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Review: Private Justice by Terri Blackstock.

This book is a Christian mystery novel and the first book of the “Newpointe 911” series.
Terri Blackstock is a very good writer. I loved the plot and all her characters are developed to fit their roles. There is plenty of suspense and mystery throughout the book. When the reader establishes what the story is about Blackstock amazingly keeps the mystery and suspense moving without giving any clues and she has the reader guessing off and on to the very last page.

The story is set in a small town in Louisiana and involves around the town’s police and firefighters. As you start reading it’s about a Christian couple who are separated and on the border of getting a divorce. However, they put the divorce on hold because of a series of murders in their small town. Someone’s main objective is to kill the wives of the Fire Department. The husband were scared for their wives and wanted to protect them from the killer. The men who were not married didn’t want to work so the Chief settled for the men who were single. Some men volunteered right off and the others felt they needed to take control for a while because the killer wasn’t slowing down. He has now killed two of the wives and he is not stopping there… ( )

Staying together had seemed impossible - now its their only hope.

Book I (Newpointe 911 Series)

Private Justice (published in 1998) by Terri Blackstock might be an oldie, but it is still a goodie! The first book in her NewPointe 911 series, it was chosen as a group read for a FB group I belong to. It is vintage Blackstock with fast-paced, page-turning suspense and a strong faith message. I have read a lot of her novels, but have not read this series. But I intend to fix that soon — the rest of the series is now on my TBR list. Have you read this book? Let me know what you thought.

The wives of firefighters are being targeted in NewPointe, Louisiana. The small, North Shore town is rocked by the attacks on its citizens as the police scramble to find the serial killer. Allie and Mark Branning, though separated, come back together to keep Allie safe. But the killer has targeted Allie and won’t give up until he/she is successful.

Blackstock explores the concept of being in the world versus of the world in Private Justice. Those who are Christians often find it difficult to maintain purity and integrity amid the temptations of a fallen world. And the world is full of traps. The two main characters, Allie and Mark, have to deal with feelings of betrayal, misunderstanding and emotional infidelity. The threat to their lives makes them confront the threat to their marriage. Blackstock created this series to highlight the work and sacrifice of first responders, and the reader gets an up close look at what goes on behind the scenes in both their personal and professional lives.

Private Justice is a good novel to start with if you have not read Blackstock before. Or if you are a long time fan, but haven’t read it yet, you won’t be disappointed.

Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

Audience: adults. ( )