Stand-alone story on the periphery of the "Art of Murder" series. Odd listening to Gomez Pugh outside of "Psycop."

FBI agent working under the cloud of a botched kidnapping rescue meets local sheriff deputy when a body is discovered on federal land. Turns out it's a cold case, but the sheriff calls the FBI, and specifically Adam, back to assist when another death raises her suspicions of that a serial killer is operating in the area.

Same long distance relationship issues as Art of Murder but different personality chemistry. ( )

relationship-issues, relationships, snarky, verbal-humor, situational-humor, erotica, friction, friends, frustration, unpleasant-co-worker, unputdownable, multiple-murder, investigations, cooperation, local-law-enforcement, FBI, missing-persons, Oregon, PTSD, suspense, suspicion, thriller, mysteries, m/m romantic-suspense, crime-thriller, crime-fiction, criminal-acts*****

This is not Lanyon's finest, but it is an excellent mystery and fits snugly with The Art of Murder series. It's the romance issues that seem contrived and iffy. But Adam Darling, JJ, Jonnie, and Sam Kennedy are introduced here. Since I started with the Art Crimes, I am delighted to have this one!
Gomez Pugh is an excellent fit as narrator.

4.5 stars

Adam works for the FBI. He and his partner are called to a small town in southern Oregon because the local sheriff thinks that maybe a recent body that has been found is the handiwork of a serial killer that they are after. The bones are way older than the first known case of the serial killer, and would leave a large gap between that murder and the start of the others, so the FBI quickly signs off and leaves. Several months later, when a woman is murdered on National Parks' territory, Adam is requested by the same sheriff. With an active murder, even though it doesn't seem to be part of any ongoing investigation for the FBI, they are assisting. But things get more convoluted, and working with Rob, one of the deputies, is complicated. They slept together the first time that Adam was in town, and Adam doesn't sleep with people he works with. Something about Rob makes him want to bend his rules...if only they weren't trying to catch killers, and Rob insistent on people being treated with respect, since he still has to live in the area after the investigations are over.
I really enjoyed this. And I had dreams about serial killers last night, which means that the writing had an impact on me. I don't know if I bought that Rob and Adam are completely in love, but I do believe that they are going to try and work things out, and that when they are both determined, they can accomplish a lot. The mystery was there, and was the focal point, but kind of wasn't? I didn't guess who the perpetrator was, but I also felt as though there were no clues whatsoever given, and readers were just supposed to make wild accusations...kind of like the characters investigating, in fact. ( )

Winter Kill by Josh Lanyon
The Art of Murder Series

GREAT story…and evidently the first in a series that is, hopefully, as good as this book was! Couldn’t put it down once I started reading!

What I liked:
* FBI Agent Adam Darling: professional, focused, intelligent, dealing with the fallout of an assignment that had a bad outcome, has goals, somewhat guarded, someone I wouldn’t mind having as a friend
* Deputy Sheriff Robert Haskell: left the big city for small town police work, dedicated to his community, savvy though protective, not always able to see evil where it might lurk, a good man.
* Watching the relationship develop between Adam and Rob
* Feeling that Adam and Rob were good together and had a future together as a couple
* Sheriff Francesca McLellan “Frankie”: top dog at the Nearby Sheriff’s department, knows her town and her staff, a good leader, intriguing woman
* Small town setting with quirky intriguing characters
* The plot, writing, and character development
* The police procedural aspects of the story
* The creep-factor of the evil crimes being perpetrated
* How the evil was unearthed and sussing out who was behind the murders
* That there was a HEA for the main couple
* That the cases were tied up and the story complete when the book ended.

What I didn’t like:
* Exactly who and what I was meant not to like
* The senseless murders and loss of innocent lives

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and JustJoshin Publishing Inc. for the ARC – This is my honest review.

Five Stars ( )

Like most of Josh Lanyon’s books this is another very well plotted mystery with a little romance and lots of twist-and-turns. This author is so very good at hiding clues from her readers…yes I said “her”. The explosive beginning and hot-and-cold segues, which became rather frustrating, in the relationship between Rob and Adam leave you sitting out on a limb until the very end…and a very surprising end I might add. I found the information about the Native American culture of the Northwest absolutely fascinating along with learning about the attitudes of the usual bunch of stereotypical small-town characters. I hope she’s got another couple of adventures for Rob and Adam in the works. ( )