Not This Time

( 16 )

Overview

Small town scandal. International terrorist attack. Who among them is the traitor?
 
Sara and Beth have built a multi-million dollar business together, but their once solid friendship is now strained. Beth is leery of Sara’s husband, and when he is kidnapped, authorities consider Beth their prime suspect.
 
Then, their small town of Seagrove Village is rocked by an ...

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More About This Book

Overview

Small town scandal. International terrorist attack. Who among them is the traitor?
 
Sara and Beth have built a multi-million dollar business together, but their once solid friendship is now strained. Beth is leery of Sara’s husband, and when he is kidnapped, authorities consider Beth their prime suspect.
 
Then, their small town of Seagrove Village is rocked by an act of terrorism, and Beth doesn’t know who to trust. Someone she knows is linked to the attack, but who? Is there a connection to Crossroads Crisis Center? In the midst of the confusion and fear, Beth finds herself attracted to a man from her past. She knows she shouldn’t fall in love with him, but she can’t resist or even explain their bond. As her world unravels around her, she wonders, is it possible to be beyond redemption?

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781601422071
  • Publisher: The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group
  • Publication date: 2/21/2012
  • Series: Crossroads Crisis Center Series
  • Pages: 336
  • Sales rank: 386,622
  • Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.10 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Vicki Hinze is an award-winning author of multiple novels including Forget Me Not and Deadly Ties. Hinze’s willingness to take risks in writing and genre has earned her a reputation for trail-blazing skill. She holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and a Doctorate in Philosophy, Theocentric Business & Ethics and served as vice president on the International Thriller Writers Board of Directors. She lives in Florida with her husband.

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Read an Excerpt

Not This Time

A Novel
By Vicki Hinze

Multnomah Books

Copyright © 2012 Vicki Hinze
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9781601422071
Saturday, June 5 at 6:00 p.m., Seagrove Village, Florida

He was late.

The country club’s parking lot was nearly full, but Detective Jeff Meyers spotted an empty slot in the last of five rows. He parked and cut the engine, grabbed the invitation to Harvey and Roxy Talbot’s remarriage off the center console, and then rushed through the humid heat back to the main entrance.

Cold air blasted him in the face. He breathed deeply, relishing it. No doubt all the Crossroads Crisis Center staff were already out in the courtyard. He hated to show up for a classy event late and sweaty, but thanks to clashing factions at Ruby’s Diner over the coming mayoral election, there hadn’t been time to shower and change clothes.

Bypassing a grouping of sofa and chairs, Jeff headed toward the back of the building. With all its polish and gold-framed original art, the club was too elegant for his tastes, but the people were friendly enough to make it semicomfortable.

There was no need to ask anyone where to go, which was a good thing, since not a soul was in sight—kind of funny, that—but Annie and Nora, the self-appointed Seagrove Village wedding planners, had made sure if a body found the front door, there’d be no confusion.

Rose petals on the cool marble floor created a path between white stretch columns to a set of french doors that led outside to the courtyard. A sign would have worked, but the club didn’t allow them. There were limits to its tolerance
for things that pricked at its perception of class.

Since Roxy had her heart set on the inner courtyard, they had scheduled the ceremony later in the day to avoid the relentless heat, but it still radiated. With reluctance, Jeff left the cool lobby and closed the french doors behind him. Doing his job or not, he would get his ears blistered by Nora for being late. His only hope was that the village matriarch was so focused on the ceremony she wouldn’t notice. She was getting up in age and bat-blind, seeing walls only when she bumped into them, but Jeff had never known Ben Brandt’s housekeeper to miss a thing that mattered to her, which meant Jeff was going to get reamed. He resigned himself to it.

Nora had put everyone on notice. This ceremony had to be perfect for Harvey and Roxy. Dr. Harvey Talbot worked at Ben’s crisis center and Nora worked for Ben. That put Harvey under Nora’s protective wing as one of her “boys.” She was beloved in the village, and anyone who messed with her would answer to everyone—Jeff included.

Truly, Harvey and Roxy getting back together was a miracle, and all the villagers were glad to see it. They never should have gotten divorced. Harvey hadn’t wanted it, but Roxy was with the FBI and she’d pulled a case that involved NINA—Nihilists in Anarchy—a group of terrorists with a criminal wing so ruthless, it gave Homeland Security, law  enforcement, and crooks cold chills. Roxy had divorced Harvey to get him out of the line of fire so NINA wouldn’t hurt him or use him to get to her. Not that she’d explained that to Harvey, which is why he’d been as miserable as aman on death row. Apparently, so had she.

Jeff followed the rose-petal trail onto a stone walkway that wound between fat shrubs and fountains that cooled the air with a welcome mist. He’d like to pause to cool down but didn’t dare; if he was lucky, he’d get to hear the “I do agains.”

Intended to seat fifty, the intimate courtyard was surrounded on all sides by brick buildings that held in the heat. He rushed his steps, rounded a cluster of petite palms and spiny palmettos—and came to a dead halt. Bodies lay everywhere.

All the white-slatted chairs stood empty, and every guest who should have been in one was sprawled on the ground. Under the arch draped in leafy greenery and pink roses lay Harvey and Roxy and Reverend Brown.

Jeff didn’t dare move. Hyperalert, he scanned the scene. The Crossroads group was clustered together. Nora lay facedown, her arm outstretched as if reaching for her companion, Clyde Parker, who was flat on his back with a
toppled chair parked half on his stomach. It wasn’t moving. With breaths, that chair should be moving.

Jeff whipped out his phone and hit speed dial, phoning the station. Busy. No surprise; most who’d answer were here, supine on the grass. The silence in the courtyard was deafening. They all lay motionless. What had happened here?
His heart thudding, he pulled his gun, continued searching. Nothing. Fearing a trap, he checked the rooftops but saw only clear blue sky. The lingering scent of something pungent burned his nose. It sure wasn’t the flowers, but he
couldn’t tag its source. The building’s walls had trapped the scent, but now a breeze stirred. Whatever the smell, it was faint and fading fast; another minute or two and it’d be gone.

Chemical. Get out of here. You’re getting exposed.

He ignored the warning. He was already exposed, and these people mattered to him; he couldn’t just leave them. Keeping his eyes peeled, he thumbed off the safety and readied for rapid firing, then moved toward the people closest to him: Beth Dawson and her SaBe Inc. co-owner, Sara Jones-Tayton. Sara’s husband, Robert, wasn’t with her. Strange. He seldom missed a social event, and Sara rarely attended one without him. Beth and Sara volunteered at Crossroads, kept the center’s computers safe from hackers, and helped out Quantico when it got in a pinch. Crumpled on the grass behind the chairs, they too must have arrived late and not made the last half-dozen steps to their seats.
His mouth went stone dry. These were all his friends—many of them since birth. Were they all dead?

Nothing. Not one unexpected sight or sound or movement. He tried the station again. Still busy.

A table draped in crisp white linen stood between the others and him. Flowers and crystal filled one end; a two-tier wedding cake, the other. The breeze bent all the leaves to the north, and that faint, pungent smell had disappeared.
Whatever it was, it’d dissipated.

Get out, Jeff. Wait for Hazmat.

The internal battle escalated to a war. He should wait for a hazardous material team, but his heart wouldn’t let him. Covering his mouth and nose with his handkerchief, he stepped behind the table and bumped his back against the brick building, then slid down the rough wall to Beth. Don’t let her be dead.

Please.

In a cold sweat, he squatted and pressed his fingers to her throat. A steady thump pulsed against his fingertips. She was alive. Thank God.

“Beth?”

No answer.

“Beth?” They had dated a couple times. He had been crazy about her, but she just hadn’t been into him, so they settled for being friends. “Can you hear me?”

No response.

What about the others?

No. Backup first. You need backup.

Reverting to his life as a beat cop, he reached for the radio clipped to his collar before remembering he no longer had one and his phone was already in his hand. Darting, wary, he tried the station yet again. Finally, it rang.

“Seagrove Village Police.”

The rookie, Kyle Perry. “It’s Jeff Meyer. Who’s there with clout?”

“The chief ’s in, but he’s in conference.”

“Get him.”

“I can’t, Detective. He said not to disturb him.”

It was quicker to switch than to fight a rookie under orders. “Who else is there?”

“Coroner Green.”

Hank would do. “Get him on the phone.”

A moment later, Hank came on the line. “Hey, why aren’t you at the ceremony?”

“I just got here. Everyone’s out cold, Hank.” Jeff briefed him, requested backup, and then added, “I need a Hazmat team—medical too, but put them in a holding pattern away from the building until Hazmat gives an all clear.”

“What do you think happened?”

Sara Jones-Tayton was breathing. Shallow and slow, pulse thready but there. “I don’t know.” Jeff stood, his knees crackling. Still no one conscious in sight. He moved on to the next closest group. “No signs of a struggle. They’re
just all on the ground, out cold.”

“White powder? Oily residue? Funny smell? Anything like that?”

“No residue or powder. I caught a whiff of something when I arrived, but it’s gone now. There’s nothing else to see—wait a second.” Beth lay on her side, her hand buried beneath her. He looked closely, then checked the others, homing in on their hands. Beth, Sara, Kelly Walker, and Lisa Harper all had strings tied to their fingers—and Roxy did too. “Five women have strings tied to their fingers. Looks like monofilament.”

“Fishing line?”

“Appears so.” He followed the lines to where they converged. “All five lead to one place—the wedding cake.” Jeff double-checked, then added, “To the bride. She’s half buried in the bottom layer of the cake—not Roxy, the plastic
bride that usually sits on top of the cake.” He moved closer. The plastic was cracked, its edges jagged. “The plastic groom was ripped off.” Jeff checked beneath the table. “He’s missing.”

“T-T-The plastic groom is missing.” Hank stuttered. “H-Harvey—”

“Is here.”

“Then what does it mean?”

“I don’t know, but this was no accident.”Not with those strings. Jeff didn’t
like where his mind was going, yet he’d have to be a brick short to ignore the
obvious. “Professionals knocked out everyone and singled out specific targets.”

“Oh man. Not NINA again.” Hank sounded as nervous as Jeff felt.

The international terrorist organization that, to fund its ideological objectives, black-marketed anything of value—weapons, intelligence, drugs, people. “It’s crossed my mind already.” They’d had two run-ins with NINA; of course
it’d crossed his mind.

“I could see NINA coming after Kelly or Lisa—and Roxy busted up their human-trafficking operation—but why Beth and Sara? They can’t identify anyone in NINA.”

“They helped us take NINA down in the human-trafficking case.”When it came to computers, Beth and Sara were two of the best on the planet. Their SaBe was a mega successful software company, and everyone in the village knew they helped out the government all the time. Quantico tried repeatedly to hire Beth full time but couldn’t afford her, and before Sara married Robert Tayton, she’d spent nearly as much time at Quantico as she had at home. NINA could want them both out of the way for that. “Revenge, maybe?”

Jeff turned to examine the next of the fallen. Darla Green, the widow of the deceased mayor, lay alone. Jeff wiggled his fingers into position on her throat. Breathing. He moved on.

Hank grunted. “NINA can’t afford idle revenge. If they’re behind this—”

“Who else has the ability or guts to pull off something like this?”

“No one who’d actually do it. But that means there’s more to it than revenge.”

“We don’t even know what it is yet.” Jeff kept moving through the crowd, person to person, finding throat pulses and growing more and more relieved.  “Whatever it is, we never saw it coming. They came in and did what they wanted—they could have killed them all. ”That truth sent shards of fear slicing through Jeff’s veins. His friends—all his friends—could have been murdered on his watch.

“But they didn’t kill them.”

“Not this time.” Jeff gazed down, then glanced over, seemingly seeing double senior women. His heart sank, then slammed against his chest wall. “Maybe something is still in the air, Hank. I’m seeing two Noras.”

“Probably Nathara, Nora’s identical twin. She’s here from New Orleans to take Nora to some eye specialist.”

“Oh.” Jeff had never seen her before. He blew out a relieved breath and checked them both. Strong. Steady. He moved on, past Nora and her sister, and placed his fingertips on the next throat. Nothing.

He tried again.

Still nothing.

Tried a third time but it just wasn’t there. No pulse.

A lump rose in Jeff ’s throat. “Oh, man.”

“What?”

Jeff ’s eyes burned. Bury it. You’re a professional. Remember it. His throat went thick and strain flooded his voice. “You’ll need to come out too, Hank. I—I, um, can’t lock down the crime scene by myself, and the rookie won’t be
much help.”

“Got it. Backup’s already on the way.”

Not the kind of help he required. “I need back up and high-powered help.”

“How high?” Uncertainty elevated Hank’s voice.

A tear leaked from Jeff’s eye. “All the way.” Hank was sharp on the uptake. The chief was too. They’d know to contact Homeland Security and to get the FBI on-scene immediately.

“Al won’t like it. Not without some preliminary work being done first.”

Hank Green was wrong on that. “The chief will dial the phone.” Jeff looked into sightless eyes that once had twinkled kindness and his own vision blurred. He gently swept the eyelids closed with his fingertips and searched for
his voice. “This has to be some kind of chemical attack. We don’t have the resources—”

“Let’s don’t jump to conclusions, Jeff.”

He started snapping photos with his cell phone. Hank, not the chief, was reluctant to call in outsiders. Why? Protecting the village tourism? He was running for mayor… “You either jump or get dragged into this one, Hank. Chemical is all that makes sense.”

“We don’t have to rush to judgment. They’re alive. We can—”

“I’m afraid we do need to rush,” Jeff interrupted. The first forty-eight hours were critical to successfully solving any case. Stats backed himup on that. “We have a fatality.”

A long second passed. Then another. “Visitor or villager?”

Jeff ’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat. No way was he identifying this victim over the phone. Word would sweep through Seagrove like wildfire. “A villager.” He moved over to the cake, snapped a shot. A curled edge of paper
was half buried in the frosting. “Whoever did this left a message. It’s attached to the bride buried in the cake.”

“Can you read it without disturbing it?”

Jeff moved around, positioned at an angle and the bold black print became clear. “I can read one word.” Chills slammed through his chest, spread like fingers to his limbs. He jerked away, stiffened.

“What does it say?”

“Boom.”

Continues...
Excerpted from Not This Time by Vicki Hinze Copyright © 2012 by Vicki Hinze. Excerpted by permission of Multnomah Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 16 )
Rating Distribution

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(7)

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(6)

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Sort by: Showing all of 16 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 21, 2012

    I love the plot...but the digital edition really is bad...missin

    I love the plot...but the digital edition really is bad...missing completed sentences. Sentences that just end in mid-stream.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted March 14, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    I have mixed feelings on Vicki Hinze's new book, Not This Time.

    I have mixed feelings on Vicki Hinze's new book, Not This Time. Vicki is a very good writer of Christian fiction, but I think this one has a problem with too much background information at the beginning. The first few chapters were nearly impossible to follow even though I had read one of the previous books in this series. I wish I had read the second before this one. Multiple new people were introduced on every page, and although the author tried very hard to explain each character, I was totally lost. I actually stopped and started the book over. It didn't help because I was still lost and rather frustrated by it. I decided to just forget the first part and just plow through, and it turned out to be a good story.

    Not This Time is a more of a thriller rather than a mystery with characters that are government agents chasing an international criminal ring. The characters were varied and interesting. The topics of faith, hope, and forgiveness were evident throughout the book. One character struggles with her criminal behavior and seeks forgiveness. This was a wonderful addition to this book to show God’s love and forgiveness for the worst of the worst.

    I don’t normally read romantic novels, but I have to say that I enjoyed the romance that developed between Beth and Joe. Beth was hurt and humiliated by a previous love and trusting “ladies man” Joe was difficult. Their relationship had to progress slowly. Joe, too, had past issues, and he gradually opened up about his Cajun upbringing.

    I enjoyed the book, but I would recommend reading the first two in the Crossroads Crisis Center series before this one or be prepared to make a flow-chart to keep track of characters!

    I was provided a review copy of Not This Time by Vicki Hinze in return for an honest review.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted March 7, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Not this Time is the third in a series of suspense novels by Vic

    Not this Time is the third in a series of suspense novels by Vicki Hinze, set in the small Florida town of Seagrove Village. A large cast of characters includes many whose story’s might be told in earlier volumes. Not having the read the preceding novels I found myself struggling to remember who was who in the first part of this tale, and references to Shadow Watchers and NINA had me unsure what was real and what imagined till the story took off. There’s a fantastic first scene that certainly had me eager to read on, and I enjoyed the level of believable faith in the characters’ interactions—real people struggling with real faith questions in situations that stretch the boundaries of hope.

    Faith, hope and love characterize this novel, with romance, suspense and drama intertwined. The interplay between good and evil leaves pleasing space for redemption, and as things get progressively worse, there’s always room to believe the good guys will win. The action’s maybe over the top, but that says more about my usual choice of novel than about the writing. An exciting suspense story with Christian characters, redemptive themes, and convincing hope in the face of kidnap, terrorism and more, Not This Time is a fine evening’s read that leaves me thinking I might want to try reading books one and two some day.



    Disclosure: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted February 27, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    High-level suspense that's addicting!

    Do you really know your neighbors? Not This Time is the third book in the Crossroad Crisis Center series and if you love a suspenseful story that will keep you up late then this is the one for you! The pacing was rapid with barely a moment to breathe that made it hard to put down. It totally drew me in and had me flipping the pages as fast I could read them. Spellbinding suspense kept me thinking of possible scenarios each time I had to lay it aside. My favorite character is Joe. He’s a Shadow Watcher, part of an elite group that is hunting NINA, a terrorist organization, and their operatives. He’s introduced in book two, Deadly Ties, and I was so happy to see him spotlighted in his own story. Of course, he’s not an attention hog, so we get lots of face time with Beth, Sara, and Jeff who are trying to figure out who is behind the latest attack and a murder or two, in Seagrove Village. But Joe has a special something. Maybe it’s his Cajun drawl that surfaces, and the pitch of his voice, when he’s talking to Beth. He unconsciously slips into his “real” self around her, trusting her with his secrets. And boy howdy, there are some big secrets in Seagrove Village! I was shocked to find out the identities of some of the terrorists, and I’m usually pretty good at ferreting out the bad guys. Some of the scenes are so sad but there’s a theme of redemption that is unquestionably one of the best I have ever read. Not This Time, along with Forget Me Not and Deadly Ties, has a place of honor on my bookshelf because I will be reading and re-reading them for years to come! WaterBrook Multnomah provided a copy of the book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review, just my opinion of the book, which I have done. No compensation has been received.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted February 22, 2012

    An Exciting Read!!!!!

    Not this time By Vicki Hinze is the third on a series. I am telling you this so you will read this series starting with book one. I enjoyed this book very much but wished I would have started this series with book one because there was a few areas in the book that I was lost and sort of confused because I had not read the first two. I will say this book is so exciting. I could not stop reading it. This book takes you to Seagrove in Florida a small town. You will meet Beth Dawson and Sara Jones-Tayton. They are in Business together. You will meet Detective Jeff Meyers. Detective Meyers is in chapter one where he comes late to a wedding only to find a horrible chemical smell and everyone on the floor. The wedding is a deadly one. I could not wait to see what, who and when from this chapter. Then it happens Sara’s husband does not come home and his rental car is found with blood in it. I am going to quit now because this book is good. I want to keep it as suspenseful for you as it was for me. I will be getting the first two in the series. This book was so good that I am giving it 5 stars. I really liked it and have to say you really need to read this book! You will not be sorry. I want to advise you to start reading it on a day when you do not have to put the book down because if you don’t you will find you’re wishing you could be reading the book and wandering what’s happing in the story and how will it end. Now is the time in my blog where I have to tell you I got this complimentary book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my review. The review above is my own opinions.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 11, 2012

    Great Suspense Story

    I recently read Not This Time by Vicki Hinze. The challenge - I just couldn't seem to get focused on the book. I would read a few pages at swimming lessons, but just wasn't caught up in the book. Despite my slow start, I am so glad that I didn't give up on the book. It turned out to be an amazing, page-turner that I couldn't put down. There were a few nights where I stayed up later than I should have once I got into the book, but I simply had to know what happened next and would have stayed up longer, if I hadn't considered when I would have to get up the next morning. I think that part of the challenge to get started was that I was trying to read it in short snippets at the natatorium, while I my daughter called out "Mommy, watch this" (her teacher has to love her need to call out to me the whole class). I think the other part was that it took me a while to identify with the characters, to get to know them. Turns out that this book was the third in a series, so whereas it is a great stand alone read, there likely was some expectation that you could jump into the story - when it picked up at some point after the last one left off. It actually wasn't until I got to the end that I actually realized that there had been two other books in the series. I probably should have realized it sooner - the other two books are called out on the cover, I just didn't realize that they were from the same series, I figured that they were just two other well known books by the author. Lately, I seem to have a knack for picking up a later book in a series. In many instances, it has not been an issue. Once I knew the characters, I was happy to go back and read the earlier books in the series. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that this is the case with Not This Time. You see, it is a suspense series, and there were several references back to the events of those earlier stories. I would love to go back and learn a little more about the characters and how they were shaped, but I already know how it ends. Is a suspense story any good if you know, at least to some degree, how it turns out because you know where things wound up later (ie in the last book). The good news for me is that Vicki Hinze has written several other books and has a few upcoming books - so there are still many options for me to read more books by her. Not This Time is the third book (as I mentioned) in the Crossroads Crisis Center series. The story is focused around Sara and Beth. Together they have built a strong business and friendship. When Sara gets married to a man that Beth can't trust, their otherwise strong friendship is challenged. Sara pushes Beth away, sharing cryptic information like protect yourself from me. When he is kidnapped, Beth becomes a suspect in his disappearance. The story follows their journey to find Sara's husband. Along the way, Beth is falling in love - it is always a nice touch when you can weave in a bit of a love story. It soon becomes obvious that there are 'villains' amongst them, making them unsure of who they can trust and who they can't. I would recommend this book. You may want to consider starting at the beginning of the series, but even if you don't it is a fully contained story that is well worth the read. A copy of the book was provided through Blogging for Books.

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  • Posted August 21, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Enjoyed

    Posted on Romancing the Book's blog
    Reviewed by Ursula
    Review Copy Provided by Edelweiss

    Beth Dawson and Sara Jones-Tayton run a successful software business called SaBe that assists the government with security issues. After a whirl wind courtship Sara marries the mysterious Robert Tayton. With Beth and Sara’s relationship now strained due to Robert, Beth becomes the prime suspect when Robert is kidnapped. After an act of terrorism and Robert’s kidnapping, Beth life is turned upside down. Beth will have to rely on her faith and a man from her past to solve Robert’s kidnapping.

    Terrorism has come to the small town of Seagrove Village, Florida, courtesy of Nihilists in Anarchy (NINA) in Vicki Hinze’s third book in the Crossroads Crisis Center series, Not This Time. This is a fast paced romantic suspense book that introduces many characters in the first several chapters. For that reason, I do recommend reading the other Crossroads Crisis Center books in the series for additional background on some of the characters. The main characters of Beth and Sara are well developed, as are the secondary characters. The reader can easily become emotionally invested in the characters of Beth and Sara and the outcome of Robert’s kidnapping.

    Not This Time has plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged and guessing until the end. There is good flow to the story and the plot moves quickly as do the subplots. Christian themes of redemption and forgiveness are incorporated which compliment the elements of romantic suspense effortlessly. Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a wild ride in Seagrove Village. If you are looking for great suspense book with romantic elements, this one will not disappoint.

    Favorite Quote: “Some people were in your life for your whole life, but most were there just for a season. When it ended, they moved on and so did you. Of those people, some were blessings, some gave you something you needed, and some took something they needed.”

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  • Posted August 14, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Not This Time by Vicki Hinze is the conclusion *sob* to her Cros

    Not This Time by Vicki Hinze is the conclusion *sob* to her Crossroads Crisis Center series. Hinze writes top-notch romantic suspense. She tackles tough topics including human trafficking and domestic violence, and her characters are great. Hinze does a fantastic job with her romantic leads. She knows how to write swoon-worthy heroes! Her bad guys *semi-spoiler alert* (and gals) *end semi-spoiler* are also very well done, even sympathetic at times. I was really hoping that this series would be longer, but Hinze has a new title, Survive the Night, coming in October from Love Inspired Suspense that looks like the first in a new series so Yay!!!

    Read-a-like Authors:
    Dee Henderson
    Colleen Coble
    DiAnn Mills
    Lynette Eason


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  • Posted May 2, 2012

    Great book..but read the 1st two first

    Sara and Beth built a multi-million dollar business and act as anti-terrorism consultants. Now their business and friendship are strained because Beth is leery of Sara’s husband. When he goes missing and is verified kidnapped, authorities consider Beth their prime suspect.
    Then their hometown, Seagrove Village, Florida, is rocked by an act of terrorism, and Beth doesn’t know who to trust. Someone close to her is connected to the attack, but who? Is there a connection to Crossroads Crisis Center? In the midst of the confusion and fear, Beth finds herself attracted to a man from her past, the former Shadow Watcher, Joe. She knows she shouldn’t fall in love with him–she can’t resist or even explain their bond. And as her world unravels around her, she wonders…
    Will the truth set her free or ruin her life? Is it possible to be pushed beyond redemption?
    When I started this book, I quickly realized that it was part of a series. I had a difficult time figuring out the characters and the back story of them, which I know would have helped. The author did give a bit of back story during the plot, but still left the reader a bit confused through the entire book.

    The story though was amazing and kept you guessing and on the edge of the page until the end. Well written and an author that I would definitely read again. If you are interested in reading this book, I would strongly suggest reading the first two books before this one.

    WaterBrook Multnomah sent me this complimentary book to review for them. All opinions are my own.

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  • Posted March 3, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Reviewed by Joy H. for Readers Favorite Sara and Beth have not

    Reviewed by Joy H. for Readers Favorite

    Sara and Beth have not only built a successful multi-million dollar computer business in Seagrove Village, Florida, but their relationship remains stable throughout the business. That is until Sara decides to get married to someone she's known for only a short time. Beth just doesn't trust Sara's new husband, which causes a strain on their long-time relationship.

    It all starts with the attack on a wedding, thought to be caused by a terrorist ring called NINA. When Detective Jeff Meyers discovers bodies lying everywhere, he calls for Detectives Mark and Joe. It is strange that Sara's husband is kidnapped and missing, and since it is known that Beth doesn't care for him at all she becomes the prime suspect for the kidnapping. This detective team has their work cut out for them, especially for the guy called Joe, since he seems to have a thing for the major suspect, Beth. What will happen before they finally find out who is behind these horrible acts of terrorism?

    Vicki Hinze pens another intriguing thriller with so many twists and turns in the plot that it will keep you on your toes and make you guess what is gonna happen next! The characters are unique and well-developed, intriguing and very well-liked. This book is full of just what we want in a thriller-suspense. With the crime, attacks, kidnapping, murders, and the constant fear of the characters that someone is after them, this book will captivate you until you read the last pages!

    If you like thrillers/suspense/crime/murder mysteries this book is a must for you. You will not be disappointed in this latest book by Vicki Hinze. I am eagerly awaiting the next book from this author. Go out, no, run out and grab a copy of this awesome book to read and enjoy!

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  • Posted March 2, 2012

    From the author’s website: Sara and Beth have built a mult

    From the author’s website:
    Sara and Beth have built a multi-million dollar business together, but their once solid friendship is now strained. Beth is leery of Sara’s husband, and when he is kidnapped, authorities consider Beth their prime suspect.

    Then, their small town of Seagrove Village is rocked by an act of terrorism, and Beth doesn’t know who to trust. Someone she knows is linked to the attack, but who? Is there a connection to Crossroads Crisis Center? In the midst of the confusion and fear, Beth finds herself attracted to a man from her past. She knows she shouldn’t fall in love with him, but she can’t resist or even explain their bond. As her world unravels around her, she wonders, is it possible to be beyond redemption?

    When I started reading this book I thought I would never be able to finish it. I was frustrated with the large number of characters and trying to figure out what was going on. I still am not sure exactly who the bad guys are and what their motives are. As I continued to read I was able to follow the story better and realized that I needed to read the previous two books in the series in order to enjoy it more. Had the author included a little more background information about Crossroads, NINA and several of the characters it would have been much better. I’m not sure how much she could include without spoiling the previous books.

    I would recommend Not This Time to anyone who likes mysteries with a little more suspense than a cute cozy but doesn’t want over the top graphic violence or sex. The Christian elements are not preachy and fit in as a natural part of the characters involved.

    I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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