mystery, thriller, procedural, law-enforcement

The expert witness for the prosecution gets violently assaulted by the accused right in the courtroom! It's a given that she develops PTSD complete with flashbacks, but her significant other (who is a police detective) isn't available for a lot of support because of a murder caused by an eco terrorism proponent. And that's just the beginning of this outstanding mystery novel whose lead character is a forensic graphologist! Expect learning opportunities, serious plot twists, red herrings, and ingenious suspense in this series in which any book is capable of being a stand alone. Loved it!
The narrator is Anna Crowe who is exceptional!
I requested and received a free audio copy much to my delight. ( )

Outside the Lines is the 6th book in the Forensic Handwriting Mysteries but it definitely stands alone. There are references to incidents in the earlier books but nothing that makes a difference in this story line.

Forensic Handwriting Expert Claudia Rose can easily analyze a person by their handwriting. She sees what people work hard to hide. With this skill she's become a valuable part of her fiancé Joel's success as a homicide detective.

In this case, an incident that starts out as a harmless scare tactic by a group of people protesting a pesticide corporation, turns deadly when someone is accidentally killed. Now the leader of the group is on the run and asking Claudia for help. As the lead suspect he's being chased down by Joel who warns Claudia away from him but she can't help getting involved. Now tension strains Claudia and Joel's relationship as she works on figuring a way to make things work for everyone.

I really love how Sheila builds the story. Different scenarios have you thinking you can guess at what's coming next but as you read on you realize you were wrong. Through the twists, the suspense builds up to the gratifying end. I highly recommend this book, and series, to anyone who loves a good mystery with a surprise ending. ( )

Outside the Lines is book 6 in the Forensic Handwriting Mystery series. I haven't read the earlier books but was able to read book 6 without confusion. I was intrigued enough with this book that I plan to read books 1 - 5 as soon as possible.

The author, Sheila Lowe, is a certified forensic handwriting analyst, as is her main character Claudia. The other main character, Joel, is Claudia's fiancé and a homicide detective. Her analysis often helps him solve cases but she sometimes oversteps her role and ends up in troubling situations. I really enjoyed reading about the relationship between these two characters plus they were not always perfect and had faults and arguments despite being deeply in love.

As a reader, I also learned a lot about handwriting analysis. The author gives information as part of the story but not to the point of being boring. I found her explations of the analysis very interesting.

This was a very enjoyable book and I plan to read the earlier books in the series in the not too distant future.

Thanks to the Author for a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. ( )