2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 1 book toward her goal of 285 books.
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2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 5 books toward her goal of 265 books.
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Book Review: Catch Your Death by Lissa Marie Redmond

About the Book

When Cold Case Detective Lauren Riley’s partner, Shane Reese, runs into an old friend, he’s invited to a school reunion at a new luxury spa and resort. Lauren’s also invited and it sounds like a perfect weekend getaway, except it brings up painful memories for Reese – like the unsolved murder of his high school friend Jessica Toakese seventeen years earlier.

The prime suspects will be at the reunion. Among those suspects is Reese, who has kept his involvement a secret from Lauren and the entire police force. As the friends reminisce an intense snowstorm traps them inside and tensions rise. After a heated confrontation, one of the party is brutally murdered and Lauren believes it’s connected to Jessica’s death.

But who could the murderer be: the jealous husband; the regretful trophy wife; the abused failed actor; the true crime podcast host; the drunken louse; the insecure millionaire; the desperate spa owner . . . or the Cold Case detective?

My Review

This is such a fabulous series! I live outside of Buffalo, and really enjoy reading locally-set stories – and there aren’t all that many… I’ve reviewed most of the titles in the series on here – you can find them in my back catalog. If you haven’t read the series, you can probably still start with any book and enjoy the major cold case investigation storyline, but you’ll miss out on a lot of the phenomenal character development in the long-term story, and that is really something you don’t want to miss.

I love watching Riley’s character develop, and her relationship with Reese – both interpersonally and professionally – is a big part of that for me. As always, the characters were a huge part of what I enjoyed most about the book. Redmond has a knack for presenting characters who are eminently relatable – for good and for ill – and genuine in their actions and reactions. It makes them very easy to connect with and their stories resonate more strongly as a result. I also loved the concept of a locked room mystery set in a snowstorm, and enjoyed reading her afterword explaining the construct. It’s a favorite genre of mine also, and this contemporary spin on it really worked well here.

Tying the past and present murders in worked really well here also. I like that Redmond didn’t try to run disk timelines but focused instead on presenting the past through the lens of the case notes and interviews. It kept the cold case feel whole also bringing the past and present together. I really loved the way this one ended and cannot wait to see what comes next for the dynamic duo!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.

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