Review: The Crossing by Serita Jakes

From The Publisher:

Imprisoned by memories, Claudia Campbell lives each day in the shadow of a ten-year-old murder. Who can set her free?

On the way home from a football game, a decade earlier, a masked gunman opened fi re on a Texas school bus. Cheerleading coach B.J. Remington was killed, but her murderer was never found. Claudia, who had a close friendship with the young, spirited teacher, constantly relives the anguish of that day, caught in one moment in time. When her husband, the assistant district attorney, becomes determined to uncover the mystery of that tragedy, the secrets buried over the years threaten to tear their family apart.

Officer Casio Hightower will never forget the day his dreams were destroyed. A star quarterback with a promising future, Casio was on top of the world—until one bullet changed everything. He is eager to help Victor Campbell find B.J.’s killer, the man who shot him. Maybe solving the case will help silence the demons driving Casio to hurt the woman he loves.

As the Campbells and Casio teeter on the brink of losing everything, will they be able to discover that what begins at the crossing ends at the cross?

My Thoughts:
I'm not usually a huge fan of murder mysteries, but this seemed like a good story and I knew I wanted to read it. I was certainly not disappointed! I could not put this book down!! It was much more than just a murder mystery as we see how the tragic murder of high school teacher BJ Remington affected the lives of students on the bus, Claudia Campbell and Casio Hightower. Ten years after the fact, they are still haunted by the events of that night. When Claudia's husband Victor decides to reopen the case, both are confronted once again by the memories that threaten to destroy them. Throughout the story, we learn more and more secrets, and slowly all the pieces are revealed, just enough at a time to keep the reader wondering what might happen next and until the very end, keeping us in suspense of who exactly the killer was.
I believe my favorite part of this book were the pieces at the beginning of each chapter told from Miss Remington's point of view as she is dying. During this time she evaluates her life and the mistakes she's made (again revealing secrets little by little) and coming to terms that she is dying and seeking and receiving forgiveness from God. Truly, that is what this book is about. Repentance and forgiveness. Some characters will see it, others would not. This was by no means a light hearted Christian fiction novel, but a very powerful one that may be hard to read in places but is certainly worth pushing through anyway.
I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about the outcome of the story- I think I would have liked to see a change in some of the 'bad guys' in the story, but at the same time it was what made the book very real as life doesn't always have that happy ending. Regardless, I'd recommend this book.

You can purchase this book here!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.