Donna Shields

Reviewed by: Judy
Book provided by: Author
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

The premise of the story has all the elements of a good romantic suspense–accidents which might/might not actually be what they seem, ex-husband, ex-lover, missing child, family alienation/secrets, organized crime. It’s all there.

All the characters (with the exception of the true villains, of course) exhibit redeeming traits which manage to come out ahead of their less than stellar ones. With a good plot idea and characters than keep the reader guessing about their true motives, the story moves along at an acceptable pace.

The only “but” comes in considering how the characters become involved with an official investigation in an unofficial–and somewhat unrealistic–way. One expects law enforcement, particularly the FBI, to hold a stricter line when it comes to the involvement of “extraneous personnel”, that is, the victim(s). However, taking literary license to keep the storyline moving is certainly an acceptable ploy in this genre.

That aside, for readers who enjoy romantic suspense, Secrets of Jenkins Bridge fits the bill. The story’s strength lies in the twist of how it reveals the actual villain of the situation. The action scenes, as the plot builds toward its climax, are vividly written. In the final chapter, the author winds up most of the loose ends but manages to leave the reader wondering if there are more threads to unravel.… (mais)