Review: Strand of Deception by Robin Carroll

NOTE: AS OF 4/23 – STRAND OF DECEPTION IS 1.99 ON KINDLE!!!!!!!!! No idea how long it will last so double check before clicking buy!!

When Gina Ford, the daughter of a prominent Tennessee politician, goes missing from the University of Memphis a week after another girl was murdered on the same campus, police call in the FBI. Nick Hagar, married to his job as Special Agent in Charge, is assigned to the case, and when Gina’s body is found, her father demands justice.

Maddie Baxter is the forensic expert running DNA tests from the crime scene. When they come back without a match, Nick asks her to do a familial DNA run that yields a shocking result: the prime suspect is Adam Alexander, the very same guy who broke Maddie’s heart when she was in college.

But do scientific advancements tell the whole story? Strand of Deception offers romance, suspense, and a lively debate about the impact of DNA testing, for better or worse, on the United States justice system.

The third in Robin’s Justice Seekers series brings closure to the third Baxter sibling. You do not need to have read the first two in order to enjoy this one, but I recommend it anyway ;). Reviews can be found on this site.

It’s a page turning [or right arrow pushing] novel, hooking you from the opening page until the last waffy sigh. With twists and turns worthy of a good NCIS episode [or maybe Castle is more appropriate?], I was kept guessing the whole time. The person who did it was on my radar, then off, then on, then off. And I don’t think I ever guessed the truth – something I’m usually pretty good at.

I loved Maddie and Nick and wished we’d get to see them again in the future, but as this is the last of the series, that’s unlikely. :/

The main plot revolving around the death of Gina Ford is a great one, but just as good is the subplot about a man Maddie helps set free when the evidence simply isn’t there to uphold his conviction*.

I know Robin is working on some other projects, but I look forward to another romantic suspense!

Overall rating: 8.75 out of 10 stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ecopy in exchange for my honest review.
*Random aside: It made me think of the Ryan Ferguson case and wonder when he might finally get to go free since there’s no physical evidence he was there…