No Child of Mine, by Kelly Irvin (Five Star Publishing)

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The perfect sequel to A Deadly Wilderness.

Ms. Irvin takes us once again to the the stark outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, where an unforgiving wilderness hides a horrible secret--one that history now threatens to repeat.

Discovery of a shallow grave containing the remains of a five-year-old murder launches a team of homicide detectives and a deputy sheriff on a manhunt for the perpetrator. A simultaneous kidnapping splits the team's efforts between bringing to justice the murderer and the kidnapper. Their quandry: how to prioritize their time between the case of a living victim and a dead one. Seems like a simple answer, save the niggling uneasiness among the lawmen that the two crimes may well be related. For both of them involve young children.

Intense personal issues, as well as awkward professional and interpersonal relations, among the team's members complicate the intertwined investigations. And hovering over these issues is the lingering promise of faith and the consequences of denying it.

Ms. Irvin ramps up the tension at a measured pace until the pedal is against the metal and you best not let go of the steering wheel. If it reaches that point while you're settling down for a little bedtime reading, as it did for me, plan on a late night. It's just going to happen.

As the cover image implies, this is an advance reader's copy. No Child of Mine is due for release in August 2011. Glad I got a sneak preview.
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