"Missing" by Lisa Harris

Missing (July 5, 2016) by Lisa Harris.*

When Special Agent Nikki Boyd with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation arrives on the scene, two bagged bodies are being wheeled out of a home in one of Nashville’s affluent suburbs. This is unusual, mostly because Nikki handles missing persons cases as lead with the Missing Persons Task Force. But the deceased are not the owners of the home. The homeowners, Mac and Lucy Hudson, are, and they are, indeed, missing. When another dead body turns up on the boat of her friend Tyler Grant, Nikki has to unravel what ties Tyler to the Hudsons. There are counterfeit drugs, a private investigator, a potential double-cross by said P.I., and a killer involved. There’s always a killer.

            Nikki also needs to grapple with her feelings for Tyler. He was always her best friend’s husband, though Katie has been gone now for a year following a freak boating accident. Somewhere along the way, she fell in love with Tyler, and she already adores his son, Liam. In some ways, it feels totally wrong to her to have fallen for her friend’s husband, but it also seems right. Occasionally, she thinks she sees the same longing in Tyler’s eyes, but she passes it off as wishful thinking. Perhaps, if they both survive this investigation, Nikki can figure out if Tyler is one to pursue. But Tyler has some major news to share, news which may be a great divide.

            Sometimes my reasons for choosing a book are simplistic and have no bearing on the actual story. The first reason I chose this book is because the author’s first name is Lisa. The second reason is that the jacket copy did actually capture my attention. Just thought I’d put that honesty out there!

            The second book in The Nikki Boyd Files, “Missing” was a satisfying blend of potentially budding romance and whodunit suspense within the sub-genre of Christian fiction. Lisa Harris writes in a manner that’s not so complex that someone can’t enjoy a good read at the end of a long day, but the plot is complex enough to engage the reader. You feel invested in the lives of Nikki and Tyler and the characters that surround them. Harris gives her characters, not just a voice, but a resonance. This is especially helpful since it’s the second book, and I came into this series without having read the first book, “Vendetta.” There were some hints to what went on in the first book and probably a continuation to a long-standing search of Nikki’s, but there wasn’t enough focus on it that I ever felt lost or resentful to the fact that I haven’t read the first story. Summed up, I am glad that I chose this book by a gal named Lisa, for I look forward to continuing this series, which has been fast-paced for me, thus far.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”