Fate of the Fallen

Ellery Adams · Elizabeth Lockard

Jan 2016 · Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 5 · Beyond The Page

About this ebook

A brand-new book in the terrific Hope Street Church mystery series, by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams and Elizabeth Lockard.

 

Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved.

 

Cooper Lee and her friends in the Hope Street Bible Study Group are enjoying a glorious summer day in the park, complete with picnic, hiking, swimming, and a local bluegrass band. But Cooper knows that no good day goes unpunished, and when a man turns up dead in the nearby woods—and the sister of Cooper’s fiancé is named as the prime suspect—the group may have to trade in their prayers of thanks for pleas of divine intervention.

 

Cooper knows her future sister-in-law is innocent, so when the police arrest her for the murder, the Bible study group must step in to catch the real killer and prevent a grave injustice. Following a twisted trail of clues that leads to a hit-and-run driver, a homeless veteran, and a park full of suspects who may hold more secrets than solutions, Cooper must hold firm to her spiritual convictions before an innocent woman faces a conviction of a more earthly nature.

 

Includes heavenly recipes from Magnolia Lee’s kitchen!

Ratings and reviews

Fate of the Fallen by Ellery Adams and Elizabeth Lockard is the fifth book in A Hope Street Church Mystery series. The Sunrise Bible Study Group is spending the day at a blue grass festival. There are many activities for them to enjoy (booths, food trucks, music) as well as hiking and swimming. They are enjoying a hike when the group encounters Nathan’s sister, Christine. Christine is on a mini-work retreat with her boss, Sinclair Gordon and fellow Sphinx Digital Systems and Solutions employees. Later in the afternoon, Cooper Lee and Nathan are enjoying some quiet time together when Christine comes stumbling out of the woods—with blood on her hands. Christine and her group were looking for their missing boss, Sinclair. He had failed to show up for dinner. Christine stumbled upon him in the woods off a hiking trail. Inspector McNamara is assigned the case. Christine quickly rises to the top of the suspect list. Cooper cannot let her future sister-in-law be accused of the crime. Cooper, with the help of the Sunrise Bible Study Group (Savannah, Trish, Bryant, Quinton, Jake, and Nathan), sets out to find the real culprit. Nathan also has some very important news to share with Cooper. But, every time Nathan tries to talk with Cooper, they get interrupted. How will Nathan’s news affect Cooper and Nathan’s future? Fate of the Fallen is easy to read and nicely written. The book did not have the same touch as Ellery Adams other novels (like her A Book Retreat Mystery series and The Charmed Pie Shoppe series, for example). I found the pace to be very slow in the beginning (and periodically throughout the novel). I give Fate of the Fallen 3 out of 5 stars. The mystery in Fate of the Fallen was easily solved. I could tell who was going to be murdered, who would get blamed, and the actual killer before the crime was committed (very disappointing). The actual crime did not take place until I was 15% of the way into the book. Fate of the Fallen was not as enjoyable as the previous novels in A Hope Street Church Mystery series. I just felt the book was lacking which is very atypical of Ellery Adams’ novels.

Very clever and nice quick read.. Fun characters..

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs, including that of caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children's books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia.

 

Elizabeth Lockard has been writing fiction since childhood, and following a writing and editing career in the communications field, she turned her full attention to her oldest love and decided to make a career of it. Her favorite authors are Elizabeth Peters and Krista Davis, but she enjoys most books with mystery and/or thriller elements. She lives in Phoenix with her husband, son, and two dogs.