Trace of Doubt

DiAnn Mills

Sep 2021 · Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

About this ebook

Bestselling and award-winning author DiAnn Mills delivers a heart-stopping story of dark secrets, desperate enemies, and dangerous lies.

Fifteen years ago, Shelby Pearce confessed to murdering her brother-in-law and was sent to prison. Now she’s out on parole and looking for a fresh start in the small town of Valleysburg, Texas. But starting over won’t be easy for an ex-con.

FBI Special Agent Denton McClure was a rookie fresh out of Quantico when he was first assigned the Pearce case. He’s always believed Shelby embezzled five hundred thousand dollars from her brother-in-law’s account. So he’s going undercover to befriend Shelby, track down the missing money, and finally crack this case.

But as Denton gets closer to Shelby, he begins to have a trace of doubt about her guilt. Someone has Shelby in their crosshairs. It’s up to Denton to stop them before they silence Shelby—and the truth—forever.

Ratings and reviews

A thrilling story of faith, sacrifice, forgiveness, friendship and love, Trace of Doubt kept me up all night trying to follow the heart-pounding twists and turns in the life of Shelby Pearce after her release from prison. At first, I tried to guess what was going to happen next but when I found myself wrong several times, I decided to just enjoy and let DiAnn Mills take me for a literary ride. Starting with the dramatic prologue all the way to the satisfactory conclusion in the epilogue, this book had me enthralled. Ms. Mills has a deft hand in the characterization of her leads, especially with Shelby’s. From page one, I cared about her and had absolutely no trace of doubt in my mind in her innocence of the crime for which she’d served fifteen years behind bars. I was in turn worried, indignant, scared, sad, relieved, and happy for her as the events unfolded. I am glad she found people who believed in her and supported her wholeheartedly to balance the number of those who intended her harm. Same as Shelby, I didn’t trust Denton at first, especially with his preconceptions and deceptions, but I warmed to him the second he showed up with a gift of a puppy. I enjoyed the self-examination of his relationship with God and celebrated his rediscovery of his faith. For me, it was a believable transformation heavily influenced by the awe-inspiring strength of Shelby’s example in words and in deeds. Christianity is central to this story. Ms. Mills didn’t stint on proclaiming her beliefs through the main characters. God’s words often emboldened Shelby in her actions. Biblical quotes and Christian maxims abound in Trace of Doubt. One of my favorites is: "Trusting God doesn’t mean we have to understand why bad things happen.” The one aspect of the book that I had difficulty with was the characterization of the villain. While I appreciate the attempt to explain their motivation, I wanted the addition of redeeming qualities. Even just one. Content notes: physical violence, bullying, death of a loved one, gun violence, child abuse

The reality of prison was the.beginning for Shelby, confessing to the killing. Getting out now and working at a cafe, and seeing the normal day and chattering of people coming in. Agent Denton goes undercover believing there was money missing and to befriend Shelby to find out where and close the fifteen year old case. With God’s healing and the love of a family she hadn’t known before life changed for Shelby. A story that one’s faith and that things and life will once Given ARC by Net Galley and Tyndale for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

This book would make a great movie. It is action packed, full of forgiveness, second chances, finding the truth, mystery and so much more. Shelby Pearce is just looking for a quiet place to start over, but when trouble seems to stalk her should she trust the agent who lied to her? Denton McClure is out to prove Shelby is guilty. But is there more to the story? I always enjoy books by DiAnn Mills. I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.