The question came up on Avid Readers of Christian Fiction. What good books are set in Alaska?
The answers came one at a time. One gal said, “I don’t know if she has books set there, but Alana Terry lives in Alaska, and she writes good books, so try her.”
I’d never heard of Alana Terry, but I recall looking her up and thinking, “That Kennedy Stern series looks interesting.”
When you read a dozen books a month or so… “looks interesting” is synonymous with, “I’ll stick it on my three-mile high TBR stack.”
Then I ended up in a collection with her—another. And then another. I read one of her women’s fiction books— a sweet romance.
After that, came probably the most important Christian fiction book for today—Out of North Korea. Seriously. If you can only read one fiction book this DECADE, read that one. I think it’s that important. The review says all that, though.
Last November, she and I met in Las Vegas for a conference. Were roomies. She still speaks to me, so this is proof of her lovely personality and longsuffering. Just sayin’.
Is it any wonder that when Identity Theft popped up for review that I requested a copy?
Still… Identity Theft was supposed to be very different from all the other books I’d read by her. Would I really like it? Will you?
Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me a small commission at no extra expense to you. Additionally, I requested and received a free copy of this book and chose to review it.
If You Want to be Bored, Don’t Read This Book!
Set in a small town in rural Alaska, Identity Theft offers everything that excellent suspense novels should—uncertainty, secrets, twists, turns, and double red herrings.
See, that’s something some suspense authors miss—as if red herrings are only for classic mysteries. They’re not. Any misdirection is a chance to ramp up the tension and increase suspense. Terry manages to do both and do them well.
At first, I didn’t connect with Jo/Lacie at all. It concerned me, but it shouldn’t have. Lacie wasn’t connecting with her Joishness, so why should we? It’s either accidental or pure brilliance. I suspect the latter. Never has a character felt so one-dimensional in the beginning and grown to be such a multi-layered one by the end.
Terry also layered detail and description in judicious amounts. Never did I feel burdened by either of them. Instead, in a stroke of genius, she chose just a few minor things that are a constant presence in that area and kept them in our minds. We couldn’t help but feel we were there, swatting at mosquitoes with the rest of them.
The spiritual element in Identity Theft was unusually demonstrated and realistic.
Even places where I’d usually feel like it was a bit trite or cliched—were that way for a reason. That takes serious skills. Terry didn’t overdo it or understate it. She made a new believer behave like one, lifelong believers behave like it, and the skeptical… act skeptical! Shocker!
Get this. Even the end was convenient. It was. But honestly… it needed to be. There absolutely was no other way to ensure both a satisfying ending and one that fit the plot. Every other choice would have been unsatisfying, no matter how realistic.
If I want realism, I’ll stick to the evening news. Meanwhile, Identity Theft was as realistic as could be within the constraints of the story, and that is all anyone can ask for.
Brilliantly written, fast-paced, plenty of twists and turns to keep you engaged, and a soft but impactful spiritual element—what more could you ask for from Christian fiction?
Identity Theft is on tour with Celebrate Lit
About the Book
Book: Identity Theft
Author: Alana Terry
Genre: Christian fiction, mystery/suspense
Release date: March 15, 2019
She imagined Alaska would be the perfect place to hide.
She found out it’s the most dangerous place to be found …
Lacy has a secret.
A secret nobody knows — not even her fiancé.
A secret that would cost her life … and so much more.
So it’s a good thing she’s tucked away in the very heart of rural Alaska, where for once in her life she is finally safe.
But can she stay that way for long?
Suspenseful, thrilling, and impossible to put down, Identity Theft is an unforgettable novel by bestselling Christian author Alana Terry.
About the Author
Alana is a pastor’s wife, homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author.
More from Alana
What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you think about Alaska? Are you a city soul or do you prefer the country? I’m pretty happy in small-town Alaska, but I’m afraid that wasn’t always the case.
Have you ever lived in a town with 400 residents? Even with all the wide-open spaces, it’s enough to make some personalities feel claustrophobic.
I thought of our move to rural living as our big adventure. (Because what’s more adventurous than feeding chickens and milking goats at negative 40 degrees?) Then I read my first draft of Identity Theft and realized the adjustment wasn’t going as smoothly as I hoped. It was more autobiographical than I had realized!
However, I learned to love rural Alaska, and that’s the main reason I wanted to write my Alaskan Refuge Christian Suspense Novel series – so I could share some of my favorite parts with you.
Identity Theft is the first of three stand-alone novels, all filled with adventure, suspense and thrills, and all set against the backdrop of Alaska. I hope as you settle in to read, you will begin to experience a little of what I’ve grown to love living in this spectacular state.
Blog Stops
Genesis 5020, July 25
EmpowerMoms, July 25
Inklings and notions, July 26
Blogging With Carol, July 26
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 27
D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, July 27
Just the Write Escape, July 27
Just Your Average reviews, July 28
Splashes of Joy, July 28
Carla Loves To Read, July 29
Retrospective Spines, July 29
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 29
All-of-a-kind Mom, July 30
The Becca Files, July 30
Quiet Quilter, July 31
Maureen’s Musings, July 31
Godly Book Reviews, August 1
For Him and My Family, August 1
Texas Book-aholic, August 1
Literary Reflections Book Blog, August 2
Mary Hake, August 2
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, August 3
CarpeDiem, August 3
Through the Fire Blogs, August 4
Stephanie’s Life of Determination, August 4
Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 5
Moments, August 5
Henry Happens, August 6
Livin’ Lit, August 6
janicesbookreviews, August 6
As He Leads is Joy, August 7
A Readers Brian, August 7
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Alana is giving away a $30 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/e546/identity-theft-celebration-tour-giveaway
Thank you so much for your great review! So glad you loved Identity Theft so much.
Wonderful review! Thank you for being part of the tour.
This book sounds like a very interesting and intriguing read.
This sounds pretty interesting. I haven’t read many books, besides a few of Alana’s, that were set in Alaska. My dad drove there once, though, from California, in 1967 or so! (He was trying to sort life out after his dad’s suicide.)
I have heard about Alana for several yeatsrnow, but never have read any of her books. Alaska is certainly a different setting from what I normally read.
Bring bug spray. Just in case.
I love Alana Terry’s books!
This sounds fantastic! I’m always looking for new Christian suspense authors! Thank you for the review.