Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
I’ve waxed poetic on Christian suspense novels before, so when the opportunity to review Stranded by Dani Pettrey came up, I leapt at it! I was introduced to the Alaskan Courage series at Allume last year & reviewed the second book also.
Stranded, like the others, could be a stand alone novel. If you’ve read the others, you will be familiar with the character dynamics, but it’s not necessary. Stranded takes place on an Alaskan cruise line. Darcy St James, a former investigative reporter, get hired on a cruise ship at the urging of an old friend who was in need of her help. Right after arriving on the ship, Darcy’s friend disappears. What was she on to?
Gage McKenna (who Darcy met in the previous book) is in charge of the Alaskan adventure excursions for the cruise lines passengers. Since Darcy was hired to do publicity for the cruise line, they are thrown back together while Darcy tries to get to the bottom of her friends disappearance.
The danger is palpable and the situation dire for Darcy St. James. I love that Stranded is so well-written. The mark of a great suspense novel, for me, is that I start to speed-read/skim to find out how it ends. I had to slow down so I didn’t miss anything.
It’s a very intense book and deals with a saddening subject. Luckily, the full impact doesn’t hit you until the end. As far as the “Jesus-factor” goes, I would put this solidly in the middle. It’s not so poorly done that its an afterthought nor over the top. Most of it centers around asking God’s help (don’t we all do that?) and wanting our friends to accept God. If you’re Catholic, the language is a little…foreign…but the idea is the same :).
Overall, I LOVED Stranded and I’m so glad that Bethany House sent me a copy for review. If you like suspense novels but don’t like the gory details of human depravity, Stranded is an excellent choice. This homeschool mom, knocked it out of the park with the Alaskan Courage series. Really, really well done!
