Series:
Cowboy State Lawmen (Book 6)
A murder spree brings a sheriff and police chief
together…
Called to the scene of a killer's latest victim, Laramie
PD chief Willa Nelson and Sheriff Daniel Clark must work together despite
jurisdictional differences. But as their investigation leads to a cold case,
Willa has to trust Daniel with the truth. As the bodies pile up and the
pressure mounts, they find themselves facing more than one unstoppable killer…
Good second chance romance combined with gripping
suspense. The story's prologue showed the serial killer, his first victim, and
a vivid illustration of the evil in store. This is followed five years later by
the discovery of a body in the woods. This is the second body killed in this
manner lately, and our law enforcement duo soon discovered a disturbing
similarity to some cold cases.
Daniel is the county sheriff and catches the recent case
because it is in his jurisdiction - barely. Willa is the town's police chief
and has a similar case that happened within the town limits. There is some
history between Willa and Daniel that has caused tension since they took up
their posts, but both agree that working together is the best way to stop the
killer.
Daniel and Willa had carried on a short but intense
affair before being hired to their current positions. Willa broke things off to
protect her heart, as her relationships tend to end badly. She also wants to
keep her professional and personal lives separate, thanks to the attitudes of
some people she's worked with. Daniel disagreed with the breakup, but she gave
him no choice. Now, they'll spend time together as they work on the case.
I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. Willa tries
hard to keep the distance between her and Daniel, but ignoring the sparks that
still fly between them becomes increasingly difficult. Daniel respects Willa's
abilities, but his protective instincts kick in when it becomes clear that she
is the killer's next target. Sometimes, I wanted to shake Willa for pushing
Daniel away even though she appreciated his comfort and understanding. I liked seeing
them realize they were perfect together, professionally and personally.
The suspense of the story kept me hooked from start to
finish. The victims are linked to the Shining Light cult featured in the
previous books, adding to the problems law enforcement has with them. I enjoyed
watching Daniel and Willa work through the puzzling clues, refusing to allow
the leader to block their efforts to find the truth. There were several twists
to the investigation that I didn't see coming, culminating with two intense
confrontations. There was a final twist to the fate of the cult that caught me
by surprise.
Willa's twenty-one-year-old son plays an important role
in the book also. He and Willa have a strained relationship that weighs deeply
on her. His prior involvement with the cult didn't help anything. There are
some tense times between the two because of it. It was interesting to see how
things changed as the book progressed. I loved his part in the epilogue.
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