Brill Jessup is the first female police chief in Sophie Trace, Tennessee. She's a pro at solving cases---but personally insecure. Work has become her favorite distraction from trying to forgive her husband Kurt's infidelity. But when seven people go missing, her tireless investigation threatens her family and she's forced to confront the real enemy. 340 pages, softcover from Cook.

Bookstore owner turned novelist Herman delivers a competent suspense novel that will please fans of police procedurals. After 18 years with the Memphis police, Brill Jessup is almost immediately handed a challenge as new chief of the police force of a small town nestled in the Smoky Mountains. People go missing, one by one, and townsfolk are more than ready to believe that an old legend about vengeful displaced Cherokee accounts for the mystery. Meanwhile Brill’s home life is in tatters; she has stayed with her unfaithful husband Kurt for the sake of their daughter but resolutely refuses to forgive despite his remorse. Brill is an intriguing, flawed character and several townspeople supply local color, though the Jessups’ neighbors the Masinos seem improbably saintly. A Bible verse about evil forms an epigraph and credibly motivates some action in this police thriller. Some of the exposition is slightly clunky, but on the whole things move along briskly, and the novelist will have readers waiting for the next installment in this trilogy. (Mar.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

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Reviewed by Sheriff (FT Bragg NC), May 02, 2010

Unexpectedly enjoyable! These types of books are the ones I steer clear from, but I had nothing else to read. I was surprised to find myself unable to put it down as the mystery unfolded and the life of the headstrong/determined female policy chief deals with her insecurities and failures as a mom and wife in a working man’s world. Sort like my own life, which is why I steer clear. Yet I found myself engrossed and relating to the character as she confronts the real enemy. I’m ready to add this author to my list of favorites.

Reviewed by nora (mall of GA), April 12, 2010

I’m so thankful to have received a review copy of this exciting, action packed, heart felt, thought provoking police drama. The Real Enemy is the first book in the Sophie Trace Trilogy, introducing Police Chief, Brill Jessup. Brill’s the first female police chief, in a new town, in a new house. She realizes she still has the same old problems. They’ve followed her there. She had to work really hard to get the men in this town to respect her, and realize she had police instincts they could trust. She left Memphis, Tennessee to escape her husband’s affair, hoping for a fresh start. Kurt is committed to the marriage and seeks forgiveness. Brill’s heart is closed to love from her husband. She would do her duty (she was good at that) and stick it out for their children’s sake, but she wasn’t going to forgive him. How could she? Brill’s police instincts kick in high gear when people start disappearing one by one, without a trace. Who will be next? This town is used to a man being in charge, which makes her work twice as hard. It takes a crisis for Brill to see that maybe she didn’t have it all together. Did she turn her back on God when her whole life was turned up-side down by the affair? Now her life was being turned up-side down again—only in a different way. What did she really believe when people’s lives were on the line and things get personal? This book made me appreciate our law enforcement team throughout this land. We take for granted all the things they do to help us feel safe during the day and night. Kathy Herman gives you a peak at what life might look like for the family of the Police Chief. The Police Chief brings a different type of work home with her. I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next book in this series, The Last Word. Nora St. Laurent ACFW Book Club Coordinator Finding Hope Through Fiction www.psalm516.blogspot.com

Reviewed by Sharon Mcmills (Palo Alto, CA), June 15, 2009

Kathy Herman's gifts and talents as a wonderful writer and story teller shine once again in The Real Enemy. This is a two fold story one of great mystery the other forgiveness. I loved the mystery and really wrestled with and was sometimes immobilized by the forgiveness part of the story. Once again BRAVO Kathy Herman. I impatiently wait for your second book in this Sophie Trace Trilogy Series.

Reviewed by Carol Schultz (Chula Vista, CA), May 15, 2009

I really enjoyed reading "The Real Enemy". It kept me on the edge of my seat. I also liked how the author protrayed Sophie's feelings of lost trust toward her husband and how she struggled in her faith also because of his infidelity. I thought the book was well written.

Reviewed by Stephanie (North Carolina), May 07, 2009

I wish I could give this book an extra star. Five is not enough! I finished this book today after staying up until midnight, gripped by the mystery. The suspense is masterful, and Kathy does a great job of making the perps different from all the ones we've seen countless times before. Brill is at once a very sympathetic character and one you wish you could knock sense into. She's delightfully human, as is her husband, the citizens of Sophie Trace, and the other characters. Little Emily, especially, made the story for me. She reminds me so much of what I was like as a kid, and her composure at the end--wow. I mean, WOW. You go, sweetie pie! :) I rooted for Brill and the others the whole time and worked to solve the mystery alongside her. I can't wait to go back to Sophie Trace and practice my mental detective skills!

Reviewed by Janna Ryan (North Platte, NE), April 17, 2009

This is a great mystery / suspense book that kept me guessing for awhile. We have a "family" that moves to a new town so mom can be the new police chief. Mom and Dad are living together but separately just so they can raise their daughter as a couple. Dad cheated on Mom and almost ruined thier marriage. Can they live in peace? Now that Mom is on the force, crazy stuff starts happening... people start disappearing without a trace. Are they alive, dead, kidnapped??? Locals believe that an old legend has come to life and is taking vengence on those in town. What's happening and can Mom stop it? Can Dad save the marriage? Can Mom figure out who the "Real Enemy" is? Well written with just the right amount of tension, mystery and resolution.

Reviewed by Cindy Lewis (Harvest, AL), April 07, 2009

I really enjoyed this book. Kathy Herman did it again. I think this should be a good series.

Reviewed by Christy Lockstein (Oconto Falls, WIsconsin), April 01, 2009

The Real Enemy by Kathy Herman is the first book in the Sophie Trace trilogy. Police Chief Brill Jessup moved her family from Memphis, Tennessee to the small town of Sophie Trace to get away from the bitter reminders of her husband's betrayal. Kurt and Brill have decided to remain together for the sake of their nine-year old daughter, Emily, but it's a marriage in name only, and they both struggle to keep up the facade. Brill's tested in her first day on the job when a citizen disappears, seemingly off the face of the earth with no evidence as to how or why. In the succeeding six days, six more people disappear, and now, not only is her marriage in jeopardy, but her job is as well. Brill, Kurt, and Emily are all terrific characters, well-rounded and interesting, and the plot is full of twists and turns. The investigation is hindered by a local legend of angry Cherokee ghosts avenging the loss of their land, so the town of Sophie Trace becomes its own character. There's a profound message of forgiveness and temptation that Herman handles with flair. My only complaint with this thriller is that the reconciliation at the end of the novel seems to come out of the nowhere. I felt like I had missed a chapter because of the 180 degree turn in attitudes. That said, I plan on returning to Sophie Trace soon.

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