Hazardous Duty
by Christy Barritt
Published by Kregel Publications
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Pattie Reitz
Buying a gun to kill your wife: $3,000
Hiring Trauma Care to clean afterward: $1,500
Having that same cleaner uncover evidence that frames you: Priceless
Gabby St. Claire, while cleaning a murder crime scene, inadvertently discovers the missing murder weapon just before a fire engulfs the victim's home. Just one semester shy of completing her forensic science degree, Gabby plays detective to try and find out who the real murderer is--and why that person seems to want Gabby dead, too.
From the opening pages of Hazardous Duty, I was hooked. Gabby St. Claire's infectious enthusiasm for her job and her humorous attempts at finding a jingle for Trauma Care, her crime-scene cleaning business, are darkly funny.
Make no mistake, however. This is a murder mystery, and the descriptions of the crime scenes are not for the squeamish or weak-stomached among us.
Gabby is one of the most sympathetic and engaging heroines I've encountered in inspirational fiction in quite a long time. Her journey from skepticism to faith is realistic and most certainly not sugar-coated.
What would a novel be without a bit of romance? Our gal Gabby has not one, but two men interested in her: one is her new neighbor, Riley, a Christian with a past who challenges Gabby about what she thinks about God; the other is Parker, the skeptical and irritating detective with whom Gabby frequently argues.
I look forward to reading more of Gabby's story in future novels--more crimes to solve, more romance, but most importantly, more steps of faith.
Armchair Interviews says: Good, good read.