Also by this author: Airborne, Fatal Strike, Deadly Encounter, High Treason, Deep Extraction, Where Tomorrow Leads, Long Walk Home, Trace of Doubt, Trace of Doubt, Concrete Evidence
Published by Tyndale on September 5, 2023
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Romance, Suspense
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For the past five years, FBI Special Agent Risa Jacobs has worked in the violent crimes against children division of the Houston FBI. She’s never had reason to believe there’s a target on her back . . . until now.
When the long-awaited reunion between Risa and her brother, Trenton, ends in tragedy, Risa is riddled with guilt, unable to cope with the responsibility she feels over his death. On leave from the FBI, Risa returns to her former career as an English teacher at a local college, only to see her past and present collide when one of her students, Carson Mercury, turns in an assignment that reads like an eyewitness account of her brother’s murder, with details never revealed publicly.
Alarmed by Carson’s inside knowledge of Trenton’s death, Risa reaches out to her former partner at the FBI. Special Agent Gage Patterson has been working a string of baby kidnappings, but he agrees to help look into Carson’s background. Risa and Gage soon discover their cases might be connected as a string of high-value thefts have occurred at properties where security systems were installed by Carson’s stepfather and children have gone missing. There’s a far more sinister plot at play than they ever imagined, and innocent lives are in danger.
For fans of romantic suspense comes a heart-pounding thriller about loss, betrayal, and finding the strength to trust again.
Every time I read a DiAnn Mills book, she reminds me why I enjoy her work. For me, she stands alone in the romantic suspense genre for her storytelling. Facing the Enemy by DiAnn Mills is filled with characters, each one serving a specific purpose in moving the tale forward. The number of characters could have been confusing, but Mills makes them easy to differentiate between. Before you can forget an identity, Mills offers a gentle reminder. I cannot express how strongly I loved this book! It kept me company on a flight, and I loved Risa and Gage from the very beginning.
Risa and Gage both have hard pasts. As partners at the FBI, they spoke little of their histories, understanding that doing so would be like walking through mine fields of pain. They grew to care deeply for each other, yet the word “love” was never spoken. A relationship could risk both of their careers…and then Risa leaves the FBI after the tragic death of her brother. A death that should’ve been hers, as Trenton pushed Risa out of the way. Suddenly, Gage and Risa’s lives no longer intersect, and the absences makes their hearts grow fonder. Their independent investigations push them together, and love and justice become the qualities that matter most to them both.
Facing the Enemy by DiAnn Mills needs every paragraph in its 350+ pages. The story has numerous twists and turns that kept me biting my fingernails until I reached the end. Mills expertly intertwines crime and mystery with her evident adoration of creative writing. I thoroughly enjoyed that Risa’s second career as a creative writing professor, as the anecdotes reminded me of my own creative writing course I took at my university. Though I must say, I would’ve much rather had Risa as my instructor!
DiAnn Mills excels at creating character arcs. Gage and Risa have individual hills and valleys unending. Risa goes from an all-time high to an all-time low. Gage, too, goes through his own tribulations. But they survive. They learn from their faults and their challenges. The characters make mistakes. They turn from their values, but ultimately, Gage and Risa come back to the truth…and eventually, each other.
Facing the Enemy by DiAnn Mills is one of her best books that I have read. Hands down.