Purgatory Bay by Bryan Gruley

Twelve years ago, her life was torn apart. Now those who wronged her will pay.

Jubilee Rathman is a straight-A student and star soccer goalie destined for Princeton—until her family is brutally murdered. Twelve years later, she lives in a virtual fortress on Purgatory Bay near Bleak Harbor, plotting revenge on the people she considers responsible.

In her crosshairs is former reporter Michaela “Mikey” Deming, who Jubilee believes got her family in trouble with the Detroit mob. As retribution, Jubilee kidnaps Mikey’s sister and daughter, and that’s just the start in her ruthless quest for justice.

Bleak Harbor police chief Katya Malone, still reeling from her failure to find a kidnapped boy, leads the investigation. She’s determined to keep history from repeating, but Jubilee is more cunning than Malone can imagine.

All Mikey and Katya can do is follow Jubilee’s dangerous trail of clues. But in Bleak Harbor, nothing is what it seems, and no one can be trusted. As an ominous end draws ever nearer, the women must face the misdeeds of the past to find the kidnapping victims before it’s too late.

Book 2
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/F Thriller
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

This is really a story about Jubilee Rathman. Her father worked for a notorious mob boss and when it becomes apparent that he might want out, his entire family is killed, leaving behind Jubilee and her brother, Joshua. Joshua is badly injured in the attempt on their family and Jubilee is left with the responsibility of helping her brother and moving forward.

When tragedy strikes, Jubilee is unable to move forward with much. She is so wrapped up in her anger and hurt that it consumes her. She can only focus on her next mission and how it will help her feel that she has gotten what she needs. Jubilee's plot is incredibly complex and while she might have had a great plan, her execution is not on point.

While Gruley writes an intriguing story, I found it somewhat confusing at times. There are so many different characters that make up this plot and it was not always apparent who was talking. Also, while I can understand Jubilee's vengeful heart, the protagonist also has some sort of trauma in her past, but we never truly see what it was or get the full picture. Also, there is an underlying love triangle/story that seemed like it was just in there but had no real substance.

This was entertaining and well written, but it was slightly jumbled and the ending was somewhat anticlimactic for me.

Bryan Gruley is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Bleak Harbor and the award-winning Starvation Lake trilogy of novels. He is also a lifelong journalist who is proud to have shared in the Pulitzer Prize awarded to the staff of the Wall Street Journal for their coverage of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Gruley lives in Chicago with his wife, Pam. You can learn more by visiting his website.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Purgatory Bay (Bleak Harbor #2) by Bryan Gruley to read and review.