Cold Case Contraband

by Jaycee Bullard

Exposing hidden secrets
could prove lethal.

Within minutes of investigating a cold case murder, officer Carmen Hollis is shot at and rescued by a local teacher and single dad. Saving local cops isn’t undercover Special Agent Jonah Drake’s mission, but as threats to Carmen escalate, he can’t turn away. When his drug investigation and her cold case collide, secrets won’t stay hidden. Not when someone wants Carmen dead.

From Love Inspired Courage. Danger. Faith.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Christian Fiction

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 27, 2023

Reviews

[Ethelann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Jaycee Bullard's books and this one didn't disappoint. Lots of twists and turns. Plus the ending I didn't suspect at all.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good characters and suspense.

[Sheri Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick easy read and a great mystery.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Officer Carmen Hollis has returned to the scene of a 10-year-old cold case where her friend was floating dead in the water. She's also been called home to deal with her younger stepbrother who's been cutting up. Her foster pup Bruno is with her, and it isn't long before someone has a gun to her back. Special Agent Jonah Drake is flying his Cessna over Lake Isla where he's been informed a drug drop was to take place. He's a local teacher and single dad, trying to figure where all the drugs are coming from because they're way too available and they're getting them into high school to sell the students way too easily. Their cases collide as the attempts on Carmen's life escalate and her stepbrother stabs Jonah with a pen. Enter Assistant Principal Max Mace, who Kirby is frightened of say anything in front of, then there's an old suspect who's a friend of Carmen's father, or is Police Chief Tuttle the person who's leaking information out of the police station? The answer may surprise you.

[Kav · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impressive opening scene, filled with just the right amount of suspense and danger provides a thrilling meet-cute for this hero and heroine. And the story just keeps getting better from there.

Bullard strikes a nice balance between the high-octane scenes and the getting-to-know each other scenes. Enough danger and suspense to keep me on edge punctuated by some lovely restful interludes filled with fun, family…and romance. Jonah’s daughter is an adorable scene stealer, as is Carmen’s foster pup.

And the mystery surrounding the suspense — phew! There’s a cold case and a current case and Carmen’s family drama and they all kept me on my toes and second guessing all my foregone conclusions. My sleuthing armchair got a real workout before everything wraps up by the epic epilogue!

https://kavsbestreads.ca/2023/08/23/c...

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend (MH) sent me this book in a box of books. It took a while for me to care about the characters and the story. The plot had many twists and turns. I didn't guess who was behind it until only slightly before the author chose to reveal it.

As per my usual complaint for Love Inspired Suspense, the romance part gets compacted down quite a bit. Jonah and Carmen meet and fall in love in the space of a month or two and end up engaged 6 months after the case is solved. While an urgent situation like they encounter does tend to show some traits (like how one acts under pressure), I'm not sure it's an accurate marker for long-term romantic success. Fiction, where you can write your characters to do whatever you want, is quite different than real life (where each person has their own free will and other people don't always act how you would like them to).

[Elaine Applebury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaycee Bullard gives her readers a high adrenaline rush, full of action and suspense! Her stories are well written with good characters and a storyline that keeps you guessing!
Carmen Hollis is now a police officer and returns home to solve a cold murder case. She is immediately attacked and in the process of running for her life, she gets rescued by a pilot that happens to see that she needs help. Her rescuer, Jonah Drake, turns out to be an undercover Special Agent looking for drug drops.
What happens when the two cases begin to look like they could be related?

[Mary Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable read if one likes mysteries. The author did a good job of keeping me undecided about which character was the villain in her story. I changed my mind about who the villain was several times and was surprised at some of the twists the story took. Once again, I was concerned that the main male and female characters did not spend much time in a romantic situation. but six months later were engaged. This is one of the better Love Inspired Suspense books I've read in a while.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good Christian fiction but keep expectations low. Yes, the writing is a bit cheesy at times and the story has some cliches. Also, I felt like I was reading a 2nd or 3rd book in a series. There is definitely some type of backstory I missed on the main character. So maybe I'll try some other books by this author.