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. 

HIDDEN

 4 stars out of 5

Lotsa lust, not much trust. That pretty much sums

up the relationship between investigative reporter Bailey Rhoads and Austin Police Detective Jacob Merritt. Both are working on the same murder case and are infatuated with each other, but each refuses to share new information with the other. 

The two meet after a woman is found murdered on a hiking trail; the initial assumption is that it was a mugging gone very wrong. But Bailey, who's being pressured to come up with a lead story for her newspaper, suspects the woman may not be who she appears to be, while Jacob learns a few details on his own. Chapters switch between their points of view and follow their budding romance that's filled with tension because neither is free to reveal much of anything case-related to the other (for the most part, rightly so; cops shouldn't talk about ongoing cases and good journalists don't reveal sources). But as a journalist myself, I'm not altogether sure why she refused to share at least a few of her other findings - it's not as if Jacob would be writing a story or running to another reporter to give something away - but I guess it makes the story more interesting.

Somewhat oddly, Bailey seems to make more progress toward solving the crime than Jacob, a professional cop. Her dogged persistence leads her to a huge technology company which, she learns, is working on a project that's paying huge dividends but definitely skirting the boundaries of ethics, if not the law. Finally, their investigations begin to merge - and leads them to conclude that another woman's  life is in immediate danger. But can they find her before the would-be killer does? Read it and see. This is the first in the "Texas Murder Files" series, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading about the couple's next joint adventure. Meantime, thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Hidden by Laura Griffin (Berkley, August 2020); 349 pp.