Her Darkest Secret by Jessica R. Patch

Her Darkest Secret by Jessica R. Patch
Series: FBI: Strange Crimes Unit
Publisher: Love Inspired Trade on June 28, 2022

REVIEW BY STACI TROILO

Her Darkest Secret is the first book in the FBI: Strange Crimes Unit series written by Jessica R. Patch. As I’m a huge fan of law enforcement procedurals, this description immediately appealed to me. I don’t often find FBI special crimes mysteries in the Christian genre. Twisted religious mockery crimes? In abundance. Crimes where the heroes are believers? Not so much. Christian crime novels are often too soft or too simple for my taste, so I tried to manage my expectations. 

This far exceeded them. 

The heroine in this story, Fiona Kelly, became an FBI agent to find the serial killer (dubbed “Rhyme” because of his MO) who abducted her and murdered her sister years earlier. This event, as you might expect, defines her, and she can’t move on with her life until she catches him. This singular obsession cost her the man she loves, Special Agent Asa Kodiak. 

Aaa has his own issues, but since he found faith in God, he’s moved on with his life and begun to find peace. When Rhyme resurfaces after a long absence, Fiona wants in on the investigation. Her arrival complicates things and brings long-buried feelings bubbling to the surface. It puts his new relationship in jeopardy. It puts lives in jeopardy.

When Rhyme gets too close, Fiona seeks comfort in the one place—with the one man—who ever made her feel safe. 

He continued to whisper comfort into her soul. Words that sounded a lot like prayers. And at this moment, she wouldn’t object. Wouldn’t tell him that prayers fell on deaf ears. Because she needed the hope. 

Jessica R. Patch, Her Darkest Secret

There is a romantic element, but it’s a small part of the story and is never inappropriate. Obviously there is a religious component, but while it is overt, it never felt preachy. First and foremost, it’s an FBI procedural with a twisted killer, and it kept me racing through the story toward the reveal. 

There are tragedies in this tale but no gore on the page. The plot unfolds organically at a solid pace, ratcheting up at the climax. The main characters are well developed with satisfying arcs; secondary characters are interesting with room to grow in subsequent books, and the red herrings will keep your head spinning to the last second. 

I really enjoyed this book and intend to devour this series. If I’m being picky, I’ll take off half a fish for some minor things that seemed a bit too implausible, but nothing so egregious that it detracts from the story. If you’re looking for a good Christian mystery/thriller, I suggest starting with this one. 

_{I read Her Darkest Secret through Everand.}