One Final Breath (Dive Team Investigations Book #3)

I love this novel and series! Finishing it is a mixed blessing – I couldn’t wait to see what would happen but didn’t want it to end! The main characters and their friends are strong Christians who are unashamed of their faith that influences their lives. The complex plot was impossible to for me to untangle, and spiritual lessons are priceless. The dive team is at Leigh and Ryan’s home on Lake Porter. Adam joins them with Sabrina, his fiancée. Anissa, Ryan, Adam, and Gabe are on the dive team through the sheriff’s office. Anissa and Gabe get along like oil and water; she has few close friends. Gabe understands a bit of her heart, especially since she killed a suspect several months ago to save Sabrina. She has secrets in her past that she guards carefully, convinced that most will reject her if they know. A thunderstorm rolls in as they hear a gunshot and screams. The dive team goes out in the boat to find who is calling for help. Anissa jumps into the water even as more gunshots are heard; she grabs the boy whose head a teen girl is trying to keep above water. Jeremy, the boy, has been shot, and they give him CPR until EMT’s arrive. Gabe might have to take himself off the case even though he is next in the rotation; he and the sister of Brooke, the teen girl, is Paisley, a reporter he had an unpleasant encounter with that forever changed his career. Paisley wants him on the case because he is so good at his job. Gabe and Anissa are forging a peaceful working relationship and begin fighting an attraction to each other. Brooke attempts suicide. Brooke’s loss of her best friend Jeremy brings memories of a long-ago event for which Anissa has felt responsible, she could be a good friend to Brooke. Someone is gunning for Anissa; Gabe is injured yet determined to protect her. The six friends work together to find who the bad guy is and why. Despite knowing Gabe will back away from her when he learns about the death of her best friend and disappearance of the three-year-old she should have been babysitting. It is necessary to reveal all, however, as the killer has resurfaced after all these years. I love how well these friends work together! Sabrina, a professor of cybersecurity and computer forensics, is one of my favorite characters, as is Anissa. Sabrina’s investigation, intuition, and tenacious searching is invaluable. Anissa is a hard-working, faith-filled young woman who I so want to see have a chance at a better future than she has imagined! Whether or not she has met her match in Gabe remains to be seen; he is her protector and worthy investigative partner. The prayers and kindness of those in the community, especially Mr. Cook, are a balm to Anissa’s wounded soul. One Final Breath is even better than the first two novels in this series. It is very complex, showing even the thoughts of the unnamed bad guy as his frustration rises at his best efforts at killing Anissa fail. Anissa struggles with her finding true calling and the spiritual lessons necessary for her to learn to go forward. I highly recommend One Final Breath, and the other novels in this series, to those who appreciate in-depth Christian thrillers where relationships with the Lord are demonstrated well, suspense is plentiful, and humor is woven throughout grave situations faced. From a thankful heart: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

This is the third book in the Dive Team Investigation series and I highly recommend every book in the series – that being said, this book is written in such a way that it could be read as a standalone; however, I personally recommend reading the first two books so that you can have a better understanding of all the team has gone through. I’ve been excited to read Anissa and Gabe’s story ever since I finished book two and this book was even better then I expected! Seriously, this has to be my favorite in the entire series. There is so much depth to each of the characters and I LOVED the dynamic relationship between Gabe and Anissa. What really set this book apart for me was how strong both Anissa and Gabe’s faith was. It was really amazing to see both character’s faith in action and to see them live it on a daily basis. (yes, I know that the character’s are fictional, but we can still learn a lot from them) Overall, with a dynamic storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat and a very explosive ending, One Final Breath is a definite “Must Read”. Rated 5 out of 5 stars *****