Audio Book Review: Sins of the Past: A Romantic Suspense Novella Collection

One of these was slow but they were all nice, easy listening.

Sins of the Past: A Romantic Suspense Novella Collection
Author Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey & Lynette Eason
Narrator Various Narrators

Runtime 10.17 Hrs. - Unabridged
Publisher Recorded Books
Downloads ZIP M4B MP3
Release Date June 24, 2016
Genre: Christian, Mystery, Romantic Suspense
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

Description
In this collection of gripping novellas from the top authors of Christian romantic suspense, sins of the past lead to danger in the present. In Dee Henderson's "Missing," a Wyoming sheriff is called to Chicago when his elderly mother gus missing. Paired with a savvy Chicago cop, the two realize her disappearance is no accident, and a race against the clock begins. Dani Pettrey returns to Alaska with "Shadowed," introducing readers to the parents of her beloved McKenna clan. Adventure, romance, and danger collide when a young fisherman nets the body of an open-water swimming competitor who may actually be a possible Russian defector. Lynette Eason's "Blackout" delivers the story of a woman once implicated in a robbery gone wrong. The loot has never been found--but her memory of that night has always been unreliable. Can she remember enough to find her way to safety when the true culprit comes after her?

Review:
"Missing" by Dee Henderson: John, a Wyoming sheriff, is called to Chicago when his elderly mother goes missing from her elder home complex. He is met by Sharon Noble, a savvy Chicago Lieutenant who is already organizing the search. John has a past with criminals as a former Chicago cop and there are several avenues to look at for suspects.

I liked the premise of this plot, the two characters and the clear friendship that grows as they work together. There are good clues in the short story that might let a keen reader figure out the twist. The drawback on this was the very slow beginning. I listened to the first hour and a half during a drive with others and none of us were particularly engaged at that point. Fortunately, I pushed through to listen to the rest as I did enjoy the final package. My rating: 3.75.

“Shadowed” by Dani Pettrey: Competitive swimmer, Libby, is in Alaska and plans to enjoy some tourism. She is the only one to show up early on a rainy morning for a whale watching tour. Ben the tour guide (and more) is impressed by Libby’s spunk and determination. He agrees to take her out. In addition to seeing whales they discover something else in the water. When they pull the body on board, Libby is shocked to recognize her number one competitor, a Russian swimmer.

Libby’s competitive schedule hasn’t allowed her to develop relationships and she wasn’t looking for one this trip. But Ben’s competence and gently protective tendencies draw her in. Ben knew at some point he might decide to settle down, but he had never met the right woman until now. The relationship builds between them even as they are dodging a killer as they try to unravel the truth about spies and counterspies.

This story was engaging and an easy listen as it raced quickly through discovery, danger and deception. My rating: 4.25.

“Blackout” by Lynette Eason: Macey has had blackouts for the past six years since she survived a robbery where she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and she was almost killed. She hides her past because the connections don’t look good. Now, as someone is stalking and frightening her, more memories are returning.

Macey’s neighbor Chad is a police detective. He knows that Macey has kept him at arm’s length, but he rushes in when he hears her scream. She isn’t imagining things. Macey’s high school crush, who was involved in the robbery, has returned and it appears he is pressuring her to remember. But someone else doesn’t want her to remember what happened that night, and is prepared to kill Macey to stop her. Macey begins to open up and rely more on Chad as the threat escalates.

This story presents tension from the beginning. I wasn’t overly impressed with Macey as a character, but Chad is a strong, attractive hero. The story moves along well although it seems a little rushed. 4.0.

The collection provides three easy, satisfactory listens. The faith of characters is shared without being preachy or overbearing. I recommend this to readers who enjoy clean romantic suspense. 4.0.

Audio Notes: The narrators were Graham Winton, Christina Moore, and Therese Plummer in that order. All three did a good job with the narration. Winton is the only new narrator to me as I have enjoyed audios narrated by Moore and Plummer before. The narration made this an easier ’read’ for me.

Source: July 2017 Christianaudio Sale. This qualifies for my 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goals.