The Cost of Betrayal — Book Review

With the arrival of a new little one, my reading has dramatically decreased over the past few months. It’s also been increasingly difficult to read anything that requires a lot of brain power. That’s why this trio of “romantic suspense novellas” was a perfect read for this sleep-deprived mama. Short and light, this book was an easy, entertaining read by three different Christian authors.

As this book is divided into three mini-novels, I have decided to rate each book within it individually:

From the Publisher:
Dee Henderson – “Betrayed”
After serving six years of a twenty-year sentence for a murder she didn’t commit, Janelle Roberts is finally freed. But the truth is still waiting to be discovered, and a murderer is still at large. Janelle needs to be somewhere safe with someone she can trust. She may not survive another act of treachery.

As a pre-teen, Dee Henderson’s “O’Malley Chronicles” were a special favourite of mine and I was really looking forward to this book. While I enjoyed this book, it was probably my least favourite out of the three. The ending was the most realistic but as a reader, I feel a bit let down when books end without a strong conclusion.

The book was interesting to read and written in an easy manner (although, due to it’s condensed manner, it did seem to rely heavily on dialogue to explain the storyline.) It’s not my favourite of her books, but I’d give still give it 3.8 out of 5.

From the Publisher:
Dani Pettrey – “Deadly Isle”
Tennyson Kent is trapped on the isolated island of her childhood by a storm surge, and she is shocked when the typically idyllic community turns into the hunting grounds of a murderer. Cut off from any help from the mainland, will she and first love Callen Frost be able to identify and stop a killer before they become the next victims?

This book may be the shortest out of the three but it’s definitely not lacking in action! Dani Pettrey’s novel is fast-paced and full of suspense. While the romantic storyline moves just as quickly as the action, I’ve come to expect that within Christian fiction and embraced it for the lighthearted yet suspenseful read it was.

Overall, a good read with an unexpected ending. I give it 4 out of 5.

From the Publisher:
Lynette Eason – “Code of Ethics”
When Detective Isaac Martinez lands in the ER with a gunshot wound, he pulls through thanks to trauma surgeon Ruthie St. John. But as the witness to a crime and possible corruption, Martinez is at risk from someone intent on silencing him–and those around him–forever. When he barely survives another attack while recovering, both he and Ruthie must flee, trying to outrun deadly killers while locating the evidence they need to end the danger.

This was my favourite story out of the three. Eason weaves a solid narrative of suspense and intrigue. It is well-paced and well-written. I’d read an earlier book from this author, Oath of Honor, and while I enjoyed that book, I loved this one all the more. The characters were familiar (same family as in Oath of Honor) and it was fun to read more of their continuing story. I love suspense novels with twists at the end, and this one gave me what I was looking for. This book gets a strong 4 out of 5 stars from me!

“The Cost of Betrayal” was an enjoyable and easy-to-read trio of crime novels. It was a great way to relax and unwind a bit this holiday season and, as a whole, I give it a strong 4 stars out of 5.

Share in the comments, which of the three novellas sound most interesting to you?

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.”