Killer Tracks by Mary Keliikoa Book Review

About the Book:

A peaceful retreat. A maze of smoke and murder. Is their remote getaway about to become a death trap?

Sheriff Jax Turner is worried about going off-grid and leaving his young team of deputies behind. But while his getaway with his ex is meant to help them reconnect, Jax is distracted by signs of a break-in at their rented lookout.

After a string of unsettling events and an approaching wildfire turn their isolated retreat into a danger zone, he’s stunned to find a dead body with marks tying it to a killer he put away a decade ago.

Terrified that his attempt at reconciliation has led them both into a fatal setup, Jax rushes back to his estranged wife before she joins the list of victims. But his dedication to serving and protecting could become an Achilles heel as other players join them among the darkening trees.

Can he fight his way out of the woods before the flames of revenge consume everything?

My Review:

This latest adventure in the Misty Pines Mystery series has double the amount of investigation and suspense. Jax is in the mountains, something his ex-wife planned to explore reconciliation. But what was supposed to be a romantic reunion turns deadly. There is a murderer on the mountain and Jax and his wife are in the midst of danger. Then Jax must face an even deadlier situation.

But there is also danger back in Misty Pines where Jax left Deputy Rachel, his recent hire, in charge. She is a capable woman and gets the investigation rolling when confronted with a murder. There an unusual mark on the murder victim and soon Rachel's father shows up. He had been the partner of Jax when they had investigated murders with similar characteristics. It looks like a serial murderer is in the area.

Keliikoa gives readers a good balance of personal relationship issues and suspenseful action. There is tension between Jax and his ex-wife as both try to meet on common ground. There is also tension between Rachel and her father as she feels she needs to live up to his expectations. Keliikoa's writing style kept me turning pages as the action alternated between the two plots. The novel comes to a suspenseful end that made me hold my breath.

This is the third in a series but could be read as a stand alone. The characters do have back story but those experiences are not essential to enjoying this novel,

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can rea my reviews of the earlier books in the series: Hidden Pieces and Deadly Tides.

About the Author:

Eighteen years in the legal field, and an over-active imagination, led Pacific NW native Mary Keliikoa to start writing mystery and suspense. She is the author of the domestic thriller DON'T ASK, DON'T FOLLOW, the award-winning HIDDEN PIECES and DEADLY TIDES, A Misty Pines mystery series, and the PI Kelly Pruett mystery series including the multi-award nominated DERAILED for best debut. Her short stories can be found in Woman’s World and the anthology, Peace, Love, and Crime.

Level Best Books, 282 pages.

I received an egalley of this book from the publisher. 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.)