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| Key Witness by Christy Barritt |
by Christy Barritt
Love Inspired Suspense (February 2013)
5 Stars*****
Elle Phillips is doing her normal weekly bank visit when things go terribly wrong. There are two masked men yelling and waving guns and before they can be stopped they shoot one of the bank tellers. When Elle sees one of the robbers has unknowingly dropped his cell phone she takes a risk by grabbing it and dialing 911. When the lead robber realizes what she has done he threatens to kill her as he is running away.
Mark Denton, a former Navy Seal works for Iron, Inc. an elite paramilitary security firm who hires only the best of the best. There are former FBI, CIA, and Special Ops along with other members of law enforcement. Denton was at the bank that day when the robbers showed up. But he wasn’t the one to save the day; it was the beautiful young woman he had previously seen at the bank.
When Sen. Phillips comes to pick up Elle from the police station where she is giving her statement, he recognizes Denton from a previous security job so he asks Denton he will be willing to be Elle’s bodyguard. Guarding a former beauty queen with brains instead of fluff, how could he possibly say no?
When Elle starts getting threatening texts and phone calls it seems the bank robbers have found her. But when people around her are being killed Denton knows that this goes way beyond a mere bank robbery gone wrong. Will he figure out who is behind all the killings before they get the one thing Denton cannot part with…ELLE??
In this chilling suspense filled Love Inspired novel Christy proves what an exceptional writer she is. This is a rock-your world ride that will have you guessing until the very end who the evil mastermind is behind this terrifying plot against the gutsy Elle Phillips.This is the first book I have read in Christy’s Security Experts Series, but after reading this I went back and bought the first one too. Thanks Christy for creating a terrific book that was impossible to put down.
Christy's books can be found at Amazon CBD, BAM and other bookstores. (CFP: Note--this book can be found in regular paperback, large print paperback, and ebook versions!)
GIVEAWAY: We are giving away a choice of any one of Christy's books this week, choice of format, (outside the USA e-book only).
QUESTION: Elle risked her life to try to stop the bank robbers. Have you ever had a time where you had to step up and be brave?
QUESTION: Elle risked her life to try to stop the bank robbers. Have you ever had a time where you had to step up and be brave?
Love the review, Teresa! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteCHRISTY you are more than welcome. :)
DeleteVery nice review indeed, TERESA! I am moving one of CHRISTY'S books to the top of my ginormous TBR stack. I REALLY love her stalker books! lol And the intriguing covers that grace all of her novels....
ReplyDeleteDIANA you are so right, I love the covers on CHRISTY'S books but boy do I love the content even more. Now that I know she has lots more books my poor TBR stack is really overflowing. Thank goodness for a KINDLE or Carlton might be sending me to live at the library! hhmm... not a bad idea. ;)
DeleteThanks so much, Diana! Glad to have you as a reader.
DeleteLovely review, T! Thanks! Makes me want to read this! So glad they also have it in large print.
ReplyDeleteThanks CARRIE, I know you will love it, it was so good I was able to fly through it. CHRISTY is really great at writing suspense.
DeleteThanks for hosting me here, Carrie (and the rest of the gang!).
DeleteOH yes! Many times. But I think God calls us all to step up and be brave at some point in our lives. If nothing more than to test our faith in knowing He will take care of us and we can truly "...do all things through Christ..." :)
ReplyDeleteAmada (pronounced: a.m.a.th.a)
amada_chavez{AT}yahoo{com}
AMADA great answer!! Thanks for coming by.
DeleteOops I meant amada_chavez{AT}yahoo{DOT}com
DeleteSo true, Amada!
DeleteYes, I KNOW I have to read this one. :) Great review, T.!!
ReplyDeleteThanks MARIAN you will love this one, :)
DeleteI'd be honored if you'd check out my books, Marian! Thanks for having me here.
DeleteYay for a 5 star rating, Teresa!! WOW, just reading your review has me HOOKED! Loved your comments :) Does stepping out of one's comfort zone qualify as being brave? God has given me the strength to do this a few times recently in regards to dealing with someone who wasn't Godly and I trust him with the results.
ReplyDeleteI requested Hazardous Duty at the library and it was just shipped today so I should be getting it soon, this is my first book with Christy but I sooo look forward to reading more of them! Would love to be entered, thanks for the giveaway :) Hugs and blessings to you Teresa (and Christy)!
Your encourager,
Kara
KARA our little ray of Miami Sunshine thanks for the beautiful words. Yes I would say being brave when you are dealing with unbelievers these days does count.I love it when we step out of our comfort zone God is right there waiting for us to help us overcome anything satan has put in our path.
DeleteI know you will love The Squeaky Clean Series, in fact later this week I am reviewing Organized Grime. But more about that later! I'm off to take my son Joshua to his cooking class (he's home schooled). But I'll be back online in about an hour. :)
Kara--Yes, he does ask us to step out of our comfort zone at times. It's usually when we're outside of our "safe" confines that we truly begin to grow because we have to trust God in those times. You're absolutely correct! I hope you enjoy my books!
DeleteAll of Christy's books I've read have been great, but I admit, I have not read any of the LIS books. I will have to look for them!
ReplyDeleteGod has asked me to step out and do something scary to me - nothing on the level of giving my life, but certainly putting myself out there to be hurt emotionally, and possibly physically. Thankfully, it was only emotional pain that resulted, and while it hurt a lot, I knew that I had done what I was supposed to do, so there was peace. Maybe next time I'll be quicker to respond to those situations where God asks me to "be strong and of a good courage"!
Bethany, God's been nudging me to put myself out there again in a certain area of my life also. To be honest, I'd rather retreat and remain safe. But I won't do that. I'll be faithful to his call in my life, and grateful that God is the only one I need to please.
DeleteBETHANY thanks for sharing with us...it is scary at times to take that first step out in faith, but it's always rewarding to know that God is there encouraging us. :)
ReplyDeletelovely review
ReplyDeleteABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
APPLE BLOSSOM thank you so much, glad you could come by today! :)
DeleteI have never been in one of those situations. Thankfully!!! OWG
ReplyDeleteMEGAN it is scary to think about...I would hope I would know what to do if I had to be in a situation like ELLE. Thanks for coming by.
DeleteI haven't read any of Christy's books but after reading this review, I know I should. Key Witness sounds like a book I'd really enjoy with the suspense and romance.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, I've never had a time like this when I've had to step up and be brave.
pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net
PAM I know you will love Key Witness it is a real nail biter! :) Thanks for coming by and sharing with us.
DeleteElle risked her life to try to stop the bank robbers. Have you ever had a time where you had to step up and be brave?
ReplyDeleteI've had a few times that I needed to step up. Nothing as serious as stopping a bank robbery, though.
cindialtman(at)gmail(dot)com
CINDI I like to think I'd be as brave as ELLE but I'm not sure. I do remember one time when my sister and I were having a girls weekend at a hotel and about 2:00am a man tried to get in our room. I yelled at him through the door and sat up the rest of the night watching over my sister while she slept. We later found out he was a worker at the hotel and he gave us some weird story about checking to see if the room was occupied??? That's probably the only time I had to be that brave! It was very scary!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing KEY WITNESS to my attention. It does sound exciting.
ReplyDeleteI have had a few times in my life when I have had to step up & be brave. I wouldn't wish them on anyone.
OWG
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
MARY thanks for coming by, so sorry you had a rough time when you had to be brave, sometimes it's hard doing the right thing. :)
ReplyDeleteI have a fear of public speaking and was asked to describe our church library ministry to two church services. I was dreading this so much and actually made my husband go with me to the front and read part of the script. I wanted so bad to get across how much I loved this ministry and how it could benefit those in the congregation. I remember my voice and knees shaking but it's strange that inside I didn't feel the fear that my body was outwardly showing.
ReplyDeleteOUTSIDER
DeleteSo glad you survived your public speaking ordeal. I am somewhat like that also, I have been playig the piano and singing in church since a young girl but if I have to move from behind that piano I am petrified. lol Thanks for stopping by but please come back and leave us your email address. :)
It's usually when we feel our weakness that God can shine through the brightest! Great job stepping out there, even when you felt afraid!
DeleteHey TERESA, what a terrific review!! This story sounds REALLY good! I'll have to see if it's available in our stores over here. I'm due for another book order I think! ;)
ReplyDeleteHmmm I'm really not a very brave person, but I sure had to be when my 7yr old son came off his pushbike while speeding down a cement path in the park. His big sister was with him and they came home with his chin literally hanging down from his face and I had to hold it up until the ambulance could get here. Poor little tyke had about four stitches and still has the scar.
Oh my goodness! When things happen to our kids, that's the absolutely worst! Poor guy. Glad you all made it through okay.
DeleteWow NOELA I'm not sure I could have made it through that one. Joshua put me through some scary times, he was about 17 months and he did a face plant into the edge of his brother's train table and laid the side of his eye wide open. I think he had to get about 12 stitches in it. Sounds like Nathan and Josh could be friends! :) Thank the Lord we have survived, huh?
ReplyDeleteYou will love this book...it was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteOh my! This like thw news we see on TV. That would have been very scary. She was very brave, doing what needed to be done. I'm not sure that I could be, but I hope so! That book sounds very, very good. Can it be read as a stand alone? I would love to read it. Thanks to Teresa for the interview and to Christy for writing it. Hope I ca read it. Hello and G'nite to each of you. GOD bless you!
MAXIE mac262(at)me(dot)com OWG Love this bunch of gals! :)
Yes, Maxie, the book will make sense as a standalone! Thanks for asking.
DeleteMAXIE we love you too!! This is a great book and you will love it! :)
DeleteNice review, Teresa! I'm reading an LI book right now and truly enjoying it so I would love to give this one a shot. hehe (pun intended)
ReplyDeleteThere are all kinds of ways to be brave. I had to make the decision to remove my mothers life support and stay with her until she passed away because my dad is a coward and wouldn't do it. (I'm not maligning him when I say this because he said it himself) I also had to, along with my husband, make the same decision regarding our daughter last year, so yeah I'd say I've had to be brave, just not in a criminal manner.
Love you, ladies! Hope y'all are having a good week, all over the world!
ANNE I would say you have had more than your share of trying things in your life. I think you are one of the bravest people I know. :)
DeleteI hope you get to read this one...it's terrific!
Love you too!!
Wow, Ann, I can't even imagine. Thanks for sharing your story, and God bless you.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've had several moments that were scary and I had to be brave. But I'm 54, so it would be expected that I'd have a few of these encounters. I have this book so please don't enter me into the drawing. Great blog today as always. Hugs, Susan Fryman
ReplyDeleteSUSAN thanks for stopping by and sharing with us. I've had a few times when I've had to be brave also, when we first got married my hubby "jokingly" told me if a robber ever broke into our house he would shove me in front so he could run away!! I think he was joking...good thing we've never had to find out! ~wink~
ReplyDeleteHaving 5 children we have had several crazy times but I think the scariest time for me, was when I had to be brave because my youngest daughter (about 3 at the time) was missing! Sorry this is long, but it is not a short story...
ReplyDeleteWe had arrived at out church campmeeting and were setting up camp, when it was decided I would make a run to the store for soe forgotten items (at about 11 PM) and I left my 3 girls with my neice (the oldest was 7) in out 3-room tent, while my sister-in-law was in their camper in the same space, & my parents in their camp trailer next door, taking my toddler son with me. when I returned about an hr. later, I found my youngest daughter was missing. Assuming maybe she had gone to the restroom (not far away) I started searching for her, both inside the tent and followig the paths to the restroom. When I didn't find her (after also including my family in the search) it was decided we needed to contact the camp security. After more searching with no results, the security decided it was time to call in the police, & I had to place the dreaded call to my husband telling him I had lost our daughter! A youth group that was camping near us, had also joined in the search, and one girl was walking the train tracks, since many people had commented, "Did you hear the train stop? Why did the train stop? The train NEVER stops!" someone else had commented on seeing a vehicle with a couple young men in it, stop near the bathrooms and then drive out quickly! Things were NOT looking good. The police had me fill out a missing person report & asked for a recent photo--I felt like I was part of a police drama on TV! Finally, (i think about 2 AM by this point), my husband took me in his arms and prayed that we would find her. As he walked away, I (a person who has always held together during a crisis & then fell apart after it was over) felt my knees begin to buckle & my SIL saw me and brought me into her camper. A few minutes later, my husband came into the camper and asked "How many times did we searh in the tent?" I said, "A bunch! I searched, my family searched, the security searched and the poilice searched!" I asked him if he had found her and w/o an answer, he brought me into our tent, to "our side" of the tent and asked if I saw anything strange or out of place, & I said no. He then pulled the sleeping bag back and there she lay, sound asleep! The air mattress had lost just eough air, that it had puffed up around here and since she was snuggled inside the sleeping bag, it looked the same as when I had "made the bed" before leaving! Talk about being embarrassed the next day around the taberenacle--everytime, I called out to our daughter there was someone (or MORE than 1) who responded with, "So this is the lost little girl everyone was looking for last night!" and I sheepishly said, "Yes, she was sound asleep in the sleeping bag..." Thankfully everyone was just happy she was okay...
Vmarney@hotmail(dot)com
Vicki OWG
VICKI ohmygoodnessgracious I would have been out of my mind. I am so glad everything turned out ok and that God was watching out for your baby girl the whole time but I'm sure you wish He had let you in on it a little sooner. :) Thanks for sharing this with us.
DeleteI don't think I've ever really had to be brave like that. I hope I would be level-headed! shopgirl152nykiki(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteVeronica I would hope I would be levelheaded too if I was in that situation. I was in the bank a few days ago and thought "hope this place doesn't get robbed while I'm here" lol!! Thanks for stopping by. :)
DeleteI have had to be brave when my kids were afraid, and I was too, but I had to be brave so my kids would be less scared.
ReplyDeleteischu9@aol.com
TICKMENOT
DeleteYes as moms I think we've all had to do that, I know I have. Thanks for coming by and sharing with us, :)