Deadly Tides is the second of two books in a series (hopefully more to follow), subtitled "A Misty Pines Mystery" by Mary Keliikoa. For the last couple months, I've been on a delightful walkabout in fiction and non-fiction books which are beyond this blog's usual murder mystery genre, and it's nice to be back to the format I know so well. The fictional venue of Misty Pines is along the relatively uninhabited Oregon Coast. Abby Kanekoa, an FBI agent, was once married to Sheriff Jax Turner, but the death of their daughter due to leukemia, turned their lives upside down and their marriage did not survive their grief. Meanwhile, both Abby and Jax continued to work in their law enforcement roles although Abby moved to be in a nearby town in order to escape the constant memories of their daughter which were evoked in Misty Pines. So, Abby and Jax did not typically have direct interactions with one another.
Meanwhile, Abby's troubles continued when her mother, Dora Michaels, developed early onset Alzheimer's and had to be put in a nursing home. As her disease progressed, so did the frequency of her wondering away from the nursing home where her supervision was loose. She was found wondering on a remote beach, having found a severed foot and a belt buckle that she was intent on keeping. Then other missing persons were uncovered and there was another body whose foot had been removed. Although the case originated in Misty Pines, so Jax was involved, because of the suspicion of a serial killer, the FBI was called in. Jax and Abby had to work together, and it turned out that it had been Abby who had stopped attending their ongoing marital therapy sessions. One of the missing persons was a legendary surfer who was known to be great at shaping and creating new surfboards, and he had his own surf shop. He was thought to have designed a new board that was bound to be a big hit among surfers. However, the blueprints for the new board were missing. A second legendary surfer who had been bested by the first in their biggest contests, became the leading suspect in the missing person case. His own surf shop was struggling financially and needed a new product, like the design of other man's new board.
Keliikoa was successful in creating a great cast of characters, and the main plot as well as the fate of Abby's mother and her relationship with Jax were tightly woven into a strong and engaging story. This book gets my strong recommendation. So, I'll be off to read the first book in the series, Hidden Pieces, as well as waiting for the author's third installment.
No comments:
Post a Comment