"Sabotaged" by Dani Pettrey - full of suspense and Alaskan adventure

While working search-and-rescue for the Iditarod sled dog race, Kirra Jacobs gets worried when her uncle doesn't make the checkpoint. When she sneaks off to find him, her old nemesis from childhood, Reef McKenna, refuses to let her go alone. However, when they find him, they learn more is wrong than just an accident along the trail: someone has kidnapped his daughter and is using her as leverage to force him into performing some evil deed. With only until the end of the race to stop disaster, Kirra and Reef, along with the rest of the McKenna clan, put all their efforts into finding Kirra's cousin. But can they find her in time?

Like in Pettrey's other novels, Alaska jumps to life - this time centered around the Iditarod, during the brutal Alaskan winter. While the race isn't the focus of the story, it's neat to learn about the behind-the-scenes activities that keep the racers safe and running. Plus, it was fun to read at the same time as the John Beargrease sled dog marathon up here.

I enjoyed how the other McKennas and their significant others are a key part of this story. Not only does it make the investigation more believable, utilizing all their strengths and talents, but it allows us one more glimpse at their lives as the author wraps up the series. I would highly recommend reading the whole series, rather than just a single as a stand-alone, as the characters are developed throughout the series, and a person jumping into it now without reading the previous books might be confused by the number of characters and their relationships.

Kirra struggles with the question of, "Where is God when trouble happens?" After a devastating experience in her past, she wonders why God would let it happen to her, why there wasn't justice, and where He was in all of it. The reality is that God gave us free will. And He gave wicked people free will too. They make choices, same as us, and if God didn't allow them to make bad choices, then they would not have free will. It's a broken world that we live in, but it doesn't mean that God has abandoned us or that He doesn't weep for the wrongs done against us.

The book flew by. Rife with suspense, there is never a dull moment, and it is painfully hard to put the book down. It's sad that the series is ending, but it concludes with a bang. 5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you Bethany House for a complimentary copy of the book. I was not required to write a positive review.

Alaskan Courage
0.5: "Shadowed" (Sins of the Past romantic suspense novella collection)
1. Submerged
2. Shattered
3. Stranded
4. Silenced
5. Sabotaged