NOW YOU SEE ME

4 stars out of 5

Of the 17 previous books in this series, I've read only two - the most recent two years ago. Here, lead characters Sheriff Jenna Alton and her hunky deputy David Kane are married, living and working in small-town Black Rock Falls. As this one opens, local bartender Maisy Jones goes missing and is feared to be yet another victim of a long-time and prolific serial killer. Jenna and David find her abandoned truck and a backpack, but there's no sign of Maisy and the backpack contents belong to a young teaching assistant who - wait for it - has gone missing as well. Uh, oh, this could spell double trouble (at least).

Other characters from other books quickly get involved - such as FBI agents Carter and Jo Wells and Medical Examiner Shane Wolf, along with lovable but skilled canines Duke and Zorro. And the team will need all the help it can get: There are virtually no clues and no actual bodies; then, the unthinkable happens and a couple of other prominent people go missing.

The action - and there's plenty of it - focuses on the investigation (which, at one point becomes a life-and-death situation for Jenna and her husband) as well as snippets from the perspective of one of the victims. Who is the kidnapper/killer? Where is he (or she) stashing the victims, and are they dead or alive? Those questions, and others, are answered as this edge-of-your-seat story unfolds. All in all, another satisfying addition to the series, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Now You See Me by D.K. Hood (Bookouture, March 2023); 305 pp.

FALLEN ANGEL

4 stars out of 5

I've read two other books in this series - this is the 13th - and enjoyed them. The main characters, Sheriff Jenna Alton and her professional and personal partner, David Kane, are likable, skilled people with intriguing, secretive backgrounds who are, well, fun to read about. So naturally, I was looking forward to diving into this one. But for several reasons, this one doesn't quite measure up.

On the plus side, the story itself held my interest from beginning to end. The setting is an expansive mountaintop resort in the middle of winter, at which a convention of current and would-be writers, agents and publishers is happening. Alton and Kane are here to follow up on a gone-missing report of one of the most successful agents; they hang around after her dead, frozen body is found in a pond near her chalet. Also onsite is another familiar character, Medical Examiner Shane Wolfe, who is accompanied by his two grown daughters Emily and Julie - both of whom play major roles this time out.

As they and other members of their team work toward narrowing down suspects - not an easy task given the well-known nastiness of the dead woman - another victim turns up in an under-construction chalet, together with a clue that ties the two murders together. Given that blizzard conditions prevent all but emergency comings and goings, it becomes clear that the murderer is in their midst; and when yet another body gets zapped, they realize they're dealing with a serial killer.

Everyone, including Wolfe's daughters, get their heads together to speculate on the killer's motive in hopes of preventing yet another ugly incident. As a team, they all work well together - even honoring professional responsibilities during a spat between two lovers that would make a junior high student cringe - but the killer's identity remains elusive. As an aside, though, I had to wonder why on earth Kane is sometimes called "Uncle Dave" and other times "Uncle Kane" by the girls - like, who calls an uncle by his last name)? But hey, maybe that was explained in a previous book.

In between "regular" chapters, readers get the musings from the clearly deranged killer himself (or herself - the investigative team realizes that the methods of death could be accomplished by either sex). It is here, too, that readers learn the killer has set sights not only on a select list of victims, but on a team member as well. Can the good guys and gals figure out who the culprit is before the unthinkable happens and one of their own goes down for the count? 

As this exciting race to the finish plays out, it's clear that pains are being taken to keep readers guessing whether the killer is male or female. That process, sorry to say, triggered one of my grammar hot buttons: Pairing a plural pronoun with a singular antecedent. An example (my words): "I saw someone get off the elevator, but I didn't recognize 'them'." No, no, a thousand times NO (which has to be close to the number of times it happens in the book, which is why I'm compelled to mention it; once or twice I could overlook). That took a big bite out of my enjoyment of this book, although I still recommend it to others because it's a well-thought-out, interesting story. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Fallen Angel by D.K. Hood (Bookouture, November 2021); 232 pp.

BRING ME FLOWERS

4 stars out of 5


The second book featuring Detectives Jenna Alton and David Kane hits the ground running with the discovery of teenage Felicity Parker's mutilated body in a Black Rock Falls, Montana, forest. At first blush, it's the result of a bear attack; at first glance, it's an especially gruesome murder. Given an influx of visitors to the town for the summer rodeos, Jenna suspects one of them did the dirty deed. But just a few days later, one of Felicity's friends, Kate Bright, is laid out in similar fashion - complete with flowers carefully placed next to the bodies - this time at the local swimming pool. That triggers a query of other communities and the realization that murders similar MOs have happened before - prompting Jenna and profiler Kane to conclude that a serial killer is on the loose (one who almost certainly will kill again and again).

Amid all this, Jenna is breaking in brand-new deputy Shane Wolfe, soon to have a Medical Examiner license that should be of benefit to the local department. The relationship between her two deputies - who seem to know each other from somewhere unknown to Jenna - makes for a bit of a strain, adding another mystery to the situation ( I won't go into further detail lest I reveal things best left to readers to discern for themselves). The chapters record the progress of the investigation interspersed with thoughts and intentions straight from the murderer. Suspect after suspect comes, goes, and comes back again, but so few clues are left at the murder scenes that honing in on the culprit is almost impossible.

The action (or more to the point, the dialogue) turned overly melodramatic more often than I'd like, but it's still an intriguing story that held my attention throughout. I will admit, though, that at times I felt a little "out of it" - a feeling I'm sure came because I didn't read the first book in the series (Don't Tell a Soul). This one stands alone fairly well, but several times the events or conversational tidbit gave me the niggling feeling that I'd somehow missed something.

All in all, though, this is a well-written, fast-paced book that's easy to read in a day or two. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bring Me Flowers by D.K. Hood (Bookouture, February 2018); 318 pp.