To Trust a Stranger

Title: TO TRUST A STRANGER
Author: Lynn Bulock
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
September 2007
ISBN: 978-0-373-44259-1
Genre: Inspirational/romantic suspense

Jessie Barker’s earliest memories are of her father being murdered and her mother kidnapped, a dead woman replacing her mother in the car they were all riding in. But no one would believe her story. Jessie and her sister, Laura, went from foster home to foster home, everyone believing they were orphaned.

Now, Laura has vanished. A woman is found badly burned in a fire, and a faded photograph of Jessie and Laura is the only clue found at the scene. Everyone believes it is Laura. Until the woman dies, and Jessie discovers that she is not her sister. DNA proves that she is Jessie’s mother.

Where was Jessie’s mother all these years? And even more important, where is Laura now? Detective Steve Gardner wants to help Jessie find the answers to these questions. But the quest is turning dangerous…will Jessie even live to learn the answers?

TO TRUST A STRANGER is an excellent story that held my interest. Steve didn’t act like a normal police detective, instead he was kind and loving, going above and beyond the call of duty to minister and reach out to Jessie. Jessie was, understandably, confused and a bit lost, when her world was turned upside down and the reader was instantly sympathetic toward her.

I couldn’t help but hope that Laura would be found alive and that Jessie would not only find love, but also keep her relationship with her sister. I was kind of sad that the mother died without Jessie ever developing a relationship with her. TO TRUST A STRANGER is one of the better Love Inspired Suspense I’ve read recently. It is definitely worth a second look. Discussion questions are included at the end. Available at www.steeplehill.com. $5.50. 247 pages.