Acquired Book By: In February, (2023) I was one of the lucky Early Reviewers to receive a copy of “Counter Attack” by Patricia Bradley from LibraryThing. I have been trying to participate regularly in the ER programme via LibraryThing over the years without success. I was re-attempting to start my journey with the ER programme in (2023) but for whichever reason, I found the book languishing on my shelves to be read rather than getting into the storyline and finishing the book. My mind was distracted by life and work and just a hodgepodge of reasons truly which led to this book getting pushed forward over the last few years. I decided to begin anew in the New Year of 2025 and resume where I left off with both the book and the programme.
I received a complimentary ARC copy of “Counter Attack” direct from the publisher Revell in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein. Per the badge at the end of this review, I am also a member of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Programme. All promo materials for this novel were provided by the publisher and are used with permission.
On why I love reading Contemporary INSY Suspense:
I never meant to be so distanced from reading “Counter Attack” these past few years – as soon as I received the novel, I was anxious to read it. Contemporary INSPY (ie. Inspirational, Christian) Suspense novels is a sub-interest and focus I love in Lit. I share this affinity for these stories with my Mum. Of whom we’re both equally addicted to Love Inspired Suspense. I read a healthy amount of mainstream Suspense & Thrillers too, alongside Cosies (ie. both Contemporary & Historical) as well – but, what has me tucking back into the INSPY side of the bookshelf is how wickedly the authors are writing the stories with an uplifting centre in the heart of their stories. These are the faith-based stories in the genre and ones that I appreciate reading.
Authors I have come to love for INSPY Suspense are Dee Henderson (the original storyteller I was introduced to in this genre of interest), Lynette Eason, Laura Scott, Elizabeth Goddard and Lenora Worth to name a few. Each of these lovely authors write convicting storylines with the light of faith as the backbone of their stories and styles. I love being on pins & needles reading INSPY Contemporary Suspense novels but knowing that there is a line in the sand that won’t be crossed, too. As sometimes mainstream Contemporary Suspense (or Thrillers) can push me a bit past the envelope of what I can handle as a reader. This is why I am particularly particular about the kinds of Suspense & Thrillers I read as a reader.
More recently, on the mainstream side it was D.J. Williams with his The Auctioneer (see also Review) who dearly impressed me with his style of narrative and emotional rollercoaster he took me on!
With the INSPY side of Suspense, I know I am going to be in for a chilling read but that there are certain limits within where I will go with the story and sometimes, for me as a reader those limits are warranted. Especially as I have a lot of IRL stress with double-stacked jobs (night and day) and in my down hours it is nice to curl into a story which I know might leave me on the edge of my seat but it won’t leave me shattered. There is a wonderful JOY in reading a story that gives you a wicked good Suspense but one that promises to sprinkle in enough Hope and Light that leaves you uplifted by the end of the story.
When I first received “Counter Attack” the sequel “Fatal Witness” wasn’t published and I honestly never knew it existed until now. Imagine my surprise finding out the third novel released this past November?! I have both of those novels on my #mustbuy list to continue reading the Pearl River series.
As I was trying to say, I never meant to leave such a long gap of time between receiving “Counter Attack” and reading it. Nor did I intend to leave an absence from my participation in the LibraryThing ER programme as a result of not reading this in a more timely manner. I do want to give a shout-out to Abigail Adams and her kind courtesies of response to my messages about my lack of participation in the programme these past few years. With this review I am resuming my participation and becoming active once again.
Counter Attack
Subtitle: A Pearl River Novel
by Patricia Bradley
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewer Programme
Her next move just might be her last
No sooner has Alexis Stone been sworn in as the interim chief deputy for Russell County, Tennessee, than a serial killer dubbed the Queen's Gambit Killer strikes again--this time in her hometown. Pearl Springs is just supposed to be a temporary stop along the way to Alex's real dream: becoming the first female police chief of Chattanooga. But the killer's calling card--a white pawn and a note with a chess move printed on it--cannot be ignored.
Pearl Springs chief of police Nathan Landry can't believe that his high school sweetheart Alexis (he refuses to call her Alex) is back in town, and he can't help wanting to protect the woman he never stopped loving. But as the danger mounts and the killer closes in, can Nathan come through on the promise he makes to himself to bring a killer to justice before it's too late?
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 9780800741624
Published by Revell
on 16th May, 2023
Format: Paperback ARC
Pages: 378
Published by: Revell (@RevellBooks)
an imprint of Baker Publishing Group
Converse via: #RomanticSuspenseBooks, #RomanticSuspenseReaders
and/or #ChristianFiction and #ChristianRomance
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
and Hardcover for Books 1-2
The Pearl River series:
Counter Attack (Book One) – May, 2023
Fatal Witness (Book Two) – February, 2024
*brings the focus back to K-9 officer Mark Lassiter
Deadly Revenge (Book Three) – November, 2024
About Patricia Bradley
Patricia Bradley is the author of the Pearl River, Natchez Trace Park Rangers, Memphis Cold Case, and Logan Point series. Bradley is the winner of an Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, a Selah Award, and a Daphne du Maurier Award; she was a Carol Award finalist; and three of her books were included in anthologies that debuted on the USA Today bestseller list. She makes her home in Mississippi.
Photo Credit: © Noel Potts
my review of counter attack:
The story begins with an auspiciously curious glimpse into the person behind the deaths – whilst it is countered by the presence of Alexis, a tenacious undercover cop attempting to gain a promotion. Alex has a strong sense of self and a keen eye for rooting out the dry rot of a bar. She also knows how to keep her cover and not get compromised whilst undercover. And, yet the unexpected reunion with her high school sweetheart threw her for a bit. I liked how Bradley placed Nathan at the bar – two cops from different jurisdictions and with two different agendas. Nathan for his sake played his part there well – as he was seeking information to help end the senseless deaths and overdoses at his local high school. Whilst Alex was on the heels of a killer no one could yet identify and yet the victims continued to accumulate.
By the time we catch our breath and find ourselves in the car with Nathan and Alex heading back to Pearl Springs – so much has transpired to leave us feeling like we had whiplash! Alex was targeted for sure, but it was the fallout of that incident that left a bereft Nathan more concerned about Alex than he thought were possible. Whilst Alex was starting to uncover feelings for Nathan, she thought were long since dead. If you ask me, these two are on a collision course for a romance – one that has been percolating in each other’s absence all these years.
If you use the opener as a guide as you read the story, you know a few details that Alex and Nathan are privy to themselves. And, that meant the attack on Alex was much more than it first seemed, and it was interesting how Bradley was showcasing that through the doubts Alex had on the end results of the investigation team on her attack. She wrote it in such a convincing way that it didn’t feel forced but rather a natural reaction by a seasoned cop.
In motivation to have Phame change their plans and redirect their efforts to affect Alex’s life directly. The level this person would take this cat and mouse game was disturbing and difficult to read as it kicked this Suspense into high gear and made it feel more like a Thriller.
As we settle into the life of Alex, we start to acquaint ourselves with her hometown of Pearl Springs and how tightly knit this community has been for those who live there. Which is why when any kind of hard crime comes into its community, it is hard to reconcile as it isn’t the type of place that you’d expect to have the same kinds of crime as larger metropolises. On that note, you also get a key view of how the county Sherrif department, and the city of Pearl Springs police department divides their staff and their resources as Bradley goes into great detail about how there are both joint responsibilities and separate ones too. All whilst Alex is trying to mentally recover from her second shooting on the job, she has to handle the fact that a part of her past and present has landed itself in the sweet hometown of Pearl Springs.
Bradley keeps us glued to the pages to unearth the connections between Phame and Alex – whilst some kernels of insight are shared with us (the readers) and not from Alex, she only reveals what is needed to be known each step of the way. Leading us to sorting out the puzzle pieces alongside Alex and Nathan as they sleuth their way through the clues left behind. I loved how she left tension in the workplace, too. As Alex’s grandfather used to have the position, she had taken over due to his health crisis, and it didn’t sit well with some of the staff. It was well suited to see that kind of inter-office tension and to see how Alex would pivot round it and also deal with it head-on as it were necessary. It also showed how sometimes women still struggle in certain workplaces to assert their strength within their jobs. I appreciated the path Bradley took to showcasing Alex in this role but also, how she softened the edgy storyline with the presence of Nathan. She was building us into a slow-burn romance between her two lead characters and I was loving the journey.
Yet, as the storyline progressed, I saw the seeds of the plot she was planting and was most happy with the directions she was taking us to follow her lead. Especially as although it wasn’t technically ‘obvious’ who the villain of the story was – I must admit, I was able to deduce it based on the theory of whom we’ve been introduced too and of whom might be the culprit. Especially as this wasn’t a locked room mystery but, in a way, it was as it had the same set-up by Bradley as a locked room mystery. You had a certain number of facts, and you had only a certain number of variables and if you deduced the theories by what you were presented you could come to a reasonable conclusion about the person who was responsible in her plot. Except that, it wasn’t that cut and dry either!
You really hugged close to the plot in this one – as there were a lot of moving parts to how Bradley wanted us to thread it all together in the end. She even led us on some interesting sub-plots and subterfuge too! I especially enjoyed seeing the opposite point of view – from that of the villain which was happily drawn out and threaded into the background of the moving plot. Once Bradley started to paint her reveal, it clued us into the thicker perspective she had knitted together all along and also, how interestingly she had the forethought to give us an anti-hero and villain who would give us chills long into the night!
Counter to that of course are the heroes of the story!
Nathan and Alexis are front and centre to the heart of danger and of course, I was on absolute pins awaiting to hear the fates of her grandparents! Alexis comes from such a close-knit family and to think someone would be so sinister to think they had the right to takeaway her sense of security by toying with the sanctity of her family was a line that was definitely crossed.
And, yet I felt the conclusion to the story was a bit anti-climactic?
I was expecting such a big showdown between Alexis, Nathan and their respective law enforcement teams against Phame and by the time I reached the final scene with Phame, I was a bit disappointed. It felt like it was wrapped up a bit too tight and neat for me. I knew they were going to sort it all out and find a way to make their towne safe again but for whichever reason – the build-up to the finale if you will was very well-plotted and then, the capstone on the story just felt a bit too rushed for me as a reader. I was hoping there was going to be something more to the conclusion than just how it was tied up by Bradley.
Except to say – Bradley had one ace up her sleeve! She surprised me by having the nailbiter ending I was aching to read waiting for me after the conclusion of the main story thread! There was a subplot shifting through the narrative since Alex first arrived in Pearl Springs and it was the conclusion of that part of the story which gave me the best ending of the novel! I suppose if you had to choose between having an epic showdown between the main plot or the subplot, I felt Bradley chose well in the end. She tied all the loose ties together and gave us one interesting ending for a first in three novel series!
I am eagerly looking forward to seeing how we pick up the pieces in the sequel Fatal Witness – as we walk alongside Mark and his partner K-9 Gem! I especially liked Bradley’s style of interweaving faith into the lives of her characters, too. She has a lovely way of keeping the faith in-step with her characters sensibilities and making it a living testament of how faith is integral to their lives without making it come across too strong. I love writers who knit INSPY stories like this as it is a real representation of how faith and life walk hand in hand.
on the romantic suspenseful styling of patricia bradley:
What I am appreciating about Bradley’s storytelling is how gently she tucks you into the lives of her characters. Alex lives a dedicated life as a cop working undercover and on the gritty side of the law. Whilst Nathan has a slight advantage of living in a smaller towne where the crime isn’t as bad as a larger city except when drugs get involved and start to undermine the serenity of his towne and the welfare of its people. Bradley guides you through their hours and lives with ease and gives you a glimpse of the realities they each face in both their professional lives without making you feel as if the plot will take you outside your comfort zones. I appreciate different kinds of Suspense and Thrillers – from mainstream to INSPY and the one connective thread between both styles of telling these stories is that there is an undercurrent of heart, Light and Hope. Even in the mainstream stories I gravitate towards reading – there is always a measure of Hope that Light will outshine the Darkness. For me, that is a benefit of feeling anchoured and secured in the stories and in the style of the author penning the story.
I liked how she named the series after the river that runs close to Pearl Springs: Pearl River. I had a feeling this might become a series of setting rather than connective characters and storylines. I appreciate how writers can re-anchour us to a particular towne or setting and carry-on a series from there. There might be connective elements of the stories, too, but I wasn’t sure if this was strictly a series of characters moving in/out of the stories or rather more focused on the general vicinity of the location where the stories take place. Time will surely tell me as I move into the second and third novel. I will say, ahead of releasing this review I did find out the second novel focuses on K-9 officer Mark Lassiter. His partner Gem was an integral part of the storyline in Counter Attack and his character faced a bit of a hard road of adjustment when Alexis took over as Chief Deputy. I was hoping his storyline might iron out at some point or expand and blessedly know I know the sequel focuses on his life!
One of the more compelling aspects of the storyline is how Bradley used Chess as a method of communication for the case itself. Chess pieces were left at the scenes of crimes, but it was more about how she left short notes on those scenes responding to chess moves that knitted the heart of the story together. With each new clue about a move on a chessboard it allowed Alex a unique perspective on how she was being taunted and played. Whilst at the same time, it also proved that the person behind this elaborate endeavour was both several steps ahead of Alex and yet, presumably also in need of being caught as to be kept in the dark didn’t seem to be the main motivation. It appeared very early-on that the person responsible wanted to be caught and in the end, have the gravity of that information fully effect the mental health of Alex. From this element of the story had the touch of a mainstream Contemporary Thriller rather than a Romantic Suspense.
Small Fly in the Ointment:
Being that I am reading an ARC copy of this novel, I know that it isn’t the final draft of the novel. It might even differ in some ways from the finished copy which was published. However, I just wanted to note that in some respects, this still felt like a draft that was still being edited. Not that there were copy editing errors – as the copy I received was nearly ready for publication on that level of it. No, it had more to do with how it felt as I read it. Sometimes I felt something might be fleshed out a bit more towards final edits to publication. Whilst some instances I felt weren’t connected enough or needed a bit of refreshing to finalise. It is hard to pin it down as it is definitely a late-stage draft copy of the novel and so, the things I was observing are very minor but still were present. This was mostly limited to the first half of the novel as by the midway point to the last quarter of the novel – everything felt more tightly knitted together. It could also simply be the author’s style of writing – as this is my first time reading a Bradley novel.
This book review is courtesy
of LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer programme:
This lovely badge reflects that I am part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers programme and one that I am looking forward to becoming proactively a part of throughout 2025! Also note, this book review is cross-posted to LibraryThing per part of the programme.
This review is part of my #CloakAndDagger showcases:
I wasn’t able to start reading this novel until January due to my changing work schedules and the extra hours I was working. It felt good to finally soak into the story and get to know the character(s) of whom I wished I could have known closer to when I first received this via LibraryThing! As explained when I announced my intentions to read Mysteries, Suspense & Thrillers – I’ve undertaken this as a personal tradition and concentration of stories to read every Christmas; as from my understand of it, the co-hosts no longer host this event themselves.
I originally participated in #cloakanddaggerchristmas in (2018 & 2019) – however, I lost track of the readathon in the years since then and decided to resume my concentration of reading these kinds of stories this December. As mentioned on #TheSundayPost.
A tentative list of stories I”m attempting to read for #CloakAndDaggerChristmas this year are as follows: Prison Break Hostage (see also Review) & The PI’s Deadly Charade by Anna J. Stewart, Death on the Golden Mile by Caleb Wygal, King of the Night by DJ Williams and Counter Attack by Particia Bradley.
readers who gravitate towards the same stories to read.
I’ve been wanting to read my backlogue for so many years and this year, it feels like I am finally making a bit of headway towards that goal. If you see this banner at the end of my reviews over the score of (2025) know that I am happily devouring the stories which were lost to time which are happily being read this year.
{SOURCES: Covers art of “Counter Attack”, “Fatal Witness” and “Deadly Revenge” as well as the book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Patricia Bradley were all provided the publisher Baking Publishing and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. LibraryThing Early Reviewers banner provided by LibraryThing and is used with permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #INSPYSundays banner, #CloakAndDaggerChristmas badge, #2025BacklogueReviews banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2025.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- #CloakAndDaggerChristmas 2024
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