Dangerous Games by Susan Hunter Book Review

About the Book:

When a good man with a troubled past perishes in a fire, only Leah Nash can unravel the tangled mystery behind his death.

In the quiet town of Himmel, the sudden blaze that engulfs the local library is only the beginning. Among the smoldering ashes, a lifeless body is found-it's Luke Granger, a hardworking young man striving to escape his family's criminal past. His tragic death shocks the community, and although she is initially hesitant, intrepid journalist Leah can't help but investigate.

As Leah delves into the case, she untangles a twisted web of lies, deceit, and dark secrets that threaten to destroy the reputations of the town's most affluent citizens. Luke's death is just the tip of the iceberg in a chilling tale of greed, love, and thwarted ambition. As she races against time to uncover the truth, Leah finds herself caught in a perilous game where one wrong move could be her last.

Can Leah expose the hidden truth before it's too late, or will she become the next victim in a dangerous game of cat and mouse?

My Review:

This is another good novel in the Leah Nash series. Hunter continues to provide a good balance of Leah's personal life and an amateur sleuth investigation. Leah's love life is settled so there is less romantic drama than in previous novels. Leah has been asked by a family member of a murdered man to find out who the killer is. That means this time Leah is not aggressively barging in to a police investigation. She has made peace with the antagonistic Ross but manages to alienate another member of the sheriff department. I like the positive aspects of the character development of Leah. She is not a static character but is growing.

The plot moves along well as Leah comes up with many suspects and plausible villains. Her investigation is not so much identifying the villain as much as eliminating various suspects. I like how she uses her contacts to gather information. There is a bit of suspense near the end and a twist that finally gave Leah the answers she needed. There is a bit of humor too. (I'll never look at a pineapple again without laughing.)

This is a good addition to the Leah Nash series. While it is quite a ways down the line, it reads well on its own.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my reviews of some of the earlier books in the series: Dangerous Habits, Dangerous Mistakes, Dangerous Places, Dangerous Secrets, and Dangerous Waters.

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, 340 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from 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.)