Disclosure: BookLook Bloggers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. Post contains affiliate links; if you make a purchase, I may earn commission. Opinions shared are mine.

Carrie Stuart Parks is one of my auto-buy authors.  When I heard about her new book Formula of Deception (released July 3, 2018), it immediately went on my MUST READ list.  Thankfully, the book arrived on a day when I could sit and enjoy!  I read almost all of it in one sitting, then got up early to finish it the next day.  Her mystery and suspense books are such a treat! 

In this book, Parks introduces a new heroine, Murphy Anderson, to the forensic artistry scene.  Murphy’s an intelligent young woman on the run, and it’s carefully revealed why she’s so scared.  In an attempt to generate some much-needed money, Murphy gets herself in a tangle of lies via some strange job opportunities.   She also gets some scary threats and isn’t sure who to trust.

This book landed at 4 stars for me.  Parks kept me hanging from the suspenseful mystery fishing line throughout the whole book.  Mostly, I liked Murphy and wanted to see her get to a safe place.  As the story progressed, it got more and more outlandish, and I started to get frustrated with Murphy.  She was so quick to lie to suit her needs, and seemed to betray confidences that she barely owned.  This was disappointing, since she seemed like a truly intelligent woman who had a knack for getting caught in some terrible situations.   It was impossible not to compare her to Parks’s other well-known character, Gwen Marcey.   Though this is categorized in the Christian fiction genre, any religious mentions are very slight.  It’s great for readers who enjoy thrillers like Stillhouse Lake and Jar of Hearts!

I’ve gotta be honest — I don’t think I’m smart enough to fully understand the finer details of this book.  As the mystery unraveled, it confused me to the point that I quit trying to untangle the web in my brain.  At some point I’ll reread the book and hopefully it will make more sense to me.

You know how, in the Magic Treehouse books, Jack constantly reviews his notes?  It’s annoying, but necessary in a book for 6 year old readers.  It’s not needed in Formula of Deception, though it happens over and over.  We’re constantly exposed to Murphy’s re-analysis of the clues, which just seemed like a waste of time and space for the reader.  It would have sufficed to leave it at, “Murphy reviewed the clues.”

The story takes place in Kodiak, Alaska, an area wholly unknown to me.  I loved the way Parks unearthed a WWII mystery and included it in this intricate storyline.  Learning something new in a book is always fun.  When my fingers itch to do a Google search while I’m reading, I know the book’s a winner!

Now, I need to resign myself to the fact that it will be many months before another Carrie Stuart Parks book. I feel like a little kid on the day after Christmas!

Do you plan to read Formula of Deception? 

Thanks to BookLook for sending me this book.