Shadow in Serenity

Shadow in Serenity

by: Terri Blackstock

Publisher: Zondervan

Page count: 352 Pages

USD: $14.99

On Sale Date: September 27, 2011

Genre: FICTION/Christian/Suspense

Summary from the publisher: At the age of 17, Carny Sullivan broke free from the traveling carnival and scamming visitors with her dad, and moved to the safe town of Serenity, Texas. Now with a house of her own, a young son and a new life with people who love her, Carny is very protective of her new hometown. But Carny still knows a con artist when she sees one, and when charming, slick Logan Brisco arrives to dupe her town, she is determined to reveal his greedy intentions to all. Carny may be Brisco's biggest match.


Never having had a real family, Brisco becomes comfortable in the quaint, welcoming town, and the lure of the townspeople love may be just what he needs to change his criminal ways. Despite Carny's anger towards Brisco and her attempts to expose his scam to the townspeople, Carny learns the truth about the man behind that suave smile. It would take a miracle to change him, but she's seen that kind of redemption firsthand.

My take:  I've been reading and reviewing Christian Fiction for a while now and it never gets old for me.  I particularly like when the book is also a mystery or a romance.  "Shadow in Serenity" is classified as SUSPENSE by it's publisher but I think that label is incorrect; the story is a romance - an unlikely romance between a believer and a non-believer - but not suspenseful in the least.  It IS a great story though.  Carney is a reformed sinner who, through the love and grace of God, turned her life around.  She and her little boy live in a small town in Texas where she runs an airport/flying school.  Her parents, who are unrepentant con-artists still, are in sporadic contact with her, which is just the way she likes it (so they do not influence her young son).  When Brisco blows into town, she knows immediately that he is just like her parents and will take her fellow (gullible) townspeople for all their money.   The question is, can she expose him in time? You'll have to read the book to find out.  I will tell you too, Brisco is not a completely unsympathetic character; he had quite a bit of bad luck growing up so his "career choice," if you will, wasn't entirely his choice.  But now, in Serenity, he has the chance to make the right choice, with Carney's help and with the Grace of God.  "Shadow in Serenity" may be the first Terri Blackstock novel I've ever read, but it won't be the last.    Four stars.

Bonus:  Book trailer on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ulTDVZrcLE

About the author: Terri Blackstock has sold six million books worldwide and is a ”New York Times” bestselling author. With over 25 years of success as a novelist, Blackstock's most recent novel, “Vicious Cycle,” debuted on the ”New York Times” bestseller list. The first book in the Intervention Series, “Intervention” is a “New York Times” bestseller and a 2010 Carol Award Winner. Other Blackstock favorites include ”Predator” and “Double Minds,” as well as the Restoration Series, the Newpointe 911 Series, the Cape Refuge Series and the SunCoast Chronicles series. For more information, please visit www.terriblackstock.com.

This review was sponsored by Zondervan who provided the book for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary book.  My opinions are my own.

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