The Clouds Roll Away

Title: THE CLOUDS ROLL AWAY
Author: Sibella Giorello
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
March 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59554-534-3
Genre: Inspirational/suspense

Raleigh Harmon is finally back home in Richmond, Virginia, after being sent to Seattle, Washington in disciplinary action. But she is hardly getting a warm welcome. Instead, her new supervisor seems to have it in for her, putting her on phone calls for a task force, and yet expecting her to devote full attention to a cross burning at a local celebrity’s mansion.

Raleigh is having trouble getting to the bottom of the case too. The deeper she digs, the murkier the waters become, making her wonder who is behind it—the historical society who hates the renovations the celebrity made, or a local sheriff, or someone else?

To make matters worse, Raleigh’s personal life seems to be fraying with issues with an exboyfriend and her mother’s sanity. Raleigh is soon forced to depend on her forensic skills, her faith, and prayers that a breakthrough will come.

THE CLOUDS ROLL AWAY is the second book in Ms. Giorello’s A Raleigh Harmon novel series, but it easily stands alone. Ms. Giorello writes with a strong descriptive manner, making the setting come very alive to the reader. The voice of the character is more clipped; a more masculine manner of speaking than feminine, but it fits an FBI agent.

I read book one and was looking forward to reading THE CLOUDS ROLL AWAY and I was not disappointed. Ms. Giorello keeps me guessing, and I had to keep the pages turning to see what happens next. I am looking forward to reading the third book in the series, The Mountains Bow Down, coming in the fall of this year. An interview with the author is included. $14.99. 322 pages.