Lynn H. Blackburn Books In Order

Publication Order of Defend and Protect Books

Publication Order of Dive Team Investigations Books

Publication Order of Gossamer Falls Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of The Nikki Boyd Files Books

Publication Order of US Marshals Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Lynn H. Blackburn is an American author of suspense, romance, and Christian books. She also writes inspirational books under the pseudonym Lynn Huggins Blackburn. Lynn’s inspiration behind writing romance books is that as a child, she wanted to be a spy, but now all grown up, she’s all chubby and would get caught on her first mission. That’s why she chose writing so that she would put her characters in all sorts of terrifying situations as spies while she sits at home safely tucked in her pyjamas. Unknown Threat, the first book in Defend and Protect Series, was a 2021 finalist in Christy Award. Some of her previous titles have won the Carol Award, Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award. Lynn Blackburn loves conference speaking and teaches writers across the country. She is a South Carolina resident where she lives with her husband and her three children.

Beneath the Surface is the first book in the Dive Team Investigations series by Lynn H. Blackburn. It’s a series debut novel that exceed the reader’s expectations, especially with the female lead characters you can easily connect with, the potential for romance, scenes that spark fear or excitement, and a plot where bad guys rapidly escalate attacks. Beneath all these is plenty of spiritual lessons and the revelation of God’s love and faithfulness.

Meet Ryan and his partner Gabe; they are homicide detectives based in Lake Porter in the picturesque central North Carolina. The two are on a regular training dive when they discover the remains of a person chained to gym weights on the bottom of the lake. They decide to investigate the site and search for clues. They set their coordinate point in Leigh’s late parents’ home (Ryan’s best friend). Leigh works as an oncology nurse, and it’s revealed that a patient who couldn’t be healed stalked her during the worst part of his disease. She returns home and takes on nightshifts at the hospital in the Emergency Department. Even though the patient eventually died, Leigh kept her friends at arm’s length.

Seeing Ryan at her door was a surprise. But something strange happens, which almost costs Leigh’s her life. Returning home from work after a nightshift, her car brakes fail, which sends her on descending grades resulting in an accident. After undergoing an operation at the hospital, Ryan informs her that her brake lines have been cut. Ryan is then assigned to investigate Leigh’s attempted homicide. Could her stalker have risen from the grave? Is there another stalking will bad intentions for her? The stakes are high for Ryan and Leigh as more attempts on her life escalate.

One of the most critical aspects of this novel is that the author highlights spiritual struggles that most Christians are going through or encounter. Leigh begins to reexamine her faith and is stuck on the questions most Christians are stuck on. After years of infertility, their parents adopted her and her brother. The author gives a glimpse into the faith of their parents as she remembers and weighs on what they had shared. On the other hand, Ryan’s family has also experienced prolonged trials, so he understands and mirrors her questions. These are the pages as a reader you want to savor. They are well written, with the author demonstrating that she understands faith.

We also get to know and connect with Ryan and Leigh the best. Connecting and empathizing with Leigh, Sabrina, and Anissa is easy. The three ladies bond together beautifully and closely through the dual investigations. The plot twists added to the story escalate the suspense, with some changing the course of the investigations. Beneath the Surface, the plot is finely crafted and executed, leaving no suspects or loose ends. The crimes in the story are intricately interwoven. Above all, the best part about Beneath the Surface is the message that you really don’t know your coworkers or the people that come into contact with your life. This element is the real horror story because people aren’t what they seem, and the truth about people’s motives and personalities is sometimes beneath the Surface.

Unknown Threat is the first book in Defend and Protect series by Lynn H. Blackburn. It’s a novel with the perfect blend of suspense, romance, fast-paced action, humor, fascinating characters and faith. Meet US Secret Service Agent Luke Powell. He’s lucky to be alive as three of his fellow agents died in unusual circumstances in the past ten weeks. The death of his friends breaks him, and his inability to find the killer makes him feel like a personal failure. He is an expert at protecting others, but now the protectors need protection.
FBI Agent Faith Malone is highly focused in her investigative career and sure in her skills and talents to solve every case she’s assigned. She is assigned to the investigation into the unusual attacks, and with Luke’s life on the line, the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. But it’s hard to fight back when you don’t know who the enemy is. As more agents are targeted, Luke and Faith must collaborate in their investigations, find the killer and bring them in book and prevent any more names honorable agents from getting killed and joining other dead men on the Secret Service Wall of Honor.

As usual, Lynn H. Blackburn again does a fantastic job of adding creating characters from unique backgrounds and incorporate them in her storylines, such as Faith Malone, who’s half Cherokee. She weaves characters readers, such as the swoony agent Luke Powell, effortlessly connect with and care about long after the last page. The detailed background information on the US Secret Service is intriguing as most people think that the Secret Service agents only work to protect the VIPs. The author also does a fantastic job balancing the investigative, action, and relationship scenes between family, coworkers and love interests. So much is happening, but the author handles all these narrative threads seamlessly. Unknown Threat is a novel highly recommended for readers who love romantic suspense books by writers such as Irene Hannon, Dani Pettrey, Rachel Dylan and Lynette Eason.