Think every private eye looks like Tom Selleck and drives a flashy red Ferrari? Well, think again! Meet Madison Kelly – a tall, blonde, cool drink of water who revels in her hometown surfer haven in San Diego. She may not look like your average PI, but don’t let that fool you - she can definitely hold her own. Not even a battle with breast cancer can slow down this feisty, feminine force of nature.

Madison, fresh off her first murder investigation, is taking some time off to decide which direction she wants to take her career next – stick with her “old hat” of insurance fraud, or is the arena of high-stakes murder cases where her heart really lies? Out of the blue, Madison comes home to a threatening note nailed to her front door – with one of her long blonde hairs streaming from the nail, no less – warning her to back off her current investigation – only she’s not investigating anything currently. Convinced the threat is a result of her Tweets to a radio show about two cold cases involving missing young women from the Gaslight district. Not deterred by the threat, but inspired by it, Madison begins her own investigation of these seemingly similar disappearances.

This spunky who-dunnit is a serious page turner with a lively and fun heroine. At times, I found myself wishing for a little more “show” rather than “tell” in the story, which left me feeling the novel could have used another round or two of editing to tighten up the descriptions and language. However, the story is solid and I have no doubt this series (of which this novel is the first) will be a favorite of those crime drama lovers out there (and I know there are a lot of you!). This is a winning formula for Elizabeth Breck, a first-time novelist, who brings her real-life private investigation experience to the fore in this energetic tale.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley.com who provided me this Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I loved this book! The protagonist is a strong female private investigator who gets wrapped up in a murder mystery. The setting is San Diego, CA and it is a beautiful backdrop to this plot. The story propels you forward and I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the next book in the series! ( )

This is a great new series! I love the main character: she is a PI, just like the author is, and she is sort of anti-social haha like Harry Bosch or Jack Reacher. The plot had a lot of twists and turns. It was a really different kind of mystery, where you're interested in the main character's life as much as the mystery she's solving. I can't wait for the second book in the series. ( )