Beneath the Broken Oak by Lori Altebaumer

 

BENEATH THE BROKEN OAK

By Lori Altebaumer

Mystery / Romance

Publisher: One Thousand Hills Publishing

Pages: 400

Publication Date: February 22, 2025

 

SYNOPSIS

Trees don’t heal. They seal.

But Forester Jodee Trevaine isn’t a tree. The wounds of abandonment she’s spent years denying will be ripped open the night she witnesses a child’s abduction.

The hardscrabble West Texas town of El Hueso, where keeping secrets is what keeps you alive, is the last place one would expect to find healing.

Until her job brings her there for a dying tree. 

With new friends and the unexpected reacquaintance with the man she loved and left, Jodee has everything to gain—and just as much to lose—as she races against time to rescue the boy.

Could it be that her roots go deeper than she realized into the soil of EL Hueso?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning novelist and Amazon Top New Release author Lori Altebaumer is a lifelong Texan whose family roots run deep in the Lone Star state.  Her writing bends the rules for modern Christian fiction, telling bold stories of good and evil in a broken world.

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REVIEW

The short story: A dual-time mystery with roots in the past.

My review: 

Was it fate that brought Jodee Trevaine and Blue Sunday to the same truck stop? Blue is a blast from her past, and not a good one. He brings back troubling memories and stirs old feelings. Once she sends him on his way, she witnesses the kidnapping of a young boy. Her attempts to intervene get her a nasty head wound and a trip to the emergency room.

As she tries to recover, Blue reenters her life, but he has his own agenda, one he tries to protect her from. But Jodee is nothing but stubborn and it’ll take more than Blue to stop her from doing what she thinks is right.

Beneath the Broken Oaks is an intriguing multi-layered mystery. A dual timeline sets up a twisty plot with roots deep in the past that ensnares the lives of the modern-day characters. Told in multiple POVs, this fast-paced mystery will suck you in. The setting is a creepy West Texas town, drowning in atmosphere. Jodee, a forester, finds herself revisiting her past, searching for herself and who she wants to be. Blue Sunday has made his peace with God and the world, but he still needs forgiveness from the woman he’s loved all his life. Together, they need to piece the clues that will lead to the missing boy, solve the mystery, and get them back on track.

With plenty of surprises, twists and turns, this page turner will keep you engaged. I admit I did not see the ending until late in the game. The book does have a Christian theme, but it complements rather than overpowers the plot and the cowboy clad guardian angel is a nice touch. The romantic elements, while an enjoyable addition, are not the driving force for the story.

All in all, I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it to readers who enjoy a good mystery.

 

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