K. D. RichardsReseñas
Autor de Pursuit of the Truth
Reseñas
Missing at Christmas (West Investigations Book 2) por K.D. Richards
The book opens with a prologue that takes place twenty years earlier. Twelve-year-old Simone witnesses a serial killer's attack, but her mother doesn't believe her, and they move away shortly after that. But Simone has been haunted by what she saw, and as the twentieth anniversary of that and two other murders draws close, Simone returns to Carling Lake. She is determined to raise awareness of the victims, hoping that someone will come forward with a clue. She never expected the Card Killer to strike again.
Lance and Simone have been seeing each other secretly for several months. At first, it was just casual, with neither interested in anything permanent. There was also the potential conflict of interest in a sheriff/reporter relationship. But as time passed, their feelings for each other deepened though neither said as much. When another Card Killer murder happens after a twenty-year hiatus, Lance suspects Simone is hiding something that may be related. I loved his protectiveness and understanding that helped her open up to him about what she had seen.
I liked watching their relationship develop from casual to something deeper. Beyond their undeniable chemistry is a deep-seated respect for each other's profession. That doesn't mean they don't occasionally butt heads. Simone's tenaciousness sometimes puts her in direct opposition to Lance's job as sheriff, such as her spying on the crime scene. It also means that they can make a good team. Despite his frequent frustration with her, there is no denying that Lance wants more. I loved seeing him show Simone that he's ready to bring their relationship into the light, but they must keep her alive to do it. The ending was terrific as they were finally free to follow their hearts.
The suspense kept me glued to the pages from start to finish. I could feel Simone's fear in the prologue and her determination to right her mistake as an adult. The first of the new murders preceded a series of threats against Simone, who realized that the killer knew who she was. I loved her determination to continue her investigation and had to laugh at her ultimatum to Lance - they could work together, or she would continue on her own. He wanted to keep her close and safe. Their pursuit of information on the new and old victims and whether there were connections between them was fascinating to follow. Just when I thought I knew who it was, the author threw in a twist that upended everything. The final confrontation was a nail-biter and had me on the edge of my seat until it was over.
James West has a small part in this book, as he and Erika protect Simone when Lance can't be with her. I liked the friendship that grew between Simone and Erika and how James provides the security that gives Lance peace of mind.
Police detective Terrence has come to Carling Lake looking for his younger sister, Jill. An investigative journalist, Jill hasn't returned his calls in more than a week, and he's worried. He believes she is investigating something there, but no one has seen or talked to her. He's not going to let anything stop him from looking for her.
Terrence is a man who has little use for tact and social niceties when he's on the job. He does an excellent job of ticking off the local sheriff when he refuses to back off from doing his own investigation. He also butts into the investigation into the body at Lakewood House, convinced it has something to do with Jill's disappearance. Nikki isn't too happy to have him there, as he still carries the grudge that tore them apart. But when threats and strange happenings occur, she isn't going to say no to his protection.
Let me say that I wanted to shake some sense into Terrence. How he could allow the old feud between his uncle and her grandfather still eat away at him made no sense. Both men are gone, and the event that drove them apart is over and done with. But he couldn't let it go, ending the friendship and more that he and Nikki shared. Seeing Nikki again brings it all back. Despite those feelings, he can't deny the need to ensure she is safe.
Nikki is no frail flower. She is easily as stubborn as Terrence and makes it clear that any investigating he does will include her. Not only is Jill her friend, but it also appears that her property may be at the center of whatever is going on. I loved seeing Nikki stand her ground and not let Terrence push her into the background. She has it right when she tells him that he may have investigative experience, but she has the people skills to get people to talk.
I loved watching these two work together. It's a cautious partnership at first, with neither one entirely trusting the other. But their old friendship reasserts itself once they've cleared the air (thank you, Aunt Charity). And along with the cessation of hostilities, so do the sparks of attraction. I loved their teamwork and seeing them grow closer amid the increasing danger. I loved the ending and seeing them realize they belonged together.
The suspense of the story was fantastic. It began immediately with Terrence's missing sister and the body found at Nikki's. The graffiti on Nikki's garage door bears out Terrence's suspicion that the body is linked to Jill's disappearance. Terrence isn't about to back off his investigation, no matter what the sheriff says. He and Nikki continue to seek out those they think have answers and find themselves in risky situations. The tension ramps up when they get caught snooping and end up at the mercy of the bad guys. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I loved seeing the teamwork that saved the day.
I liked seeing James and Erika (Shielding Her Son) again. James has embraced his artistic side, and he is still involved with the family business. West Investigations plays a significant role in resolving the mystery.
When Erika's rich, spoiled, and emotionally abusive husband died, his controlling father kicked her out of her home. She had just discovered that she was pregnant and was afraid her father-in-law would do anything to take her child if he knew about it. So, she changed her name and moved away from the city, landing in the small town of Carling Lake. When the story starts, she's been there for almost ten years and has begun to put down roots. She bought a house that she is turning into a B & B.
The story starts with a bang as Erika is injured in a fall on her property. Her hiking companion runs for help and brings James, who lives in the house next door, to Erika. He helps her while they wait for an ambulance, but the circumstances seem suspicious to him. When he foils an intruder attempting to break into her house, he suspects something untoward is going on. When she hears about the intruder, she has two suspects in mind - that her father-in-law has found her or that a rival B & B owner is attempting to keep her from opening her inn. Erika, a part-time reporter for the local paper, is also investigating some possibly missing grant money, which is also motivation for trouble. Erika reluctantly accepts James's offer to help with the house renovations while simultaneously serving as protection against whoever is behind the trouble.
Neither Erika nor James expected the sparks of attraction that flared between them. Both try hard to resist, but it does no good. James isn't ready for a relationship when he has no idea what his future looks like. Erika isn't going to enter a relationship when she can't be honest with the other person about who she is. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to resist. I liked watching James and Erika get closer. James's support helps Erika restore the self-confidence that her late husband damaged. At the same time, Erika helps James see an unexpected path to his future. It doesn't take long for James to realize that he wants Erika and her son in his life permanently, but he's reluctant to say anything because he still has no plan for his future. Erika can't look at a future with James until she faces her past - which comes sooner than expected. I did not see that twist coming. I loved James's sweet and romantic big moment at the end.
The suspense of the story was excellent. The "accident" on the rope bridge was nerve-wracking, and I loved how James's suspicions were immediately raised, which led to his watchfulness. I could feel his frustration at not being able to catch the intruder. Erika's confrontation with Ellis, the other B & B owner (and town mayor), moved him to the head of my list of suspects. The story that Erika was investigating also provided a possible motive for the attack, as there was clearly some cover-up happening. The family connection was low on my suspect list. The tension built as Erika's son Marcus disappeared. Erika did what any mom worth her salt would do, even if it complicated matters. The final confrontation came from a previously unknown player. I was glued to the pages watching Erika's mama bear protectiveness take over. The resolution was very well done.
I liked the secondary characters. Erika's son Marcus was terrific. He's just as protective of Erika, and it was sweet to see the ten-year-old as the man of the house. I also liked how he and James connected so quickly. I also liked the sheriff, Lance, who was such a good friend to Erika. I suspect he may have been romantically interested in her, but she never saw him that way. Other people in the town played small but significant roles and gave the town some of its personality.
#netgalley
Gideon was stunned to find Mya on his doorstep in the middle of the night, looking the worse for wear. Once he heard what happened, his protective instincts kicked in. Rumors about her cancer treatment research run rampant, her two coworkers end up dead, and the local cop seems intent on pinning the blame on Mya. As Gideon and Mya pursue their investigation, every new lead raises more questions. At the same time, the attacks on Mya intensify in frequency. Despite the betrayals she's endured at the hands of her coworkers, Mya is determined to reassemble her research and prove that it works. I was glued to the pages as she and Gideon made the trip to retrieve the last pieces she needed, only to face the worst betrayal of all. The final confrontation was a nail-biter when Mya found herself running through the woods yet again. I loved seeing her face down her pursuer and kept my fingers crossed that Gideon would arrive in time. The resolution was excellent, and I liked seeing everything come together for her at the end.
I also enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Mya and Gideon. They were friends as kids, sweethearts in high school, and married right after graduation. But they were very young, and the marriage ended after four years, mainly because Gideon loved her too much to keep her tied to him. Twelve years later, their chemistry was as strong as ever when they met again, though both tried to ignore it. I loved that Mya has the strength to stand up to Gideon's overprotectiveness when he tries to leave her behind. Their clashes were intense, but she never backed down. The more time they spent together, the hotter the sparks burned until they could no longer resist. I liked seeing how Mya broke through Gideon's walls and found out why he had pushed her away all those years ago. I liked seeing them admit that they'd never stopped loving each other. The ending was sweet and romantic as Gideon's big moment had all the emotion Mya could hope for.
Shawn can't believe the woman he rescued is Addy. He still remembers the night they spent together and his frustration at how she's ignored him ever since. Shawn came to town to look into some counterfeit computer chips. When he learns about Cassie's disappearance, he offers to help Addy find her while using that investigation to disguise his own.
Neither Shawn nor Addy forgot the night they spent together, and it's obvious from the start that the sparks between them still burn hot. Addy avoided Shawn after that night because she feared that seeing him again would interfere with her plans for the future. She still feels that he would be too much of a distraction. Shawn didn't want a relationship either, but he did want to spend more time with Addy. Working together to find Cassie gives their attraction a chance to grow. I enjoyed seeing Shawn and Addy together. Addy is an intelligent, driven, and independent woman. She knows what she wants and goes after it. While she appreciates Shawn's offer of help, Addy doesn't just sit back and let him take over. She insists on being fully involved and has no problem taking action if she thinks Shawn isn't moving fast enough. Shawn discovers he is quite protective of Addy and gets frustrated when she puts herself in danger rather than waiting for him. I liked the scenes where they worked together because they balanced each other - Shawn kept Addy from going too far, while Addy moved Shawn a little faster than he would typically go.
The more time they spent together, the closer Shawn and Addy became. Each found themselves thinking about the future but fought against admitting their growing feelings for each other and what it meant. After an eye-opening conversation with her boss, Addy faced a life-changing decision. Meanwhile, nearly losing Addy forced Shawn to admit his feelings. I liked seeing Addy support Shawn when he had to follow up on his investigation while giving him hope for the future. The ending was terrific with Shawn's surprise appearance and emotional confession of his feelings.
The suspense of the story kept me hooked from start to finish. Addy knew her sister wouldn't move without letting her know and felt stonewalled by the sheriff and the company Cassie worked for. Her refusal to give up gets her unwanted attention, strengthening her belief that something fishy is going on. Shawn needs to keep his investigation of the counterfeit chips secret, so helping Addy gives him the perfect cover. Their investigation heats up as Shawn suspects there may be a link between Cassie's disappearance and his case. The intensity increases as attacks on Addy and Shawn escalate and the fake chips near shipment time. The final confrontation was a nail-biter that put Addy in the bad guy's crosshairs. The resolution was fantastic.
On the way to work the morning of her quarterly meeting with Ryan, someone pushed Nadia off the curb and into traffic. She was lucky to get out of it with just some scrapes and bruises, carefully treated by a very concerned Ryan. That concern increases exponentially when Nadia barely escapes a kidnapping attempt, leading Ryan to make her safety his personal mission. This includes taking her to stay at his apartment, opening them up to all kinds of complications.
I liked the development of the relationship between Ryan and Nadia. Nadia knows she needs Ryan's protection, but she's not about to stay hidden away. She is determined to continue to run her business, and Ryan respects her intelligence and strength enough to work with her to make it happen. As the attacks on Nadia escalate, Ryan's insistence on remaining professional is undermined by the intensity of the attraction between them. I loved that their respect for each other's intelligence and capabilities, combined with excellent communication, made it possible for their relationship to grow and deepen. I liked that when he realized the depth of his feelings for Nadia, Ryan didn't freak out and try to push her away but accepted it. Ryan endured a fair amount of teasing from his brother and coworkers because of it. I also liked that Nadia had the confidence to go after what she wanted while maintaining her professionalism when needed. Protectiveness is a two-way street for her, and she doesn't hesitate to get involved when she thinks it's necessary. I especially enjoyed seeing her go to bat for Ryan against her smarmy ex-boyfriend. The ending was excellent, with the simple admission that it's never been just a working relationship between them. I hope to see more of them in the next book.
The suspense of the story sucked me in from the beginning. From the moment Nadia was pushed off the curb to the final confrontation with the bad guy, I could not put the book down. Nadia has a lot to deal with - a rash of unexplained incidents, an ex-boyfriend pushing her to sell her hotels to him, and the growing suspicion that her brother isn't dead. The escalation of attacks, from the minor ones of a dead rat and a keyed car to attempted kidnapping, attempted murder, and being taken as a hostage, kept Nadia, Ryan, and his team on their toes as they searched for answers. I loved the teamwork as they worked through the unexpected and unbelievable to arrive at the truth. The final confrontation was a nail-biter that took many moving parts to pull off. The ending was entirely satisfactory.
#netgalley
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