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I was never going to love this. I always find Christian fiction a bit too preachy for my tastes. That said, I've read Lisa Harris' Southern Crimes series and that was alright.

Vendetta though was a long boring ride. The characters were flat and whiney. I get that they're grieving - but I don't want to read 300 pages about how they lost people. And how they can potentially lose everyone else. There was just way too much death and not enough happiness. It was flat out depressing.

On top of that was lacklustre romance - because really she's in love with her dead best friend's husband (who's only been dead for a year - I hate that plot at the best of times but a year?) - which was overlaid with guilt, timidness and lots of second guessing.

Plus I expect my badass cop character to be somewhat badass. Nikki doesn't seem to be particularly competent at her job. From the hostage situation she panics in (the first one to clarify with the knife), to the ending where she leads the bad guy to a group of people who end up shot (well one, but one too many).

I bought the second book but I'm already regretting it - I doubt I can bring myself to read it. I'd rather go read Tracey Crosswhite. 1.5 stars. ( )

If you like suspense, mystery, a little romance, and a clean novel this book is for you! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Vendetta. Lisa Harris is another author that I am going to follow. Her characters are well developed and strong. The story connects all the way to the end and keeps you guessing. From the first page I was engaged which is important to me. The theme of missing persons really interested me and Lisa shows many sides of that trauma. I highly recommend Vendetta and Lisa Harris to other readers!

I received a copy of Vendetta by Net Galley for my honest opinion which I have given. ( )

The day Nikki Boyds' life changed forever was the day her sister Sarah turned up missing ten years ago. It is not something you forget or get over. As a special agent for the Tennessee Missing Persons a task Firce, Nikki now finds people for a living. She likes her job and along the way, she hopes to find out what happened to her sister. The not knowing is the hardest thing to live with. You can let your imagination go crazy, but she needs to stay grounded.

One day while off work Nikki get a call that a girl is missing. With the help of her friend Tyler they start their investigation . As they dig deeper into the case, Nikki finds a link to her sister's case. The question is could this be the same person who took both her sister and the missing girl they are investigating? I loved the action and the twists and turns of the story. The character development is quite good and the intense scenes are a sure way to keep the reader intrigued . It is not a book you want to put down, until the last page is read.

The relationship between Nikki and Tyler is a definite attention grabber. As the story continues, you feel like you are in a maze trying to find your way out. Just as you think you have the mystery figured out, you hit a dead end and the the suspense builds until you find yourself on the edge of your seat . The author has done an amazing job of writing a story that grips you from the beginning and takes you on a roller coaster ride of sheer intrigue at its very best.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. ( )

Missing persons investigator Nikki Boyd brings an extra empathy to her cases, since it was her own sister’s disappearance that led her to this career. Ten years after the fact, logic says her sister can’t still be alive when the other victims have been found dead, but Nikki’s heart won’t give up hope.

When Nikki and her friend Tyler are called to investigate a missing teen girl, it doesn’t take long for similarities in the case to make Nikki wonder if her sister’s abductor is back in action after years of silence. If it’s the same man, he’s grown sloppy. Or he’s playing with them.

Vendetta is a fast-paced, well-plotted novel, as Nikki, Tyler and their team race the clock to find the missing girl. A large part of the chase is set in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

As always, author Lisa Harris gives us lifelike characters with issues of their own. Nikki can’t let her personal pain affect her investigation, no matter what mind games the abductor plays. And Tyler’s still grieving for his dead wife, who’d been Nikki’s best friend. Nikki and Tyler are both struggling to know where God is in their hurts.

Although the novel is a really good read, I didn’t feel as drawn in as I did with the author’s Southern Crimes series. There may be too many flashback scenes, snippets of Nikki’s past, or perhaps it’s the number of characters. I did have trouble keeping the search team and volunteers straight, although the narrative only focused on a few. Nonetheless, Vendetta is the start of a new series I’d definitely recommend.

Award-winning author Lisa Harris has written almost 30 books, including the Southern Crimes series (Dangerous Passage, Fatal Exchange, and Hidden Agenda.) She and her family are missionaries living in Mozambique. For more about the author and her books, visit lisaharriswrites.com.

[Review copy provided by the publisher.] ( )