Free From Sin by Karen Ann Hopkins

Release: February 22, 2022
Format: Paperback, audiobook, eBook
Publisher: Karen Ann Hopkins
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle

FREE FROM SIN is a gripping psychological crime thriller/mystery story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely women in the hills of Kentucky, and the explosive results when a troubled teenager has her day of reckoning.

Sheriff Sadie Mills navigates the challenges of single motherhood while solving crimes in the rural community of Possum Gap, Kentucky. The recent trailer shootings in her jurisdiction have her on edge, and the new coroner, a Yankee transplant from the east coast, is still adjusting to life in the wilderness when all hell breaks loose. Cases stemming from an out-of-control hillbilly clan, sex trafficking, and a murder in the nearby Amish community collide, and Sheriff Mills finds herself in a race to stop a serial killer before they strike again.

Lucinda Coblentz is a devoted wife, mother, and member of a strict religious order. Her kind and generous ways make her the perfect target of a master manipulator and has put her beloved family in grave danger. Can she make matters right before it’s too late?

About the Author:

Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen’s main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.

Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse’s name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen’s steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity’s Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War and the YA contemporary Temptation series. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible.

Free From Sin Review:

“Free From Sin” is a gripping mystery novel that stood out for me because of how emotionally invested I got in the characters.

The first thing that struck me was how the author wrote the characters. We get the story from three perspectives, Charlie, Lucinda, and Sadie. Each of them brought something fresh to the plot, and my heart went out to Lucinda. I loved how protective she gets over Charlie, despite how James cautions her. Also, I initially loved Lucinda and Charlie’s bond and wondered how things would progress with Charlie blending in the Amish community while admiring the bishop’s son, Marvin. Even characters like Dillon gave me the creeps. The first half of the story shined because of Lucinda and Charlie.

However, the book’s second half surprised me because it took it in another direction. The story turns darker, and I find myself rooted more in Sadie’s storyline as she investigates the murders with Russo. The author speeds the pace towards the end, and I had moments where I couldn’t believe what some of the characters did. While it is not a direction I would have hoped for, I admire the author for executing the story this way. Some of the highlights of the tale are when Charlie makes a run or her scenes with Vivian. Moreover, I enjoyed how the author balanced the story’s tone with each character’s perspective. We have the gritty crime fiction scenes with Sadie, Lucinda’s peaceful and tranquil Amish life, and the exciting suspense with Charlie.

Perhaps the only minor criticism was unnecessary characters in the canvas like Darcy, Martha, and Geraldine. Overall, “Free From Sin” is a gripping thriller, and I look forward to revisiting Sadie on her next case!

Giveaway details:

1 winner will win a $50 Amazon GC, International.

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I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Free From Sin by Karen Ann Hopkins Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!