Confession by Carey Baldwin – Review, Blog Tour & Giveaway

Confession
by Carey Baldwin
Published by: Witness Impulse
Release Date: March 11, 2014

Links to order Confession: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Itunes

Description:
For fans of Allison Brennan and Karen Rose comes Carey Baldwin, a daring new name in suspense, with the story of a serial killer out for blood—and the only woman who can stop his reign of terror.

They say the Santa Fe Saint comes to save your soul—by taking your life.

Newly minted psychiatrist Faith Clancy gets the shock of her life when her first patient confesses to the grisly Saint murders. By law she’s compelled to notify the authorities, but is her patient really The Saint? Or will she contribute to more death by turning the wrong man over to the police?

Faith is going to need all her wits and the help of a powerful adversary, Luke Jericho, if she’s to unravel the truth. But she doesn’t realize she’s about to become an unwitting pawn in a serial killer’s diabolical game: For once he’s finished with Faith, she’ll become his next victim.


Review:

Carey Baldwin…your genius is showing!  Family physician by day, it’s no easy feat to excel, equally, in two different professions.  Ms. Baldwin does it with panache, and thankfully doesn’t show signs of slowing down.  The doctor can tell a story, can impress you with her intellect, can scare the crap out of you…can make you swoon.  Confession encompasses them all!  Dr. Faith Clancy is trying to establish a reputation for herself, as well as a life, with the loss of her parents and sister, who incidentally was the wife of widower, Detective Danny Benson from Ms. Baldwin’s First Do No Evil (read review here).  Confession was fantastic!  Hardly a surprise, as I have come to expect no less from Carey Baldwin.  Now let’s find out who exactly is spilling the beans!

When Dante Jericho, Faith’s sole patient admits to being the Santa Fe Saint, a serial killer tormenting New Mexico, Faith calls the authorities, as dictated by law, to have him arrested. 

The moment Dante said he would kill again, whether she believed him or not, she was morally and legally bound to report him to the police.  The statutes were clear on this matter.  If a patient presented a danger to others, doctor-patient confidentiality no longer applied.  She had a duty to warn.

And yet her expertise kicked in; trained to remain professional in the face of danger, and figure out a way to save them both.  That composure isn’t easy, it’s earned, and Ms. Baldwin clearly dips into her own vault of experience in clinical psychology to explain it concisely.   The intensity described (in various scenes) was never duplicated and always incorporated me as the third person in the situation; forced to hold my breath lest I betrayed my presence and jeopardized Faith’s position.  An engrossing read!

Problem is, Dante’s instability (I am assuming this generalization is acceptable, Dr. Baldwin?) has led him to “delusions of guilt”; to assume responsibility for actions that are not his.  Puzzling?  Without a doubt.  Diagnosing is left to Faith’s expertise, but Dante is suffering through enormous issues if he prefers to be incarcerated.  Ms. Baldwin is thorough in her research and gives Dr. Clancy all the proper tools to assess.  I may have had to re-read certain theories and diagnoses, but it’s tangibly written.  So where exactly does the swoon come in?  Trust me when I say Dante (and the real menace) only elicit goosebumps of the nightmare variety.  No, that honor goes to Luke Jericho, half brother of Dante.

“And one of the first things you’re going to learn about me is that I don’t mess around.  I don’t cajole.  I don’t persuade.  I don’t seduce.  Subterfuge isn’t in my nature.”  First his breath was in her hair, fogging up her brain.  Then he was whispering close in her ear, melting her like warmed sugar.  “When I see something I want, Faith, I don’t apologize.  I just go get it.”

I know you’ve swooned, don’t pretend.  🙂  Might as well get comfy with a pillow and luxuriate in all things Luke. 

Determined to bridge the distance between Dante and himself (their backstory is heavy with guilt), Luke is going to align proper defense, including Faith, and make-up for the love and support that their father only bestowed upon his “legitimate” heir, Luke.  It doesn’t hurt that the attraction between our H/H is mutual and demanding exploration, but Luke insists on waiting until after Dante is exonerated; he won’t detract or become a distraction if it means Dante’s life is forfeit.  Luke does TOO good a job staying platonic, IMO, lol, but it laid the foundation of communication and trust.  And when it happens…well…Carey Baldwin knows a thing, or twenty, about steam, my friends.  😉

A suspenseful thriller to the very end.  Twists were tangled up in twists!  Outbursts were swallowed by gasps!  And even when you came to suspect where the finger would point, you’re devouring every last word to ensure the guilty would stay guilty (or die!)  I’m deliberately being vague – you’ve got to read Confession (and read who’s making it). 

And so I’ve reached my least favorite part, the bittersweet ending.  Not of the book itself!  Oh, I’ll be thinking about Confession for days, raving and recommending to all who will listen (you’ve read this far, go buy the book!), but you at least have the joy of discovering more of Ms. Baldwin’s work.  I have to wait for the next installment of Baldwin bliss.  I loved Confession!!!! 

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Author




Carey Baldwin is a mild-mannered physician (still practicing full time ) who happens to write edgy romantic thrillers. What’s a nice girl like Carey doing writing scare-you-silly thrillers? When you’re a former clinical psychologist, writing about psychopaths comes naturally, and when you’re a hopeless romantic…, well, you do the math!

Contact links:

Website: http://www.careybaldwin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareyBaldwinAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CareyBaldwin
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5785962.Carey_Baldwin


Carey Baldwin is graciously offering a giveaway of a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice).

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