The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey
When one Coast Guard officer is found dead and another goes missing, Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Finn Walker faces his most dangerous crime yet. His only clues are what little evidence remains aboard the dead officer's boat, and the direction the clues point to will test Finn and the Guard to their limits.
When investigative reporter--and Finn's boss's sister--Gabby Rowley arrives, her unrelenting questions complicate an already volatile situation. Now that she's back, the tug on Finn's heart is strong, but with the risks she's taking for her next big story, he fears she might not live through it.
Thrown together by the heinous crime, Finn and Gabby can't ignore the sparks or judgments flying between them. But will they be able to see past their preconceptions long enough to track down an elusive killer, or will they become his next mark?
About the author
Dani Pettrey is the bestselling author of the Chesapeake Valor series and the Alaskan Courage series and winner of the 2016 National Readers' Choice Award for Inspirational Novel, the 2014 Daphne du Maurier Award for Inspirational Novel, and the 2014 Christian Retailing's Best Award for Suspense. She and her husband reside in the Washington, DC, metro area. She can be found online at www.danipettrey.com.
Review
I really enjoyed the tense and taut action and crime sections of ‘The Killing Tide’ and is a great start to a brand new series from Dani. It is based around the Coast Guard Investigative Section in the South of America with elements of romance as well. It throws you deep into the action when the main character, investigative journalist Gabby falls victim to an attempt on her life. She recently caused a huge drug operation to be foiled and it’s leader is out for retribution. Due to this she returns to the bosom of her family in Wilmington to ensure her safety but as she as she arrives part of her brothers team at CGIS is found shot and another is missing at sea. What follows is a story packed with action!
As much as I liked this book there were a few elements which I struggled with - it was quite a chaotic opening couple of chapters with numerous characters thrown at you without a lot of background information. I would have preferred a longer book which padded this out a bit more, especially when it’s the start of a series. I actually had to double check that I hadn’t missed a previous book as I assumed I was missing out on information which I felt I needed. I also felt that having 90 odd % of the bad guys being POC might have been a bad idea as in my mind this reinforces stereotypes that as a society we should be challenging.
Despite this there were many excellent parts to this book - the scenes sent in the water were full of high tension, drama and set my heart racing. I love being in the sea and learning to scuba dive is one of my aims next year! But I know you have to respect the water and this definitely came across in the narrative the whole way through. I was entertained by this book and I read it in one sitting. The characters I was intrigued with most were Finn and Rissi, as they were well drawn with great background stories. Rissi is the focus on the next book in the series actually!
Let me know your thoughts on this one if you read it!
