Scent of Hope - Susan May Warren

PI Harley Tatum has come back to Copper Mountain, the place she swore she'd never return to, chasing the drug dealer responsible for so much of her past trauma. It's already a lot to deal with - and then she finds out that the search dog handler she's been called in to work with is none other than Jericho Bowie. The man she'd loved her entire life, until everything messily unravelled seven years before. Harley hopes that things can be wrapped up in a day or so, and she can return to her life in Juneau. But things go south quickly when she's shot by the fugitive she's hunting....

This is a book packed with action and energy. It's a lot more than simply working out Harley and Jericho's relationship. Actually, I did find their early angst rather hard work at times, but there was more than enough intrigue to keep me turning the pages. And there is an excellent and MASSIVE plot twist which I never saw coming!

There's a strong thread of 'new starts' throughout. Jericho and Harley (individually as well as a couple), Gabe - in more ways than one, Even Orlando, the Bernese-cross search dog with PTSD. 

This is a Christian suspense novel with a strong Christian element, especially later in the book. When this is first introduced I found it slightly jarring, but afterwards the Christian elements were well woven into the storyline and felt true to the characters.

A book which is well worth persevering with, with interesting characters and a completely compelling family dynamic. I like the way that characters from other books and series by this author are mentioned here and there in a way which her regular readers will appreciate but which won't seem odd or awkward to someone coming new to this book. I certainly hope that the next book in the Call of the Wild series will include some good news for Kennedy and Sully. Although while mentioning them, I do like the fact that Susan May Warren is an author who shows characters in her suspense novels who are working through hard things in life which cannot be mended by 'catching the bad guy'.

NOTE: I read a pre-publication version supplied by the publisher. No review was required. All comments and opinions above are entirely my own.