ACCUSED by Janice Cantore

Carly Edwards loves being an police officer but doesn't like serving in juvenile (where they placed her after she was involved in an officer-involved shooting). When the mayor is murdered and they arrest a troubled youth named Londy Atkins she is called to the scene. Carly interviews Londy hoping to gain a confession and be moved back to patrol where she really wants to be. Londy swears his innocence and as Carly talks with him she's inclined to believe him. Carly's ex-husband Nick is also an officer and feels Londy is telling the truth. Nick lost Carly because of a stupid mistake. He's since given his heart to the Lord and wants very much to prove to Carly that he's a changed man and win her back. But Carly isn't sure she wants to trust him again. As she continues to look into Londy's case she suspects things are not as they appear. But where can she turn and who can she trust?

Accused is an excellent, well-written, seat-gripping and soul-wrenching tale. I have not read anything by this author so didn't know what to expect but the cover really intrigued me. I promise you that once you pick up this book you will have a hard time putting in down. There were places in this story that actually caused me to gasp out-loud because it caught me by surprise. I also reached for the Kleenex as well. That's great writing that can do that. It felt in many ways like watching a movie because I could so clearly see in my mind how things played out. All the characters were very well developed and felt flesh and blood real. Their reactions and responses were true to life. You can tell this author used her vast experience as a police officer to give the story a real authenticity. I really appreciated how the spiritual message of hope was grafted so naturally into the story. It didn't feel forced or thrown-in and wasn't over-powering but it was powerful. You'll want to be sure an read the author interview at the end. If you like Dee Henderson and Anne Patrick then I would definitely recommend you pick up Accused! Be ready for some very fast page-flipping!!! Great job Janice!!! This is book 1 in the Pacific Coast Justice series. I am anxiously looking forward to the next installment!! A thank you goes to Tyndale for this complimentary ARC through Netgalley for my review.
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (February 1, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1414358474
ISBN-13: 978-1414358475