Patricia Raybon

The mother seems to think that because her daughter was raised in a Christian family, that automatically made her a Christian. Even referring to her as "my christian daughter who is a Muslim" which doesn't make any sense. She doesn't recognize that one's family or traditions can't make a person a Christian - only a personal surrender to Jesus as Lord can.

The daughter also doesn't understand Christianity, claiming that she "had always been a Christian." She wants her mom to be happy for her trying to follow God and finding peace in Islam, not acknowledging that of course her mom can't be happy, because by her own Christian understanding, her daughter is not following the true God.

They both take things too personally and have unreasonable expectations of one another.

I just wouldn't have reacted the same way in many of the situations they mention and so I couldn't always relate.

Some of the writing was a bit too flowery and "writerly" for my taste.

Overall, though, it was good to read of other perspectives and get a glimpse into their thought processes. There is some personal growth present in both of their lives as the book goes on.… (altro)

I’m a fan of mysteries and really liked the idea of a Christian mystery story set in the 1920s. And the prologue was great, ending with such a bang, I was excited to keep going! Sadly, the rest of the book didn’t really hold up to the thrilling start. One of the biggest issues I had was with the protagonist herself. A young, black woman in a nation dominated by white men, Annalee had all the makings of a smart, compassionate, innovative sleuth. Except she told herself, while trying to solve the crime, to stop trying to solve it and let it solve itself…which is exactly what you want from the main character in a murder mystery.

There’s a romance sub-plot in this book, too, which fell pretty flat for me. For one thing, there was mention about falling in love after Annalee and Jack only knew each other for a day or two. There was also a cliched contrivance to push the romance forward, which seemed unnecessary. And I think they weren’t nearly as concerned about perceived propriety as they should have been for multiple reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he’s a pastor, living in the church’s parsonage.

What tipped the scale to the rating I gave is that some things happened in the story that didn’t really make a lot of sense and weren’t explained. One character shows up somewhere in a fairly bizarre scene, and for a while, I suspected she might simply be a figment of Annalee’s imagination. It’s partially explained, but not nearly enough, in my opinion. This looks to be the beginning of a series of books with this MC, and I really wanted to be right there at the start of it. However, while I’m sure many who enjoy mysteries and Christian fiction will like this book, it definitely isn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tyndale House Publishers for providing me a copy of this book to review.… (altro)

One night while at the library, Annalee witnesses a young woman crying after her husband has left her there alone. Annalee offers the woman her new gift from Jack, a beautiful handkerchief and accompanies the woman home, where they find the woman's husband dead. Annalee knows that if she stays, a black woman in a white man's house, she will be accused of the murder.
Annalee is warned by a cryptic message not to get involved, but she does. Jack goes missing. Annalee discovers that the young woman's uncle is a wealth banker. There is some involvement with a handsome barnstormer pilot and Annalee uncovers some secrets about a love that is unrequited.
I enjoyed this 2nd book in the series more than the 1st. Looking forward to what is next for Annalee.… (altro)