Water Grave by Mitchell S. Karnes ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Six years ago, Hannah Leah Abelard needed a fresh start. She changed her name to Abbey Rhodes and enlisted in the United States Army as a part of the "Ever Vigilant," 18th Military Police Brigade. They taught her how to be a great cop. Abbey moved to Tennessee three years later and joined Metro Nashville's Police Department.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.  A free book was provided for an honest review.

January 2025; Wordcrafts Press; 978-1962218696
ebook, print (280 pages); Christian suspense

Abbey Rhodes is a new Homicide detective in the Nashville police department.  This was her dream job after learning to be a great cop in the US Army.  She's sharp but she has some painful memories in her past that she keeps to herself.  She's the partner of Sam Treadwell, a detective with a lot of years of experience but who seems happy cutting corners and not investigating enough when he makes his arrests.  The case that they get assigned to involves a minister who is killed and the need to investigate many members of the church leadership.  The fact that it involves a church is a trigger for Abbey and reminds her of the reason that she left her family and her minister father.   

Abbey was an interesting and well-written main character.  She's a very complex character - very strong when dealing with suspects but also very soft when dealing with children and her friends. She doesn't want to share her past with anyone but it really affects her, especially in a case like this one that involves a church and its pastor.  She had promised herself years before that she'd never return to a church.   Sam was also a complex character.  Even though he appears to take the easy way out it all makes sense when his past is revealed.  The partner relationship between Abbey and Sam starts out very rocky but trust gradually grows between the two of them.  Can they become friends as well as partners?

This book was full of twists and turns.  Just when I thought that I'd figured out who the killer was, more information would come to light that showed me how wrong I was.  I didn't know who was guilty until the very end and it was a very satisfying ending. 

Water Grave appears to be the first book of a new series featuring Abbey Rhodes.  I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading future adventures with this character.

Buy Water Grave at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.   

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us. Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter today! Or Follow Girl Who Reads with Bloglovin. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.