Concrete Evidence (Book Review)

Scripture Connection

God is not a human, that he should lie, not a human being that he should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

Num. 23:19

Spiritual Themes

The main characters, Marc and Avery, are both Christians who are growing in their walks with the Lord. Marc gave his life to the Lord during a junior high youth camp, but is now struggling to forgive his father, who abandoned Marc and his mom when Marc was still a kid.

Avery, who was raised by her grandfather, has based her faith on her grandpa’s relationship with the Lord. Now, in his absence, she begins to call upon God in a more personal way: praying and reading the Bible. She also learns that her granddad is fallible, but God is not.

I appreciate that the faith thread is apparent, throughout.

What I Liked

This was my first time reading a novel by DiAnn Mills and I enjoyed the experience. I feel that the mystery was well-paced, with the clues gradually teased out, over time. There were multiple twists and turns, along the way, and enough ambiguity that I kept going back and forth in my guessing. It was also neat to watch the pieces come together, in terms of the culprit’s motivation.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Marc and Tessa. Without giving away the nature of this relationship, I will say that I feel the author did a great job of portraying their dynamic in a fair and realistic way. I have often been disappointed by the way that authors treat this particular kind of relationship, and I would say that the way Mills handled this relationship sets apart Concrete Evidence.

I liked that the characters walked with the Lord and that their faith clearly informed their actions. They turned to God in their troubles and conflict. I also feel that the faith theme was strong, in that characters also learned about where not to place their faith.

This was one line, but I appreciated a brief moment that alluded to our country being founded unjustly, as the land was stolen. Thanks, Ms. Mills!

Content Notes

The suspense plot line contributes to some violent moments, but nothing particularly graphic that I recall.

There are several kissing scenes, including one moment that just got on my nerves, a little. As with the violene, nothing is particularly descriptive. One element that I did appreciate, with the romance, was that there was a continued awareness that the characters had been thrust together in the face of urgent circumstances. They acknowledged, multiple times, that they would need to get to know each other better, once everything had calmed down.

Recommendation Status

This was a solid Christian suspense novel with some good themes. Recommended for readers who enjoy suspense and romance.