Description
SAFETY IS JUST AN ILLUSION…
AN ILLUSION SHATTERED BY THE WHISPER OF FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARKNESS BEHIND HER.
Holly has drifted from one place to the next for as long as she can remember, never settling long enough to build a life. It’s the only way she knows how to survive in a world that has no place for someone like her. But when mysterious footsteps follow her home, and she finds a cryptic note taped to her door, she realizes she’s stayed too long.
The man she’s hiding from has found her. But how?
When people start dying and old, forgotten memories begin to surface, Holly finds herself wrapped up in a terrifying mystery with God, a pushy Southern detective, and a killer with one thing on his mind: her.
“I think that Holly might be my very favorite character that I’ve ever read! I love her! I laughed out loud, shook with terror, and stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to see what happened next. So good!” –Amazon reviewer.
“The book is full of edge-of-your-seat, hold-your-breath suspense.” –Amazon reviewer.
At this time, I can only ship within the US
Faith Lingerfelt (verified owner) –
I read Criss Cross on my Kindle over the summer when I originally found the Holly Novels. I love the series so much that I’m buying it in paperback. C.C’s shop is easy to navigate and my order was fulfilled and shipped quickly. My paperback copy of Criss Cross has a special spot on my bookshelf 😍
Book review:
A girl on the run with a past more mysterious than Area 51 and a pushy Southern detective find their paths collide in NYC… And boy, does it make for a story that will have your pulse pounding and squeeze your heart!
From page one, C.C had my attention and this book gripped me and didn’t let go. I read all of Criss Cross in one night because I couldn’t put it down!
The characters are unique, full of personality, and highly loveable. Holly and Marx are probably my favorite “book friends” I’ve ever read.
The suspense is high from start to finish but I LOVED the little pops of humor throughout. I laughed out loud several times!
One thing is for sure, C.C knows how to evoke the full range of emotions.
MUST READ!!
Cindy’s Book Corner –
I read this back in 2020 and was blown away by it. Here is my original review: This was the first time I had read a book from C. C. Warrens, but it won’t be the last. I am looking forward to book 2 in this series. This book had a lot of twists and turns, but everything was believable and the characters were relatable. To say that this was a clean, mystery thriller just doesn’t do it justice, but it really was a phenomenal book. Anyone who loves mystery/suspense/thriller books will love this one.
Joellen S. –
I purchased the series for our church library. I enjoyed the series. I did, however, feel the story line was a little much. It was very entertaining though.
Debbie L. –
Love It, Love it!
C. C. Warrens is a new Christian Fiction author and if she continues to write novels like her first, Criss Cross, I will continue reading them. The book is full of edge-of-your-seat, hold-your- breath suspense. And you don’t know the whole story until much later in the novel, which I love! That’s true suspense. If you are worried about bad language or
sexual scenes, don’t. It’s a very clean novel, yet deals with tough situations and yet the author writes in such a way that you don’t miss the bad language that most secular novelist think they must include to captivate the reader. The main character is a Christian, but the book is not overtly Christian, so I feel anyone could read this and love it.
Holly, the main character, is a photographer that lives completly off the grid. She has many quirks and a past that will not let go of her. Her quick, witty banter with her best friend, Jace, and later with Detective Marx is totally wonderful. A very tense situation can turn funny with the wit of Holly.
Holly’s past has caught up with her and she needs help, yet due to her past, she is reluctant to accept it. She isolates herself and likes, no demands, her personal space. And getting her to trust is very hard, but totally worth it.
You will find yourself holding your breath because you are so scared for her and you will be sitting on the edge of your favorite reading chair wondering what’s going to happen and how will it turn out. But you will also smile and a few times laugh at the funny things that happen during tense moments of suspense.
And the ending? Oh my goodness!!! I can’t wait until Book 2, Cross Fire, comes out in November 2017. And I believe there will be a Book 3 also. Yeah!!!! Love this new author and her novel. Looking forward to reading many more books to come.
Ordering from her website is great. I’ve had no problems at all.
R –
Amazing!
Realistic characters, intriguing plot, twists and turns, character development, seeing God work through pain and suffering, … I could not put this book down!
Erin L. –
Excellent Christian Suspense!
Oh. My. Goodness. This was an amazing book! I’ve been less than impressed by some of the other books that the group that recommended this one have recommended, so I was hesitant…. but suspense has always been my genre of choice (and I have a soft spot for kids who are “in the system”), so I opted to give this one a try. So glad I did! Holly “Smith” is a young woman living in New York City. She grew up in foster care and can’t remember the first 10 years of her life. Her experiences have given her a good bit of anxiety and she’s learned to not form attachments and be able to move on pretty quickly and seamlessly. She does have faith in God, who rescued her when she was 15. She makes ends meet by doing photography and it’s after one photo shoot that goes later in the night than she’d like that she gets attacked in the park where she was taking pictures. The action and suspense are non-stop after that. After the initial attack, enter Detective Marx, who takes Holly’s quirks in stride and helps her through not only this attack, but in discovering her past. This book was a non-stop thrill ride that had me sitting on the edge of my seat one minute, and laughing out loud the next. The characters are well developed and likeable. Even though my life experiences are nowhere near Holly’s, I could actually “feel” what it was like to be her. This was a good, clean, fun book – with some spiritual insight and a great thrill-ride. Highly recommend!
Jessica C. –
This book gripped me from the first page! So much adventure and suspense with wonderful characters and by the end of the book I felt like they were real.
Erin L. –
Oh. My. Goodness. This was an amazing book! I’ve been less than impressed by some of the other books that the group that recommended this one have recommended, so I was hesitant…. but suspense has always been my genre of choice (and I have a soft spot for kids who are “in the system”), so I opted to give this one a try. So glad I did! Holly “Smith” is a young woman living in New York City. She grew up in foster care and can’t remember the first 10 years of her life. Her experiences have given her a good bit of anxiety and she’s learned to not form attachments and be able to move on pretty quickly and seamlessly. She does have faith in God, who rescued her when she was 15. She makes ends meet by doing photography and it’s after one photo shoot that goes later in the night than she’d like that she gets attacked in the park where she was taking pictures. The action and suspense are non-stop after that. After the initial attack, enter Detective Marx, who takes Holly’s quirks in stride and helps her through not only this attack, but in discovering her past. This book was a non-stop thrill ride that had me sitting on the edge of my seat one minute, and laughing out loud the next. The characters are well developed and likeable. Even though my life experiences are nowhere near Holly’s, I could actually “feel” what it was like to be her. This was a good, clean, fun book – with some spiritual insight and a great thrill-ride. Highly recommend!
Lisa Lawrence –
Wow you will not believe how good this series is! You will laugh and cry and want to throw it against the wall. But you will absolutely love it. Every single book is amazing!!! Trust me I do not do reviews often if ever, but you will NOT be disappointed. Love how it shows Jesus in the hard places in our lives.
Patti Koetsier –
Warning, do not read if you are not prepared to become completely obsessed with a new book series.
Danielle Pickering –
Hands down one of the best series I’ve ever read. Going through it again this winter so I can read the new release after having just read the others. Highly recommend!
Kimmy –
This book series was recommended to me by a friend and wow, it’s amazing! I’ve read the first two and I’m so excited that I still have the rest of the series ahead of me!
Mark Buzard –
I got this e-book free, and it sat on my Kindle unread for a few months. Once I started it, I had to read all of the others. Great book and series.
Linda b. –
I had been searching for more Christian Suspense authors when I came across (no pun intended) Criss Cross by C.C. Warrens and boy, am I glad I did! The story lines can be intense, but so can life. C.C. handles difficult subjects with class, faith and humor. She has a way of making the characters come to life in such a way that you sometimes forget they are characters and feel like they are a real people. Such talent! I am totally hooked! You will fall in love with Holly, Marx, Jace, Sam and Jordan as you watch their relationships develop and grow.
Colleen G. –
This is the review I wrote on Amazon in 2019, & it still rings true. (Note: Besides buying the ebooks on Amazon, I’ve bougtht copies of all the books on the author’s site & couldn’t be happier with the orders!) Since I average 2-3 books a week, saying this is my favorite is saying a lot. That this is the author’s first full-length book amazes me. It’s both complex and well-written. I absolutely love the development of the relationships between the characters. Things Holly has faced in her life aren’t common, but I know survivors who’ve been through unimaginable abuse, so I could empathize with her even though I’ve never been close to that kind of evil myself. I was there, in the story. The scary parts are scary. The emotions are real. There’s quirkiness & humor throughout, to keep it from being too heavy. Holly has a strong faith, but the book isn’t in-your-face Christian by any means. I made notes in this book, because some of what Holly & Marx say is worth going back & considering even outside the context of the story. I slowed my pace way down, reading this, because I wanted it to last. I immediately read & loved the next book in the series, but I’m saving the 3rd one until I have some time to savor it, like I did with Criss Cross. If you’re looking for a good suspense book, this is it!
Robin –
Oh my, this book was so hard to put down!! I loved all the characters and marshmallows and hot chocolate. One of THE BEST Christian suspense novels I have ever read, so of course I’m working my way through the rest 😀
Angie Brown –
I don’t even remember how I originally found C.C. Warrens, but I am so glad I did! This book pulls you in from the beginning! The characters are amazing and so real. Holly has an amazing strength for someone that has been through so much. She is a fighter through and through.
Beverly Duell-Moore (verified owner) –
Oh, my goodness! What a great book! The suspense kept me guessing kept me reading. I couldn’t put it done and barely got to bed. I loved this book and all the others in the series.
rjlhoff123 (verified owner) –
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I want to say several things here: first, I never leave reviews; second, I love Christian suspense and many of them are just ok; third, I read this book on my Kindle Unlimited plan and then I read almost all the other books on Kindle; fourth, I had to start buying these books because I love them!! They are the perfect combination of serious subject matter, wonderful story lines and quirky characters. I was trying to explain them to a friend and I told her that, although they cover some really dark topics, the books don’t feel dark because of the very real hope found in Christ combined with the quirky character of Holly. Anyway, gotta run…. I’ve got more Holly And Marx books to buy!!
C.C. Warrens –
Oh, thank you for this sweet review 💖 I’m so glad you loved it! There’s a reader group on Facebook for people who have read my books, and they have fun chatting about them. You’re welcome to join! It’s called C.C. Warrens’ readers: Mysteries, mischief, and marshmallows.
Joelle Bishop –
If you have not read this book series, you must!
I absolutely LOVE this series! I read the books originally using Kindle Unlimited but I loved them so much I got some Audiobooks so I could listen on the go. I just couldn’t put this book series down. I loved them so much that I had to purchase the ebooks and Audiobooks so I could read at listen to them again and again. I like reading my favorite series once a year. This series has a special place in my heart.
Criss Cross was so good. It introduced all the main characters and I felt a personal connection to Holly. The author did such a great job capturing the true feelings of a woman who has been a victim of such horrible crimes against her. Thank you C.C for sharing your novels with the world. You are truly an amazing writer!
Beth –
It was so captavating. I could not put this book down. Holly’s past and characters are slowly introduced. I saw her grow as a person. I am excited to read her next book. I think more of her past will come out.
Janet Ruman –
I love this book ! I had to read all of them and can’t wait for the next one ! Please hurry and write it !
Catherine Holston –
Review for Criss Cross
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Monica Harrison –
Review for Criss Cross
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Julie –
This was a compelling book, and I knew that I wanted to buy it after just reading the sample. I really appreciate how CC Warrens interweaves faith in God into very difficult circumstances. I bought the audiobook, and I really like the different voice effects that the narrator pulls off. I feel like Holly and Marx and Sam are my friends.
I also like the relationship and trust that builds between Holly and Marx. Usually relationships in novels are built around romance, but this one is not, and it strikes a cord in me about the value of father-daughter type relationships.
One more part that really struck me was in the crucial scene of almost death where Marx kept Holly from giving up and encouraged her to find a way to fight. That example and counsel is so important to our daily challenges and the more difficult times where it is tempting to pull into a shell instead of fighting to overcome.
Kim Vallance –
Review for Criss Cross
★ ★ ★ ★ ★