Spurred to Justice

by Delores Fossen

There were a lot of “firsts” in this read for me. I had never read any books in The Law in Lubbock County series, books by Delores Fossen, or books published under the Harlequin Intrigue imprint. I am sharing my reflections on each topic:

The Series: I could tell that there was a personal relationship backstory between the protagonists Adalyn and Nolan but that gap did not affect my understanding of the plot in Spurred to Justice.

The Author: Delores Fossen is a good writer creating likable characters. Her plot has misdirection for the reader and for FBI Special Agent Nolan and ex-cop, current security officer Adalyn. She adds significant plot twists to keep suspense at the forefront.

The Imprint: I like Harlequin Heartwarming books so I thought I might like a novel from the same publisher but with a small amount of suspense. Spurred to Justice had only a little of things that I prefer not to have in books I read: foul language, open bedroom doors, and creepy murders. The inappropriate language is mainly handled by describing someone cursing with the actual words appearing only a few times. The sex scenes do not go all the way to culmination because the pair is always interrupted by phone calls or texts. The creepy factor is the Grave Digger whose taunting and method of murder gives those trying to stop him literal nightmares, but more of the book delves into his identity rather than how he commits the murders.

Reading Spurred to Justice was an experiment for me. My conclusion is that although I did not dislike this book, I won’t be pursuing any similar novels in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery and Thriller, Romance

Notes: #4 in The Law in Lubbock County series, but could be read as a standalone

Publication: January 24, 2023—Harlequin Intrigue

Memorable Lines:

But her body had to be firing off all kinds of signals that this was a primal sort of showdown with the person who’d tried to murder her and would almost certainly try again if he got the chance.

Nolan kept his tone as dry as the West Texas dust.

The Grave Digger would have known this shock would cloud their minds and maybe cause them to lose focus.