This was an interesting story. I really liked the premise of a cold case - well technically a closed case getting new clues.

The main character, Amara, was very interesting but sometimes she came across a little too jaded and independent.

It was interesting to read a book from a male author's perspective. It definitely was well written from the police procedural standpoint and had a lot of mystery and suspense.

This book definitely kept me guessing.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This is the first novel by Tom Threadgill which I've read and he's a definite 'must read' author for me now!
Collision of Lies is a fantastic read, completely engrossing and genuinely page-turning!
Three years before the story's start, there is a tragic accident between a school bus and a train, causing tearing grief throughout a community. But then a message is received from one of the children long thought dead... and Detective Amara Alvarez must find out if everything about the accident was really as it seemed. And if any of the children are really still alive, where are they and why have they been taken?
This is a true suspense novel, fast-paced, gritty, and with several 'hold your breath' moments.
If you like your mysteries a bit darker and tenser than the 'cosy mystery' kind, then this is for you!

Collision of Lies by Tom Threadgill is an action-packed book that will keep you in suspense throughout. I loved this author's voice. He quickly draws you into a police procedural style book yet keeps you interested and engaged. I find that so many police procedurals feel choppy to me as the reader. This book definitely did not. I really enjoyed his writing style throughout and found his characters developed and interesting. I highly recommend this book to readers of suspense. It is a wondeful read! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Collision of Lies
by Tom Threadgill
Revell
Christian
Revell
Christian
Pub Date 04 Feb 2020


I am reviewing a copy of Collision of Lies through Revell and Netgalley:



Three years prior a collision between a train that was moving fast and a school bus, led to grief and tragedy on an unimaginable scale. A fresh clue leads San Antonio Police Detective Amara Alvarez to the unlikely conclusion that one of the Children may in fact still be a live. If she’s right about this, everything the law enforcement believes about the accident is a lie.





Amara must convince the others and herself that despite all evidence to the contrary the boy is still alive, but time is running out. She is determined to do whatever she can in order to bring the boy home.






In this book Tom Threadgill takes us on an adventure full of intrigue and suspense, an adventure you are not likely to forget.



I give Collision of Lies five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Collision Of Lies by Tom Threadgill is a book you are not going to want to put down until the last page is read. It has page turning suspense and if you are like me and like to read at night, be prepared for lack of sleep!

Several years ago there was a tragic accident between a freight train and a school bus. All the children on the school bus were killed. There is one mom who refuses to believe her child perished and after a strange phone call she seeks the help of law enforcement. Amara agrees to look into it even though she believes all the children died in the crash. It doesn't take long that she starts to think otherwise, but how is she going to convince everyone else that the boy is still alive when all evidence points to the opposite. Could it be that the whole collision was based on lies? Are the other children alive as well? Amara is determined to find the answers. No matter the cost.

This book was the first I've read by author Tom Threadgill and he made me a fan! It has everything I like in a good suspense novel. The element of surprise with plenty of twists and turns, well developed characters and suspense that keeps you guessing. I can usually tell if I will like a suspense novel if the first chapter captivates me. That's exactly what this book did. If you love suspense novels, I encourage you to read this one. You're sure to love it!

***Thanks to Revell for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a new author for me. His book is well written with lots of mystery, Suspense and surprise. When Amara is faced to check facts she believed were true she uncovers things that are questionable. Amara and her team must fight to keep their investigation a secret, yet unveil the truth in time.

This was the first book that I read by this author...hopefully, not the last. I loved his story telling ability, his creative writing and the development of his characters. The plot was twisty, suspenseful and highly enjoyable. Five stars.

NO SPOILERS HERE! 😀
I really love a good mystery! One with lots of suspense and action, but also that is clean. I really hate reading books with foul language. This book, “Collision of Lies” by Tom Threadgill was great. It had lots of action and I really enjoyed the characters. It was interesting all the way through, so it was an easy read. Some books are hard to get through, but this book left you wanting more. I really enjoyed it. 🙂

About the Author
Tom Threadgill is a full-time author and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). He is currently on the suspense/thriller publishing board for LPC Books, a division of Iron Stream Media. He lives with his wife in rural Tennessee.

I received a copy of this book for my review. Opinions stated in this review are 100% mine.

This book is quite the suspenseful thriller with several twists in the story that keeps the reader guessing about what’s going to happen next. This storyline, since it involves children, is quite intense. The characters are great, and I especially loved Amara Alvarez. She’s smart, tenacious, tough but compassionate. She is the heart of this story. This is my first book to read by this author, and it won’t be my last. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Three years ago, a collision between a fast-moving freight train and a school bus full of kids led to devastation and grief on an unimaginable scale. But a fresh clue leads San Antonio police detective Amara Alvarez to the unlikely conclusion that one of the children may still be alive. If she's correct, everything law enforcement believes about the accident is a lie.

With time running out, Amara must convince others--and herself--that despite all evidence to the contrary, the boy lives. And she will do everything in her power to bring him home.

Amara Alvarez is a police detective in the burglary division of the San Antonio Property Crimes Division. She would like nothing better than to be moved over to homicide. She gets her chance when someone tells her their son did not die in a school bus accident that happened three years ago.
At first she has trouble believing it, then as she starts digging deeper odd things start showing up.

This is a suspenseful book. I am more used to reading high action type books. This book was more procedural. Even without the high action I didn't want to put it down. I have never read any books by Tom Threadgill before. I will look for his books from now on. This book was sold by a Christian publisher. There were no religious talk in this book. There were no foul words or sex scenes at all. Very clean. I recommend this book to all mystery readers.

I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

I have never read anything by this author so I didn't know what to expect. I will start off by saying over all the story was good, there is no romance in this book at all the author hints at it throughout but I just was not ever part of the storyline as a whole ever. I did however felt like the book was wordy and some things I could have gone without. I will say the story will keep you guessing and leave you wondering who else is involved. This author does keep this story a clean read so it would be suitable for all. There are some tough issues that may not be ok with some but over all a very suspenseful book.

It’s hard not to be intrigued by a police detective who has an Iguana as a pet. Right away we know Amara Alvarez is not going to be a stereotypical cop, and she isn’t. Then there’s Dr. Pritcchard, the ME, who eats Cheetos with chopsticks so he doesn’t get the orange powder all over his hands.

Added pleasure in reading the book was the descriptions that captured a moment perfectly. As Amara is watching video from a security camera, she notes that people “scurried to and fro like ants that had stumbled into a puddle of an energy drink.”

When trying to decide if she will consider a double-date that the Texas Ranger, Sara proposes, Amara hesitates, thinking about the homicide detective who is easy on the eyes. But it’s apparent that there’s something in her past that makes her reluctant to dive into dating. She says, “I don’t know. Larry’s the jealous type.”

To which Sara responds, “Yeah, well, until he starts buying your dinner, I say keep looking.”

Larry is the Iguana.

In addition to the wonderful cast of characters, I appreciated that the author didn’t spend a lot of time setting each one up and giving tons of backstory in one big info dump. We learn what we need to know as the story progresses, and some mysteries in the backstory help to hold the reader’s attention. For instance, an ongoing tease in the story is why the homicide detective is called Starsky. Amara is as intrigued by that secret as much as she is about the man himself.

The mystery plays out in an intricate plot centered on a train accident in the town of Cotulla in which a busload of children were killed. But were they? That’s the question that haunts Amara after a mother of one of the children comes in to the station to report that they have received a text message from their son. From that simple beginning, comes a tale of conspiracy and an extensive cover up of what really happened and why.

I highly recommend this book to those who love a good, complicated mystery with a wonderful protagonist.

I received this as a preview from NetGalley.
This book really caught my attention from the very beginning. I liked the characters and the mystery. I did get a little lost in the middle during the scientific discussion but it picked right back up afterwards.
I will definitely recommend this book to our library patrons. Can't wait for the next one in the series!

This was the first book I have ever read by Tom Threadgill and it definitely will not be my last. This had many twists and turns throughout the book. I cried a lot while reading this story. I really loved the characters. Amara was great and I hope there might be more books featuring her. I love a good cop story and this was fantastic. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Good storytelling but a not very believable story. The motive for the outraging crime isn't clear enough and the suspense isn't high enough. Good storytelling but a not very believable story. The motive for the outraging crime isn't clear enough and the suspense isn't high enough.

This is a new to me author and I enjoyed the story. It was really fast moving and made you really think as it continued as to what was being discovered and how it related to the collision several years ago. Amara had to do all she could when she found out some new information about the crash and how to act on it on a way that bring about the best results.
I received a copy of the book to read, the review is mine.

After three long years, a mysterious text is sent to a grieving mother whose son supposedly died in a horrible bus/train crash. The mother reaches out to the police and is told it's all a hoax, and her son is really dead. But one detective in Property Crimes is bored with her job and this case grabs her heart. As she begins to dig into the case, she finds inconsistencies that won't leave her alone. She ends up blowing the case wide open and the whole alphabet soup of agencies come to help. The reason for the wreck isn't immediately known. But the reader is soon given a hint of the cause, but that reason is soon debunked, and it turns into something more sinister. The ending isn't totally all roses, but it does have its redeeming value.

This new-to-me author definitely wrote a suspense-filled novel that I won't soon forget, and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Three years ago there was a train-school bus collison in a small Texas town that left all of those involved dead. Now Marisa Reyes has received a cryptic text that says "Help me Mom." from her dead son. Burglary officer, Amara Alvarez, hears Marisa crying and arguing with her husband when Amara stops at her local breakfast diner. Little does Amara know that this incident will lead her into a murder investigation that becomes stranger and stranger.

This novel had so many twists and turns involving forensics, burials, exhumations, and continuing into Mexico. But I loved every second of it. Threadgill's criminal research was excellent in so many different areas. The main characters were realistic and believable. The suspense was constant, and the events very current in their feel. The inter-agency connections to solve this case gave excellent insight into how this works. For those who prefer straight suspense rather than romantic suspense, this book would be perfect.

After finishing, all I could think was that I respect and honor those who serve in homocide, morgues, and computer analysis for the difficult job they have to do when terror strikes and deaths result.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

I enjoyed Threadgill's novel. It is a cold case mystery with an unusual premise. Three years ago a school bus was hit by a train. All the children died. Or did they? One of the parents has received a message supposedly from her child. Amara, a San Antonio police detective decides to pursue the possibility.

The plot is complex. It takes quite a bit to convince Amara, and us, that there is a possibility the children are alive. If that's the case, then there is the complex problem of how the accident was set up, who the unrecognizable bodies in the bus were, where might the living children be now, and how could Amara possibly retrieve them? All these questions are methodically dealt with in the novel. What I thought was an unreasonable plot turned out to be explainable, although I am not sure I understand all the science explanation. One of my pet peeves is an ending where the cavalry comes over the hill to save the lone cowboy. Well, I got a little peeved with this book.

The character development was good. I am always a bit leery when a male author has a female heroine. I did like Amara although my favorite character was the medical examiner with such a quirky personality.

Unfortunately, the Christian aspect of the novel is lacking, even though it was published by a “Christian” publisher.

This is the first in a new series by Threadgill and I enjoyed this one enough that I'll be watching for the next in the series.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

“Collision of Lies” by Tom Threadgill was certainly an action-packed novel of intrigue and suspense. This story begins with a closed case in which a school bus and a train crashed causing seventeen children, the driver and the two engineers were killed. It was designated as a tragic accident. Three years after the accident a San Antonio police received a plea from a woman whose son was killed on that bus. She positively believed that her son was alive and had texted her saying, “Mom, help me.” One detective took her story to heart and delved into the cold case, trying to determine if the tragedy was truly an accident.

I was totally engrossed in both the characters and the storyline of the novel as the detective called in markers and enticed other members of the department to look into the case again. No one could determine what else could have happened. When DNA testing disclosed that mistakes had been made in the identification of the dead, the case took on a greater interest. This also held my undivided interest until the reason for the “non-accident” was presented. I truly enjoy mysteries and police procedurals, but this sort of transformed into a sci-fi story. I could not accept the reason that people were killed and kidnapped and that deterred me from giving this novel five stars. Yes, I was totally engrossed, but I still couldn’t wrap my head around the solving of the crime and the end of the story. I will indeed read more of Mr. Threadgill’s novels unless I find the same scenario in his other writings.