This is book one in The Quantico Files series, so what a great place to start. This book is full of many twist and turns, mystery, suspense and much more.
Alex Donovan thought she left her dramatic childhood behind, however when her job as a BAU agent puts her right back into the middle of it, will she be able to find the answers before it is to late or will her past be more than she can handle?
We meet many interesting FBI agents and I look forward to reading more about them. I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.

When the hunt for a serial killer leads to her hometown, SSA Alex Donovan must finally face the traumatic childhood she spent most of her life outrunning.
Night Fall is a fast-paced suspense novel that gives readers a unique look into the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit while asking bold questions about faith and redemption.
What I liked about the book:
Contrasting a serial killer and BAU agent: Nancy Mehl did an excellent job of contrasting Alex and the Train Man. While Alex and the Train Man are both victims of the same twisted cult, they chose very different lives.
Night Fall also contrasts Christianity and the Circle. Members of the Circle believe that you’re either a demon or an angel. Evil or good. You’re born one or the other and there’s no gray area. It was cool seeing how that contrasts with the redemption Christianity offers. On that note, I thought Mehl created a very believable cult.
The Train Man: This is a little dark, but my favorite aspect of the book was being in the Train Man’s head. I did have some nightmares while I was reading it, but that’s a side-effect I’ll happily accept.
Trauma and PTSD: I love that Alex wasn't some one dimensional MC that can do it all. She struggled with severe anxiety, repressed memories, and PTSD. Her character flaws made the story much more interesting.
What I didn’t like:
Alex and Logan discover the identity and ultimate goal of the serial killer immediately. This twist took away a lot of the suspense and thrill for me.
Lots of meetings, debriefings, rehashing facts, etc. To be fair, this is probably very accurate. But for a novel, I would have loved to see more action and discovery.
Some of the "Christianese": I love novels with overt Christian themes. While Christian messages might not appeal to all audiences, I think it's an expression of the author's faith to the people that need it the most. However, some faith discussions in this book (some internal and external) sounded a little forced.
Overall, Night Fall was a good read, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I wish the meetings were replaced with investigations and we would have seen Alex spend a little more time profiling. Having said that, I think it could be a good for the right person. I hope other readers will check it out!

NIght Fall
by Nancy Mehl
Publishing Date: March 30, 2021

If you are looking for a great Christian author of suspense you had found it! Our readers really enjoy Nancy Mehl and I try to keep her books on our shelf.
Thanks to her publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. I like to read her books before they are published so I can recommend them to our readers.

4star

Night Fall by Nancy Mehl is book 1 in the Quantico Files series. I have read other books by this author so I expected great storytelling. This book blew me away. It is probably the best suspenseful book that I have read this year, and I read many, many books. The author put a great deal of research into creating the crimes in this book and the related cultish community that spawned these crimes. This, coupled with the constant suspense and the race against time, makes this book one you won't easily forget. I highly recommend this book to readers of suspense. You will not be disappointed. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This books was intriguing and full of shocking twists! I really enjoy it when an author can surprise me and it happened more than once in this book. While I didn’t connect with the heroine, the plot kept me invested and is really what I enjoy about this author. Alex, the heroine was hard to like. I found it hard to accept her as the seasoned FBI agent that everyone claimed her to be. She was ruled by her emotions and contributed little to nothing to the actual investigation. She was always having some kind of emotional break down and seemed to not be capable of focusing on the case. There was so much emphasis on her trauma from her past that it really took away from her image as a capable agent.
This author really knows how to write a villain and that is where I feel like her writing shines. I enjoyed this book in spite of the main character.

This book was very engaging right from the start. I engaged with the people depicted in the story and related to the issues they faced in a real way. The author used subtle ways to show how we can share our faith without turning people away from God.

In Night Fall, the first book in The Quantico Files Series, author Nancy Mehl transports the reader to Kansas City and Wichita for an intriguing suspense story that will keep the reader guessing and turning the pages.

Author Nancy Mehl weaves a slow-building and suspenseful tale written in the third person narrative that follows FBI Special Agents Alex Donovan and Logan Hart on their investigative mission to find a serial killer who calls himself The Train Man after an eery nursery rhyme, and who is determined to fulfill a prophesy on the world by releasing a strain of the Ebola virus airborne that would make Covid-19, H1N1, and MRSA look like mild colds. Alex and Logan are part of an elite team who are determined to bring the killer to justice before the prophesy of releasing the virus airborne is fulfilled and spreads out into the world.

I loved reading this slow-building and action-packed story. Alex and Logan kept me intrigued as their investigation takes on a dangerous cat-n-mouse game with a psychotic killer who is determined to fulfill the deadly prophecy. The reader will be easily drawn into this well written story that alternates between Alex and Logan's investigation, with that of the killer's clever and well thought out plan to fulfill the prophecy, it's a race against time that is like a game of chess.

The story's richly descriptive plot will keep the readers guessing as secrets, possible motives, and clues are uncovered during the investigation. And to add to the intensity of the cat-n-mouse game, Alex's traumatic past is brought to the surface, and she struggles to keep her PTSD in control as it is intertwined with the killer's shared upbringing and plan of destruction. The reader will definitely be kept guessing, as the chilling twists and turns and surprising conclusion will leave them simply stunned. I look forward to reading Dead Fall, the second book in The Quantico Files Series.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention how eerie this story is considering what our world has been going through with the Covid-19 pandemic. While the story was written possibly before and during this pandemic, it does make you wonder what if ... hmmm ...

Night Fall has enough drama, tension, action, dark secrets, and unexpected twists and turns that will take the reader on one heck of a thrilling roller coaster ride.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2021/04/night-fall-by-nancy-mehl-vbt-book.html

Alex Donovan works at the FBI, but not just the FBI in the Behavioral Analysis Unit where they are on the hunt for serial killers with the skills of getting into their minds and trying to figure out their next steps before they strike again.

The first in a series, Alex Donovan was a great character to follow in this book and while I enjoy an amateur detective, it was fun to follow a detective who knew her stuff. What I thought was interesting in this book was that they new the villain almost from the beginning, but were trying to figure out who his next victim would be and where.

There were two things that I didn't completely love about this book, but I could overlook them a bit because I loved the main character and the plot worked despite these two things. One I found out a few things way too early and while I am an avid mystery/thriller reader, it was just too early and it impacted my pleasure in reading the book. The other while is in the synopsis, is semi spoilerie, but one of the things that this villain is doing other than killing people, he has a dead virus that he wants to release into the world and while COVID is mentioned in the book and maybe I feel as though it is a little too early to go there, I just didn't think it was necessary and something else could have been used to drive this part of the plot.

With those two things in mind, I can still say that I enjoyed the reading and will look out for the next Alex Donovan book, but just hope that the villain has some better antics up his/her sleeve!

Night Fall
by Nancy Mehl
Bethany House
Bethany House Publishers
Christian | Mystery & Thrillers | Romance
Pub Date 30 Mar 2021

I am reviewing a copy of Night Fall through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:


Alexandra “Alex” Donovan is finally free of her troubled upbringing, she's able to live out her childhood dream of working for the FBI. But soon after she becomes a member of the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis unit. Authorities in Kansas and Missouri soon contact them when there are bodies found on a freight train headed across country, everyone of those bodies murdered in the same way.


The one thing Alex never expected was to comfort her past on this new job. But she immediately recognizes the graffiti messages the killer is leaving on the train cars. After the Bau sends her to gather information about the messages from her aunt in Wichita, Kansas, Alex is haunted by the struggles she thought she'd left behind forever.


As Alex races against time, while battling her own weaknesses, she must decide what she is willing to risk to put a stop to the train killer.


I give Night Fall five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

4.5 stars
An FBI profiler vs. a creepy cult that brings her disturbing past to light? Yes, please! Needless to say, I was drawn into this story from the very start. FBI agents Alex and Logan are in a race against time to locate and stop the Train Man, who plans a series of murders to be followed by the release of a super-virus.

The faith element in this book is strong. The characters don’t just “preach”--for example, the way Logan lives demonstrates his faith, and the conversations about Christianity come across as genuine--at times where they make good sense in the story. There are legitimate questions posed by non-Christians in the book, and they are addressed at times when the character would be receptive to listening.

In terms of the virus story line, while I did find it interesting, there were just too many references to COVID. (This story takes place post-COVID, and the author references COVID MANY times.) It just felt overused.

There was one twist that was pretty obvious early on, but the final scenes of good vs. evil were definitely satisfying. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of cases Nancy Mehl leads Alex and Logan into next!

Thanks go to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Nancy Mehl knows how to write suspense! I got drawn into this story from the very beginning and was hooked until the last page. I didn't want to put this book down.
I highly recommend this book to anyone.

This is another unique book by Nancy. I enjoyed that storyline. She deals with a cult that is on a mission. I always find these types of stories interesting. The people are so deceived.

I have a feeling I knew who was behind her aunt’s attack from the beginning but she placed a lot of doubt and have me questioning if I was right or not.

The message of Jesus’ love is woven throughout the book and even though I appreciated that I do see that our theology and doctrine differ (this would not have been the case a year ago). There is no mention of sin and our need to repent only that God love’s us, which is true but his love is so great he forgives us of our sin and this needs to be said because that makes his love even more amazing. I was disappointed that this was completely neglected.

But, aside from that, the story itself was very good and I can’t wait to see what is next in this series.
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A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

“Our train killer has the virus, and he’s going to unleash it. That’s how he intends to carry out the prophecy.”

“But if you give God a chance to be involved in your life, I promise you, He’ll never leave you. Never forsake you. You will be loved completely. He will give you beauty for your ashes. He will heal your broken life.”

“He only worked in the dark. He’d have to wait for night fall.”

This was a great start to a promising series. Fans of the Kaely Quinn series will enjoy this for sure. This is a book focused on the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit dealing with a religious cult, serial killers, and a possible airborne virus...can’t go wrong with that!! I liked the interplay between Alex and Logan. And the “Train Man” part was well done. And no romance, which is a plus for me!

One of my complaints during the Kaely Quinn series was that I guessed the villains in every book. I am glad to say that in Night Fall, there are several big reveals that go on. While I guessed one of those reveals, it was well executed and the other reveals made up for it.

Unfortunately, my only complaint on this one has nothing to do with the storyline as I thought it was excellent; however, I felt like the faith aspects were lacking. There was a lot of faith aspects mentioned throughout the book, but I thought they weren’t well written and sometimes took away from the great story. And no mention of baptism at all.

But I definitely will be reading the rest of the series.

* I received this book free from Netgalley and publisher Bethany House in exchange for an honest review

Alex finally has gotten away from everything in her childhood and is part of the FBI. She's part of a special task force that is getting to catch the person responsible for the train murders. But the do that she will have to go back into her childhood once again...

Night Fall is an intriguing, suspenseful story with a fast-moving plot and compelling characters that drew me in from the beginning and kept me invested until the end. The darkness of the story is lightened by the abundance of Biblical spiritual truths about God’s love and sovereignty. Ms. Mehl is a new author to me, and I find her to be an exceptional storyteller and extensive researcher. I like her smooth, expressive style. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to other books in the Quantico Files series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in e-book form from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don't get many 5 star ratings, but for me, this one deserved it.
I've read several Nancy Mehl books. They are always fast paced, strong characters, and a wonderful line of redemption. This one was over the top for me.

This is probably the darkest Christian book I've read in awhile. Alex Donovan has to face her past and it's difficult for her on so many levels. The inner turmoil she faces throughout the story are intense. She is a survivor who is strong willed and independent. She's partnered with Logan Hart AKA Preacher. It's a great partnership that challenged both of them. Great dynamics between them.

Again, action-packed story with great characters and enjoyable read start to finish.

Disclaimer: I did receive this book from the publisher via netgalley.com but I was under no obligation to provide a review. All opinions are my own.

My thoughts: Nancy Melh used to be one of my favorite romantic suspense authors, but her writing style has gone beyond creepy to downright scary. I couldn't finish this book. It was giving me nightmares. If you like romantic suspense probably on the romance and light
on the scary, maybe you should look further than Melh. But if you are in the super scary then this might be a book to consider. Mehl is a very talented author, but she lost me as a reader. I was given a book free. All opinions are my own.

I was thinking of taking my time to read this book but that did not work. I was hooked from the first pages.

Pure thrill and action throughout. There was never a dull moment. The characters were stellar. The lipbiting suspense and intrigue throughout.

The author did an amazing, amazing job. She just made herself one of my favourite action/suspense/crime author.

I can't wait for book 2 of this series. What captivated my heart more was how she inculcated the Christian faith into law enforcement so seamlessly and it illustrated how you can hold onto your faith even in the worst of human situations.

I received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion

Gripping suspense that you won’t want to put down! Nancy Mehl does it again and demonstrates why she has rightfully earned her place at the top of romantic mystery and thrillers. I love the complexities in Alex’s character, namely, her past, and all that it brings to her current situation as a behavioral analyst agent with the FBI. The premise is creative and riveting: A cult that is based on twisted applications of Scripture and what it took for Alex to break free and move on with her life, only to find herself sucked in again. I enjoyed the approach from the very beginning, seeing into the perp’s childhood, and how the character developed from there. A great look into human nature, God’s grace, and how each of us react to circumstances and experiences. I received a copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

I want to begin my review by saying I love the way Mehl portrays her characters, so life like. I have never read one of her books that I could not give 5 stars, she is tops……..Perhaps you have heard the saying, “we are a product of our raising” That is certainly true in many ways. In Night Fall, Mehl has shown us that one does not have to follow in the footsteps of the one who “raised” he or she. The heroine, Alex Donovan is proof of this. Alex is a young lady who in spite of a horrendous past, goes on to become a member of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. A young lady who still fight battles from time to time to overcome fear and anxiety. Then we have the serial killer who gave in to the horrendous past of his “raising.” The Train Man is a psychopathic serial killer who is somehow linked to Alex’s past in a remote way. Now the thing is….. to find out who he is and where he is and to prevent him from killing more innocent victims. This is certainly a page turner as all of her novels are…..Thanks to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review another great mystery/suspense by Mehl.