DEEP TIDE

4 stars out of 5

A couple of years ago, I read the first of this "Texas Murder Files" series, but somehow I missed the next two. Only one character - actually one I didn't much care for - is in this one, at least as far as my memory (and a peek at my review of that one) goes. I must say, though, that I was far happier to see that, insofar as a good story goes, the tide has turned for the better. While it comes off a little closer to a cozy mystery than I expected, I enjoyed it and yes, look forward to reading more about the main characters.

They would be Leyla Breda, who owns and operates two deli/catering firms in seaside Lost Beach, Texas, and FBI agent Sean Moran, who's in town from his D.C. base on an undercover assignment. Needless to say, romantic sparks fly despite the objections of her police-force brothers - but so does the action, which begins with Leyla's discovery of the body of one of her employees out behind her main shop. There's no immediately identifiable motive, and thus no discernible path to the killer.

Much of the story that follows centers on Sean's and Leyla's reasons for not getting together which which, truth be told, got really old really fast (one of the reasons the aforementioned cozies drive me nuts). The investigation, though, provides a welcome relief from the romantic waffling, and most readers no doubt will soon suspect the case Sean is working on and the woman's murder might be in some way connected (whether or not they are, of course, I won't tell). As the end nears, the action heats up, with at least one character's life on the line. All told, it's definitely worth reading, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Good job!

Deep Tide by Laura Griffin (Berkley Publishing Group, April 2023); 352 pp.