Book Review + Giveaway: Special Target by Jerusha Agen

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Special Target by Jerusha Agen, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Special Target
Author: Jerusha Agen
Publisher: ‎ SDG Words, LLC
Release Date: March 26, 2026
Genre: Christian Suspense Thriller

She’s trying to save the boy’s life. What if he’s supposed to save hers?

For tough-as-nails Chicago social worker Ashley Sorenson, it’s nothing new to risk her life for hurting children. Seeing innocent kids suffer every day may have made her a little cynical, but she’ll stop at nothing to rescue children from miserable circumstances.

But Ashley faces a special challenge when Matthew Borden, a sixteen-year-old with Down syndrome, is orphaned. Finding a suitable foster home for the boy becomes the least of her problems when someone starts threatening her and Matthew.

The sudden appearance of a mysterious FBI agent confirms Ashley’s growing suspicions that Matthew is no ordinary teen. The boy she thought no one wanted is wanted by many…dead or alive.

Dodging danger at every turn, Ashley races to find the secrets that could save Matthew’s life. When the truth unearths her own dark past and threatens more than their lives, the God Matthew trusts may be her only hope for rescue.

A gripping and gritty standalone Christian suspense thriller from the bestselling author of the Guardians Unleashed Series.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Buy from the Author | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

Also Available

I’ve never read one of Jerusha Agen’s books before. I’m glad I remedied that!

Ashley Sorenson helps kids in difficult situations. As a social worker, she’s accustomed to finding placements for children who, for whatever reason, can’t stay in their homes. But when Matthew, a 16-year-old with Down syndrome, comes into her care, Ashley’s patience and compassion is stretched thin. There are no foster placements available for a special needs child, no group home placements. So Ashley reluctantly keeps Matthew in her home. That’s challenge enough. But when someone starts threatening them, the stakes get a lot higher. And when someone who says he’s an FBI agent shows up and whisks them away for their protection, well, that’s something Ashley never signed up for. Who is Matthew, really?

Y’all, this was a nail-biter of a book! When it started, Ashley made no secret of how she felt about Matthew. Her thoughts and her words reflected the view that his parents should never have brought him into this world if they knew of the problems he’d have. She figured he was doomed to a miserable existence, devoid of joy or pleasure. She saw him as a couple of steps above someone in a vegetative state, and she was annoyed to be saddled with someone she perceived as a burden. Her attitude really made her an unlikable character at first, and child protective services seemed perhaps an odd career choice for someone with such strong negative feelings about a whole group of people she was likely to encounter.

Even when threats started coming, it took a while for Ashley to see beyond the exterior with Matthew. But as the story unfolded, Ashley realized that there was much more to Matthew. When that first clicked, I’m not gonna lie, I got choked up a little. And we learned that Ashley had baggage of her own that was brought back to the forefront by her involvement with Matthew, so she was struggling with her own wounds from the past. That made her somewhat more of a sympathetic character

Once it took off, the action was pretty intense and never really let up. Sometimes I thought, well, why is Ashley being such a pain to the guy who’s trying to keep her and Matthew safe from some obviously bad actors? She kept breaking free, first on her own, then with Matthew in tow, and putting them back smack dab in the middle of danger. But then I thought, how would I respond if someone showed up, basically gave me no choice but to pack up and come with him “for protection,” and then doled out information in dribs and drabs and never really told me much at all? I might balk, too.

I’m not going to tell you how the book ends, but I will tell you I had to choke back the tears so as not to wake my husband (because yeah, it was past my bedtime – I had to finish!). The ending is as compelling as anything I’ve read recently, and if it doesn’t hit you right in the feels, I think you must be dead inside. So good. So moving. I closed the book and just sat there for a minute to process it. Jerusha Agen, I am hooked. I’ll keep on reading whatever you write!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from JustRead Publicity Tours. I was not required to leave a review. All opinions are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.

About the Author

Jerusha Agen is a Christy Award finalist who imagines danger around every corner but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes suspense infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. Jerusha loves to hang out with her big furry dogs and little furry cats, often while reading or watching movies. Find more of Jerusha’s thrilling, fear-fighting stories at JerushaAgen.com.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a signed paperback copy of Special Target, a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card and a Special Target mug, notebook, and magnet!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 30, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 6, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!