NOT THIS TIME – Vicki Hinze
Crossroads Crisis Center Series, Book 3
Multnomah – Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-60142-207-1
February 2012
Inspirational Romantic Suspense

Seagrove Village, Florida – Present Day

Millionaire Benjamin Brandt owns the Crossroads Crisis Center in Seagrove Village, a small town where people band together for themselves and God. Today, almost the entire town is gathered to witness the renewal of vows between Dr. Harvey Talbot and his wife Roxy, an FBI agent. But all is not well at the wedding. Detective Jeff Myers is late, and when he walks into the courtyard of Crossroads, he finds a mangled wedding cake and bodies littering the floor, guests fallen where they sat or stood. Are they all dead or alive?  Jeff smells an obnoxious odor, but he stays, summoning the local police and other covert operatives in the area. Jeff is sure this is the work of NINA, a terrorist group called Nihilists in Anarchy.  NINA has plagued Crossroads Crisis Center and the town of Seagrove Village for several years.

Sara and Beth Dawson have built an empire and a multi-million dollar computer business with Quantico among their esteemed clients. Now they learn that Sara's new husband, Robert Tayton, has been kidnapped. Fragile from the chemical attack at the wedding, Sara is on the verge of collapse. Beth attempts to gather together the demanded ransom for the kidnappers, relying on Joe, one of a covert group of men called the Shadow Watchers. She gathers strength from Joe. They must keep a watchful eye on Sara, who is suddenly acting strangely. But even though Beth wants to lean on Joe, she's afraid to trust him too far after being hurt too many times before. Right now, her main focus isn't Robert, but saving their company, SaBe, from his greedy clutches. It's plain to everyone in Seagrove Village that Robert married Sara for her money, but Sara is in love and blind to his faults.

NOT THIS TIME is the final novel in the Crossroads Crisis Center series and follows FORGET ME NOT (March 2010) and DEADLY TIES (February 2011). Even though NOT THIS TIME can be read as a stand-alone book, I advise readers to read the previous novels first. Even though I have read all the books, I found it difficult catching up to the characters and their history. The action in NOT THIS TIME starts off running and does not stop, making this novel a very exciting finale. Secondary characters are many. They are dynamic and round out the story, but it's a guessing game to tell the good guys from the bad. The group NINA is bent on destroying the town of Seagrove Village, this time by chemical weapons and good old fashioned murder. As Beth tries to keep Sara safe, she fears she is trusting the wrong people.

NOT THIS TIME is a thrilling end to a great series!

Diana Risso