Waking Hours by Lis Wiehl

ALL TOWNS HAVE SECRETS. SOME HAVE DEMONS.

Welcome to East Salem. A deceptively sleepy town where ancient supernatural forces are being awakened.

A local high school girl is found murdered in a park amid horse farms and wealthy homes of northern Westchester County, New York. The shocking manner of her death confounds the town and intrigues forensic psychiatrist Dani Harris, who is determined to unravel the mystery. All the suspects are teenagers who were at a party with the girl-yet none remembers what happened. Could one of them be a vicious killer? Or is something more sinister afoot-something tied to an ancient evil?

But it's not just her waking hours that challenge Dani. Each night, her eyes open at 2:13 due to troubling dreams. Dreams filled with blood, water, and destruction. Is it a clue-or a supernatural sign?

Across town, former NFL linebacker Tommy Gunderson finds his state-of-the-art security system has been breached by an elderly woman. Mumbling threats in Latin, she attacks him with an uncanny, preternatural strength. Before he has time to process the attack, someone close to him is implicated in the girl's murder at the park. He agrees to help-and finds himself working with Dani, the only girl who could resist his charms years ago when they were in high school.

A heavy darkness is spreading. Yet a heavenly force is also at work.

It will take astute analysis and forensic skills to solve the crime. But Dani and Tommy suspect there's more to the mystery than murder, more to their growing friendship than chance...and more to the evil they're facing than a mere human killer.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:
'Waking Hours' is the first book that I have read by Lis Wiehl. I remember years ago seeing one of her other books at the library, but at the time I had too many other books that had captured my interest - so I didn't check it out. Now after reading this book, I am hoping to find time to read them soon!

'Waking Hours' had my heart pounding, mind racing, and was so thrilling to read that it kept me at the edge of my seat for most of the book and kept me up reading into the wee hours of the morning. I didn't want this book to end and at the same time I was racing to finish it because I had to know what was going on. 'Waking Hours' ends in such a way that, while I know most of what happened, there is still so much left to know. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

There are supernatural ascepts in this book, so if that is something that you don't like in a novel you probably won't enjoy 'Waking Hours'. However, the supernatural elements aren't like vampires, werewolves or anything like that, but more like angels and demons, good vs. evil, God vs. Satan. 'Waking Hours' is a great reminder of the battle that is constantly being waged and why we should be aware of it. Though we know that through Jesus we have victory over the devil, we still have to be prepared to battle him and his minions. Just because we can't see angels and demons, doesn't mean that they aren't around us - though I know that I have a hard time actually believing that.

Dr. Danielle Harris (Dani) is a twenty-nine year old forensic psychiatrist, who works for the DA's office. Dani lives in East Salem, in her parent's house - the house that she grew up in and inherited after their deaths years ago. With this recent murder in East Salem, NY she runs into a man she hasn't seen since high school - Tommy Gunderson.

Tommy Gunderson used to play in the NFL as a linebacker, but after a tragic accident he left the game. He currently owns a 90,000 square foot state-of-the-art fitness center and is pursuing becoming a Private Investigator. Tommy has a very personal connection to this case, because it involves a student he trains, Liam Dorsett. 

When they meet again after so many years, they both have the same feeling that they had in high school. And as in high school they both keep that feeling to themselves, afraid that the other person might not feel the same way. But with an evil presence hanging around, Dani and Tommy are developing a deep relationship - deeper than either of them expected.

I look forward to reading more about Dani and Tommy's growing romance in the next book in this series. I also have a feeling that Dani's parents won't be dead after all, because their bodies were never recovered. But maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part, because I can't imagine having to lose my parents like that.

I highly recommend 'Waking Hours', especially to those who love reading suspenseful mysteries.

*** I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through their blogger program, Booksneeze. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done. I received no other compensation, besides the book. ***

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You san find about more about Lis Wiehl at her website, www.LisWiehlBooks.com. You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.