Thrilling and suspenseful with romance mixed in. I loved the setting.
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hotel heiress Torie Bergstrom comes to Jekyll Island to look into the suspicious death of her friend that she helped get a job at her father's hotel. Torie suspects foul play, and she is convinced that Lisbeth's death wasn't an accident when the killer begins to play games.

A stand alone read, that reminded me of why I started and kept reading Colleen Coble's suspense books. Full of suspense with well written characters, great interaction, while avoiding getting overly dark. Torie is quick thinking, but naturally more reserved, she doesn't have many that she can trust so the death of Lisabeth hits even harder.

Torie is befriended by Hailey and her military sea lion training father, Joe during her stay on Jekyll Island. Hailey is a outgoing and inquisitive child who break through Torie's more reserved nature. Joe is a man of man skills with a background in multiple kinds of work, he is outgoing and compassionate.

Overall, a gripping read with engaging characters and a riveting plot. I loved the unique setting and earning more about Jekyll Island. An excellent example of Ms. Coble at her suspense-writing best.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Stranger's Game
by Colleen Coble
Pub Date 04 Jan 2022
Thomas Nelson--FICTION, Thomas Nelson
Mystery & Thrillers


I am reviewing a copy of A Stranger’s Game through Thomas Nelson and Netgalley :


Torie Bergstrom Is a wealthy hotel heiress who hasn’t been back to Georgia since she was ten, but she’s happy to arrange a job for her best friend at one of the family properties on Jekyll Island.



After Torie learns that her best friend has drowned, she knows it is more than a tragic accident, her death is suspicious: that her best friend has drowned, she knows it is more than a tragic accident:


In a fight for truth Torie goes to the hotel under an alias, desperate to find answers. After meeting Joe Abbott and his daughter rescuing baby turtles, she finds a tentative ally.



The more Torie and Joe dig for the truth, the more elusive the truth seems. But one thing becomes clear quickly someone will risk anything, even more murder, to keep their secrets buried.


I give A Strangers Guilt five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Torie Bergstrom arranges for her best friend to get a job at one of her family's properties on Jekyll Island in Georgia. When Torie gets word that her friend has drowned, she knows it was not an accident because her friend doesn't swim. She decides to go to Jekyll Island to investigate and meets an ally in a man and his daughter who are rescuing turtles on the beach. Can they solve the mystery and stay alive?

I was pulled into this book from the first page. I found I couldn’t put it down! Loved all the characters. The suspense will keep you on edge till the very end. I love how the author weaves God's messages of mercy and grace into the storyline. Colleen Coble does not disappoint and I’m anxiously waiting for her next book.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

I would have given this five stars but there is a complete scene that is unrealistic, there is no mention that the villain even knew Torie went to this place and when events unfold at this place (trying not to give spoilers) the villain just happens to be there, I don't think so. Overall the story was full of intrigue, it was hard to figure out who the villain was and even why, plenty of suspense and a touch of romance.

Fantastic book! I am a first time reader of this author and will definitely be getting more by her! Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for chance to read this book.

Torie returns to the island she grew up on to investigate the death of her best friend. She goes undercover at the hotel her father owns and starts to dig around. While I had to keep a very open mind about this one (so many things that are far too coincidental or not super believable) I still enjoyed this read. I actually would love to learn more about the seal training to uncover explosive devices or capture enemies in the water. I've never heard of that before! While it was overall enjoyable, I think it's still just a 3 star for me because I did have to suspend a lot to get through this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love to read Colleen Cobble’s novels, this one is no exception!
The characters are caring and relatable, the suspense and pace will keep you turning the pages, a superbly written book by a wonderful author!
Take the time to immerse yourself in the world of wealth, try to solve the mystery and wait for the truth to be revealed!

Huge congratulations to Colleen Coble for a superb mystery!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 for neutral. I couldn’t get into this book, in order to finish, but did try on numerous occasions. Will update if able to finish at a later date.

This is now my favorite Colleen Coble book that I've read in the past year or so. I really enjoyed the mystery/suspense going on at Torie's family resort and the romance between her and Joe.

This is a clean Christian mystery that I'll be sure to recommend to many patrons at the library.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Published 4 January 2022.

What an amazing mystery/romance book. I love that it took longer for me to see the plot as I worked my way to the end. It made me want to keep reading it everyday. Thank you NetGalley for the advance read.

Very clever book. A good plot and strong characters. I really enjoyed this and stayed up very late one night to finish it off.

My Thoughts: Torie quickly finds out that, One thing is clear: someone will risk anything—even more murder—to keep their secrets. Torie goes undercover to try to find out how her best friend dies. She does find someone who does not know who she really is and he soon becomes a little more than just a helper. Mystery, suspicious happening and the fight to uncover the truth make this a.. really? That's who did it! Kind of story. I really enjoyed it. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. No review was required. My opinion and review is voluntary.

I love a book with romance and suspense and this one has both! This was my first book by the author and I’m a fan. She did a fantastic job creating a heartfelt romance that balanced perfectly with intrigue. I absolutely loved the characters and wanted to know the ending because it was so captivating but also didn’t want it to end. This is a good one!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was such a great romantic suspense novel. The characters were very enjoyable and it the mystery kept me on my toes wondering what the outcome as going to be. Loved it!

This was my first Colleen Coble book. I really liked the characters in this book and the way she let us into their thoughts. The character growth was excellent. I enjoyed the story she told, and found the mystery compelling. My only complaint was that there were three mystery story lines throughout the book, and only one of them really had a satisfying resolution in my opinion. The other two sort of resolved, but I expected more from them. The way it was going, I really thought they were all going to be woven together into a really satisfying conclusion, but that didn't happen and the other two were just kind of explained away. Other than feeling a little let down by that, I really enjoyed the book, and I would read more from this author.

I always enjoy the little things Coble includes in her books that don't have to be in there but end up playing a part in the story. In this book, it is glass bowls with a peek into the artistic technique of glassblowing and training sea lions to capture divers where they're not supposed to be. It brings another element to the book because it exposes me to things that aren't normally included in books but I find fascinating. This is an excellent inspirational romantic suspense novel and the niche elements are what really sets the book apart.

"Evil things happen to all of us, honey. Hard things, bad things. We don't understand, and a lot of the time, we can't understand because we aren't God. When those times come - and they seem to come to everyone - all we can do is trust that God loves us."

Torie has already faced one tragedy in her life. Returning back to that scene to investigate another incident is not what she wants to do. But she has to know what happened. Soon she is at risk herself. Can she live long enough to discover the truth?

Sometimes when you read a suspense book, the intrigue part is all that matters, and the rest falls behind. With Colleen Coble's books that is not the case. She picks an interesting place to set her titles then includes details that make it more than a simple suspense.

This book is set at Georgia's Jekyll Island. This place is known for sea turtles, and these creatures play a part in the plot. Sea lions are another important part of the storyline. I found it interesting how helpful to humans that this animal can be.

How the different people intersected in the book were also interesting. That made the mystery challenging to solve. Trying to discover who was a friend and who was an enemy was challenging. I figured certain parts out, but for much of it, I did not have any idea.

Faith is a part of this story. So is romance. But that part is definitely not the focus. I would say that the book is well-rounded.

I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for letting me read this one early. All opinions are my own. I wanted to review this book. My first 5 star read in 2022 - I finished it an hour or two after midnight. :-)

I found the romance and the suspense to be equally entertaining in A Stranger's Game. I liked the both the hero and heroine, and the hero's eight-year-old daughter was adorable. Especially in the scenes she tried to protect the baby hatchling turtles. I also loved Simon the seal lion. The island setting was beautiful and the underwater actions exciting. All in all a very good read! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

(Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this enjoyable book! This review has been posted on Amazon, B&N, Christianbooks.com and Goodreads.)