Sam Easton is a former soldier, who still struggles with PTSD from his last tour in Afghanistan, where his entire team was wiped out by an IED. Miraculously (or not) he survived, but with extensive injuries to one side of his face, that remain, along with the frequent nightmares. He sees his therapist weekly and works as a barback in one of many of L.A.’s establishments. His wife finally left three months ago, and Sam is still trying to put his life back together. He works with a young woman, Melody Traeger, who battles her own demons. A former band member of Poke, with the stage name ‘RoxyCodone’, she has put her past and her drug addiction behind her as she struggles to gain a sense of normalcy. When Melody is assaulted by her boyfriend, Sam looks out for her and offers her a place to stay.
Margaret “Maggie” Nolan is one of LAPD’s Homicide Detectives, and she and partner Al Crawford have just caught a case – a young woman who has been brutally killed and left for dead in a hotel room, a suspected victim of the ‘Miracle Mile Killer’. A task force has been formed; headed by fellow Detective Remy Beaudreau, who is determined to catch the killer, despite very few leads thus far. Maggie’s brother was also a war casualty, and she still struggles with his loss.
When Melody returns to her apartment, she finds someone has left her roses after climbing through a window – she assumes it’s Ryan trying to make amends, but he denies being the sender. Mel also notices a Jeep out in the street – she’s fairly certain she’s seen that Jeep before and wonders if she’s being followed. Fearful of the possibility of an unknown visitor, she looks to Sam for assistance. Then, her boyfriend Ryan is found dead, with another murder soon following in its wake, and Sam quickly comes under suspicion.
As Maggie and her team hunt for a killer, Sam and Mel take refuge, as they try to protect themselves from an unseen, yet relentless enemy. But he may be even closer than they think, as Sam also learns that some nightmares do come true…
I have long been a fan of P. J. Tracy’s Monkeewrench series, so I was super excited to see that a new series was in the works! Initially a mother daughter writing team, Tracy Lambrecht has taken a firm grip on the reins after her mother’s death, writing a gripping, page-turning, action packed thriller – with a true-to-life exploration of PTSD through Sam’s eyes – amidst murder and mayhem in the seedy background of the City of Angels. I can’t say enough! A great read, with all the promise of a fabulous series to come!
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!
Tropical Delusions...... 