Review: Twist of Faith by Ellen J. Green (audio)

Title: Twist of Faith

Author: Ellen J. Green

Narrator: Angela Dawe

Published: February 2018, Brilliance Audio / Thomas & Mercer

Length:9 hours 29 minutes / 332 pages

Source: Audio – digital review copy via Brilliance Audio / Print – Hardcover via Thomas & Mercer

Summary:

When family secrets are unearthed, a woman’s past can become a dangerous place to hide…

After
the death of her adoptive mother, Ava Saunders comes upon a peculiar
photograph, sealed and hidden away in a crawl space. The photo shows a
shuttered, ramshackle house on top of a steep hill. On the back, a
puzzling inscription: Destiny calls us.

Ava is certain
that it’s a clue to her elusive past. Twenty-three years ago, she’d been
found wrapped in a yellow blanket in the narthex of the Holy Saviour
Catholic Church—and rescued—or so she’d been told. Her mother claimed
there was no more to the story, so the questions of her abandonment were
left unanswered. For Ava, now is the time to find the roots of her
mother’s lies. It begins with the house itself—once the scene of a
brutal double murder.

When Ava enlists the help of the two people
closest to her, a police detective and her best friend, she fears that
investigating her past could be a fatal mistake. Someone is following
them there. And what’s been buried in Ava’s nightmares isn’t just a
crime. It’s a holy conspiracy.

My thoughts:  This is the first book I’ve read by Ellen J. Green and I was quite impressed. It had an intriguing plot and the mystery kept me guessing all the way through.

I will say I was a little worried at just how strong the religious theme would be, and luckily it was not. There were scenes centered around the church and there were priests and nuns involved in the story line, but it wasn’t like I was having religion thrown down my throat.

I was immediately drawn into this book. Between the engaging characters, who make you wonder whether they are as trustworthy as they first present themselves, to the mystery and secrets buried long ago, this book kept me hooked. I loved that while there weren’t a ton of characters involved in this story, it was still tough to figure out the identity of the culprit. Ellen Green does a great job casting suspicion and doubt over each of the characters – and with the twists involved, it really kept me guessing.

The pace is ok – it’s not super fast, but it does move along and there is plenty happening to keep you hooked. You really need to be paying attention to keep everything straight.  I liked that while the end does resolve most things, it also leaves things kind of open-ended. Is this the start of a new series? Is there going to be a sequel? I hope there is!

Audio thoughts: Once I saw that Angela Dawe was narrating this book, I had to listen to it. She is such a talented narrator and really brought this book to life with her narrations. Between the use of accents and unique voices for each character, she really did a great job. This was a good book to listen to and I hope if there is going to be a series, she continues to narrate it.