Shadows of Lancaster County

When a narrative opens with the words ""I'm dead,"" the reader generally accepts that come-hither, and Clark (Whispers of the Bayou) keeps up the pace set by a nighttime motorcycle ride in the opening scene of this Christian suspense novel. ""Skip tracer"" Anna Jensen, who finds missing people, must face her checkered past when she returns home to Pennsylvania's Amish country in order to find her vanished brother. Complicating the plot is a tale of missing jewels and complex personal histories; Clark has a lot going on, and not everything is equally successful. The end-game plot twist is surprising, though not completely convincing, and the romantic element is much less successful than the atmosphere of suspense and the intricate plotting. The religious element, present but not preachy, is natural in this tale of unfolding revelation. Clark weaves a web of characters and events that will draw in Christian suspense fans.