cover image The Kidnapping of Cody Moss

The Kidnapping of Cody Moss

Sara L. Foust. Silver Lining Literary Services, $12.99 trade paper (288p) ISBN 978-1-73290-471-2

Foust (the Love, Faith, and Hope series) launches a new series with this delightful tale chronicling the coming together of the Smokey Mountain Investigative Team. Police officer Annalise Baker is offered a spot on the team but hesitates to accept the position over concerns about her husband, Dave, and the effects it would have on their marriage. But as a new case arrives, Annalise sees that Dave is withdrawing from her and decides to take the opportunity. Zach Leebow is excited about working on the team, particularly when he hears his old friend, Annalise, will be joining. After Annalise answers a call about a gun hidden in a child’s wagon and Zach finds a body on the shore of a river, everyone is on pins and needles, fearing a murderer is on the loose. Then a child is kidnapped, and Annalise and Zach, finding clues that whoever committed the murder is holding a captive, realize the kidnapper might tie everything together. Foust balances the reality of first responder jobs with faith concerns as characters grapple with the idea that God can be in control of such traumatic events. Dave’s sudden jealousy of Annalise’s relationship with Zach also leaves her in believable, complicated scenarios that force her to make difficult choices. Readers of Ronie Kendig will relish this pulse-quickening series opener. (Self-published)