Duluth PD Lieutenant Maggie Bei is called out in the middle of the night by a local defense attorney, Gavin Wester, who has a strange story to tell. His wife, Chelsey, has been kidnapped. He attempted to pay the ransom money as the kidnappers requested, but Chelsey was not returned. Now, fearing the worst, he has turned to the police for help. Maggie, calling on her best, summons Serena and Guppo to the scene. Just as Serena is heading out the door, the phone rings…it’s an officer from Maricopa, AZ calling to let Serena know her estranged mother has been found dead.
Detective Jonathan Stride has physically recovered from the shooting that nearly took his life a year or so ago and he is at a crossroads, wondering if it is time to return to policing, yet strangely in no hurry to do so. He and Serena are struggling a bit – there is distance between them, compounded by Cat’s leaving home for college – and now with the death of her mother, he worries about her even more so. But a call from Maggie asking for some help in the case, brings him back to the office, where he quickly realizes is right where he belongs.
As Serena investigates the Webster’s home, she finds evidence of a break-in and kidnapping. Also intrigued by the timing of the ransom call made, she finds a hidden camera in the home. A canvas of the neighborhood also reveals some interesting information about the state of the couples’ marriage, along with a neglected dog that Serena promptly steals and puts in her car. That, along with some other unusual behavior gets her booted off the kidnapping and into an unsolved cold case. As she struggles with her emotions, she quickly tosses out 18 years of sobriety as she works through the death of her mother.
As two seemingly unrelated cases suddenly start to blend together, Serena inadvertently uncovers a cold-blooded, calculated plan for murder, and millions…but is she too late?
This book was absolutely incredible, as all the Stride novels are! Suspenseful, gripping and at times painful – it was hard to see Serena struggle with her past – along with some super crafty plot lines – made for an un-put-downable read!! The unexpected ending was the icing on the cake! Just perfect!! Now the anxious wait for the next Stride novel begins!
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!
Tropical Delusions...... 