West Texas author Betty Johansen announces two Christian mystery novels set in Texas: Lilli’s Song, about a missing teen in a UFO-obsessed Panhandle town, and Hawaiian Wildflower, a Lubbock murder mystery involving an Oahu newcomer.

Big Spring, United States, October 23, 2026 /NewsNetwork/ -- West Texas native Betty Johansen recently announced two of her Christian mystery novels, Lilli’s Song and Hawaiian Wildflower. Both stories are set in Texas and build their suspense around a disappearance or a crime that a community must try to resolve.

Further details are available at https://bettyjohansen.com/lillis-song/

The announcement comes as Christian fiction sales have been trending upward over the past decade, according to trade coverage by Publishers Weekly, with publishers and editors pointing to readers who want compelling stories without profanity or graphic content. That shift suggests families and teens alike are looking for entertainment that holds to their values rather than working around them, and clean fiction meets a demand that has grown more visible in recent years.

"Christian mysteries often explore forgiveness, redemption and second chances alongside a suspenseful plot," says Betty Johansen. "These books give readers a story that entertains while leaving them with something to reflect on."

The first of Johansen's highlighted titles, Lilli’s Song, follows Lilli, a bright and gentle 14-year-old who goes missing from Skyport, a small town in the Texas Panhandle. Her family and friends assume she must have been taken by a predator. Skyport, however, has a long reputation as a magnet for space aliens, and many residents become convinced that a visitor named Aziz and his crew from the planet Soteria carried Lilli away, along with her zebra, Hubble, to study her.

Hawaiian Wildflower takes place in Lubbock. Maylea Kanaka, a striking young woman from Oahu, arrives one April and upends the life of Dillon West, an accountant who has been married to his wife Nettie, a nutritionist, for 15 years. By June, Dillon begins to see that Maylea’s beauty hides something darker, and he comes to fear for his own safety and for that of his ex-wife and son. When a murder occurs and the obvious suspect is charged, someone has to look into Maylea’s past and uncover what she has kept hidden.

The two novels suit different readers, says Johansen. Lilli’s Song centers on a teenage character and a small-town mystery, while Hawaiian Wildflower follows adult characters through a broken marriage and a murder case.

More about Hawaiian Wildflower and Johansen’s other books can be found at https://bettyjohansen.com/hawaiian-wildflower/

About Betty Johansen

Betty Johansen is a West Texas native and the author of Christian mysteries, Bible study guides and books on the biblical figures Esther and Ruth. Her work is available through her website at https://bettyjohansen.com/

Contact Info:
Name: Betty Johansen
Email: Send Email
Organization: Wordsmith World
Address: Texas, Big Spring, Texas 79720, United States
Website: https://bettyjohansen.com/

Source: NewsNetwork

Release ID: 89207115

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