Trail of Deception by Amanda McKinney

In this heart-stopping installment of the On the Edge series, secrets turn deadly as a search and rescue expert and a psychiatrist team up to catch a killer during a dangerous winter storm.

When Aria, a young girl with autism, goes missing, search and rescue expert Beckett Stolle ventures into the swamplands of Texas to track her down.

When he finds the girl, she is alive, sitting next to a corpse painted in blood. Accusations fly, including suspicion that Aria was involved in the macabre murder. Beckett, however, fears this is the work of a notorious serial killer, turning his rescue mission into a hunt for a murderer. But every clue leads back to Aria, who has secrets of her own—something her psychiatrist, Jo Bellerose, sympathizes with on a very deep and dangerous level.

As an ice storm descends on Texas, Jo partners with Beckett, a handsome ex-military outdoorsman, to prove Aria’s innocence and find the real killer before another victim is slain. The two get trapped in the wilderness, where their professional relationship morphs into something intensely personal.

And the danger headed their way is one they never saw coming.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the On the Edge series!
For book one, Buried Deception, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

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Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
~ Also Available with KindleUnlimited ~

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

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

Jo is a local psychiatrist who knows that her past trauma has caused her to hide in this sleepy town. But when women start getting murdered, Jo will need to draw on all of her expertise to figure out who is hunting in her town.

Beckett is a self-proclaimed no lover person. He loves his town and knows that when someone is hunting women and killing them, he has to find out who and protect the people of his town. With Beckett as a self-proclaimed bachelor, it was quite difficult for me to switch over to him falling head over heels for Jo.

Aria is a bit of a mystery in this story. She's an autistic teen who happens upon a body from the murderer. Questions arise about whether or not Aria is capable of committing such a heinous crime or if she is a victim herself.

The story is semi-fast-paced, until it isn't. The author kind of puts the breaks on and tries to create a romance within the suspense. I didn't really like how Jo and Beckett's relationship "developed." It didn't feel very organic. Jo doesn't notice Beckett until she does, Beckett falls in love fairly quickly and somehow, they figure out the mystery of the town.

Overall, while the beginning was much more fast-paced, I felt that the whole romance detracted from the suspense and mystery. It was just an okay read for me.

 

 

AMANDA MCKINNEY is the author of more than twenty romantic-suspense, mystery, and action-and-adventure novels. Her books have received over fifteen literary awards and nominations. She lives in Arkansas with her handsome husband, two beautiful boys, and three obnoxious dogs and enjoys hiking, daydreaming, and very dirty martinis (on occasion, all three at the same time).

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ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of Trail of Deception (On the Edge #2) by Amanda McKinney to read and review.