Dangerous Choices by Susan Hunter Book Review

About the Book:

Three children entered the woods; just two returned. And they are the only ones who know what happened to their friend. The secret they carry echoes down the years until it becomes too much for one of them to bear. But the attempt to set things right goes horribly wrong.

Exactly how wrong is what Leah Nash, a journalist with trust issues and a compulsion to find the truth, aims to discover. Leah is rocked by the seemingly senseless present-day murder of someone very close to her. Driven by her principles and fueled by personal grief, she follows a strange trail of clues that lead her to a dark past.

A past where the answer—and the killer—await.

My Review:

This is another good mystery and suspense from Hunter. I really like Leah as a heroine. I have read several of Hunter's novels featuring her and have seen her grow into her super investigative role. She finds information by talking to people, a somewhat informal technique. She and Detective Charlie Ross have often butted heads because of her activities, frequently getting facts the police miss. It was interesting to see Charlie's character mature in this novel to being almost gentle.

I liked that Hunter included a bit of irony with respect to characters. Leah, after successfully writing true crime books is trying her hand at fiction. The agent's critique centers on Leah's character not being emotionally engaging. The irony comes from Hunter's ability to make Leah as a character very emotionally engaging.

I like learning when I read fiction. Leah is part owner of a small town newspaper. Small town newspapers are difficult to keep profitable and it was interesting to read about an unusual way of keeping this one alive.

Hunter's writing style is a pleasure to read. I like her descriptions. She describes one person as with a cramped little soul, for example. The plot is good, relating current events to one forty years ago. And there is a suspenseful twist at the end. This is a good addition to the mystery novels featuring amateur sleuth Leah Nash. I'll be looking for the next one.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Susan Hunter is a happy introvert who lives with her husband Gary, an extreme extrovert, in rural Michigan.

She spent some years as a reporter and then as the managing editor of a small daily newspaper. From there Susan went on to work at a university in publications and marketing where she honed her skills at appearing engaged in academic meetings, while internally composing her grocery list. She also taught a few classes as well—in English composition, that is, not in faking your way through meetings.

In addition to writing the Leah Nash series, Susan enjoys reading other people’s writing, watching classic films, occasional walks and snarky conversation with old friends and family, eating chocolate chip cookies, and answering emails from her readers.

Severn River Publishing, 333 pages.

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

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)