Customer Reviews

The Real Enemy (Sophie Trace Trilogy, Book 1)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a nicely written suspense/mystery book. Written in third-person narrative, this Christian thriller keeps the reader on the edge. The plot is a bit of a brain teaser. I really enjoyed it!

Brill Jessup, the protagonist, comes across as a very believable chief of police. She works endlessly with the Sheriff and the FBI on a case that seems impossible to crack. Meanwhile, she does her best to ignore her husband who cheated on her. All while trying to stay strong for her daughter and keep her family together.

One of the Christian themes covered in this book is bitterness, along with the inability to forgive (illustrated by Brill & her husband). It's a topic that most people will relate to.

At times, I could really relate to Brill. On the other hand, Emily, Brill's very intelligent nine-year-old daughter is written too unbelievable. Several times I had trouble believing that she would speak and act as maturely as she did. Also, at the end the 180 turn in Brill and her husband's relationship out of no where was hard to believe. Though, Brill herself admitted it was a miracle reunion.

Even though, there were minor things I didn't like it was a great read. Overall, a fast, easy and thought provoking read. I'd highly recommend to any Christian book clubs or ladies group. I would most definitely read another of the series.

"The Real Enemy" is the first of a new series. The main character, Colleen "Brill" Jessup is the first female police chief in a small town in Tennessee. She faces many obstacles as she starts her new job: trying to prove herself since she's new and a woman, dealing with marital problems, and then trying to solve a series of tough missing person cases.

I really liked this book and found that it moved along quickly and kept me interested in finding out what would happen next with the cases and in Brill's personal life.

The book is classified as Christian suspense. The characters do talk about their faith and passages and messages from the bible are referenced. However, the book is not "preachy" and should appeal to a wide range of mystery/suspense fans.

It was a good book and I didn't have any problems finishing it as it does keep you engaged. However, like other reviewers have stated, the characterization is rather weak and you never fully connect with the characters. That normally wouldn't be a problem if the main element of the story was the mystery but even that come across as somewhat weak and isn't the main emphasis.
The Authors message of forgiveness and the effects of bitterness especially in light of betrayal and adultery was very good but lost some of the effectiveness due to the flat characterization. The suspense was good especially at the end but I would have liked to have seen a stronger mystery. Seemed anticlimactic.
Overall I think that the book had a lot of potential and that this might be one of those series that starts out slow but quickly strengthens. It is definetely worth giving a chance.

I don't normally read reviews because I prefer to make up my own mind about stories. However, this one should have a large label - "Christian fiction" prominently featured on the home page. If you like this kind of fiction, this is one of the better ones of the type. However, as standard fiction, it just doesn't measure up. The characters are all good or all bad. That is until faith intervenes and makes the bad into good. Too corny for words.
If I had realized what this series was, I would not have wasted the download time.

I read another Kathy Herman series a few years ago, and was glad to see she's started another one! I had a hard time putting this book down, and finished it in less than 24 hours! The main character, Bril (short for Brilliant - she's a very sharp policewoman who has solved many crimes) has just started a new job in a small town in eastern Tennessee bordering the Great Smoky Mountains. She didn't expect major crimes to solve like her previous job in Memphis, but soon after she comes to take charge of this small town police department, people start disappearing. But Bril has even bigger problems at home... The twists and turns of this plot are spellbinding, and the story at home heartbreaking. This book is very well-written and I can't wait to read the sequel!

This is the first book I've read from Kathy Herman. I picked it up in a bookstore to have some light reading on my vacation. Based on what I had read on the jacket, I had expected a Christian supernatural thriller, similar to some of Frank Peretti's work. That was not the case here. The urban legend of the Red Shadows was discussed throughout the book, but ultimately had nothing to do with the final outcome. One of the antagonists was described as having sudden mood swings but we are never given any reason as to why he had a sudden change in behavior, and then almost as inexplicably he later feels remorse for what he did. An element of infidelity on the part of Brill was also introduced. Although her husband's remorse for his indiscrestion was thoroughly explored, Brill does not seem to have the same regret for what happened between her and FBI agent Dave. In fact, the book does not contain any kind of a confession on Brill's part...Brill alludes to the fact that she will tell her husband after Dave leaves town, but her feelings of guilt are only touched on. Since this is a trilogy it is possible that they may go deeper into this in the next book, but with the "happy-family-everything-is-wonderful-at-Thanksgiving" scene at the end, I'm not holding my breath for it. I gave the book two stars because the story was suspensful enough to keep me turning pages to the end, but the ending was such a disappointment that I threw my copy in the trash when I finished it.

Colleen "Brill" Jessup is the new Police Chief of Sophie Trace, Tenn. She's the very first female to hold that title in the small town, so she definitely feels the pressure to prove herself worthy of it. Before she can even get settled into her new office, people begin to disappear out of nowhere and the suspect(s) leaves little to no (mostly none) evidence or leads for the police to follow. The small town residents are quick to speculate that these mysterious disappearances are the work of the local legend's, "red shadows."

Meanwhile Brill's husband, Kurt, is still struggling with the past act of unfaithfulness. Even though he's repeatedly shown her how regretful he is, she still has anger and bitterness toward him and doesn't try to hide it at all. The only reason they haven't gotten a divorce is because they "agreed to disagree" and continue to raise their youngest daughter, Emily, together. The tension between them is affecting all 3 of their kids and they begin to realize that something has to change. Will Brill be able to restore the peace in Sophie Trace and in her home?

Kathy Herman, you are now on my list of favorite authors! This fast paced novel is definitely a must read. The suspense, mystery, and family drama kept me turning the pages and interested all the way through to the end. The characters are memorable and realistic and the mystery was amazing. I liked reading how Kurt continued to love his wife and did whatever he could for her when she clearly had not forgiven him yet. He had faith that God would restore their marriage, even if it wasn't going to be in an instant, he was willing to do whatever it took. I enjoyed this novel so much and I'm really excited about reading Book 2 in the series, The Last Word. If you're into Christian mystery/suspense novels, I think you'd enjoy this one.

This book was provided for review by David C. Cook. I was not required to write a positive review.

This series is wonderful. Hate to see it end. I received it in perfect time as promised and in perfect condition.

After getting my Kindle, I decided I better take advantage of the free offers. This was one, and after reading this first Sophie Trace book, I just HAD to get the others. Good marketing :) This book has great characters, involved story lines and enough Christian message that it gives thought, but isn't a roll your eyes around and think "that came out of nowhere". Book 2 is "The Last Word", and book 3 is "The Right Call". I recommend reading them in order!

Brill Jessup is the new police chief of Sophie Trace. Shortly after she begins the job people start to vanish into thin air. The kidnappers leave no evidence and there isn't any obvious connection between those who have disappeared. Brill is under a lot of pressure to find the missing people while dealing with the resurgence of gangs in Sophie Trace and the turmoil in her own home. Can she locate them before it's too late?

I wasn't sure I'd like the main character in this book before I read it. I assumed that she would be hard-nosed and difficult to connect with. I couldn't have been more wrong. She was very believable and the struggles she went through were relatable even to those of us not in law-enforcement. I really appreciated that this book strayed from the girl meets boy and falls in love formula. Instead of following a single woman in her quest for love Brill is a married woman who is struggling with some very real issues in her marriage. This helped make this story even more believable as it gave it a realistic feel to it.

The characters were extremely well-written and the mystery was excellent. It was moderately paced without any extreme suspense yet it stayed interesting throughout the book. I can't wait until the next book in the series!