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New Release Review! MIDNIGHT DUNES by Laura Griffin (The Texas Murder Files #3)

Midnight Dunes - The Texas Murder Files cover

When the shocking discovery of a murdered woman’s body disturbs the tranquility of tourist season, the police detective in charge of the puzzling case must work alongside the new filmmaker in town to pursue every lead in the new romantic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

After a scandal derails her television reporting career, Macey Burns comes looking for a change of pace in Lost Beach, Texas. She’s ready to focus on her first passion–documentary filmmaking–and has a new job working for the island’s tourism board, shooting footage of the idyllic beachside community. Her plans for a relaxing rebound are dashed when she realizes the cottage she’s renting belonged to the woman whose body was just found in the sand dunes.

Detective Owen Breda is under intense pressure to solve this murder. Violent crimes are rising in his small town, and he can’t stand to see anyone else hurt…especially not the beautiful documentarian who keeps showing up at the precinct.

With the clock ticking, cameras rolling, and body count climbing, Macey and Owen must use all their resources to find the killer without getting caught in the crosshairs.

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Review:

Another solid entry in The Texas Murder Files series!

Ms Griffin knows how to keep readers on the edge of their seats like no one else–honestly, once I got to around 70% in this book I don’t think I was physically able to put it down. I. Needed. To. Figure. This. One. Out. I honestly didn’t even come close to figuring out whodunnit this time–Owen really had my sympathy here! This case seemed impossible at times–but it all came together in the end.

And then there’s the romance part of this romantic suspense–again, Ms Griffin is the master here. My biggest complaint with the genre in general is usually that I find it hard to believe that the characters can really fall in love in the time frame given–don’t they have jobs to do? Aren’t they trying to catch the bad guy(s) and/or on the run from danger?–but in a Laura Griffin book, she doesn’t cut any corners with here either. Owen struggles with trying to fit in a life with his demanding job. He’s attracted to Macey, but ends up having to cancel more dinner dates than he manages to keep with her. Macey’s just as busy, and more than a little hesitant to start a relationship this summer, even if she were able to forget about her recent dating disaster. There’s no instalove here, just two characters who are attracted to each other but know that they both need to put work into a relationship if they’re going to make it work…once they’re done dodging danger, that is. 😉

And that ending…swoon-worthy, for sure!

This is the 3rd book in the series, but it should work fine as a standalone. Miranda and Joel from the second book ( Flight ; she works with Owen, he’s his older brother) play secondary roles here, though, and some events that happened in that book are mentioned in passing. So to avoid plot spoliers–and enjoy a great series–why not just add all 3 to your TBR now? #sorrynotsorry 😉

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

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