Series:
Discovery Bay (Book 1)
Working as a team
Can they stop a killer targeting their hometown?
Child psychologist Hannah Maddox's father once helped
send the man she loved to prison. Now Jed Swain is free and back on Dead Falls
Island to clear his name. Until his accuser is murdered and Jed again becomes
the prime suspect. Hannah knows Jed is innocent, and before long, so do the
locals. But when another single mother is found dead, Hannah must convince Jed
to trust her before a killer turns their focus on them.
Terrific start to a new series, with a gripping mystery and
a second chance romance. The story opens as Hannah, a forensic psychologist, is
working with a small boy whose mother was murdered. Complicating matters, the
dead woman once accused Hannah's high school boyfriend of rape, sending him to
prison. Jed has since been exonerated and is back on the island but is once
again a prime suspect.
I liked that Hannah never believed Jed was guilty, but
her sheriff father disapproved of their relationship and did everything
possible to break them up. Things are a bit tense between Hannah and Jed when
they first meet again, thanks to confusion about letters never received. When a
second single mother is murdered, Jed gets a request from his friend, the
woman's brother, to investigate. Because Jed has a private investigator's
license, he doesn't have to play by the same rules as law enforcement. This
includes inviting Hannah to work with him on the investigation.
The suspense of this story had me hooked from the
beginning. I felt Jed and Hannah's frustration as their initial leads seemed to
hit dead ends. They didn't let that stop them, and before long, they started to
connect the dots between seemingly unrelated clues. One lead sent them to a
deserted house that had been the site of a horrific murder-suicide. Their
belief in its importance was confirmed when someone tried to kill them. I was
glued to the pages as they closed in on the identity of the killer. The final
confrontation was a nail-biter with a reveal that I never expected.
I enjoyed seeing the rekindling of the relationship
between Hannah and Jed. They have a few trust issues to overcome in the
beginning, not the least of which is her father's role in Jed's conviction. But
Hannah's unwavering belief in Jed's innocence goes a long way toward solving
that problem. Working together brings them closer, and the old sparks of
attraction quickly reignite. I loved Jed's protectiveness when Hannah was
targeted. I also liked that no last-minute misunderstanding drove them apart,
just Jed rescuing her from a killer. I liked the ending and seeing them plan a
future together.
Tate and his sister, Astrid, were excellent secondary
characters. I liked their belief in Jed and their willingness to help him get
his life back on track. Tate is a forest ranger who is helping Jed join the
rangers and giving him a place to live until he finishes repairing his old
home. Astrid is a single mom with a little boy. She has matchmaking tendencies
and enjoys throwing Hannah and Jed together whenever possible. There is a
heart-stopping scene where young Olly disappears, and the circumstances are
suspicious. The next book in the series is Tate's story, and I can't wait to
read it.
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