THE CATCH
The U.S. Marshals Series, #3
by
LISA HARRIS
Fiction / Christian / Mystery / Suspense / Romance
Publisher: Revell
Date of Publication: April 5, 2022
Number of Pages: 352 pages
Scroll down for Giveaway!
Everything hidden is eventually found
After a harrowing attempt on a judge’s life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge’s wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is not who they think she is.
Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the people who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.
Amazon * Baker Book House
Christianbooks.com * Other Revell Affiliates
CHAPTER ONE, PART TWO
FROM THE CATCH
(Click to read Chapter One, Part One on LSBBT Tour)
There was nothing she could do to change their understanding. He promised to pay the bills as long as she promised to be quiet. His wife was never to find out. None of his associates could be confided in either. No one could know he was the father of her baby.
Becca shook her head. “I need to leave—”
“I wouldn’t if I were you. I know everything about you and Robert, including the fact that you had his son.”
Becca’s mouth went dry. “Robert told you that?”
Myra motioned her inside. “It didn’t take much detective work to find out where he really spends his time away from me.”
“I made mistakes,” Becca said, stepping through the imposing entryway to a boldly decorated living room that was far too gaudy for her taste, though the red-and-coral theme seemed to fit Myra perfectly. “But you have to understand that I didn’t know he was married when I first started seeing him.” By the time she found out the truth about Robert’s marital status, she’d already lost her heart.
Guilt pressed against her chest. How many times had she told herself she needed to walk away? How many times had she chastised herself for not taking her own advice?
Myra’s smile disappeared as she turned around in the middle of the room. “Don’t play innocent with me.”
“I’m not,” Becca started to argue, then stopped. She had no idea what this woman wanted from her, but clearly Myra wasn’t interested in a string of apologies.
Myra narrowed her gaze. “You need to know that I have the ability to make your life extremely miserable, but . . . I’m going to offer you a one-time deal.”
Becca’s fingers clenched her purse strap. “What do you mean?”
“I will give you enough money to leave Seattle and start over. I don’t care where or how, as long as it’s far away from here.”
Becca forced herself to relax her hands, but she couldn’t absorb what she was hearing. “You want to pay me off?”
“You make it sound so . . . so illicit.”
“Isn’t it?”
Myra’s glare seemed to pierce through her. “No more illicit than sleeping with someone else’s husband.”
Becca’s gaze dropped to the expensive rug on the wooden floor, then followed the dark-orange squiggly pattern along the edge. Nausea swept through her, making her feel like she would vomit. She should have known this day would come. Nothing good ever came from keeping secrets.
“You’re going to walk away and never contact Robert again. And”—she tapped her manicured fingers together—“you will sign over parental rights of the baby to Robert.”
Becca’s head shot up. “I won’t do that.”
Myra’s brows rose. “Then you don’t understand how things work. Without money and power, you’re nothing but a waitress working overtime for tips. If you try to fight me, you’ll lose.”
“No.” Becca straightened her shoulders, determined to dig up enough courage to fight back. “You can’t buy me off.”
“Then you’re more foolish than I thought,” she said, her voice cold. “Robert doesn’t love you, Becca. He never did. Not really. You’ve been nothing more than a temporary distraction.”
“I’m not taking your money.”
“Then I’ll need to find something to persuade you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know you left your son with his sitter this morning,” Myra said.
Becca’s heart pounded in her chest. If Myra did anything to hurt her son, or Ava . . .
“What did you do?” Becca asked.
“It’s not what I’ve done, it’s what I will do if you don’t cooperate. You will sign the papers I’ve had drawn up, giving Robert full custody of the child, and walk away with the money.”
“No—”
“You seem to think you can fight this, but you can’t. Robert will hire the best lawyers in the city, and in the end, you will still give up your rights to your son. Now it’s just up to you to decide if you take the money or end up losing everything.”
Becca stumbled backward. “No. I’ll never give up my baby.”
She grabbed her handgun out of her purse—ironically, the gun that Robert had bought her. There wasn’t time to think through the consequences. All she knew was that she wasn’t going to lose her son.
Click to start reading chapter two on the 4/18/22 LSBBT tour stop.
Much like the other books in this series, this moves at warp speed and it will keep you guessing until the end.
I really enjoyed seeing Madison’s story continue with the search for her husband’s killer and who shot her. She has amnesia about that night when she was shot but she will find out who and why in this book, but even then there are some twists that I didn’t see coming. But at least she gets closure on this event and can move forward in her relationship with Jonas. I think this was holding her back from allowing the relationship to blossom.
The action/mystery/suspense aspect kept me guessing and wondering how each piece would unravel to reveal the truth. Not everyone is who you think they are and perhaps those you thought untrustworthy will give you a second chance.
I love the setting of this series. Seattle is a beautiful area and there is so much to do. It is a great spot for those that love the outdoors as we can see in a few scenes as they tromp through various wooded areas, trails, and parks.
This is the last book in this series featuring US Marshals. However, it gave me good insight into what they actually do compared to other government agencies. It is not a light job and there is just as much danger as any other entity.
This is a fantastic trilogy and well worth the read. We give it 5 paws up.
Lisa Harris is a USA Today bestselling author, a Christy Award winner, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel from Romantic Times for her novels Blood Covenant and Vendetta. The author of more than forty books, including The Escape, The Chase, The Traitor’s Pawn, Vanishing Point, A Secret to Die For, and Deadly Intentions, as well as The Nikki Boyd Files and the Southern Crimes series, Harris and her family have spent over 17 years living as missionaries in southern Africa and currently reside there.
Website ◆ Facebook ◆ Twitter
Amazon ◆ Goodreads ◆ BookBub
Instagram ◆ Blog ◆ Pinterest
————————————–
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
ONE WINNER!
Gets the full U.S. Marshals series
(The Chase, The Escape, The Catch)
& a tote bag.
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 4/22/2022)
Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page
For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily,
or visit the blogs directly:
| 4/12/22 | Author Video | Hall Ways Blog |
| 4/12/22 | Review | Boys’ Mom Reads |
| 4/13/22 | Scrapbook Page | The Page Unbound |
| 4/13/22 | BONUS Promo | LSBBT Blog |
| 4/14/22 | Review | The Plain-Spoken Pen |
| 4/14/22 | Guest Post | Sybrina’s Book Blog |
| 4/15/22 | Review | The Book’s Delight |
| 4/16/22 | Excerpt 1 | All the Ups and Downs |
| 4/17/22 | Excerpt 2 | StoreyBook Reviews |
| 4/18/22 | Excerpt 3 | Book Fidelity |
| 4/18/22 | Review | Missus Gonzo |
| 4/19/22 | Author Video | Forgotten Winds |
| 4/20/22 | Review | Shelf Life Blog |
| 4/20/22 | Series Spotlight | Reading by Moonlight |
| 4/21/22 | Review | Writing and Music |
| 4/21/22 | Review | Chapter Break Book Blog |
blog tour services provided by
It is a really good book! I read the 2nd but not the 1st so will need to go back and read that one.
Great review and excerpt! I thoroughly enjoyed this book!