About the Book

Book: Shattered by Death

Author: Catherine Finger

Genre: Thriller/Suspense/Mystery

Release Date: June 2016

When Josie’s abusive soon-to-be-ex-husband had an affair with another woman, Josie could have murdered them. When someone does, Jo is the prime suspect and the only one who can solve the case.

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About the Author

Catherine Finger loves to dream, write, and tell stories. Recently retired from a wonderful career in public education, she celebrates the ability to choose how to spend her time in a new way during the second half of life. So far, she chooses to write books, ride horses, serve others, and generally find her way into and out of trouble both on the road and at home. She lives in the Midwest with a warm and wonderful combination of family and friends.

Capsized by Death, the fourth novel in her Jo Oliver Thriller series, will be released by Elk Lake Publishing in November 2019. Anchored by Death, the third of her Jo Oliver novels, was a Bronze Medal winner at the 2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards; a 2018 Selah Awards finalist; and a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards. Her second Jo Oliver Thriller, Shattered by Death, was a finalist in the International Book Awards and the National Indie Excellence Awards. Catherine and her novels have been featured on radio stations, blogs, and in numerous articles—all posted at www.CatherineFinger.com.

Catherine loves to interact with her readers at www.CatherineFinger.com. Follow her on Facebook at Catherine Finger, Author, and on Twitter at CatherineFinger@FingerCatherine.

More from Catherine

“If you could kill someone and get away with it, what would you do? How would you do it?”

Having posed this question over dessert during a really good first date several years ago—to my surprise and delight my date proceeded to share a story about an international cosmetic gone badly awry. I was so taken with this story, that I couldn’t wait to get home and start writing. And I did. That night I sat down to write a scene between two powerful women, intending one to toy with the other by playing with a jar of deadly moisturizer as they interacted.

As I wrote that night, an unexpected scene involving spiritual warfare popped into my head and onto the screen. The edgy, scary, lock-your-doors-before reading story I called Shattered by Death was born.

While the moisturizer scene didn’t ultimately stay in the book, the idea of powerful women pitted against each other did. I strive to create antagonists that are as strong—or stronger—than Jo Oliver. When I feel the tension of wondering whether or not Josie is going to make it out alive—that’s when I know I’m in the middle of a great story.

I hope you think so too.

Enjoy the read!

Catherine

My Review

“I was playing centerfield in a murder investigation, and I didn’t like standing up alone in the heat.”

As I’ve mentioned in my reviews of books three and four, the blog tours for the Jo Oliver Thrillers series are in reverse publication order. Normally I would never read a series out of order, but due to time constraints I did not have a choice in this case. As a result, I went into “Shattered by Death” with a basic overview of the plot and the identity of the murderer. Strangely enough, I actually found this to be an advantage, because I would not have guessed who it was. I was thus able to look beyond the person I would have incorrectly pegged as the perpetrator and follow the evidence in a different direction. I would still highly recommend beginning with book one and reading them in their proper order, though. There are also discussion questions at the end of the novel to facilitate personal or group analysis and reflection.

In this second book of Catherine Finger’s Jo Oliver series, “Shattered by Death,” the story starts off with a shock when Jo finds her ex-husband and his mistress murdered and herself the prime suspect because of the divorce proceedings. What follows is a tangled web of deception and confusion as she wonders whom she can trust at her own police department and in her personal life. As it becomes obvious that she is being framed, the first-person narration lends itself admirably to the tension and suspense that Finger evokes. This is the most frightening book of the series so far, in my opinion, because of how easily Jo slips from respected Chief of Police to murder suspect. It demonstrates how tenuous our earthly lives are, and it makes the hope of eternal life with the Lord even more precious.

One defining storyline of the novel is Jo’s fledgling faith. In my opinion, Finger has done well in demonstrating the struggles of being a new Christian, and the fact that turning one’s life over to Christ is not a free pass over hardships and trials. By interleaving Jo’s internal dialogue with the narrative, readers get a glimpse into the depths of her turmoil and how she still struggles at times with seeking the Lord’s will. This is something that we all, I’m sure, contend with at one time or another, and probably multiple times throughout our lives. As Jo realizes, though, the Lord is always with us, even when things seem to be imploding. This is such a timely message with the chaos going on in our nation right now, and because of the Lord, we do not have to fear being “Shattered by Death.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.