The Chase by DiAnn Mills

Reviewed by Dale Lewis

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"Drawing from a real-life cold case, bestselling novelist DiAnn Mills presents a multi-layered collage of contemporary suspense, relational differences and renewed faith in The Chase."

An unsolved crime from Kariss Walker’s TV news anchor days continues to haunt her with restless nights and bouts of doubt. Five years earlier, an unidentified little girl was found starved to death in the woods behind a Houston apartment complex. She calls in a favor to reopen the Cherished Doe case and finds herself working beside Special Agent Tigo Harris in the Houston FBI office. Now as a best-selling novelist, her desire to turn this cold case into a suspense novel could backfire in so many ways . . . and Agent Harris knows it all too well.

Kariss inadvertently witnesses a shooting and now finds herself a target of the Arroyos, a local gang hell-bent on running drugs and gun-smuggling. The search for the dead girl's missing mother yields a dangerous discovery. Kariss is ill-prepared to deal with all the repercussions of her newest pursuit.

Drawing from a real-life cold case, bestselling novelist DiAnn Mills presents a multi-layered collage of contemporary suspense, relational differences and renewed faith in The Chase.

DiAnn’s ability to blend and orchestrate the multiple storylines with the main story is evidence of her depth and attention to detail. Her articulate balance of Tigo’s care for his dying mother, Kariss’s struggle to forgive herself of a past episode, Vicki’s unplanned pregnancy with her ex-husband and Xavier’s search for his missing boy is just one of the many reasons readers will be drawn to the The Chase.

Within the pages of a Mills novel is a consistent blend of humorous, tender and horrific moments relating to the reader in some manner or another. Her characters include an enjoyable and intelligent heroine, a strong yet tender hero, as well as a variety of supporting role players and game changers. One of her writing hallmarks is her command of real-life dialogue. I was thankful that the romance factor was not so prevalent in this storyline.

As I read The Chase, I was eerily reminded of the storyline in Attracted to Fire, another one of Mills’ novels in 2011 which featured Secret Service agents. Although I enjoyed both stories, I’d recommend The Chase if push came to shove.

She has done an outstanding job with this release! I look forward to experiencing the second book in this new series.

Dale Lewis now mans the front desk at the EFCA (The Evangelical Free Church of America) National Office in Minneapolis, MN. He was the graphic designer/pre-press production artist for over twelve years before being asked to step into this new role. Prior to that, he was the publications manager at his alma mater, Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN in the public relations office as well as the adviser to the college’s yearbook. He's a director/actor/writer for the Hope Church (Oakdale, MN) adult drama worship team and was the senior editor of the church newsletter. He's also written two collections of poetry, “Whispers of Assurance” and “On Life: Constant Communion Without Ceasing” as well as a devotional entitled “Eternal Education.” He and his family live in Oakdale, Minnesota.