reunited with her presumed-dead fifteen-year-old son, Will, and his father, documentarian Reid Bechtol.
A crisis looms.
When a murder aboard the oil platform Zeus exposes an environmental terrorist’s plot to flood Mobile Bay with crude oil, Jane and Reid must put their feelings for each other behind them and work together to prevent the rig from being sabotaged.
A killer targets her son.
Then the terrorist puts her son Will’s life on the line. Protecting him could be the common ground they need . . . but then ghosts from the past threaten to ruin Jane and Reid for good.
She’s got plenty of reasons to run. But what if she stays?
“Colleen Coble’s super power is transporting her readers into beautiful settings in vivid detail. One Little Lie is no exception. Add to that the suspense that keeps you wanting to know more, and characters that pull at your heart.” —Terri Blackstock, USA TODAY bestselling author of If I Run
“Colleen Coble’s latest has it all: characters to root for, a sinister villain, and a story that just won’t stop.” —Siri Mitchell, author of State of Lies
Full length romantic suspenseIncludes discussion questions for book clubsPerfect for fans of Allison Brennan, Terri Blackstock, and Dani PettreyPart of the Pelican Harbor seriesBook One: One Little Lie
Book Two: Two Reasons to Run
Book Three: Three Missing Days (available April 2021)
Jane Hardy is back and things are just as convoluted as ever. (WARNING: SPOILERS FROM BOOK 1.) Things seem to have changed a bit from One Little Lie, with Jane not as close to Reid or her son in Two Reasons to Run as at the end of book one. As the book progresses, we see why. Well, it should be self-evident why—having found her family, a family she never really asked for that’s a part of a deeply traumatic past, she’s now struggling to reconcile them to her new post-trauma life.
Two Reasons to Run is a story of forgiveness. Jane has to reconcile with her past life growing up in a cult—a life that included a forced marriage, a husband, and a son. The latter of these two are back in her life and there’s confusion over how those relationships should be restored. Meanwhile, there’s the distinct possibility that an oil rig is going to blow up and a murder to go along with it.
As Jane deals with all of this, it’s complicated by the involvement of her ex-husband, an investigative filmmaker who has been warned of possible terrorist activity. All of this puts their son, Will, right into the thick of things and make him a prime target for the terrorists.
Like most Colleen Coble novels, there is a lot going on. If you don’t like that sort of frenetic pace, then you’re probably not going to like her books. I’m finding that it’s not quite my preference, but her book sales show that I’m in the minority. It’s an obvious stylistic choice and Coble does it well. The pace is relentless, the story compelling, and the overall message thought-provoking. It’s Coble’s brand to an absolute T.
Two Reasons to Run does answer some of the questions I had left over from One Little Lie and fleshes out some of the storylines I thought were too thin. My one criticism is that Jane’s relationship with Reid and Will seemed to shift dramatically from the end of book one into book two. It was a bit of whiplash for me, going straight from book 1 to 2, that should have been built up a bit more or considered in greater depth.
Overall, Two Reasons to Run is Coble at her finest: great writing, fast pace, thought-provoking themes. It’s a great follow-up to One Little Lie.