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                  Downfall


                          An Intervention Novel






                        By Terri Blackstock




When a member of a family gets into some type of trouble or problem, it is normal that the entire family is affected. So even though Emily Covington had left the drug scene behind and was now going to college, her mother and brother were still not totally over everything they had already gone through--at least not enough to completely trust her... Understandable, but it still adds pressure to the one who was the center of the situation...

So when Emily found herself right in the middle, and, possibly, even a target, she felt she had to discover what was happening in order to overcome the impression that she had again fallen...

In addition to taking classes, Emily had also started desk coverage at a local rehab center. Her mother had not been happy, since she was right in the center of those involved with drugs, but Emily felt she was doing a good job. During a break one day, she had overheard a conversation between two men who had just finished watching a Hitchcock movie. She quickly forgot about the whole situation until she heard that the wife of one of the men involved had been murdered.

But then, a bomb was placed under Emily's car so that it set fire when she started it. Luckily her brother was there and helped her get out so that only the car was destroyed. Sooo, was she a target in general or was the one responsible for the murder of the woman wanting to get rid of her as a witness to that fateful conversation.

Then the wife of the other man was murdered! But not before Emily had tried to prevent it by calling her, the police, and finally driving to her home to explain. Unfortunately her actions were perceived as aggressive. She was put in jail on the charge of murder...

Fortunately, there is a romance between Emily's mother and a cop. But even that relationship proved to be part of the problem since he had to take himself off the case and could not officially help...

The "aftermath" of the addiction issue is what is truly spotlighted in this novel and, in my opinion, it is an important one. No matter whether it is drugs, alcohol or some other addiction, society in the U.S. does not let it be forgotten. And yet, the most important thing to that individual is to know that they are still accepted and loved...and trusted...as they were in the past. Thank you Terri for this important aspect being covered so effectively!

The suspense of the murder mystery is fascinating and keeps those of us who want to solve the crime quickly on edge. I had picked up a hint early so I wasn't quite so lost during the investigation, but the intrigue kept me interested to the last page. BTW, I enjoyed the author's note at the end...and there are a set of questions for book clubs included... I personally was inspired by Emily own actions as she tried to deal with once again being in the midst of turmoil with her family...   Highly recommended...for many reasons!

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Biography Scroll down to read entire statement

Terri Blackstock is a New York Times best-seller, with over six million copies sold worldwide. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. Terri spent the first twelve years of her life traveling in an Air Force family. She lived in nine states and attended the first four years of school in The Netherlands. Because she was a perpetual "new kid," her imagination became her closest friend. That, she believes, was the biggest factor in her becoming a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.

In 1994 Terri was writing for publishers such as HarperCollins, Harlequin, Dell and Silhouette, when a spiritual awakening drew her into the Christian market. As she was praying about her transition, she went on a cruise and noticed that almost everyone on the boat (including her) had a John Grisham novel. It occurred to her that some of Grisham's readers were Christians, and that if she wrote a fast-paced thriller with an added faith element, she might just find her niche. As God would have it, Christian publishers were showing interest in the suspense genre, so she quickly sold a four-book series to Zondervan. Since that time, she's written over thirty Christian titles, most of them suspense novels.

Besides entertaining her readers, Terri tackles issues that she hopes will change lives. Her recent book, Predator, was inspired by her experiences on Facebook and Twitter, and her concern that people posted too much personal information about themselves. The book deals with an online predator who uses social networks as his playground. She hopes the book will change readers' online habits. Her New York Times best-seller, Intervention, was inspired by her own personal struggles with a daughter on drugs. In the book, a mother hires an interventionist for her drug-addicted daughter. But on the way to treatment, the interventionist is murdered, and the daughter disappears. Barbara, the mother, sets out to search for her daughter. Terri modeled Barbara after herself, and poured many of her own emotions and experiences into that character. As a result, many families experiencing drug addiction have written to thank her for telling their story and giving them hope.

Other recent books include her stand-alone novel Shadow in Serenity, and Vicious Cycle (Book 2 in her Intervention Series). She's also known for popular series such as the Restoration Series, the Cape Refuge Series, the Newpointe 911 Series, and the SunCoast Chronicles series.

Terri has appeared on national television programs such as "The 700 Club" and "Home Life," and has been a guest on numerous radio programs across the country. The story of her personal journey appears in books such as Touched By the Savior by Mike Yorkey, True Stories of Answered Prayer by Mike Nappa, Faces of Faith by John Hanna, and I Saw Him In Your Eyes by Ace Collins.