Dead Drift by Dani Pettrey

This novel is the concluding one of a four book series. If you have not read the previous novels, you may be confused at the beginning. The plot in this novel definitely plays off of previous books so the novel does not read well on its own. There is not enough back story early on to clarify the action but things do become clear later on.

There are two ongoing investigations interwoven into this novel. One deals with a serial killer while the other is about a terrorist. The narrative generally alternates between the two. Both plots have their roots in previous novels so it was hard for me to get up to speed with them both. To muddy the waters even more, some of the characters are federal agents, some are with a private company while others are police detectives. How they all work together again has roots in previous novels.

Pettrey does a good job with the emotional impact of the investigations. Luke had been gone on secret missions for seven years. Now he is back and must face Kate whose heart he broke all those years ago. There is plenty of emotional impact in the terrorist plot involving those two. Griffen's sister was murdered by the serial killer some time ago. He is now investigating the murders so there is emotional impact in that plot too.

I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy a novel of romantic suspense that is heavy in the emotional and romantic aspects. Pettrey's writing style is good. Once I figured out who was who and what was going on, I enjoyed the novel.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Dani Pettrey is a bestselling and award winning author of the Chesapeake Valor series and the Alaskan Courage series. Her awards include the 2014 Daphne du Maurier Award for Inspirational Novel, the 2014 Christian Retailing's Best Award for Suspense, and the 2013 Holt Medallion for First Novel. She and her husband live in the DC metro area. You can find out more at https://www.danipettrey.com/.

Bethany House Publishers, 304 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.