Shattered Trust

A Novel

A badge of terror . . . or of trust?

Logan Taul is a police officer who realizes he has become abusive in his treatment of individuals he contacts and arrests. After confessing to his captain and implicating others in his circle of buddies, he begins his journey to become the type of officer Logan truly desires to be and reunite with the family he deserted. His journey is aided by fellow officer Rich Ryker and his partner as well as the head of the police records section, Margaret Martin.

Some the buddies who Logan implicated have even more to hide than he knows. To protect themselves they cast blame for their actions on him while attempting to force him to recant his statements by attacking him, his friends, and his family.

Shattered Trust may be purchased at by clicking the button below. For autographed copies, go to Chris’ contact page and request details through the contact form.

Wow! This was such a good book!

It kept me up most of the night reading. I enjoyed many things about this story, but especially the fact that the characters weren’t perfect. The people in this book were flawed and very believable. Because of that, they were also endearing. I found myself pulling for them. I appreciated Logan’s attempts to change his life, and I also appreciated the action the book contained. As I read, I got a real taste of what it was like to be a police officer. The pages of this book were infused with drama, suspense, mystery, and emotional tension. And beneath it all, there was the soft, tender message of God’s love and the beauty of second chances. If you enjoy police dramas, I think you will really love this book. I know that I did.

– Rocky Mountain Reader Reviews

Can Broken Trust Ever be Found Again?

For a debut novel, the author hit this one out of the park. It is well written with Logan as the main character finding himself on the wrong side of the law. There is a small problem though, he is a cop himself. There seems to be a little under the table bets going on in the squad room of who can arrest the most suspects in a shift. Logan finds himself arresting someone with his partner one day and things get out of hand. The author brings to the surface the headlines of police brutality . The arrest turns violent and at one point Logan sees his reflection . What he saw was a police officer that had turned bad. His anger, his bully tactics and his quest to win a bet had taken him to the depths of darkness. Has your anger ever overtaken you? Logan knew he had gone to far.

What follows is a heart wrenching journey that Logan will take to put his life back together. I liked the way he is shown as a person who struggles with good vs evil. He contemplates his action and makes a decision that will take his life on a roller coaster. His vulnerability was well defined as he struggled to do the right thing. Could you admit you had done something wrong that could cost you your job and perhaps your freedom? Would you turn your friends in or take all the blame? Logan must learn who to trust and allow God to lead him to the right path.

Christian police procedural makes for unique combination

An interesting combination of police procedural and Christian flavored self discovery. First person point of view is not my favorite to read but this was okay and Richards did stick to only that point of view. So the reader is in the dark about what is happening as much as Taul is throughout. I liked the story line and the struggles of Taul as he works to get his life back together as he realizes he is not the person he thought.

If you want to know, in depth, how a police station is run, how laws and procedures are handled this will give you the details, in what feels like word by word from the police manual. I kind of liked it but sometimes it could get a bit tedious. An occasional summary of them would have sufficed for me but I know others would love this incredible detail. Richards does know her stuff. And while there were some editing mistakes scattered throughout the book they did not detract from the story though I did have to go back and reread sentences to figure out what the editors had cut and what had not necessarily been put back to make the sentence read completely smooth. But we know how editors are. I liked the story and would be interested in reading more about Second Home and all the characters we were introduced to. There are a plethora of stories to be told and I am sure Richards would do a great job.

Couldn't put it down.

Somewhere in his police career Logan Taul careened off the path of justice. He was no longer the officer upholding the law, but the one breaking it. He saw the monster he was one night when he and his partner rousted a troubled teen, and Logan decided to come clean.

He knew it would be rough, but he wanted to save his job, pay back the child support to the family he walked out on, and make things right. Logan implicated other officers and in turn they came close to taking his life and injuring his family.

Ms. Richards writes a provocative story relating the sometimes insurmountable odds of doing the right thing. When Office Taul hits rock bottom, he holds onto the truth and his beliefs. I stayed up way into the early morning to finish this one. I couldn’t put it down.

This book was infused with drama, suspense, mystery, and emotional tension!

Wow! This was such a good book! It kept me up most of the night reading. I enjoyed many things about this story, but especially the fact that the characters weren’t perfect. The people in this book were flawed and very believable. Because of that, they were also endearing. I found myself pulling for them. I appreciated Logan’s attempts to change his life, and I also appreciated the action the book contained. As I read, I got a real taste of what it was like to be a police officer. The pages of this book were infused with drama, suspense, mystery, and emotional tension. And beneath it all, there was the soft, tender message of God’s love and the beauty of second chances. If you enjoy police dramas, I think you will really love this book. I know that I did.

Intergrity Revealed

We hear of police brutality, this novel truly exposes it. But more than that, Shattered Trust is a tale that needs to be told in this day of pointing fingers and blaming others. When we face the consequences of our actions and choose to do right, no matter the personal cost, then integrity is honored by God and those who truly see it. That doesn’t make it easy, though. This realistic drama doesn’t sugar coat the issue of dirty cops and deadbeat dads, but the more you read, the more you admire Logan for wanting to turn over a new leaf. He is a strong character we should all applaud.

I heard good things about Chris Richard's book

I don’t typically read this genre, but I heard good things about Chris Richard’s book, so I bought it. I was immediately drawn in by the main character’s quest and self-discovery as well as by the unique people he meets along the way. The plot twists kept things interesting throughout the whole book. Even though it dealt with some difficult subjects, and he went through times of great struggle, somehow the author kept me feeling hopeful throughout, something I really needed with the painful issues the hero and those he cared about faced.

About J. Chris Richards

J. Chris Richards is an author who enjoys wearing many different hats. She not only writes, but also edits, speaks, and coaches other writers. Her debut novel, Shattered Trust, is suspense. A sequel is in process. She is also working on a chapter book for children. Chris is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Writers on the Rock. She has been a member of several other writers’ groups and Toastmasters Intl. She attends and speaks at multiple writing conferences each year. Her passion is helping others with their writing and sharing her faith in Christ. The mother of three beautiful daughters and grandmother of six delightful young ones, Chris sandwiches writing activities around time with her husband, Roy, and hobbies of photography, needlework, and exploring her home state of Colorado and beyond.

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Are you new to the writing world? Trying to write your first book and not sure how to put it all together? Joined a writer’s group and feel like you’re listening to a foreign language? Feel like your book is a confusing mishmash? Chris is here to help.

Writing Coach

Are you new to the writing world? Trying to write your first book and not sure how to put it all together? Joined a writer’s group and feel like you’re listening to a foreign language? Feel like your book is a confusing mishmash? Chris is here to help.

Chris has a passion for helping beginning authors learn the ropes of the craft of writing. She is a content editor (also called substantive or developmental editing). This means she looks at your manuscript to determine the “big picture.” She makes sure your message is getting through to the reader. Is it organized in a logical manner your reader can follow? If it’s a novel, she meets your characters and checks them out? Will your reader love them or hate them? Or even care? How is the pacing? Do the words match the actions? Will your plot and subplots keep your reader glued to your book? Fiction and non-fiction have some things in common. In both she’ll be watching for contradictions, inconsistencies, factual errors, or discrepancies. Are there satisfying beginnings and endings? What will make your book stand out in its market?

Content editing is more subjective than copy editing or proofreading. There are fewer hard and fast rules. Some things will have to be changed in your manuscript because they are mistakes you’ve made as every writer does. In addition, Chris will be giving you a lot of suggestions on ways to change, tighten, or build your writing. It will be your choice whether to accept or reject those changes. All these suggestions will be made with the goal of making your writing the best possible. There will be a great deal of communication between you and Chris, preferably in person, but by email and phone if necessary to make this happen.

Due to the contact and honest communication necessary for this to work best, Chris will review a portion of your work and you will have a free introductory meeting with her to determine if the two of you will be a good match for your project. And if not, she will use her networking skills to match you with  someone who can help you.

To start this process and discuss rates, click here.

Speaking

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Chris is a frequent speaker at writers’ groups and for conference workshops. While capable of giving a straight presentation, she prefers to present highly interactive talks in which the audience makes every event a unique experience. Writers of all experience levels can gain insights from her presentations. However, she has a special place in her heart for those in the early stages of their writing journey.

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