“Threadgill plunges a detective from the San Antonio Property Crimes Division into a deep-laid plot involving murder, kidnapping, and myriad other crimes above her pay grade.”–Kirkus ReviewsThree years ago, a collision between a fast-moving freight train and a school bus full of kids led to devastation and grief on an unimaginable scale. But a fresh clue leads San Antonio police detective Amara … police detective Amara Alvarez to the unlikely conclusion that one of the children may still be alive. If she’s correct, everything law enforcement believes about the accident is a lie.
With time running out, Amara must convince others–and herself–that despite all evidence to the contrary, the boy lives. And she will do everything in her power to bring him home.
A fresh voice in suspense, Tom Threadgill will have you questioning everything as you fly through the pages of this enthralling story.
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The story hooked me from the first word till the very last! Amara Alvarez is a young lady desiring to move from the burglary division to the homicide division of the police force. The character is young, tough, energetic and definitely family orientated. Amara has a unique house pet that roams the apartment when she is home and its who she thinks out loud to when trying to unravel the knot in a case and find the missing piece of the puzzle.
Alvarez gets drawn into a case that occurred in the area many years prior. The detective gets drawn in as she is sitting in a local restaurant and overhears the loud interaction between a husband and wife. The lady, Mrs. Reyes, has received a text that is ominous in content and cannot be traced, supposedly sent by her son who was killed in a bus accident years ago. Unless Detective Alvarez finds any clue not previously investigated when it first happened, the case will remain closed and the mother will have no peace.
Tom Threadgill writes a very tension filled story that brings many threads together and eventually at the end of the book, his masterpiece is on exhibit! I enjoyed how the female leading player Detective Amara Alvarez puts family time first if at all possible. It was great reading of a family that comes together weekly, enjoying a good meal and family fun but also with open arms to strangers.
The ending was surprising, and I look forward to what suspenseful tale will come next from the pen of Tom Threadgill!
This book will keep you on the edge of your seat! I’ve read all of this author’s books and in my opinion this is the best one yet. His books are well written and keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. If you like books full of suspense you will love this book. This is a solid 5 star read! I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Oh my goodness what can I say!! This book was so intriguing, keep you on the edge of your seat, and never knowing what was coming next. If you like mystery and suspense you definitely need to read this book. I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen in the next book. Mr. Tom Threadgill is now my new favorite author and I will be going back and finding his other books and reading them.
I received a free copy from the publisher.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and so far I’m loving it! I’m at chapter 22.
I have never read Tom Threadgill, but now I’ll have to watch for his books!
Clean mystery. Intriguing. Love the characters.
By the way, I never rate anything 5 stars, so believe me, I like it. 🙂
A Brand New Release With Suspense So Riveting, Readers Will Find Themselves Devouring Collision Of Lies! Threadgill Keeps His Readers Spellbound And Guessing At Each New Chapter…
What a marvelous new story from Tom Threadgill. A master in suspense writing, he has perfected the art of storytelling and created a true heroine in Detective Amara Alvarez. Her grit, determination and witty office banter with the other cops put me right at ease with her as the main character. In fact, I found myself wanting to BE her! This was a book I simply could not put down and immediately wanted more of Amara’s story the moment this one ended!
When I first chose this book to review, I wasn’t certain what to expect. Author Tom Threadgill is new to me and I’ve not read any of his books before. The synopsis sounded intriguing so I thought I’d give it a try. Wow, am I ever glad I did! Collision of Lies is a captivating, masterfully created page turner!
I always love when I find a book that is hard to put down. I found myself sneaking a chapter or two of Collision of Lies on work breaks and during lunch or dinner. Threadgill has a unique, edgy writing style. He offers plenty of background, insight and knowledge for readers to absorb in a fun, captivating way. Detective Amara Alvarez, the main character is a force to be reckoned with. I loved her Hispanic ethnicity, grit, determination, and her relationship with her Iguana. I found myself laughing out loud over the witty conversations between Amara and her detective colleagues and biting my nails over the mystery that Threadgill begins to unravel in the first chapter. Along with Detective Alvarez, Threadgill introduces a host of other great characters who compliment the story well with their own characteristics and quirks. I found the characters to be authentic, relatable and likable. Threadgill’s style of dispersing crime and law enforcement terminology and procedure throughout the novel is easy to understand and not overwhelming, though definitely thorough.
I recommend Collision of Lies to suspense readers and even contemporary fiction readers. This book is not a romance and in my opinion, is not for teen readers under 16. I was disappointed to find that while published with a Christian publisher, it held little to no traces of faith or a mention of God. Threadgill does mention profanity being used but does not include it himself. There are also a handful of subtle insinuations, like one about “getting lucky”. On a personal preference note, there is a mention of “privates” when detective Alvarez needs relieve herself on the side of a building and I found that particular word distasteful as a female reader. It could have been avoided all together. Again, the book is edgy and a little different from what I’m used to with Christian fiction, but overall, it’s clean and now, a new favorite of mine! I do hope you’ll give Collision of Lies a chance for yourself and then we can look forward to book #2 of Detective Alvarez’s story coming up next!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell at Baker Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
This was a new author to me. He has published a few other books, but not on the Christian market. I have been eager to read his first book on the Christian market, and was not disappointed.
A lot of the suspense novels I read are non-stop action and suspense. Bad guy trying to kill or kidnap someone while the good guys are on the chase. This book was a much slower pace with a lot of investigating and interviewing going on for much of the book. That isn’t to say the book was boring. Slow does not equal boring, as this author proved.
The plot for the book is genius. I assumed that the boy in question had not died in the crash that killed so many, but how? And why? The answers to those questions were a long and complicated plot that had be amazed and on the edge of my seat by the time it was all over. I was disappointed in one thing at the end, and asked why the author had to do THAT?!….but it was a great read that I enjoyed very much, and am now wanting to read his other books.
Collision of lies had a lot of different characters, likable, and not so much. Were I a male author, I would have had a male character as the main character, but Threadbill had a female. She did end up being a great character with a great supporting “cast.” Though books like these typically have a romance between the two main characters, there really wasn’t one in this book. Nor was there really a main male character. The book did sort of lean that way towards the end with a possibility of a romance…..maybe that will happen in the next book.
Also, there was nothing really Christian about the book, though it was clean and curse free, and had a Christian world view. That didn’t bother me, just making note of it. This is a book I would recommend, and an author I am interested in reading more of.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.
The publisher gave me a free copy of Collision of Lies, a suspenseful thriller by Tom Threadgill set in San Antonio, Texas. I am blessed to have been at the right place and at the right time as I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.
I liked this novel with Mr. Threadgill’s methods of characterization: believable characters, witty dialogue, and engaging actions. Moreover, Jeremy Winter, a character from previous novels by Mr. Threadgill, made a cameo appearance in this one!
Collision of Lies was a page turner from the beginning to end! The suspense kept me reading to find out how all the pieces fit together. Being a master story-teller, Mr. Threadgill kept the suspense ad thrills coming. Thank you!!
A very good feel-good read. Great character and plot development. Enough mystery to keep you turning pages to find out what really happened while getting interested in the lives and relationships of the characters. This story takes place in the middle of people’s everyday lives and that is what makes it seem more realistic and interesting.
What a wild ride this book was! It hooked me in from the very beginning and didn’t let up until the end. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be my last. I have all of the Jeremy Winter books on my kindle and getting a small peak at that character in this book, I instantly want to know more – so the Winter series is moving up on my TBR this year. While Mr. Winter makes a guest appearance in this book (I assume it’s an “easter egg” for fans of the series), this book is a stand-alone and can be fully appreciated without the knowledge of that character. However, it makes me want more!
This particular novel poses the question – what if the most horrific accident in your city’s history ended up not actually being an accident, but an elaborate cover-up for something so much larger? While it took awhile to set the stage for this one, the timing worked well for the story and I was able to take in all of the details. If the plot had moved more quickly, I would have felt lost – like I was missing some of the back-story. The plot line was super intricate though and needed a lot of the smaller details in order to make it work. I REALLY enjoyed the story on this one and also enjoyed the pacing. It completely sucked me in (and I’m up way too late writing this review because I finished it way too late tonight). The characters were well fleshed-out and relatable. I enjoyed the medical examiner’s particular quirks and there was a great deal of banter between all of the main characters, which made the dialogue quite enjoyable. I had a few laugh-out-loud moments at those. There was not much of a faith thread (a few prayers for protection, etc.), but the novel was free of foul language, sex scenes and violence, making it acceptable for a Christian publisher. If you read Christian fiction to get a deeply spiritual story-line, I’d pass on this one, but if you read Christian fiction primarily to avoid the garbage of secular fiction, then I’d strongly recommend this one. Overall, I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel.
Special thanks to Mr. Threadgill and Revell Publishers for an advanced copy of this book. I was under no obligation to write a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. It is really a great read. It takes place in the San Antonio area and is very accurate with the geography in the area. Describes a scene out of Downton Abbey or Downtown Abbey as Alvarez describes it very accurate as well. All in all a very good read.
COLLISION OF LIES ..Tom Threadgill
Detective Alvarez, messages that opened a world unknown to them and others. After a world of devastating lost, how could there be more pain. Parents getting a text, a note, a prankster or are they real after time has past. The book has good characters, the emotion and hope. A detective willing to believe in these messages. What they encountered was heartbreakIng but real. The author brings a story that one will long remember, for the hope of a child not ever really gone.
Given ARC by the author and publisher for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.
Hopefully the first in a new series
Detective Amara Alvarez works in the Property Crimes Division for the San Antonio Police Department. Her dream, though, is to be a Homicide detective.
By chance she meets with a grief-stricken couple who supposedly received an email from their son. The only problem is that their son was killed three years ago in a horrific freight train/school bus accident.
Amara is soon looking into this accident and finding out there might be more than meets the eye about what actually happened at that railroad crossing three years ago.
I loved this book. I loved the character of Amara and many of the supporting characters too especially her Property Crimes partner and also the quirky Medical Examiner. Oh, and she’s got quite the unusual pet too.
I hope we see more books about this strong female protagonist.
I received this book from Revell Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
I just finished reading Collision of Lies and loved so many things about it. I love how the author takes his time setting up the characters. Having read some of his other books, you honestly never know which characters you can trust so enjoying every tidbit of information shared about each character is part of the fun of Tom Threadgill’s books. I also loved all the female characters – without making a big deal about the fact that he uses several strong female characters, he places women in non stereotypical roles effortlessly. I loved everything about Amara from her pet iguana, family get togethers (seriously can I just have dinner with her family one time. It feels like they wouldn’t mind an extra guest at all), her take home enchiladas and the way she slips from English to Spanish. I also appreciate the research that obviously went into developing the story and the fact that not everything was wrapped up with a pretty little bow at the end. Looking forward to reading more about San Antonio police detective Amara Alvarez! Thanks to Revell (a division of Bakers Publishing Group) for an advanced copy! #collisionoflies
A great read from the first page. Immediately involved with the well-developed, interesting characters, especially Amara. A great mystery that keeps you guessing and trying to figure it out. Highly recommend! I received a free copy from the publisher.
A Collision of Lies is one of the more-interesting books I’ve read recently. It has good characters—the pet iguana almost seems to be one of them—and a carefully detailed and well thought-out plot. The book even ends in such a way that the story feels complete while still leaving an open spot for a possible sequel. That works because saving the children is a more important goal than catching or even learning the identity of the villains at the top.
While this book didn’t keep me up at night, it did keep me turning pages.
I’m not personally familiar with police procedures, but the author sounds like he is, and that gives this book a real feel of authenticity.
The writing moved along just as methodically as the investigation itself. While I don’t recall feeling the story was bogging down, neither do I recall many exciting moments that would’ve made the story even more compelling.
Nonetheless, I don’t hesitate to recommend this book. And I won’t hesitate to read more of Tom Threadgill’s books.
The publisher provided me with a copy of this book. This review couldn’t be more honest or unbiased.
I received a prepublication copy of this book to review, but that does not affect my review.
I’ve been a fan of Tom’s work for a while now, and this book did not disappoint!
The characters were easy to identify with and the storyline pulled me in to the point I couldn’t put it down! I’ve never read a book in one day, but I just had to keep reading to find out where the twists and turns were going to take me, or should i say the characters.
If you’re looking for a great crime drama, with believable characters, and enough twists and turns to make plate of spaghetti jealous (LOL), then you need to read this!
Can’t put it down until it’s solved! If you’re a murder mystery buff – it’s a must read!
Once you turn the pages on this one you are hooked. What a mind this author has, I can’t even imagine the scenario given here, and I don’t really want to! Horrible!
We are given a tough woman detective with the San Antonio police department, she is looking to move to homicide and I don’t she could have foreseen the case she ends up working on.
We get to see banter between these officers, and some chuckles, we eat and travel on stake out, and wonder if all will be there by the end of the story. We also get some very big surprises, so you will soon be page turning and hoping for the best.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.
This is a compelling read. A detective has a chance encounter with a grieving mother and can’t shake the feeling that there may really be a reason to investigate the very closed open and shut case. But it isn’t her case. Against the odds Detective Alvarez is able to move forward. Suspense and relatable characters kept me reading, even while dreading the outcome of the investigation.
I was provided a free copy of Collision of Lies by Tom Theadgill from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book – and the sneak peek of his next book. I’ll be looking forward to it.
An action packed thriller that I could not put down! Detective Alvarez gets caught up with a mother who refuses to believe her son was killed in a horrible accident three years ago. Could this mother be right? Even though Det. Alvarez works in Prpoerty Crimes, something about this case is pulling at her and she can’t walk away from it. She starts investigating on her own time and soon the case is reopened with her as the lead detective. I just love Tom Threadgill’s books!