Code of Valor

In the third book of Eason’s Blue Justice series (after Called to Protect), police officer Brady St. John’s relaxing vacation in North Carolina is interrupted by a damsel in distress. Emily Chastain, an internal financial investigator for the local bank, has been looking into recent suspicious transactions. Along with her journalist friend, Heather Grigsby, she thinks they are about to uncover a major white-collar crime. The two sleuths discover unannounced transactions being made by Jeremy Hightower, their former high school bully, which appear to be part of a money laundering and human trafficking ring. But just as they are piecing things together, Melanie disappears, and Emily barely escapes a kidnapping attempt, fleeing into the arms of Brady. The rest is an action-filled narrative full of shoot-outs, Molotov cocktails, and underworld crime bosses. Flat dialogue and timeworn characters—Brady is “mad at God,” and Emily has a troubled past but is learning to love herself—create a disappointing, predicable narrative driven by one-liners and whiplash plot twists. Series fans may enjoy this high-paced, faith-based thriller. (Jan.)