Breach of Trust (The Madeline Dawkins Series Book 8 ) by Cynthia Hamilton – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

Breach of Trust by Cynthia Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Breach of Trust is Book Eight in The Madeline Dawkins Mystery Series. Madeline and her team are at it again with a few new cases to try to solve. Case number one comes when Madeline is asked to come to Monte Verde, a retirement home that her father has recently moved into. She is concerned that her father is not settling well in his new environment but quickly finds out that she was asked there for other reasons. The facility director asks Madeline to try to solve where the poison pen letters are coming from that are being sent to residents of Monte Verde. Someone is threatening to expose dark secrets from their pasts that could destroy lives. Case number two involves a woman being intimidated and bullied by her ex-husband. Then, of course, is trying to find a daughter who left home so that she could join a cult. Their hands are full, as usual, as they are kept busy with the new cases.

As they start to dig into each case, they discover that the residents of Monte Verde are not as innocent as they may seem. They all seem to have some deep dark secrets that are best left buried. A case involving an estranged ex-husband brings painful memories from Madeline’s past to the surface and puts her on edge. The ex-husband is using bullying and intimidation so that his ex-wife gives up her share of the marital assets. His techniques are concerning and almost criminal which act as triggers for Madeline about her past. The distraught father of a missing girl who is desperate to find his daughter pulls on heartstrings. Throughout all of the cases Madeline must try to also help her own father at Monte Verde.

Another great book by this author who is great at weaving all of the different storylines and cases together. It was fun to read the story and try to solve the cases along with Madeline. The characters were well developed and relatable, especially Madeline. She was smart, brave, and determined. I could feel the emotions she was experiencing as she relived the trauma from her own past and tried to work through it to save a woman in similar circumstances. This was a great read full of danger, secrets, lies, shady dealings, intimidation, tension, and some super sleuthing by Madeline and her team.

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