Series Review: Secrets Of Shadow Falls by Maggie Shayne

Series:  Secrets Of Shadow Falls

Genre:  Romance, Suspense

Publisher: Harlequin/Mira

Author Website: http://www.maggieshayne.com

Format I Read:  ebook

How I Got It:  reviewed for Net Galley

Killing Me Softly-Book #1

Published: July 2010

Pages:  384

Read an excerpt

Book Summary:

The Nightcap Strangler, who terrorized the town of Shadow Falls sixteen years ago, has finally been executed. Case closed. Until Bryan Kendall's lover is murdered in the notorious killer's unique style and the rookie cop stands accused. Has someone committed the perfect copycat crime…or was the wrong man put to death?

A continent away, Dawn Jones hears that her first love has been accused of murder and knows that only she can help him. But to do so, she'll have to face the very fears that drove them apart.

Together they'll work to uncover secrets someone's willing to kill to keep, and renew a love as dangerous as it is inevitable. And their best lead is the girl found dead in Bryan's bed, reeking of the whiskey poured down her throat before her killer squeezed it shut.

A killer who thinks that Dawn, too, could use one last drink…

Mini Review:

This is the first book that I have read by Maggie Shayne, and I really liked the story.  It had drama and mystery and kept me glued to the pages. 

Dawn was not a favorite character for me because she appeared to be self absorbed.  Sure she had some issues, and although she had a supporting family, she chose to run from them and her problems.  There was so much talk of her ghost whispering skills and I was disappointed that I didn't get to see them in action.

Bryan I immediately liked. He was a good guy and it was obvious that he wasn't the killer.  His relationship with Dawn was strained, but I thought they made an excellent investigation team.  Their constant efforts to clear Bryan's name also helped put their relationship back on track and provided a great HEA.

I was very surprised to find out who the killer was.  Maggie Shayne did an excellent job on making me think I knew what was about to happen, but I really didn't.

Kiss Me, Kill Me, Book #2

Published: August 2010

Pages:  400

Read excerpt

Book Summary:

I'm not who they say I am.

Trust me.

But can she?

Reclusive novelist Aaron Westhaven, a man she's admired—and more—for years, has accepted Olivia Dupree's invitation to speak at a local fundraiser. But the day he's due to arrive, she gets a call summoning her to the bedside of a John Doe whose sole possession is her business card.

Can this undeniably compelling man—survivor of an execution-style gunshot wound—really be the novelist the lonely Olivia has grown to think of as a near soul mate? If not, he can be in Shadow Falls for only one reason: to kill her.

Olivia, too, has secrets. And discovering the truth about the man in the hospital bed means dredging up her own past—a past she's been hiding from for sixteen years.

Mini Review:

The story started out kinda slow but quickly picked up the pace.  It takes place a few weeks after the events of Killing Me Softly.  We get to know Olivia, a character that was instrumental in helping to clear Bryan's name.

In this book, Olivia, who I thought was a strong character before, had me questioning her actions.  It's understandable, because her carefully structured cover has been blown and now her past has come back to kill her.  The missing pieces of Olivia's past that weren't revealed in the first book makes me understand why she had to stay in hiding.

I liked the story, but at times I found it hard to believe that she really trusted “Aaron” despite the fact that neither knew if he was really the person she thought him to be.  

I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see enough of Bryan.  I figured that Olivia would at least trust the sexy police officer and his ghost whispering wife because they actually were good at getting answers.  But with "Aaron" watching her back, I almost didn't miss Bryan.

 “Aaron” was a mysterious, but likable character from the start. I wasn’t sure who or what he’d turn out to be, but I was very happy with the outcome.  Again, Maggie Shayne did an excellent job of confusing me and providing a great mystery.