He's back at Cardwell Ranch
to find a killer.
Ford Cardwell is shocked when his college crush calls him
out of the blue -- even more so when he hears a gunshot. But when he joins
forces with medical examiner Henrietta "Hitch" Rogers, she makes him
wonder if the random call was a setup -- not a murder. Together, they'll need
to discover the truth, but looking into the case will put them in the sights of
a killer.
Good book. The book opens as Ford, on his way home after
leaving the military and haunted by his experiences, comes close to ending his
pain by driving off a cliff. Stopped by the ringing of his cellphone, he is
shocked to hear a woman scream and then a gunshot. When he realizes the call
came from his college crush, Rachel (who married his best friend), he calls the
cops and rushes to Rachel's side. But, when he discovers she'd been badly beaten
before killing her husband, he doesn't know what to think.
Henrietta, aka "Hitch," is a state medical examiner
assigned to the case by the governor. Unfortunately, the dead man's father is a
bigwig, and she's under a lot of pressure to solve the case quickly. Though the
local sheriff believes it's a clear-cut case of self-defense, Hitch isn't so
sure. Something doesn't feel right.
The suspense of this story was great. Hitch considers
that "butt-dial" call suspicious from the get-go, while Ford believes
it was accidental. Though the two butt heads at the beginning, it isn't long
before Hitch's suspicions have their effect on Ford. As Hitch uncovers more
suspicious activity, Ford joins her in her pursuit of the truth. There were
quite a few twists as they considered if Rachel had an accomplice and, if she
did, who it was. Just when I thought I had it figured out, someone new would
appear on the scene. The tension ramped up when both Hitch and Ford experienced
attempts on their lives. I never suspected the person finally identified as
Rachel's partner. The final confrontation was a nail-biter to the very end when
karma came for Rachel.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Ford
and Hitch. Once they got past their initial suspicion and antagonism, both
noticed sparks of another kind. I loved seeing them work together and get to
know each other along the way. Ford discovered that when he was with Hitch, the
numbness that he'd felt since the crash began to fade, and his emotions came
roaring back. Hitch had pretty much given up on relationships. She found that
she intimidates a lot of men, and her job hours are irregular at best. I loved their
interchange after their first kiss: "You don't find me too scary,
then?" "Oh, I wouldn't say that," he chuckled... I liked that
each recognized their feelings and continued to get to know each other in the aftermath
of the case. The epilogue was excellent, as Ford took Hitch home to Cardwell
Ranch to meet the family.
No comments:
Post a Comment