Border Breach – A Review

Border Breach – A Review

Steph Nickel reviews Border Breach by Darlene L. Turner. The novel is about border services officers and their experiences in the line of duty.

What is your favourite Christian novel? We would love to hear from you. Share your comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.

Border Breach

If you listened to my review recently, you may remember I said I was going to review some of my favourite HopeStreamRadio programs.

Well, last week I reviewed Kathi Lipp’s newest book, Clutter Free Home.

This week I’m going to review Darlene L. Turner’s debut novel, Border Breach, one of six new Love Inspired Suspense novels available now for pre-order and will be released on April 1. I am honoured to be part of Darlene’s Border Patrol Facebook group and to have received an advance copy of the book.

I was a member of the same writers’ group as Darlene for over 10 years, and I’m thrilled that her dream of becoming a traditionally published author has come true for her.

Darlene Turner

Darlene’s devotion to improving her craft is inspirational. And her perseverance … Let’s just say most people would have given up, but Darlene didn’t and it paid off.

Darlene’s bio reads as follows:

Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author who lives with her husband, Jeff, in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters and moved by her inspirational message.

hopestreamradio · Border Breach

Border Breach Synopsis

The back cover of Border Breach reads like this:

Forming a joint task force, Canada border officer Kaylin Poirier and police constable Hudson Steeves have one objective: take down a drug-smuggling ring trying to sell a new lethal product. But when the smugglers come after Kaylin and Hudson, this mission becomes more than just a job. Can they live long enough to solve the case?

So, imagine yourself as a border services officer. I can’t imagine, for the most part, that it’s a particularly exciting job. But the truth of the matter is these men and women must always be on high alert. Sadly, there are those who seek to smuggle various illegal substances between Canada and the United States.

The Beginning of the Story

And this is where Border Breach begins. Kaylin Poirier is on duty and immediately senses that something is not right with the nervous driver and his hoodie-wearing companion in the white panel van. There are not windows and Kaylin has no idea what they are transporting, but when the K9 unit passes close to the van and the dog begins to bark, it confirms she has to see what in the back of the vehicle. She approaches the driver’s window only to spot the gun sitting on his lap.

Shots fired. The K9 unit taking cover. Kaylin rolling out of the line of fire. The driver barrelling through the border. A call to the Ontario Provincial Police to take up the chase. Not the way I’d want to start my day!

What makes it worse is that Hudson Steeves, a police constable Kaylin has previously worked with—unsuccessfully, arrives and states that they are now to work on a joint task force to bring down a drug-smuggling ring.

And whose idea was that?

Her father’s, Chief of Police Marshall Poirier, who promised to rid his city of drugs and promised his daughter would be a key player in the fight. He was not going to be happy about the van that made it into the country on her watch.

Tension and Danger

From the opening chapter, Darlene sets up the tension and potential danger. As I mentioned, the driver of the van fired at Kaylin. By the end of the chapter, he and his companion are long gone. So, where are the shots coming from that send Hudson and Kaylin ducking for cover at the end of the chapter?

The story is written from both Kaylin’s and Hudson’s point of view, giving readers an understanding of both protagonists’ perspective.

As is the case with all Love Inspired novels, it is a fairly quick read—if, unlike me, you’re able to devote more time to reading for pleasure.

Although I appreciated the fact that Harlequin was one of the first publishers to begin a “clean romance” line, Love Inspired, even these are not my go-to novels.

However, I find their suspense line much more attractive, and I’m thrilled that Darlene’s book has found a home here.

Congratulations, Dar! The cover is captivating, and I look forward to reading the remainder of Kaylin and Hudson’s story!

I may get around to reviewing those HopeStreamRadio programs next week, but I’ll have to wait and see if any more books arrive in the mail.

Happy Reading!

hopestreamradio