Enduring Justice: Defenders of Hope, #3

by: Amy Wallace

Published by: Multnomah

Reviewed by Edyth Abraham

The incident that occurred twenty years ago is still haunting Hannah Kessler. She had managed to bury it for some time, but events within her family has unearthed her demons again and so she decides to leave her family home–unwilling to confide in her father, brother or Michael Parker, the FBI agent she is dating. But soon events come to light that force her to step out. Will she be able to survive?

Michael Parker, an FBI agent working in the Crimes Against Children unit, cannot understand why Hannah left without an explanation. But when she returned for a birthday party, he knew that he had to get her to confide in him. When the case of a missing Asian girl is assigned to his unit, Michael struggles with questions regarding his faith and the omnipotent power of God. When he comes to the realization that Hannah’s past might be tangled with the case, his questions increase as they race to stop a pedophile and a racist from killing anyone else.

This is definitely not an easy to book to read. Sexual abusers and racist top the list of evil criminals; however when they hurt children, the cruelty and their impact are always increased exponentially. Even though the book did not have any graphic descriptions, it was very hard emotionally to absorb the characters feelings and thoughts. On the other hand, I applaud author Amy Wallace for having done a wonderful job of portraying the wounded characters truthfully, without making the book too explicit.

Once the book started, I was pulled into Hannah’s plight as she struggled with letting the guilt go. Michael’s questions about his faith and God’s almighty power are not strangers to me. It was very well-paced and was done just right so that I was surprised when I turned to the last page.

The only downside to this novel is the fact that I have not read the previous books in the series, putting me at a disadvantage when other characters were mentioned. Otherwise, this is a great book, as long as it is read with preparation and caution.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

Author’s Web site: http://www.AmyWallace.com