Title: Cari Moses 2: Mind the Cracks
Author: Judith Tyler Hills
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
ISBN: 978-1728379838
Pages: 324
Genre: Parenting & Relationships / Mystery / Thriller
Reviewed by: Christina Avina

Read Book Review

Life is a mystery, and one never knows what is going to happen. The best laid plans can
always be disrupted, and everything that a person knows can suddenly be turned
upside down on them. The best way forward can sometimes be finding a new path to
take altogether, and moving on from the past a person knew and embracing a new and
uncertain future. Finding the right way to move forward is the thing people often struggle
with the most.

The level of change and the adversity which people face in making those new changes
gets ramped up to an all-new level in author Judith Tyler Hills’s Cari Moses 2: Mind the
Cracks. The story is a sequel to the first book, Cari Moses, and follows the titular
character as she begins to distrust the woman for whom she has called mother
throughout her life, but in reality, her “mom” found Cari as a child abandoned after her
birth mother was brutally slain by a serial killer. As Cari struggles to find her new path,
the serial killer charged with her birth mother’s murder seeks revenge against the
daughter who helped identify him to police and seeks to find both the daughter and Cari
upon his escape from prison. As Cari’s birth father continues searching for his lost
daughter and hires a detective to help him, Cari searches for a way forward as the
cracks in her personal relationships threaten to crack permanently.

Immediately the author expertly crafted a successful narrative that boasts a wide cast of
characters that offer multiple POVs and a chilling thriller that will stay with readers. The
imagery and haunting atmosphere the author created and the tension that brews,
especially between Cari and her “family,” including mother Karen and sister Meghan,
allow the reader to feel immersed in the story right out of the gate. The action moments
feel adrenaline-fueled, and the author was able to do this while finding the perfect
moments to slow down and bring about some emotional character developments
readers will be able to relate to greatly.

For anyone who has enjoyed mysteries and thrillers, especially those that delve into the
dynamics between parents and their children or any family relationships as a whole, this
is the novel that readers will want to grab instantly. The heart and passion could be felt
in the author’s writing style, and the almost poetic nature of the writing was quite
evident, even in the hopeful and engaging final chapters. The themes of family and
personal relationships, and not only finding the right balance between self-care and
family care but in exploring what family truly means in this world to each and every
person made this one novel you won’t want to miss out on.