Critical threat

Behavioral analyst and FBI special agent Grace Billingsley is reunited with prison psychiatrist Sam Monroe while searching for a serial killer using a similar MO to Sam's serial-killer father, Peter Romanos. Grace and Sam first met at a conference eight months ago, and despite the connection she thought they had, he never followed up. Now she realizes that he was trying to keep his father's identity secret. Grace knows what it's like to have skeletons in the closet; her parents have always blamed her for introducing her brother to weed when she was 17, and for his subsequent addiction. Sam also has a troubled family life and is trying to juggle his teenage children, his career, and the father he's managed to avoid contact with for ten years, even after his father is transferred to the prison where Sam works. Eason is a master of edge-of-your seat inspirational romantic thrillers, combining light faith elements with twisty plots that keep readers guessing. The latest (which can be read as a stand-alone) in her Extreme Measures series, following Crossfire (2022), is one of her best. Recommend Eason to fans of Natalie Walters, Dani Pettrey, and Elizabeth Goddard.

In the exciting third installment of Eason's Extreme Measures series (after Crossfire), behavioral analyst Grace Billingsley races against the clock to find a serial killer. After several women are found dead in separate incidents with forget-me-not flowers in their hands and Bible verses left at the scenes, Grace is called in to investigate. She crosses paths with Sam Monroe, a consultant on the investigation who is the son of a notorious serial killer and works as a psychiatrist at the prison where his father is serving time. Also on the investigation team is Mark Davis, who maintains a cold antagonism toward Sam because Mark's father had worked the case of Sam's father, becoming so consumed by it that his wife left him. Nonetheless, Sam and Mark know they share the goal of stopping the killer at all costs and agree to work together. Tensions mount as Sam and Grace seek to apprehend the killer, and in the process the pair develop a close relationship grounded in their mutual trust that God will guide them in their investigation. Eason expertly plots the taut mystery and imbues Sam and Grace's relationship with palpable emotion. The result is a satisfying inspirational thriller. (Jan.)