I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Reads and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Published by Revell on March 31, 2020
Source: Revell Reads
Genres: Christian, Fiction, Romance, Suspense
Pages: 336
When FBI agent Jack Shannon arrives in Corpus Christi, Texas, he is focused on one thing: find the man who has been selling encrypted government secrets to the Chinese through online birding chat rooms. But when a senator is shot during a hunting trip and the woman he was with is abducted, Jack agrees to join the search--especially when he discovers that the kidnapping victim is Aubrey Grayson, a woman he was once in love with.
As the search continues, it becomes clear the senator may not have been the intended victim--and Aubrey may be connected to the other case Jack is supposed to be working on. Can Jack untangle the knots before it's too late? And when he learns the truth, will it be too painful to get past?
Join the hunt for the truth--and a traitor--in this tension-laden story of secrets, betrayal, and second chances.
The Traitor’s Pawn is a standalone novel by Lisa Harris and tells the story of detective Aubrey Grayson and her used-to-be bestie/love interest, Jack Shannon. This is the first book by the author that has not been a hit for me. The Traitor’s Pawn is a dialogue heavy novel with a predictable storyline, predictable romance, and unbelievable suspense that was driven by the aforementioned dialogue.
Due to the story being driven so heavily by dialogue, I often felt as if I were reading a screenplay that lacked the stage directions. Because of a lack of character development, I have no real connection to the characters. Besides being told that Jack had feelings for Aubrey, I couldn’t figure out exactly why he was drawn to her—or in the end, why she was drawn to him. There was no chemistry, no attraction, and this resulted in what felt like a forced, expected romance for the genre.
The entire plot takes place over the matter of just a few days. With a single day spanning 14 chapters. The good guys were boring. The bad guys somehow had their hands on grenade launchers and automatic weapons—and they still couldn’t manage to fatally injure anyone. I think they were secretly stormtroopers. I was bored and exhausted with pages of chatter. Rather than being told they identified a suspect, I would have rather been involved in the process.
Aside from the themes of forgiveness, this book just didn’t have the usual gripping, believable suspense that I’m used to from this author. Having said that, if dialogue heavy novels aren’t bothersome for you and you enjoy light suspense and no-muss-no-fuss-romance, you may still appreciate this book.
Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.
Christian or Secular: Christian
ASEL Content Rating: We rate this between No Caution-Mild Caution. There is no profanity or bedroom scenes. However, there is some mild violence with some blood but not overly gore.
Themes: Friendship, Abandonment Issues (due to absentee parent), Mild Romance, Forgiveness
Suggested Age: 13+
About Lisa Harris
Bestselling author LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom and Vendetta, Christy Award winner for Dangerous Passage, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 (Blood Covenant) and 2015 (Vendetta) from Romantic Times. She has over thirty novels and novella collections in print. She and her family have spent almost fourteen years working as missionaries in Africa where she runs a small non-profit organization that works alongside their church-planting ministry. The ECHO Project promotes Education, Compassion, Health, and Opportunity and is a way to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.” (Proverbs 31:8)
When she’s not working she loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography, and heading into the African bush on safari. For more information about her books and life in Africa visit her website at www.lisaharriswrites.com
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