Book Tour: Among the Innocent by Mary Alford

AMONG THE INNOCENT

by
MARY ALFORD

Fiction / Christian / Suspense
Publisher: Revell
Date of Publication: June 7, 2022 *** 304 pages

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When Leah Miller’s entire Amish family was murdered ten years ago, the person believed responsible took his own life. Since then, Leah left the Amish and joined the police force. Now, after another Amish woman is found murdered with the same MO, it becomes clear that the wrong man may have been blamed for her family’s deaths.

As Leah and the new police chief, Dalton Cooper, work long hours struggling to fit the pieces together in order to catch the killer, they can’t help but grow closer. When secrets from both of their pasts begin to surface, an unexpected connection between them is revealed. But this is only the beginning. Could it be that the former police chief framed an innocent man to keep the biggest secret of all buried? And what will it mean for Leah–and Dalton–when the full truth comes to light?

USA Today bestselling author Mary Alford keeps you guessing as two determined souls plumb the dark depths of the past in order to forge a brighter future–together.

PRAISE FOR AMONG THE INNOCENT:

“Readers will be compelled to keep turning the pages until they uncover the truth behind a dark legacy hidden behind lies and madness. Highly recommended.” —Nancy Mehl, author of the Quantico Files

“Among the Innocent is no buggy ride but a race to stop a killer.” —DiAnn Mills, bestselling and award-winning author of Trace of Doubt

“Among the Innocent had me glued to the page from the start. Dishes sat in the sink and chores piled up until I finished it. I highly recommend this story!” — Patricia Bradley, author of Crosshairs“

Mary Alford proves she’s a master storyteller with Among the Innocent. Expect an adrenaline rush on every page.” — Debby Giusti, author of Smugglers in Amish Country

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This duo of crime fighters steps onto the stage with a dramatic and engrossing mystery. When Amish girls start disappearing, and then are later found murdered, it suddenly brings back stark memories of the horrible murders of Leah’s family when she was very young. She was the only one to survive the massacre, and she was so traumatized that she made a false identification when the police questioned her. She didn’t mean to, she just felt so much pressure to answer questions.

That investigation of the earlier crimes was done by the police chief, Ellis, who eventually became her foster father, and because he was so sure that the young man she had named was the killer, Leah spent the next years tamping down the niggling little doubts.

But now those doubts can’t be pushed aside any more.

The reader knows who the murderer is, or at least we think we do, and the suspense comes in the question of whether Leah and Dalton will catch him before he kills again. It’s a tension-filled chase as one false lead after another goes nowhere, while another girl is attacked. The desperation and frustration that Leah and Dalton feel is palatable and makes the drama even more intense. There are a number of surprises in the story. A big one toward the end of the book that ties some loose ends together nicely, but I won’t spoil that surprise for other readers. 🙂

As I read, there were a couple of things that bothered me in the plotting. One was the friendship that Leah had with the young boy that she accused of killing her family. It wasn’t clear how close they were, so I had to wonder why she didn’t know previously that Dalton was the boy’s brother. That was just a little thing that niggled at me every time the boy’s name popped up and it was referenced that they were friends.

Other readers probably won’t even notice those little issues. Sometimes I have a hard time taking off my editor hat, but when I did for this story, I was caught up in the drama of the chase, enjoying the surprises along the way and the people in the story. It was nice to meet Amish families and get a closer look at their lives. And the romance between Leah and Dalton was perfect. The way the relationship grew and developed was presented in a way that was believable, with all of the reasons that they were trying to pull back from each other ringing true. It’s obvious that this partnership will continue on the professional and personal level, and that’s good for readers who like an engaging romantic suspense.

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Mary Alford is a USA Today bestselling author who loves giving her readers the unexpected, combining unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots that result in stories the reader can’t put down. Her titles have been finalists for several awards, including the Daphne Du Maurier, the Beverly, the Maggie, and the Selah. She and her husband live in the heart of Texas in the middle of 70 acres with two cats and one dog.

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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

TWO WINNERS!
Copies of Among the Innocent
+ $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble.
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 6/17/2022)

A RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

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CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY, or visit the blogs directly:

6/7/22	Guest Post	Shelf Life Blog
6/7/22	BONUS Promo	Hall Ways Blog
6/8/22	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
6/8/22	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
6/9/22	Character Interview	Reading by Moonlight
6/10/22	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
6/11/22	Deleted Scene	All the Ups and Downs
6/12/22	Scrapbook Page	Chapter Break Book Blog
6/13/22	Review	Rainy Days with Amanda
6/14/22	Excerpt	Rox Burkey Blog
6/15/22	Review	Jennie Reads
6/16/22	Review	The Plain-Spoken Pen