I read Private Justice by Terri Blackstock for the C3BC book club. A partial summary from Amazon: It is the week of Mardi Gras in the Louisiana town of Newpointe, and the whole town is celebrating. Then horrible news arrives: Martha Dwyer, the wife of a firefighter, has been found murdered, shot through the head, her body set on fire. The townspeople's shock soon turns to horror when yet another firefighter's wife is found murdered in a similar fashion. By the time a third wife is attacked, it has become clear that a serial killer is at work. Firefighter Mark Branning is terrified, especially since he and his wife are estranged. Realizing that Allie may be the next victim, Mark convinces his reluctant wife to leave town with him. Unfortunately, this action does not stop the killer. This book was a quick read. The pace kept moving and the plot kept me engaged. Unfortunately, there was not much depth to the characters which made it difficult to become involved with the cares and worries of the town. The reason that Mark and Allie are estranged is just hinted at until the end which also made for some frustration as I always want to be invested in the main characters.
While the characters were not very well developed, what we did know quite believable and real. The pastor of the church shared some of his worries about the town and whether he's doing what God wants him to be. And there's the required 'Doubting Thomas' (although it's a woman) that allows some of the dialogue about God and how he allows bad things to happen.
It's not the best Christian fiction out there, but it's a good read. It's a thriller that did keep me guessing until the end. If you are looking for a quick, non-offensive thriller, I recommend reading Private Justice.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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