Romantic Thriller published by Zebra 25 Jan 22
What an explosive launch to a new series from Rebecca Zanetti. Laurel Snow is a child prodigy turned FBI profiler, who hunts serial killers for a living. When an urgent phone call from her mother brings her back home, she finds herself doing her job in her own backyard, even as things get pretty up close and personal.
A serial killer’s dump site has been uncovered near Laurel’s home after a landslide. Laurel’s Uncle Carl is the local police’s only suspect, and, like all small towns, the police chief resents the hell out of an FBI agent muscling in on his turf. Laurel and Huck, the local Fish and Wildlife’s officer assigned to this case, are reluctantly joined at the hip, as they chase down witnesses and clues. The uncovering of his dump site seems to have galvanized the killer and the body count mounts, as does the tension between the FBI, Fish and Wildlife, and local police task force.
This is the first time Laurel has spent significant time in her hometown, and her investigation seems to be hitting close to home as she unearths long-hidden secrets about her own birth and becoming. I really like the insights into the killer’s mind, even as Laurel and Huck are hunting to find him before he can kidnap and kill one more woman.
The cast of characters is fabulous, the plot tight and suspenseful, and the adrenaline flowed as I got personally invested into catching and shutting down the killer. The chemistry between Huck and Laurel is off the charts, and I can’t wait to see where the author takes this series next.
Grade: A
Summary:
Laurel Snow wouldn’t call hunting a serial killer a vacation, but with a pile of dead bodies unearthed near her Genesis Valley, WA, hometown, she’ll take what she can get. Yet something about this case stirs her in unexpected ways. Like the startling connection she feels to Dr. Abigail Caine, a fiercely intelligent witness with a disturbing knack for making Laurel feel like she has something on her. Then there’s Laurel’s attraction to Huck Rivers, the fish and wildlife officer guiding her to the crime scene—and into the wilderness…
A former soldier and a trained sniper, Huck’s thirst for blood is rivaled only by his fierce pursuit of Laurel. He’s been burned by love, wounded by the government, and betrayed before, and to say he has trust issues is the ultimate understatement. Plus, he might be closer to this killer than anybody knows…
Once in the heart of darkness with Huck, Laurel must negotiate her distracting desire for him, her complex rapport with Abigail—and her mission to find a serial killer among a growing list of suspects and a danger that’s far too close to home. So close in fact, Laurel fears she will never find her way back to the woman she once was…
No excerpt available.
