Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Hard Rain in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: April 18, 2023
Summary:
In shock and found clinging to a tree branch, Bethany Richter is pulled from thrashing floodwaters that have decimated the town of Garnett, Texas and killed a dozen others.
Six months after solving the murder of a local waitress, Annie McIntyre is working as an apprentice P.I. when she’s handed her first solo case: uncover the identity of the man who rescued Bethany before he was swept downriver.
When Annie’s search turns up a different victim—shot dead, not drowned—Annie questions if the hero they seek is actually a killer.
Flexing her new skills while relying on the wisdom of her eccentric, ex-cop grandfather, the case leads Annie into a web of drug dealers, preachers, and wayward drifters trying to make sense of life after a disaster. Annie’s own convictions are put to the ultimate test as long-held secrets, corruption, and violence are exposed like the ruin that lies beneath receding waters.
My thoughts:
This is the second book in Samantha Jayne Allen’s Annie McIntyre series and somehow, I never got around to reading this one last year when it came out. But with book three, Next of Kin, coming out soon, I knew I had to get to it as we all know I so prefer reading series in order whenever possible!
I really am enjoying this series so far! Both books have been slow burns, but that is totally fine – I actually don’t mind a slower paced mystery every once in a while, especially when you have the tension building steadily throughout, which is totally does. And with this latest one, I found that I was pulled right in from the get-go. While I have never been caught in floodwaters that are described as such in this book, I do experience my fair share of flooding on my street so this right away appealed to me. It’s such a fear of mine to be caught in a catastrophic flood like this and I was hooked!
This is another atmospheric, addicting read and I loved seeing Annie grow, both personally and professionally. She is really coming into her own as an apprentice P.I. and I’m so excited to see the continued character development over the course of this series.
If you love small-town mysteries, lots of secrets and a compelling main character, this is for you! While it can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading the series in order. And be sure to keep an eye out for the next book, Next of Kin, coming out in April.
Books in this series:
- Pay Dirt Road
- Hard Rain
- Next of Kin – due out April 23, 2024
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