SUSPENSE SISTERS: APRIL GIVEAWAY

Suspense Sisters: April Giveaway

Review- The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

 I've been looking forward to reading The Girl Upstairs by Jessica Patch since I saw the cover on Facebook almost a year ago. Jessica is the Queen of Twists, and I am a lover of twists, so I knew this book would be right up my alley. 

I was blessed with an advanced reader copy, and couldn't put it down until I had the story finished. 

Here is the back cover copy:

Gwen McDaniel’s life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park, is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.

Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it’s more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don’t lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic’s carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood underneath.

As Gwen delves into the history of the house and the Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture emerges: A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined…

From the first page, this story had me hooked. The characters had big struggles and the reasons behind those struggles were cloaked in secrets until the climax. 

Typically, I like to try and figure out twists before the reveal. However, when I get the villain right or uncover a hidden truth in the story before I'm supposed to, I'm left with mixed emotions. On one hand, I'm proud of myself for being clever and on the other, I'm a little disappointed, because I ruined the surprise. As I read The Girl Upstairs, I thought I had everything figured out--from the twists to the villain--and boy was a wrong. While I did get one of the twists figured out, the rest of the story took me by surprise in the best possible way!

One of the things I love about Jessica Patch's books is that the stories themselves tend to be pretty dark and spooky, but that darkness makes the light of hope shine so much brighter when the characters embrace truth. So many elements in The Girl Upstairs contributed to the creep factor from the setting on a cliffside surrounded by raging water to the time of year (Halloween). Halloween, especially, brought out the parallel to the masks we can have a tendency to wear. Masks showing who we want people to think we are and those we maybe wish represented us but don't exactly fit. The symbolism was striking and the message of hope in the midst of chaos was profound. 

This book releases on April 28th, and I can't recommend it enough. For a chance to win an ebook copy comment below with your favorite summer vacation destination. To pre-order a copy, click here!

WHAT'S HOT in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery!

Marji Laine here. 

Oh my goodness! This one has just been put at the top of my TBR list! 

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Special Target: A Christian Suspense Thriller 

by Jerusha Agen (Author)

She’s trying to save the boy’s life. What if he’s supposed to save hers?

For tough-as-nails Chicago social worker Ashley Sorenson, it’s nothing new to risk her life for hurting children. Seeing innocent kids suffer every day may have made her a little cynical, but she’ll stop at nothing to rescue children from miserable circumstances.

But Ashley faces a special challenge when Matthew Borden, a sixteen-year-old with Down syndrome, is orphaned. Finding a suitable foster home for the boy becomes the least of her problems when someone starts threatening her and Matthew.
The sudden appearance of a mysterious FBI agent confirms Ashley’s growing suspicions that Matthew is no ordinary teen. The boy she thought no one wanted is wanted by many…dead or alive.

Dodging danger at every turn, Ashley races to find the secrets that could save Matthew’s life. When the truth unearths her own dark past and threatens more than their lives, the God Matthew trusts may be her only hope for rescue.

A gripping and gritty standalone Christian suspense thriller from the bestselling author of the Guardians Unleashed Series.

Get your copy HERE!

THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

We have exciting things planned for you this week on the Suspense Sisters!

On Tuesday, Suspense Sister Marji Laine will tell us what’s hot in inspirational suspense and mystery.

Wednesday, we’ll hear from author A.D. Lawrence when she reviews THE GIRL UPSTAIRS by Jessica Patch. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of this suspenseful book!

She bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life.

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Gwen McDaniel’s life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park, is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.

Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it’s more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don’t lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic’s carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood underneath.

As Gwen delves into the history of the house and the Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture emerges: A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined…

ORDER IT HERE 

Friday, Suspense Sister Patricia Bradley interviews author Jennifer Dodrill about her book, NO EGRETS. Leave a comment to win your own copy!

Life in Stone Creek Cove is supposed to be peaceful—sunny Florida days, friendly neighbors, and a rookery of beloved egrets nesting near the creek. So when the birds vanish overnight, Peg Howard expects nothing more than a little small-town drama.

She doesn’t expect to find a body.

Volunteered to help search for the missing egrets, Peg teams up with her mother-in-law, Hazel, and quickly discovers that Stone Creek Cove has more secrets than birdwatchers. Rumors spread, tempers flare, and what started as a harmless mystery turns into a full-blown murder investigation.

Already juggling a doting grandmother role, a mischievous new puppy, and two very different men competing for her attention, Peg has no desire to become an amateur sleuth. But when cryptic clues and thinly veiled threats suggest someone wants the truth buried, Peg knows walking away isn’t an option.

As Peg and Hazel dig deeper, they uncover shady deals, long-held grudges, and motives hiding behind polite smiles. And in a town where everyone knows everyone, the killer could be closer than Peg ever imagined.

ORDER IT HERE 

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

WE LOVE BOOKS

Villains Who Don’t Think They’re Villains!

 There’s a moment in every suspense story when the truth shifts.

Not for the reader—but for the villain.

Because the most chilling antagonists aren’t the ones who revel in chaos. They’re the ones who look at their choices… and believe they’re justified.

Maybe even necessary.

And that’s where things get dangerous.

As writers, we spend a lot of time getting to know our heroes—their fears, their wounds, their hopes. But if we stop there, our stories fall flat.

Because villains have stories too.

The most compelling antagonists are driven by a belief. A core truth they’ve built their actions around. It might be rooted in pain. Or loss. Or a moment when something in them broke and never healed quite right.

The world is cruel, so I have to be crueler.
No one protected me, so I’ll take control.
This is the only way to make things right.

They don’t see themselves as evil. They see themselves as the solution.

It’s easy to label a character as “bad” and move on. But true suspense lives in the gray spaces.

When a villain has a clear motivation—even one we don’t agree with—it adds a layer of tension that goes beyond surface danger. Suddenly, the reader isn’t just wondering what will happen next…

They’re asking: Could this person have been different?

That question lingers. Because sometimes, the line between hero and villain isn’t as wide as we’d like to believe. The villains who believe they are right are often the hardest to stop.

They don’t hesitate. They don’t question what they’re doing. They don’t see another path forward.

A villain who knows they’re wrong might pause while a villain who believes they’re justified moves forward with conviction—no matter who gets hurt along the way.

When I was writing Unsolved Amish Abduction, this idea stayed with me constantly. The danger in that story doesn’t come from chaos. It comes from someone who believes their actions are warranted. Necessary, even. That belief shapes everything. It’s what allows them to wait. To plan their revenge and act on it without hesitation.

And perhaps the most unsettling thing of all is that it’s what allows them to look at the past not as something to regret, but something to finish.

I think part of what makes these villains so compelling—and so unsettling—is how human they feel. Because if we’re honest, we all justify our choices at times. We all tell ourselves stories about why we’re right.

Most of us never cross the lines these characters do. But that thread of self-justification is something we recognize. And recognition creates connection—even when we don’t want it to.

When I’m creating an antagonist, I don’t start with what they’ve done. I start with what they believe has been done to them. Because once I understand that, then everything else falls into place. Their actions, their choices, the way they interact with the world around them. And sometimes, that’s when a story takes an unexpected turn. Because the villain isn’t just a threat anymore. They’re a person who made one wrong choice followed by another until there was no way back.

The scariest villains aren’t the ones hiding in the shadows. They’re the ones who step into the light fully convinced they’re doing what’s right.

And in suspense, that kind of certainty can be more dangerous than any weapon.

For a chance to win an e-book copy of Unsolved Amish Abduction, tell me, do you find villains more unsettling when you understand why they do what they do… or when their motives remain a mystery?

Please remember to include your email address so that I can get the book to you!

Until next time….

Happy reading!

 

Mary Alford

Mothers and Daughters

Sharon Dunn here. One of the themes of my new Love Inspired book that comes out at the end of April, Tracking the Taken Child, is the bond between mother and daughter. Writing this book made me think about my own mother Mary Ellen, so I dedicated the book to her. My mother won't see the dedication. In fact, by the time my first book was published, she had already died from cancer in her early fifties. And yet, even after all these years, I feel the bond between us, that tug of emotion. 

Like all people my mother was a collection of contradictions. My mother loved nature and working in her garden. She also loved children. She had seven of them and wanted to adopt more when the doctor told her another birth would be too dangerous. Despite my father's alcoholism, I think my mother worked hard to give us a save, secure childhood. She read me stories, taught me how to sew and we built a dollhouse together. The dollhouse has long since been lost, but I still have the furniture for it. My mother could be my greatest cheerleader but also a critical remark from her could hurt. I feel deep sorrow that she didn't get to see that I became a published author. She would have been proud. I wish too that she could have lived to be a part of my children's lives. She would have been a wonderful grandmother. My mother gave me many gifts. I know that I learned money management and how to be frugal from her. I think my own connection to nature where I sense God's presence the most was through the example she set. I don't think even death can break the mother daughter bond. 

When you think of your mother, what comes to mind? I'd love to hear about who your mom was to you. Leave a comment with your email address, I'll be giving away five copies of Tracking the Taken Child (USA only).