"Like Flames In The Night" by Connilyn Cossette

The conclusion of Connilyn Cossette's Cities of Refuge series is just as thrilling as the rest. Tirzah longs for more than what her life as a young, childless widow has to offer. She confronts her brother Malakhi, leader of the local Hebrew spy network, and asks to train with his men. They have heard of Othniel, the nephew of the famous spy Caleb, and how he is making progress defeating their enemies and reclaiming their land. Tirzah wants to be a part of this mission.

Surprisingly, Malakhi agrees, and in a few months Tirzah has been placed in Shechem, where she serves as a cook to an enemy military leader. Her work in the shadows, and the fact that she hasn't betrayed she speaks their Aramean language, allows her to ferret out information to pass along to her brother.

Liyam's life came to a screeching halt the day he discovered his only child had been run over by a careless traveling merchant. Determined to track down this man and mete out justice, Liyam takes on the role of a Blood Avenger. He plans to stop at nothing until he has fulfilled his vow to kill this man. When months have passed and still the man eludes him, Liyam turns to old friends of his parents. When he meets Malakhi's family, they are horrified at his quest but agree to help under one condition—that he help rescue Tirzah after things in Shechem have gone very, very badly.

Although dismayed at the delay, Liyam sees the wisdom in having a whole network of spies at his disposal. With his half-Canaanite heritage, he can blend more easily into Shechem than any of Malakhi's trained men.

I love the way Connilyn Cossette twisted this story, making Liyam a Blood Avenger. That's so different from the other books in this series, and provided a nice contrast. Tirzah is a brave and fearless character. Although I would not recommend this for young readers, it's a really good reminder of God at work in the lives of His people, both in their hearts and on a larger scale. I would also not recommend this book as a standalone, as it relies heavily on stories from this series as well as Cosette's first series, Out Of Egypt. 

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.