Synopsis

When committed female police captain Linda Turner, haunted by the murders of two small children and their pastor father, becomes obsessed with solving the harrowing case, she finds herself wrapped up in a mission to expose a fraudulent religious organization and an unrepentant killer.

Despite her years of experience investigating homicides for the force, Captain Linda Turner is haunted by the murders of the Hansen family. The two small children, clothed in tattered Disney pajamas, were buried with their father, a pastor, in the flower garden behind a church parsonage in Lincoln, Nebraska. But Mrs. Hansen is nowhere to be found—and neither is the killer.

In St. Louis, the televangelist Ray Williams is about to lose his show—until one of his regular attendees approaches him with an idea that will help him save it. Despite his initial misgivings, Ray agrees to give it a try. He can’t deny his attraction to this woman, and besides, she’d assured him the plan is just—God gave her the instructions in a dream.

Multiple story lines entwine throughout this compelling mystery, delving into the topics of murder, religious faith, and the inherent dangers in blindly accepting faith as truth. While Reverend Williams is swept up in his newfound success and plans for his wedding, Captain Turner can only hope that she and her team will catch the Hansens’ cunning killer—before more bodies surface.

Praise

“Salvation Station is your next must-read mystery. Kathryn Schleich perfectly blends together a taut tale of murder in the church. A devilishly good tale.” —CARA LOCKWOOD, USA Today best-selling author of I Do (But I Don’t)

“Salvation Station is an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning thriller that might possibly leave you unable to sleep. This book is what we need in the world right now—a killer we can hate and a model cop we can get behind, showing us that women are as fierce as men and then some.” —MARGO DILL, Managing Editor, WOW! Women On Writing

Review

Greed does funny things to people.

Our story starts out in Lincoln Nebraska with the discovery of several bodies.  What then follows is one police captain’s determination to find the killer no matter what it takes. The story then jumps to St Louis Missouri where another storyline begins and we eventually learn how these two different locations and events will intersect, much to one woman’s dismay.

The story spans approximately eighteen months while Captain Linda Turner hunts down clues about the suspected killer in other towns.  Because this is set in the early 2000s, there are computers and the internet, but not used to the extent that they are used today. I liked this because it reflects the depths an investigation was conducted without relying on technology.

It isn’t hard to figure out how the two stories are connected and I appreciated the work by the characters to get to the truth on both ends. I enjoyed watching the characters develop and learn what they should or shouldn’t do in certain situations with certain people. Love is blind could never be more true in this book when it came to Reverend Ray and when the truth is revealed in the end, you feel sorry for him and what he endured.

There have been news stories in the past that have depicted the corruption that could be found in a church. This story shows you how it could be done and what better reason for oversight and audits in any organization? I was amazed at the lengths the perpetrator went to in order to steal funds donated by others in good faith.

I appreciated the author putting a date and location at the beginning of each chapter and even sharing the location when a different storyline emerged. It allowed me to better picture the location in my mind and I could watch the progression of events which I believe mirrors most true investigations. They are rarely solved quickly and determination is needed to see a case through to completion.

There is a hint of a love story between Linda Turner and a detective, Malachi, from St Louis. Should this become a series, I would be interested to see how a long distance relationship is explored between these two.

There are several twists and turns near the end of the book but the ending is what one would expect considering the magnitude of the crimes.

Because of the church setting, there are many bible verses quoted and prayers said for various characters. I think this enhances the story because of the location and involvement of several characters.

For a debut novel, this author does an excellent job of telling a story and creating fascinating characters.  We give this book 4 paws up.

About the Author

Kathryn Schleich has been a writer for thirty years. Her most recent publications include the short story “Reckless Acts,” featured in After Effects: A Zimbell House Anthology, and her story “Grand Slam,” published in The Acentos Review in May 2017. She is the author of two editions of the book Hollywood and Catholic Women: Virgins, Whores, Mothers, and Other Images, which evolved from her master’s thesis. Her guest posts have been featured on the Women On Writing blog, The Muffin, and she writes for the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation’s volunteer newsletter. When she’s not writing, Schleich is likely volunteering in the education and arts communities in the Twin Cities, where she lives. Friends, family, good food, wine, and traveling are important aspects of her life. Salvation Station is her first novel.

Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

LinkedIn * Goodreads * Website