Whirlpool is an inspirational mystery by another new-to-me author, Lorena McCourtney. The story is interesting and engaging, and readers unfamiliar with McCourtney should be glad to find another solid author in this sub-genre.

In a series of tragic events, Stefanie Canfield’s life lurches to an abrupt halt. Her mother dies of cancer and her husband leaves her for another woman. The plywood mill in which she is part owner with her ex-husband, Hunter, burns down. She and Hunter are suspected of arson. It’s no wonder that Stefanie’s faith is a little shaky these days.

Ryan Harrison comes to Julesburg as the insurance company investigator. It’s his job to prove whether arson was or was not a factor in the fire that destroyed Cougar Creek Timber Products. Ryan doesn’t want to go to Julesburg, since he spent two unhappy years there as a young adolescent. There’s only one person with whom he wouldn’t mind catching up. That person is Stefanie. A long time ago, the two of them were fast friends and co-misfits. Ryan was small and sickly, and Stefanie was fat. They both hated their small town and couldn’t wait to get out. So Ryan is quite surprised to find that Stefanie is still in town, that she runs her own fitness business, that she’s now thin and pretty, and, most disturbing, at the very center of his investigation.

When the two meet, they both feel strong attraction to each other. But the arson investigation, which quickly becomes quite complicated, separates them, as well as Stefanie’s failing faith. Can Ryan help her stay out of jail and recover her faith? And can they turn an old friendship into something more serious?

In some ways the faith aspect of this book is the weakest link in a fairly strong chain. For those who will read inspirationals only if the “preaching” is kept to a minimum, this book should satisfy. Lorena McCourtney writes a lot more like Dee Henderson than Lori Wick. And while I would lump myself in with this group of readers, I did feel that McCourtney missed an opportunity here. Stefanie has serious problems, and her crisis of faith is normal and understandable. It isn’t strange that she would doubt God’s presence in the midst of her calamities. The book ends on an up note with a restored faith and a HEA. But it seems like the HEA is responsible for her restored faith. It would have been better if Stefanie could have come to the conclusion that God hadn’t forsaken her regardless of her situation. Ryan’s unexpected help and faithfulness to her might have been enough to convince her of God’s love. Ryan is wonderful to Stefanie, believing in her when no one else does and putting his entire life on the line to aid her even with no solid proof of her innocence. Basically, he’s an angel, and it would have been nice had she made the connection between angels and God.

The romance between Ryan and Stefanie plays second fiddle to the suspense plot, and that is another weakness. Ryan and Stefanie haven’t seen each other in something like fifteen years, but they pick up right where they left off, and form a very fast commitment to each other. That was moderately unbelievable. Also, Stefanie does the TSTL two-step toward the end of the book. Her brain gets a little more unscrewed than could be attributed to stress alone.

But though these weaknesses do exist, the book was enjoyable. Stefanie is a sympathetic heroine caught in a mess not of her own making, and Ryan is – well, like I said, he’s an angel. He’s smart, tender, observant, kind to women and animals, and he has a cool job. Really good stuff. The story also moved along at a steady clip, and McCourtney did a fine job of introducing suspenseful moments to keep the reader interested.

Whirlpool is a nice entry in the tiny niche market of inspirational romantic suspense. Those readers who enjoy Dee Henderson should check McCourtney out. Whirlpool appears to be the first book in a sequence of Julesburg mysteries, and it will be interesting to see the direction McCourtney goes in with this series.