Judith’s review of Deadly Obsession by Katie Reus.
Ten years ago, Lilly Carmichael left town without an explanation, breaking Braden Donnelly’s heart. The death of her aunt has brought Lilly home—and face-to-face with memories she thought were long buried. Still getting over a traumatic incident from her work as an NSA agent, Lilly initially dismisses the face at her window as a figment of stress-induced paranoia.
Now the sheriff of Hudson Bay, Braden has spent the past year hunting a sadistic murderer. His investigation is turned upside down when new evidence indicates that Lilly is the killer’s next target. Determined to protect the woman he’s never stopped loving, Braden must race against the clock to trap a dangerous psychopath—before it’s too late…
I had not read books by this author until recent months but I have to admit that I have not been disappointed in the quality of the writing, the content, or the novels’ subject and context. As a reader that has always appreciate a pure and riveting mystery or spy novel, I have found that authors who have substantive mystery/suspense/spy subjects coupled with a hefty love story just make both of those genres stronger–at least that’s the way it works for me.
This novel immediately involves the reader in the mishmash of a love affair gone wrong when Lilly leaves her home town and the love of her life without an explanation. As is so often the case–in real life as well as in fiction–those are the wounds that just don’t seem to heal and are the wounds that seem to be constantly popping up in conversation and which continually mess with the emotions of both hero and heroine. Lilly has been traumatized by a horrific occurrence in the course of her duty as an NSA agent. As a profiler whose talents have been used by several government agencies, she is well-qualified to assist in catching a serial killer. However, she is really “on leave” as evidence of PTSD keep rearing their ugly head in her persistent nightmares and a feeling of being followed or watched. She is even sort of convinced that the face she sees in her kitchen window–the face that is covered with a ski mask–is also a hallucination. It wasn’t, but it certainly kept Lilly’s nerves on edge. Add in her genuine grief over her aunt’s death and she is not in very good shape.
This novel has lots of emotion interwoven throughout the story. There is that persistent tension between Lilley and Braden, the abandoned lover and now sheriff of the local areas. Even with a temporary agreement that they will not re-visit their past, the old wounds keep them on edge with one another. There is also the reader’s awareness that the serial killer is getting closer and closer, is a person who seems to be targeting people connected with the sheriff–past or present–while also seeming to be keeping Lilly in the sights. So there is an edgy quality to this story that is not relieved by the romantic dilemma that just won’t go away.
Beautifully written and edited, this novel is a reading delight. It is compelling in that it forces the reader to use the brain extensively while entertaining with its interesting characters that are not other-worldly but rooted in the realities of American contemporary life. As a reader that enjoys a challenging story, I found this novel to be satisfying on so many levels. It was the kind of read I look for and the kind I inevitably go back to re-read more than once. It’s a novel that serious readers of romantic suspense fiction really don’t want to miss.
I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can read more from from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
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