The Shocking Truth by Steve Rush

This book is about justice. It’s thriller number one featuring Avoca, Oklahoma detective Mike Canyon. It has an element of vengeance as well that I won’t go into so as not to ruin the story. There is not a lot of mystery in this story, as it’s a thriller. The reader knows who the bad guy is from the very start. A few twists and turns, but the book mainly rides on a ticking clock and the suspense of what the bad guy will do.

It’s a complex story, so reader pay attention to who is who. I did have to go back and re-read a couple chapters to make sure I was tracking. The suspense builds as the stakes increase, which kept me reading wanting to know what would happen.

I like the black and white, good versus evil of this story. The villain is pure evil. I also like the tough-guy protagonist. We need more of them. Mike Canyon is a high-moral, get it done, police detective that puts the safety of his family and the community first, then the police force rules second. Like any good detective story, Canyon walks the line of legal / not-legal, but he gets results.

My personal preference is to not know who the killer is. There was an opportunity in this story to heighten the mystery by keeping the identity of a couple of the characters unknown until Canyon knew who they were. Again, as a personal preference, I prefer to learn who is who and who did what, as the protagonist learns this.

The only other negative is that the location is unique, but setting doesn’t play as much of a role as it could have. Not a big deal. Just an observation.

The book is a clean read. I would not classify it as a Christian novel based on Christian market parameters. But Mike Canyon and family are Christians, and the author does a great job bringing God into the story and showing those that truly live a life of faith versus those that pretend.

I’ll rank this one number 2, but it’s only the second read of this year, and only because of the message of number 1 being so important and well-presented. The Shocking Truth is a good start to what I believe could become a great series.

1. Justice by Jeff Hill
2. The Shocking Truth by Steve Rush

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