The Garden Girls: Book Review + Giveaway

 **Complimentary copy received for consideration. All opinions are my own.

About the Book

Book: The Garden Girls

Author: Jessica R. Patch

Genre: Thriller

Release date: April 23, 2024

On a remote Outer Banks island, a serial killer collects his prized specimens. And to stop him, an FBI agent must confront his own twisted past.

FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It’s not just the macabre way both victims—found posed in front of lighthouses—are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There’s also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape.

Bexley Hemmingway’s sister has gone missing, and she’ll do anything to find her—including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn’t know he’s the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger.

As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he’s not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive…

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Jessica R. Patch is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author known for her dry wit, signatures twists, and complex characters. She loves reading true crime books, discussing cold cases over chips and salsa with her girlfriends, and hunting down serial killers in her romantic suspense novels and psychological thrillers.

Jessica loves to encourage and inspire people to forward living devotionals through her monthly email newsletter. You’re invited to join the Patched In community at her website: www.jessicarpatch.com and receive a FREE short thriller, Nobody Has to Know.

She resides in the Memphis area with her husband and her spoiled tri-color Shetland Sheepdog since becoming empty nesters. Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.

More from Jessica

Does Dark Subject Matter Belong in Inspirational Thrillers?

Spoil alert! Yes.

I am often asked why I write thrillers with darker subject matter and should I? My answer is easy and it’s biblical.

In the Bible, you’ll find all sorts of twisted, dark subject matter. Simply read the book of Judges. God didn’t sanitize the Bible or the people, which include sexual immorality, murder, gruesome violence against women and even cannibalism and child sacrifice (you won’t find child sacrifice in my books, so rest assured). He didn’t approve of these things nor did He condone them, but He also didn’t edit it out for easy reading pleasure. It was important to reveal the dark human condition and what happens apart from God; many heinous things were perpetrated by God’s people as they edged away from their faith into disobedience.

Reading this darker subject matter is hopeful because it reminds us of who we, too, can become apart from God actively in our lives and that God can still accomplish His redemptive purposes in the midst of that darkness. Light shines and is a beacon of hope. Of salvation.

So I don’t shy away from the underbelly of humanity whether it’s through an unbeliever or a believer who has run off the rails and needs brought to repentance and restoration. Light always shines in my books—God rescues, redeems, reconciles and redirects. I’m willing to go there in my stories because I know that it doesn’t stay dark. It doesn’t stay hopeless because we are never without hope.

In The Garden Girls, I wanted to explore that darkness but not with pointy horns and pitchforks. I think we all run from blatant evil that isn’t hiding or masking itself. But what about when evil masquerades as an angel of light? What about when it’s charming, smells good, offers pleasure, and seems harmless? Like a shiny lure that is attractive but when bitten, hooks and binds the unsuspecting victim. Biblical principles and truths weave through the story and in at the heart, it’s a redemptive story. One that takes hurricane force to bring a man to Truth, and choice to bow his heart and yield to sacrificial love.

Book Review

Oh my goodness... talk about a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat! This might be one of the creepier suspense reads I've read in quite some time... allowing us glimpses into the mind of this serial killer who collects women like twisted trophies. As such it's one I had to step away from at times... and certainly one that I found I was unable to read at night... but the story was intriguing and drew me in right away. Tiberius Granger is an FBI agent who grew up in a religious cult, which leads him to investigating crimes that seem to take on a religious nature. This particular killer seems to be related to his own past. His history makes him very critical of religion in general... and while those opinions in the beginning made me stop to check that I hadn't picked up the wrong book, I appreciated the realness to his experience and how that allowed us to see him grow as the story went on. The story also doesn't shy away from other tough topics--- it's gritty and raw with imperfect characters you cannot help but to be drawn to. There were several twists I did not see coming... and while the nature of the story didn't make it the most enjoyable read at times, it was certainly a wonderful written one!

If you enjoy Christian suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, you won't want to miss this one.

Blog Stops

Book Looks by Lisa, September 5

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 6

Inspired by Fiction, September 7

Stories By Gina, September 8 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 8

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, September 9

Texas Book-aholic, September 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 12

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 13

Simple Harvest Reads, September 14 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Blogging With Carol , September 15

For Him and My Family, September 16

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 16

Holly’s Book Corner, September 17

Just Your Average reviews, September 18

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jessica is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback copy of Her Darkest Secret, a paperback copy of A Cry in the Dark and a $35 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway