Key Witness

Key Witness is Christy Barrett's newest suspenseful murder mystery. Both victims and possible suspects all seem to be in the orbit of Elle, who is the daughter and campaign manager of a Seantor and running for re-election. Her dad hires a crackerjack former Special Ops agent, Denton, to be Elle's bodyguard. I especially appreciated the strong female protagonist who has a good, solid moral compass, who understands that there is good AND evil in the world. We can't fix problems if we do not acknowledge them! With a decade-and-a-half as a Crime Victim Advocate, I love that Barritt shows effects of crime on secondary victims, too - such as family members dealing with grief over the loss of their loved ones. The issue of faith is handled beautifully, woven seamlessly into the lives of both Elle and Denton without preachiness. The honesty of this book is refreshing, such as when Elle questions why God allowed deaths, including one in an armed robbery. Many questions are answered in this book: Is the murder suspect(s) connected to Elle or to her father's campaign or irrelevant to both? What will happen with Elle's father's campaign? Will Elle and Denton be able to subdue their growing attraction to each other, in order to avoid distraction during the investigation of the murders? Great book, leaving me eager for Barritt's next book!

This tale had me captivated from beginning to end. It had love, murders, kidnapping, deception.