This story had everything I want in a book. There were characters that I started to care about and wanted to know how things turned out for them. It had a romance of sorts with a love twist. Then it had the mystery/thriller part that has me turning the pages. The author even finished it off with somewhat of a happy ending. Bittersweet is still sweet right?!

The beginning was a little slow though. picking up about a third of the way through. Then the speed was decent, with the end a little intense.

I liked the last book I read from this author and I also enjoyed this one. I'll have more of her books to my reading list! I suggest you do the same.

This was a very quick read for me, I just couldn’t put it down!

From the first scene it was mesmerizing. After the *incident*, the story is told from several points of view: Taylor, who was a witness; Dustin, the accused; and Jaime, who is a defending attorney. The connection to the culprit was intricately woven into the plot. I especially liked the reunion between Jaime and Dustin who grew up next door to each other. The health issues of PTSD, OCD and cancer were very well represented and realistic. The story dealt with family, reconciliation and how faith affects our circumstances. It was great to see the growth that Dustin experienced throughout the story. “ The sure knowledge that God had his back filled him with strength laced with calm. He would fight this, but wouldn’t be fighting alone.”

Ms. Blackstock has proved herself again as a wonderful suspense author. One of my favorite writers.

Aftermath by Terri Blackstock is a suspense with a bit of romance about a man who was wrongfully accused of making a bomb and setting it off at a Presidential rally. The hero calls on a childhood friend he hasn't spoken to in years to represent him. There are many layers to this story and because of the key characters in it, it made for an enjoyable read. In fact, I stayed up way past my bed time to finish it.

I have read 24 Terri Blackstock novels. When I read the first novel I thought ”Hmmm ~this seem predictable”

However, I have read enough of her novels and I know Ms. Blackstock is a ‘Great Story Teller’. I also look forward to a twist as she usually comes up with surprises.

This story starts at a Music Concert which is the opening for the Presidential Rally of Ed Loran a third party candidate hopeful. The concert performers are a popular group with young voters. Three friends Taylor, Desiree and Maria are super excited about the concert and are having fun and busy taking selfies. However, a terrible explosion occurs just as the candidate enters. The friends run for their lives. Only Taylor leaves the building. Taylor is OCD and goes frantic looking for her friends. The search and rescue teams are doing their job and she cannot go back in the building. Her sister Harper comes to take her home. Harper is aware of Taylor’s emotional state and tries to calm her.

Next we have the police pulling over Dustin Webb. They told him they got an anonymous tip and they need to search his car. The search Warrant is on its way. Dustin is confused but sees no problem in allowing the search. They quickly find evidence of bombing materials. Dustin is arrested as a prime suspect for the recent bombing.

Dustin knows he needs a lawyer and calls his childhood friend Jamie Powell who is now a criminal attorney. Jamie hasn’t seen Dustin in years but knows him well enough to know this is a ‘set up’.

Taylor is in and out of this story as she is not giving up on who did this to her friends and once she finds out there is a suspect she goes off the rails. At one point she is having an allergy reaction to her medication. Yikes I have serious allergies and I almost went into anaphylactic shock as it was too realistic and brought back my memories of 911 calls and rushes to the ER.

Another thread in this story is with Dustin’s business partner Travis. Dustin is very close with Travis and his young family. Dustin is actually at the hospital with Travis as his wife; Crystal is dying of leukemia; when his car in broken in and the evidence is planted. The hospital’s security camera shows this but the too dark to make any identification.

Additional characters are Jamie’s adorable young daughter Avery and Dustin’s equally adorable dog Dude.

My fear is we know who set up Dustin. I was hoping Ms. Blackstock would throw in one of her surprises and I can give my typical reaction of ~ “Oh! I didn’t see that coming!”

Ms. Blackwell never disappoints!! She is one of my favorite authors and I look forward to her next story.

I really enjoyed this novel, even though I anticipated a major twist. The characters are well formed, the plot points engaging, and the different points of view kept the narrative moving. Highly recommended for those who love engaging Christian romantic suspense.

I'm a very slow reader and rarely get through a book in three days, but this one kept me wanting just one more chapter! Loved the characters, the subtle faith message, and the page-turning plot.

Aftermath is about 3 friends who are at a political rally when a bomb goes off. Who is the bomber? You have to read it to find out. This was just ok for me. I see I’m in the minority as it has many 4-5 stars. Took me 5 days to read this which is not the norm but I did just start a full time job so I’m not reading as much.

Characters: Dustin, Jaime, Taylor, and Travis were all flawed (some more than others), realistic characters. Though this book was driven more by plot than by characters, the characters were still developed well, and I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened to them.

Language: Clean.

Moral: This book included themes of friendship, family, loyalty, and the importance of prayer.

Plot: The plot was my favorite part of this book because it was unique. Instead of the normal focus on finding and confronting the main villain, this book focused on the effort to clear Dustin's name, one woman's plan to take out whom she believed to be the criminal, and something I can't talk about because it would be a spoiler. You'll have to read the book to find out. :) Anyway, plenty of suspense and new developments kept the plot moving.

Romance: Clean. Just a few kisses. Actually, for most of the book, the romance was barely there. Dustin and Jaime basically seemed like friends for the majority of the story (which I liked), but of course they had to get together at the end. Their romance seemed a little rushed to me, and I would've rather it have been left out or just hinted at. Then again, I'm a non-romantic. :)

Writing: Terri Blackstock has an enjoyable, straightforward style that keeps the plot moving. I always look forward to reading her books.

Overall: Aftermath was a great read, and I'd recommend it to readers of Christian fiction and suspense.