🐕‍🦺🚓🏔️ “Deadly Mountain Escape” (2024) 🏔️🚓🐕‍🦺 – Book Review

 

MY REVIEW 

Paperback: 224 pages 
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense (January 23, 2024)  
Language: English 
ISBN: 1335597883
ISBN-13: 978-1335597885
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information 

 

“Can this officer stop a trafficking ring?

 

Or will deadly criminals stop her first?

 

A search for a missing young woman becomes a nightmare for K-9 deputy Charlotte Walker when she stumbles on a trafficking ring and is captured. Death seems certain until she’s rescued by rancher Jonas Knowles. Together, they take shelter in the Amish community he left behind. But they can’t hide forever—not when the criminals are still after them and countless girls are at risk…” 

 

Thank you in advance to the author, Mary Alford, for providing a complimentary review copy through her review team. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own. 

 

The first book by the author I read was almost four (4) years ago in March 2020, Amish Country Murder. Since then, I’ve read three of her Love Inspired Suspense (LIS) releases, and her Revell debut – Among the Innocent. I also have five (5) of her LIS books on my TBR, and, likely after this one – they won’t be the only ones. 

 

This is actually a standalone read, though I do hope there are more connected books planned as I want to know more about what happened with certain characters.

 

And, speaking of characters, Alford introduces readers to: 

 

👩🏻‍🦰 Charlotte

🐕‍🦺 Annie (Charlotte’s K-9 partner)

👨🏻‍🌾 Jonas 

👩🏻 Lainey

👨🏻‍🌾 Abram

 

In addition to other “good guys” and “bad guys” readers meet throughout the story. 

 

Despite being a “clean” read – this does have some disturbing themes to it. There mention of domestic violence as well as the main story pertaining to human trafficking. There are also themes of grief, as well as a death in childbirth. 

 

Alford wastes little time in getting to the action. We know that Charlotte is still affected by the death of her fiancé Ryan, the man who’d trained her K-9 Annie. Charlotte thought his death was as suspicious as the death of the girl they were looking for (Michaela). 

 

However, Charlotte can’t think about that. She’s trying to track down the granddaughter of a neighbor. Lainey is missing and it isn’t like her. As a favor to Dottie, Charlotte takes Annie to track down the younger woman. As it is on her off-time, Charlotte doesn’t report in to the Sheriff’s department. 

 

Jonas is living on a ranch in a self-imposed seclusion because of the death of his wife Ivy and their unborn baby. He blames himself for what happened six (6) years earlier. He isn’t the same man he was, and thus drifted from his faith. However, the still keeps some ways as he hasn’t completely embraced Englisch life – driving a car, or shaving his beard. 

 

He lives near an unsavory person (Harley), and has a feeling something is going on. He knows Harley isn’t kind to his wife (Betty). He’s had bad suspicions over the past six (6) years, but nothing to prove them. Yet, it is when he witnesses Charlotte’s jeep being driven by Harley that he springs into action. 

 

It isn’t just Charlotte’s life he saves, but Lainey’s as well. There’s more – the comings and goings at Harley’s place lead back to a human trafficking ring. Hoping he can find some redemption for letting Ivy down; he stays by Charlotte’s side to help her find the girls that Lainey had been held with. 

 

Jonas leads the women to Abram’s house. Given the situation, Abram agrees to help out – namely get Lainey to the local police department to backup Charlotte. The two “couples” split up. Both Jonas and Charlotte realize that getting to the women is paramount, not knowing how long they’ve been held or what is going to happen. Despite being a Pacifist, Jonas knows he would do anything to help Charlotte, as well as the women being held by Harley and his unsavory associates. 

 

Jonas blames himself for not being more observant, and Charlotte is wondering why Harley got by with as many misdeeds as he did. However, the questions and even their “feelings” that are growing for each other have to wait until they find the women. They’re dangerously outnumbered and time is not on their side. Charlotte begins to wonder if Ryan and Michaela’s deaths were really the accidents they were made out to be, or could they be connected to what is going on?

 

Jonas and Charlotte both have a second chance at love, if they can not only survive, but let go of the guilt they carry for their loved ones’ deaths. 

 

Deadly Mountain Escape is packed with non-stop action, peril; and along the way; the main characters have a redemption arc. It was interesting to see two drastically different people – Jonas (Amish) and Charlotte (Englisch) – have a similar experience with grief and loss. 

 

I was drawn right in and EASILY could’ve read this in a day had I not been sick. I honestly was upset that I couldn’t read it as much as I’d wanted because it really was hard to put down. It was everything a book in this genre should be – suspenseful, intense, riveting, at times even downright sinister. That’s not to say the other books in the line haven’t been, but this was definitely high on the intensity factor. Even though this was a romantic suspense novel, it leaned more towards suspense with only 10% focusing on the romance part. The romance was more like a reward for seeing their mission through, as well as coming to terms with situations outside their control that caused the death of their loved ones. 

 

One thing I found interesting was the lack of the “shunning” that often takes place when an Amish person is baptized into the faith but leaves for whatever reason. Much like Jonas had done – he left because he lost his faith and was no longer “that” person. Once a baptized person leaves, they are “shunned” and their families are not to associate with them. 

 

Not to spoil the story angle, but that “issue” comes up when Abram (an Amish man) stands up for someone at an Englisch wedding, and other Amish family members attend. Unless the parties getting married are Amish, it was my understanding that Amish members cannot be part of the wedding (one standing up for another). These two “rules” have been addressed in other books both from LI and LIS that often are Amish-centric. I was a bit curious as it seemed a slight departure from the other books. 

 

Then again, that’s what I love about Alford’s books – they take a departure from where the reader thinks the story is going, or what it should be. That’s not always a bad thing – but it was definitely interesting. 

 

Since this is part of the Christian line from Harlequin Books, and also as an “Amish” theme – there will be references to God (Gott) and prayer. These are central to the characters’ faith, but not in an overwhelmingly “preachy” manner. 

 

I’m looking forward to seeing what Alford has planned next – either through Revell or Love Inspired Suspense. 

 

Fans of the author won’t want to miss this one! 

 

 

 

RATING:  

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads  

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub  

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html;update https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/07/what-goes-into-my-reviews-2022-edition.html) 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Mary Alford was inspired to become a writer after reading romantic suspense greats Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney. Soon, creating characters and throwing them into dangerous situations that tested their faith came naturally for Mary. In 2012 Mary entered the speed-dating contest hosted by Love Inspired Suspense and later received “the call”. Writing for Love Inspired Suspense has been a dream come true for Mary.

 

She can be found on the following social media accounts:

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryAlfordAuthor/

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryjalfordauthor/

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maryalford13

 

 

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