Crisis Shot (The Line of Duty)

My book club loves suspense. If I didn’t force, bully, encourage them to read other genres, I think that is all they would choose. And with that focus, we come close to running out of authors to read as well. Well, I hit a home run when I suggested Crisis Shot by Janice Cantore. This novel by a new-to-us author had everything we love getting it a unanimous thumbs up from my group.The story arc of small town police chief tackles hostile attitudes and big city crime is set up when main character, Tess O’Rourke is forced from the police force and city she loves by bad press from an officer involved shooting. Tess moves to Rogue’s Hollow, Oregon to take over the job of police chief and to try to begin again, but longing for home and doubts of her own combine to make her rethink her new job. But then the action starts, and Tess is determined to gain the trust of the town while solving violent and mysterious crimes.Characterization is strong in Crisis Shot. We all loved main characters Tess and Oliver, the pastor of the local church. The two are good foils for each other — one a logical, independent thinker, the other a man of deep faith. Both are challenged by the circumstances they face. The book is fast-paced, and the reader is given glimpses of the bad guy(s) before the characters, but the mystery is not easily solved by either, keeping both on their toes. There is only a hint of romance for Tess — something we really liked. It seemed much more natural than books where the crime-solving sleuths spend as much time gazing in each other’s eyes as solving a case. 😉 Crisis Shot explores the theme of a good and just God in the midst of unfair and evil circumstances. It also provides the realistic struggles of one maintaining faith within the fire. The promise of a future romance, some unresolved spiritual questions for Tess, and a town that is sure to harbor more criminals makes this series one we want to continue. In fact, book 2, Lethal Target is on our selection list for early 2020.Recommended.Audience: adults.(I purchased Crisis Shot from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Tess O'Rourke was a Long Beach police officer. She joined the force to follow in her dad's footsteps. She liked her job, never had any serious problems until the day she shot an unarmed teenager. There were no charges filed against her but the public backlash forced her to quit. She, instead, became the new chief of police in Rogue Hollow, Oregon. She met with some opposition when hired but was slowly getting to know the people and growing used to the small town environment. Which is why she wasn't expecting the call informing her there had been a murder, a local man found shot three times, once in the back of the head, execution style.At the same time, a local pastor's wife goes missing. The woman had cancer and the outlook was bleak so, at first, her husband thinks maybe she just needed some space to deal with things. However, when he gets a suspicious text from her, he goes to Tess for help.Tess is determined to solve the murder and find the pastor's wife who also happens to be one of the few friends Tess has made since arriving in Rogue Hollow. Unfortunately, she'll also have to deal with the mayor and his uncharacteristic behavior. Why, all of a sudden is he wanting to bring in outside help? He's the one who pushed for her to be hired. How could he lose faith in her without giving her a chance to prove herself? And then there's one of her coworkers who seems to have a rather large chip on his shoulder. Is it because of Tess''s past or is it the fact she's a woman? Either way, she intends to show him the town was right when they chose her for the job.As Tess gets to work there are very few leads to follow. Everywhere she goes winds up in a dead end. Then she discovers there may have been a witness to the crime, a woman named, Tilly, who had some serious mental issues. Even if Tess could find her, which seemed impossible given all the places she could be hiding, it's doubtful the woman would survive having to testify, her credibility being in question. No, Tess needed proof of some kind and she wouldn't rest until she found it.Really liked Tess. She'd been through a lot and remained standing. She was tough, intelligent, and good at her job. She didn't back down from a fight but often used a lot of wisdom when it came to dealing with others. She's the type person you can relate to, the kind you'd want on your side. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

This book was written in two parts with part one being a little slow, but as I moved into part 2, I could understand that everything from part one was setting the stage for the rest of the book. The father of main character, Tess dies in the line-of-fire, but it appears was a believer, but Tess is bitter because of the loss of her Dad and puts her faith in her rules & herself. Tess is not a believer. Part two, has Tess in Rogue’s Hallow, where almost the first person she meets is Pastor Oliver & shortly, his compassionate, but cancer riddled wife Anna. Anna tells Pastor Oliver that she believes Tess will become very important to the community & their lives. Next, instead of a sleepy, benign town & police force; a homeless man, Glen is found shot, his friend who always accompanies him is missing, so cannot provide any answers, and Anna, the Pastor’s wife is missing. Anna has said she needed some time to get away & talk to God as she has been diagnosed with a return of her cancer that she fought against for 15-years. You are pulled in to this strong story. You are confronted with three groups of people, those who profess and live a Godly life, regardless of the cost; those who believe in right, but not in God; and those who do not believe in right and only do what is a benefit to themselves. Life in this world is starkly seen. The main character is not a Christian, but she is listening and observing those who do believe. She is analyzing their faith & practice; asking if it is true. Powerful story.

A new author for me and very good. Intelligent words and great character development. Look forward to book 2 in the series.

Satisfying characters and conflicts, a complicated plot, and twists I didn’t see coming. I thought we could have done with less back story (the first eight chapters, “Part 1,” which show what happened in Long Beach and her struggle to stay, could have been referred to off-page as back story and provided separately to fans wanting more).What I liked most was the spiritual tension between Tess and the local pastor. Oliver and his wife, Anna, have faced personal and congregational pain over the years. He trusts God, even when he doesn’t understand. Tess gave up on God years ago because she can’t understand why He would allow her father to be killed. Yet when Oliver faces heartbreak, Tess has words of hope from her own life. As this series progresses, it’ll be interesting to see how these two grow in friendship.In a time when the news is filled with situations where certain police officers have conducted themselves with prejudice, brutality, and corruption, this book is a vital reminder that most law enforcement officers are dedicated men and women of integrity who regularly put their lives in harm’s way to protect the vulnerable.

Another amazing and riveting read from Janice Cantore! Couldn’t put it down until it was finished. Looking forward to the next one in the series.

I purchased the book for myself and it did not disappoint. So I purchased the rest of the series.