Two women. One targeted by an unknown enemy. One accused of murder. Will they overcome their obstacles?
Twenty-five-year-old schoolteacher Grace Benson lives a quiet life until she receives a threatening note. But when the FBI becomes involved, her world really turns upside down.
Middle-aged wedding planner Sheila Mitchell suspects her husband’s up to something, but she never expects to find him dead—and be knocked unconscious near his corpse. When she comes to, the murder weapon’s in her hand.
Will Grace survive? And will Sheila’s ex-husband, an FBI agent, clear her name? Who is targeting these women?
Two women. One targeted by an unknown enemy. One accused of murder. Will they overcome their obstacles?
Twenty-five-year-old schoolteacher Grace Benson lives a quiet life until she receives a threatening note. But when the FBI becomes involved, her world really turns upside down.
Middle-aged wedding planner Sheila Mitchell suspects her husband’s up to something, but she never expects to find him dead—and be knocked unconscious near his corpse. When she comes to, the murder weapon’s in her hand.
Will Grace survive? And will Sheila’s ex-husband, an FBI agent, clear her name? Who is targeting these women?
In the bustling school auditorium, whispered chatter further tinted the air already thick with the scent of pine from the festive decorations. Grace Benson, her heart aflutter, perched at the grand piano, her fingers ready to dance over the keys. This was her moment, her first time directing the school’s Christmas program, and she’d embraced it with both hands.
As the lights dimmed, she took a deep breath, steadying herself. No time for fretting now. The first class, a group of third graders, shuffled onto the stage, their faces alight. From there, the night progressed in a whirl of color and sound. Each class brought their unique flair to the stage, performing dances and songs they’d practiced for weeks.
Then the finale arrived—the nativity scene. She’d taken great care in selecting children from each grade, from kindergarten to fourth grade, to participate.
The stage transformed into a serene Bethlehem scene, complete with a manger and makeshift stable. The children, dressed in their costumes, took their positions with a seriousness that belied their years. Mary and Joseph, played by a pair of fourth graders, stood by the manger.
As she began the gentle, familiar strains of “Silent Night,” the children started their performance. The shepherds, a group of second graders, entered from stage left, followed by the wise men adorned in sparkling costumes. The angels, a chorus of kindergarteners and first graders, flanked the stage, their voices joining in the song to create a heavenly sweetness that seemed to lift the entire auditorium.
Smiling, she watched from her piano. The children were more than rising to the occasion—they were shining. Of course, the audience was mostly family members, guardians, and relatives. A lot of them slid their phones up to record when their kids took the stage.
As the evening’s last notes faded and the auditorium began to empty, parents approached her, each of them beaming. Their words washed over her, filling her with a warm sense of accomplishment. She greeted every compliment with a humble smile, her heart still racing from the night’s success.
Amid the departing crowd, Mrs. Montez, the mother of one of the kindergarten angels, made her way toward her. Her face was alight as she began in Spanish, her words tumbling out in a fluid, lyrical stream.
Caught off guard, Grace managed a smile. “Solo hablo un poco de español,” she inserted, her accent betraying her lack of fluency. The woman’s eyebrows shot up, a reaction she had seen before. She could almost read the thoughts behind that astonished look—her being Latina often led people to assume she could speak Spanish. After the last of the parents had left and the children were safely in their care, she began to pack her things up.
“Are you ready to go?” Jenny, one of the school secretaries, hollered from the back. “It’s dark out. Ned wants to know if you need help carrying things.”
“No, I’m good. But tell your husband thank you from me. We’re coming back to clean up this mess tomorrow anyway.” School closed for the Christmas break until the first week of the new year. But Grace and those who helped with the program had to clean up.
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With the school quiet now, she stood alone in the empty auditorium. As she locked the piano and gathered her music sheets, a shadow caught the corner of her eye. She turned toward the door. Did Jenny come back?
“Jenny, is that you? Ned?”
Silence.
She was imagining it. That was it. She gathered her things and headed out to the parking lot. After dumping her stuff in the back seat, she got in front and started the car. The drive home was less than ten minutes, but a pair of headlights had stayed behind her since she left the parking lot. She turned into her apartment complex. The headlights stuck with her. Heart pounding, she remembered reading a post on social media about situations like this. Instead of parking, she turned back around, headed to the closest police station, entered the lot, and honked.
An officer came out. “Ma’am, is there a problem?”
“Yeah, a car is following me.” She twisted in her seat to point it out, but it was, of course, gone.
He looked to where she pointed. “Stay here, ma’am.”
He walked to the curb, checked up and down the street, and came back. “Sorry, ma’am. I don’t see any car out there stopping or acting suspicious.”
The officer offered to escort her back to her apartment building. She accepted the offer. She knew the car was there. Or perhaps it was simply traveling in the same direction? But why follow her to her apartment complex? Then again, why would anyone follow her?
Buckle up and hold on tight for a white-knuckled ride through murder, mystery, money-laundering, and mayhem with S.F. Baumgartner’s latest suspense thriller, Tangled Secrets.
Is a strange car following school teacher Grace Benson home from work? Why? Sheila Mitchell is middle-aged wedding planner. Her ex-husband is FBI agent Ron Peters. Their son Kyle is also an FBI agent. Sheila enlists their help when she suspects her current hubby, Doug, of espionage. Is Doug living a double life? Why?
Reprising their roles in prior books, ex-Senator Simon Roth and his fiancé, Olivia Tso, are also in the mix. Olivia is an ex-spy, code name “Phoenix.” Their daughter, Lily Roth, arrives from Hong Kong and starts work as a management trainee with M& M Enterprises. Lily is in charge of Private Select Accounts, a VIP service catering to M&Ms “most affluent and frequently returning guests.” She finds two LLCs that seem… questionable. Digging into these businesses, it seems Lily has rattled someone’s cage. Who? Why? Meanwhile, Dylan Roche, heir of M&M Enterprises, re-enters the picture. His aunt is the notorious criminal mastermind Marge Beaumont, aka: “the Ghost.” She's in jail but remains a major threat.
A dangerous game of cat-and-mouse is about to get even more dangerous when the DEA task force headed by Ron is itching to nail one Hector Martinez. A notorious drug trafficker, Martinez is also kingpin of a vicious drug cartel. But when Doug is killed, Sheila becomes the prime suspect in his murder. What was Doug up to, and how can Sheila prove her innocence?
Tension tightens and danger deepens as the feds try to sort out a tangled web of secrets that makes Shelob’s lair look like a cake walk.
Meanwhile, questions linger. Like, who is Toby Filmore? What about “fake” agent Adam O’Shea? Is he an FBI imposter or a fake “Company man”? Is there a mole in the Agency? Why is there a “kill order” out on Kyle and Grace? Who wants them dead? Why is someone trying to kill Lily? And who is the shadowy “William Hunt”? Does he have any ties to the Ghost?
Olivia goes “rogue” to get some answers.
There’s also lots of cloak and dagger. Tradecraft. Treachery and betrayal. Double crosses. Grisham-esque lawyerly maneuvering. Guessing games. Faith. Family. And high-octane action.
Weighing in at over 330 pages (Kindle version), this is a prodigious read. Clever, quick, and crisp, the writing is stiletto-sharp and crackerjack crunchy. It snaps. Crackles. And pops. The plot is briskly paced and is an eclectic blend of action and intrigue that’s gently faith-flavored. It’s as structurally sound as the Rock of Gibraltar, with a distinct beginning, middle, and ending.
A recap of the prequel, Buried Secrets, and Book 1 and 2, Living Secrets and Forgotten Secrets, is included. Ditto a “Relationship Chart” so you can keep track of everyone. That comes in handy. Because keeping track of multiple POVs, scenes, settings, and a voluminous cast of characters isn’t for the faint of heart. So you may want to eat your Wheaties before diving in. You may also want to bring some industrial-strength floaties. Cuz the door is left open for a sequel.
Bon Voyage!
My Rating: 4.5