There are no secrets in a small town—until someone has one worth dying for.
Local cop Stevie Taylor and police chief Zane Duncan have startling new proof that a deadly street drug is expanding its poisonous grip on their small town: a skull found on the banks of the Rogue River has two bullet holes in the back. Still caught up in the excitement of their new relationship, Stevie and Zane are determined to track down the drug’s source before more lives in Solitude, Oregon, are lost.
Then one death strikes especially close to home, leading to heartache and confusion for Stevie. As the drug distributors strike hard and the body count in Solitude grows higher, she and Zane must hunt down the deadly killer—but are they the predators, or the prey?
This is the 3rd installment of the Rogue River Novellas, and I have read, reviewed, and enjoyed them all. Every other book is written by this author, and the rest are done by Melinda Leigh. I think they have worked it out, and written it well.
This time around, Roy, the missing previous, short lived sheriff is found. And he’s not alive, and was killed execution style. This pretty much devastates Stevie, and her mother, as Roy was like a second father to her. It’s up to Stevie and her boyfriend, Zane, the new sheriff, to figure out what happened to Roy, and why he seems to have come into some money from somewhere.
I was really glad the focus shifted focus to Stevie and Zane again. As the new couple of the story, I enjoyed watching them get to know each other better, and of course see how they work together once again. I like them both as characters, and I also really like Stevie’s mother. I think that is because she is written as the perfect mom, but she also has psychic moments that have come into play, at least a few times in these stories.
We get a few more answers to what is going on in this small town, and this includes the test results about Stevie’s fathers death.The drug problem is still causing problems, and murders are happening as well. In a way, I think this could have just been one long book, and would have worked that way as well. I found this one to be well written, and at times suspenseful. When it wasn’t suspenseful, it was romantic, and that is always a good thing in my opinion! I was wishing for a bit longer of a story, but as it was a novella, I will just have to wait for the last one. Thankfully, they are being released really quickly.
I would recommend this book to older young adults, and adults due to violence and language.
The review copy of this book was supplied by the publisher Montlake Romance via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
