When a cold case in Texas leads to a sinister string of disappearances, a newcomer to the small town helps a detective piece together the clues in this new romantic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.
Corporate lawyer Ava Burch has had enough of the big city and the daily grind. She grew up with her father, who raised search-and-rescue dogs, in rural Texas and has moved to the small town of Cuervo to spend time in the dry, rugged wilderness near Big Bend National Park. When she and her dog, Huck, discover an abandoned campsite on a volunteer search-and-rescue mission, she’s perplexed, but she carefully photographs it all the same.
All Grant Wycoff can see when he looks at Ava is a city slicker–with her designer jeans and shiny car–who has no business on a serious team made of seasoned outdoorsmen and retired cops. But when she tells him of her findings on the trail, he sees there’s more to her than meets the eye.
Ava’s discovery reminds Grant of the unsolved case of a young woman who went missing two years ago. As they look into the campsite further, another woman disappears under odd circumstances. With time running out, Ava and Grant must work against the brutal heat from both the Texas sun and their own electric chemistry to solve the case.
Review:
Another fantastic romantic suspense from Laura Griffin!
I LOVED Ava, Grant, and Huck. Ava and Huck have just moved to the tiny town of Cuervo, where Ava has jumped right in to both her law practice and the SAR activities she and Huck participate in. Huck’s a seasoned pro, but Ava is pretty new, for reasons that will eventually be explained. She’s also carrying around some pretty heavy emotional baggage, which will not only affect her growing maybe-it’s-a-relationship with Grant, but also her relationships with her BFF and coworker Jenna and her family.
Sheriff’s detective Grant is initially suspicious of Ava’s motives, but when she discovers an abandoned campsite while on an SAR mission that he believes may be tied to a missing persons case he’s been working on for two years (the missing person we briefly meet at the opening of the book–as always, don’t get too attached, people!), her diligence to detail and dedication to her craft soon earns her his respect.
Of course Grant thanks Ava for her help but tells her to not get involved–and to absolutely not do any investigating on her own!–and of course Ava doesn’t listen. What follows is trademark Laura Griffin, with edge-of-your seat suspense and amazing chemistry between the two leads, tempered somewhat by all the reasons they each have for why they shouldn’t actually be together. The bad guys are appropriately sinister, the romance is push-and-pull in all the right ways, and of course Huck is the bestest boy ever.
I’m crossing my fingers that Jenna and Connor will have their own book in the not-so-distant future, because there’s definitely something going on there and I MUST SEE THEIR HEAs!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.