Dark Deception

Author: Nancy Mehl

Series: Defenders of Justice #2

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: June 6, 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A fast paced, gripping story that will leave readers wanting more until the very last page. By far the best I have read by Nancy Mehl.

After surviving an attack by a serial killer four years ago, Kate O’Brien has been living a quiet life in the small town of Shelter Cove, Arkansas in the witness protection program. It has been a struggle to get her life back to something she can be happy with, especially in the beginning when she wanted to end it all.  The man that attacked her has been in prison, but now there is new evidence showing he might not be the murderer.  Kate is subpoenaed to testify in the new trial. Afraid to face her past, Kate refuses to go until Tony DeLuca, the deputy Marshal who was assigned to protect her during the original trial, comes to escort her back.  This is one assignment Tony has no problem taking.  He has had a hard time getting over Kate O’Brien.  She made an impression on him and he hasn’t been able to get her out of his mind.  As Tony arrives and prepares to take Kate back, the case takes an interesting turn that ends up putting both him and Kate in danger.

I have been a fan of Nancy Mehl for a while now and I must say that Dark Deception is her best yet. The character development and the situations they found themselves in were what I enjoyed the most.  Part of it could be that that Kate is a twin and so am I.  Seeing how Kate had to deal with that loss was played out really well.  A few instances with Tony could have been fleshed out better to make him more believable in his role.  But other than that, I don’t have many negatives to say about this book.  The scenes were tight, the characters were written to play out as I felt they actually would, and the suspense was very well written.  It can be difficult writing romantic suspense and find the right balance between the two in order to keep the story flowing just right.  With each book, I feel Mehl is getting better and better at fining that stride and getting the dynamic just right.  I recommend this book to fans of Mehl and romantic suspense novels that will keep you guessing till the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.