Review of The Rising by Lynn Chandler Willis

Recently, I read The Rising by Lynn Chandler Willis. This book is a finalist for the Grace Awards in the mystery/suspense/thriller category.

The story starts off with quite a rise as Detective Ellie Saunders receives a call from her superior that the her homicide victim, a little boy, is now very much alive and awake in the hospital morgue. As Ellie investigates the case involving the little boy, she is assigned to work with Jesse Alvarez, someone with whom she shares a romantic past. To complicate matters, as the story goes public, Ellie is barraged with painful reminders of a lost loved one and is forced to interact with her father, a retired minister, with whom she’s somewhat estranged.

This is a fast-paced novel that will keep you guessing. I only put the book down once, and that’s because I had to recharge my Kindle! The characters are imperfect, gritty, and real, not cookie cutter. Considering the book’s theme of resurrection and the fact that we just celebrated Easter, this is a timely read. This book should appeal to those who enjoy romantic suspense and thrillers.

*Please note that I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Author Bio:

Lynn Chandler-Willis has worked in the corporate world (hated it!), the television news business (fun job) and the newspaper industry (not a fan of the word "apparently" and phrase "according to"). She keeps coming back to fiction because she likes making stuff up and you just can't do that in the newspaper or television news business.

She was born, raised, and continues to live in the heart of North Carolina within walking distance to her kids and their spouses and her nine grandchildren. She shares her home, and heart, with Sam the cocker spaniel.

She is the author of the best-selling true crime book, Unholy Covenant. Her debut novel, The Rising (Pelican Book Group) was released in July 2013 and was recently named a finalist for the Grace Award. Chandler-Willis is the 2013 winner of the Minotaur Books/Private Eye Novel Writers of America Best First Private Eye Novel competition for her novel, Wink of an Eye. It will be released by Minotaur in Nov. 2014.

Book Blurb:

A little boy, beaten and left to die in an alley.  A cop with a personal life out of control. When their worlds collide, God intervenes. Detective Ellie Saunders's homicide investigation takes a dramatic turn when a young victim "wakes up" in the morgue. The child has no memory prior to his "rising" except walking with his father along a shiny road. Ellie likes dealing with facts. She'd rather leave all the God-talk to her father, a retired minister, and to her partner, Jesse, a former vice cop with an annoying habit of inserting himself into her life. But will the facts she follows puts Ellie's life in mortal danger? And will she finally allow God into her heart forever?