“Secrets at Cedar Cabin” by Colleen Coble

Her mother lied about her identity and her husband wasn’t who she thought he was—can Bailey even trust herself anymore?

Running for her life in the wake of her mother’s murder, Bailey Fleming escapes to the only place she can think of—a remote, dilapidated cabin in Lavender Tides. Intending to finally get to the truth behind the lies of her past, Bailey only finds more questions when bodies are discovered near her cabin hideout along with traces of a dangerous human trafficking ring. In an unlikely partnership with FBI agent Lance Phoenix, Bailey races to understand the mystery surrounding her life and circumstances before the murderer tracks her down. 

Meanwhile, Lance is determined to rescue his sister, Ava, who was abducted after running away from home as a teenager. An unexpected lead brings him to the remote cabin, and he wonders if Bailey—with her suspicious past and strange connections to his sister’s case—is really who she claims to be and if she can somehow lead him to Ava. 

Coble has ended her Lavender Tides series with a bang with Secrets at Cedar Cove!  It’s like reading an episode of NCIS (which is a very good thing – that’s my most favorite TV show) with high action, murder, kidnapping, and all sorts of other fast-paced and nefarious action.

Lest that make it sound too dark, however, there are bright white knights that keep the spotlight shining on fighting back against the evil they encounter.  If you’ve read the other books in the series, then you’ve met FBI agent Lance before, but he’s a leading man in this book.  He’s still hunting his trafficked sister Ava, and his crusade against the people who took her is stronger than ever.  With clues finally surfacing, he’s determined to get her back – but he’s as kind and caring as ever to those around him.  He’s a perfect hero figure – smart, strong, and a defender of those in need.  

Bailey Fleming is another.  She doesn’t have a specific target in mind – but she knows that someone killed her mother and is coming after her.  She tries to figure out her own murky past while standing up for truth and kindness.  I really enjoyed reading about her.  She was stronger than she first appeared, and she kept me guessing throughout the book.

Human trafficking was a theme throughout the Lavender Tides series.  Having a single kind of crime in a series like this doesn’t happen in all of her books, but she incorporates it here really well.  Rather than relying on the setting and a few characters to tie the series together, there’s a common enemy and crime.  There is resolution for the main characters in each book, but the ultimate conflict doesn’t see an end until this story, and I love the way that Coble keeps you turning pages until the very last one.  She brings this issue to life in a way that really makes it real.  It’s one thing to hear some stats in the news and quite another to read about a normal family who is devastated by human trafficking, and I think that’s what Coble does for this issue:  she puts a face to the problem and makes it real.

I’ve been thinking about Bailey, Lance, and Ava for several weeks now, ever since I first read this book.  Each time that human trafficking has crossed my radar, as it has many times, it has rocketed Secrets at Cedar Cabin to mind. I can’t stop thinking about it, and I think that’s what Coble wants – for this problem to stay in our consciousness so that we are both aware of it and willing to take action against it.

Without both awareness and people on guard, the industry will continue to grow.

That doesn’t mean that it’s a preachy book, though – it’s anything but.  The book is full of action, adventure, and romance, and nobody’s sitting around waxing eloquent about it – they’re too busy fighting evil to talk about it.

I love the pace of the action, the character of the characters, and the fitting conclusion that Coble created to her Lavender Tides series.   This is definitely another win for Coble – and for the readers.  I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

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