⚖️ 🏛️ 🚓 🚨 “The Catch” (U.S Marshals #3) (2022) 🚨 🚓 🏛️⚖️ – Book Review
MY REVIEW
Publisher: Revell (April 5, 2022)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800737326
ISBN-13: 978-0800737320
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“After a harrowing attempt on a judge's life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge's wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is not who they think she is.
Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the men who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.
USA Today bestselling author Lisa Harris concludes her thrilling US Marshals series with this breathless tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and ultimately, justice prevailing.”
Thank you in advance to the publisher, Revell Books (a division of Baker Books), for providing a complimentary review copy through Interviews & Reviews. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own.
If you haven’t read the first two books: The Escape and The Chase prior to this – you need to.
Since this was a trilogy, and as the author left the endings of the first two books open – I needed this book to find out what was going to happen.
The open-endings? Who killed Madison James’ husband (Luke) some five years earlier and shot Madison at the end of book #1? It is the same person – but the who and why is elusive. Only a clue here or there is revealed across the first two books.
All three stories take place in about less than 4-5 months’ time. The covers look nearly identical so there is no question it is a series and should definitely be read in order.
Other returning characters – Madison and Jonas’ boss, Carl Michaels; Madison’s sister Danielle; Madison and Danielle’s father (whose battle with Alzheimer’s is getting worse); and Piper, a USMS analyst (who was introduced in book #2).
Like the previous two books, this one has a new “case” for the Deputy U.S Marshals – and it is far more complicated than it looks.
The series also continues the romance between Madison and fellow Deputy U.S Marshal Jonas Quinn. There is no doubt the two love each other, but having time and “closure” to experience it is another matter.
The first chapter sets it off with an interesting revelation about a judge, a mistress, and a baby – adding the man’s wife into the mix.
Harris doesn’t wait for a windup and pitch – she hurls the ball with tremendous force and speed before the 5th chapter, plunging the reader right in with no handrails or chance to duck. Harris expertly highlights the “three truths to every story – his, hers, and THE truth”, or “yours, mine, and THE truth”.
After the attempt on Judge Robert Saylor’s life at the courthouse, he goes home to find his wife murdered. Naturally the two think it has to do with a high-profile case, but they find evidence of the judge’s extra marital conduct, rather an admission and evidence in the way of a baby.
Obviously, it looks like the mother of the baby (Saylor’s mistress) is the culprit. And, Becca is apprehended quite quickly (within 35 pages).
But, nothing is as it seems, obviously. Becca and Robert’s son is missing, and the woman the baby is with? She has her own story.
Ava’s story connects to the U.S Marshals in more than one way. She, in addition to Madison and Jonas, also has a POV.
She, in addition to Madison and Jonas, also has a POV.
Harris has a TRIPLE story arc here that DOES NOT disappoint at all: Becca’s involvement with the judge and murder of his wife, Ava’s story and disappearance, and the investigation in Luke’s death/Madison’s shooting. The excitement builds page upon page with red herrings tossed in as well.
While Ava is trying to stay safe, Madison and Jonas are one-step behind in trying to find her, but the bad guys are just ahead of them (slightly behind Ava).
This definitely makes the reader wonder – “what was the main plot” because of all the different story arcs and how well they worked together.
While explaining how this connects to the story would be a spoiler, it was interesting to watch how tying the WITSEC program together with an Amber Alert play out.
The Catch was a super-fast thrill-ride that required handrails, seatbelts, and a shoulder harness to get through. This had hairpin turns, sudden and step drops, along with a startling climatic finish. Exciting, gut-wrenching, and full of surprises. I could not put this down. I actually finished this (first page to last) in THREE (3) hours; the first sitting was 204 pages in 90 minutes. That is a rare feat. I rarely do that with even a small 225-page Harlequin book.
The short chapters really kept me reading right through this. And, Harris’ writing was fast-paced without looking like she was rushing through the story.
Despite everything going on, Harris manages to successfully tie everything together and wrap up the story as well as the series. I was not disappointed at all.
I am sad the series is over, but it is VERY high on the “re-read” list. I still have A Secret to Die For on my TBR stack. And, I’m very eager to see what Harris does next.
This is distributed by Revell, a primarily
Christian/faith-themed publisher, naturally there are references to God,
mentions of the Psalms, tenets of the Christian faith espoused or practiced.
However, these were the characters’ traits and not integral to the storyline.
This was, despite some violence, a VERY clean read.
RATING:
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
Previous books in the series:
“How do you catch a fugitive who has nothing to lose?
US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn have orders to transport two high-profile prisoners across the country on a private plane. But when the plane experiences engine trouble en route from the Pacific Northwest to Colorado, the pilots crash-land the aircraft deep in the heart of the sprawling Salmon-Challis National Forest.
With both pilots and one prisoner dead--and one fugitive on the run--Madison and Jonas must negotiate the rugged and remote backcountry as they track a murderer who is desperate to disappear . . . and will do anything to stop them.”
Series: U.S Marshals (Book #2)
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Revell (July 6, 2021)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800737318
ISBN-13: 978-0800737313
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“US Marshal Madison James may not be sure who shot her three months ago, but she does know one thing--it's time to get back out into the field. When her partner, Jonas Quinn, receives a message that a federal warrant just came in on a man connected to a string of bank robberies, Madison jumps at the chance to get back to work. What she and Jonas find is a bank robbery in progress that's gone wrong--and things are about to get worse.
For these bank robbers, it's never been just about the money. It's about taking risks and adrenaline rushes, and getting caught is not part of the game. When the suspects escape, Madison and Jonas must hunt them down and bring them to justice before someone else--someone close to them--gets hurt . . . or worse.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Harris is a USA Today bestselling author, a Christy Award winner, and a two-time winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel from Romantic Times. The author of more than forty books, including The Escape and The Chase in the acclaimed U.S Marshals series, Harris and her family have spent over seventeen years living as missionaries in southern Africa. She is currently stateside in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Learn more at www.lisaharriswrites.com.
You can also find her on the following social media accounts:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaHarris
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heart_of_africa_photography/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heartofafrica
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