A Fabulous New Series
Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl is an absolutely marvellous contemporary Christian suspense that I just could not put down. It is the first book in the Ryland & St Clair series and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. As book one ends, it is perfectly poised for book two.
Of the two lead characters – one is a Christian and the other has wandered away from God. She has placed earthly values on her heavenly Father, judging Him as she judged her own father. She is just waiting, and expecting, God to walk away and let her down – but God loves us. He will never walk away and He will never let us down. God loves us, even when we reject Him. God works for us even when we turn our back on Him. We can always trust God. “If God could love her through her anger and rejection of Him, she knew He would never abandon her like her father had.”
No one is ever too far from the heart of God. “No matter what you do, He’ll always take you back.” God longs for us to return to Him, if we stray.
Forgiveness is a major theme. Sometimes we need to forgive others. Sometimes we need to forgive ourselves. When God forgives us, He also chooses to forget our transgressions.
When worries come, we need to hand them over to God. “He didn’t want to live his life worrying about things he had given to God.” When we place or worries in God’s hands, we know that He will have our back.
Prayer is important. “Tony prayed that God would give Him the right words.” God will help us in all our situations. God will always answer prayer in His way and His timing. “I guess I’m trying to put time limits on Your answers to my prayers.” We must not rush God.
There are the difficult mental health themes of schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s. We witness the struggle of characters to fit in. “The word schizophrenia became his enemy – and his identity.” We also see how hard it is to watch Alzheimer’s rob us of our loved one’s bit by bit while they are still living.
We witness old cases butting up to present day ones, as what was thought to be dead and buried, rises to the surface once more.
There is a wonderful camaraderie between the two lead characters. Their love and care reach beyond the pages of the book.
All the characters were well drawn and realistic. Nancy Mehl has created an eclectic mix of characters who elicit a variety of responses from the reader.
The plotline was well thought out and executed. There was an air of menace, a lurking in the shadows that ramped up the tension for the reader.
Cold Pursuit was a fabulous start to a brand new series that I loved. I will leave you with my favourite quote:
“Being a Christian isn’t about following other people. It’s about following Christ.,”
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON