Collision of Lies begins with a chance encounter between the main character, police detective Amara Alverez and a couple having a very loud argument in the local breakfast bodega. The information she gets from them gradually throws Amara in a plot with many intriguing twists and turns.

I really liked Amara as the main character—a tough, yet also kind female who is working hard to be promoted to the homicide division. An iguana named Larry was an interesting choice for her to have as a pet. The character development was well done in the book, and included some other interesting people such as a Ranger named Sara and the medical Examiner, Douglas, who had personality traits that reminded me of Sheldon on the Big Bang series.

While the book did not have any sex scenes or cursing, and I really appreciated that, I was a bit disappointed that it did not come across as Christian Fiction at all. I expected prayers for guidance, thankfulness and even protection since it was listed as Christian Fiction on Netgalley.

I received this book as an Advanced Reviewers Copy from Revell Reads for an honest review. This is my honest review.


A Saturday breakfast disrupted by what appeared to be a domestic disturbance between a husband and wife pulled Detective Amara Alvarez into the middle of a mystery.

Three years ago there was a horrific bus accident where 17 kids and 3 adults were killed, or were they? This story is a captivating and suspenseful story that is paced well with good writing, great character development, and a truly gripping story.

I usually don’t read mysteries, especially not ones that feel like they could actually happen. Heh... I really enjoy books that are in the fantasy and sci-fi genres. This book though, it grabbed me. Once I started reading, I could not stop. The pacing in the storytelling was great. It did slowdown towards the climax, or it felt like it did. I believe this is because the way everything started tying in that the story needed to take a breath.

I enjoyed that it was a good book all around. There are themes included concerning family and humor, there is also some sexual tension between characters. This is appreciated so that the characters seem real. The book is from a Christian Publisher, but it does not fall into a “preaching” category. Clean language, maybe allusion to an intimate relationship, solid writing.

This was a new author for me. Lots of mystery as local police, medical examiner and FBI rush to find the answers to a three year old crime. The lead police officer, Amara is definitely the type of officer victims need on their side. There are lots of technical terms about the medical portion of this investigation that was above my understanding. I liked that the characters worked well together, respecting each other enough to be friends. Not knowing if this is a series leaves unanswered questions about Amara. Hopefully, there will be another book. I wouldn't call this a Christian book but it was a pretty clean read which is a plus.

The accident had occurred three years ago. Benjamin Reyes was one of the 17 children who had died on the Cotulla school bus that had been hit by the freight train. Along with the tanker cars that exploded, not much had been left for identifying the remains except for a few bits of DNA.

And yet his mother had received the text message, “Help me, Mom.” It had to be a wrong number or a terrible prank - Enzo and Marisa Reyes son had died three years ago. But each time San Antonio Property Crimes Detective Amara Alvarez tried to verify the “prank”, more questions arose. At first, she was alone in looking at the evidence, then she was joined by Homicide Detective Jeremiah “Starsky” Peckham, the Chief Medical Examiner Douglas Pritchard, and others. Eventually, the case would involve the Texas Rangers, the FBI, the CIA, and even the White House.

Tom Threadgill has built a thriller that grows on the reader chapter by chapter - each adding another, albeit small, piece to the puzzle. The kind of book that those enjoying international mysteries will not want to put down. Written by an explicitly Christian author, the book is not quite as clearly Christian; not offensive, but not explicitly so. I will be looking for the next book from this talented writer following the life of a, now, newly minted homicide detective.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

“Collision of Lies” by Tom Threadgill was a great read! This was my first book written by this author. I am looking forward to reading more of his books. This book hooked me from the first page. There were some major twists.

I really enjoyed the characters, especially the main character, Amara. Amara is a police detective who discovers a clue on an “accident” that happened three yeas ago, involving a school bus full of children and a freight train. Amara teams up with some more detectives to find out what really happened three years ago.

I highly recommend this book. It kept my attention all the way through.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A seemingly chance meeting in a restaurant sets Detective Amara Alvarez on an unexpected mission for answers and justice. The deeper she goes, the more questions arise as to what is going on, and who is behind it.

Collision of Lies is a gripping story that blends several elements into a great plot. The main part is suspense, but other themes, like family and humor, combine to enhance the book. Once I started reading, I didn’t want to stop. The action keeps coming, and you want to find out what is going to happen next.

Tom Threadgill added in enough twists and diversions to keep you from guessing the outcome. His writing is enjoyable and easy to follow. The dialogue was realistic and the joking between characters added to the story. As the book unfolded, it was easy to imagine being there with the characters.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Collision of Lies by Tom Threadgill is a new author for me. Before Revell agreed to publish this story, I have never heard of him, but apparently, he has a number of other published books out there. I enjoy how the story follows a female heroine written by a male. This was an unexpected twist. The writing is fabulous. Threadgill really knows how to write a police policedural and make it interesting. I liked how he didn't give Amara the Homicide position just yet. She was a procedural detective, so she did what suspense lovers would call the boring job at the police department. I enjoyed the authentic Spanish phrases thrown in to show the heroines background and community. The mystery was different, and I actually couldn't wait to see how it ended. There lies my problem. The ending. I kept reading to see this climactic moment occur and the explanation for why, but it never came. Amara stands to the side and someone comes back to tell her the threat is over. Readers don't see it or hear it. It happens off-side. I was majorly disappointed in this. Didn't feel right to me. I read a suspense story to see justice served, not hear about it and see the aftermath. I also didn't like that the explanation was guessed at by the officers in the police station, but readers never know for certain this is why this happened. Being an author who has been published in the secular market, I was curious if there were moments that were going to touch the line, but Threadgill never did. It is a clean read with no language or sexual scenes. There is a teaser at the end of the this novel for the next novel, so I'm curious about that story and probably will pick it up too. Overall, Collision of Lies by Tom Threadgill was a timely and touching hunt for justice, but the ending fell completely flat for me. If readers are a fan of Janice Cantore or Susan Sleeman, I would recommend picking this novel up.

I received a complimentary copy of Collision of Lies by Tom Threadgill from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Amara was used to solving robberies, not homicides. She solved a case that concerned home robberies and the victims all had teenage daughters. She found a camera hidden above a ceiling fan that was used by the suspect to spy on the girls.
Amara spoke to a couple who had received a call from their dead son who was killed when his school bus was hit by a train. Amara investigated the case and found out that the boy’s DNA did not match his remains, instead the DNA showed that the victim was Asian.
What is going on - what happened that day when the bus crashed?
You will have to read the book for yourself.

I LOVED this book! It was the first book I have read by this author but by no means will it be the last! I liked that it was long, usually I can devour a book like this in one day, but this took me two days to read. Which is really wonderful when it's a book you are immersed in. You want it to end so you can find out who did it, but you don't want it to end because you don't want to part with the characters. I found the technical police side of this book really interesting and it read much more realistic than tv crime dramas where everything is wrapped up tidy in one hour. The reason for the bus accident was a little hard to follow, but not enough that it completely lost me. The only thing I was kind of confused about was that this was marketed as a Christian book, Revell is a Christian publishing house, but there was nothing Faith like in this book? That was a little odd, but I appreciated having a book without language and all that nasty stuff.

Collision of Lies by Tom Threadgill is a mind-blowing suspense. More than once I was like who thinks of this stuff. The author reateed a world of fascinating characters, lighthearted moments and unique plot lines.

Amara is a police detective working burglaries. However she desperately wants to work homicides. She gets involved with the mom of one of the students that died in a horrific school bus accident three years ago. The mother thinks her son is still alive and convinces Amara to help her with a little bit of research into it.

I enjoyed the banter between Amara and Starsky (a homicide detective) and I still want to know how he got his nickname. I also enjoyed Sara, the Texas Ranger and Amara working together. The author created an excellent nerdy character in the coroner and very strong female leads in Sara and Amara.

The burglary case that Amara worked was a great addition to the story. The author created unique villians and

Quirky characters & surprising plot twists create a very fine story that is as unusual as it is entertaining.