Now Blondell's son, Niall, has recanted his testimony and demolished the case in the process. Reporter Nikki Gillette is determined to get the true story, and not just for professional reasons. Blondell's murdered daughter, Amity, was Nikki's childhood friend. The night she died, Amity begged Nikki to meet with her, insisting she had a secret to tell, but Nikki didn't go. Her guilt is compounded by other complications--Nikki's favorite uncle, Alexander, was the attorney who helped save Blondell from execution. And rumors swirl that he was one of her many lovers.
Nikki's fiancé, Detective Pierce Reed, is concerned she may be compromising the case. As she digs for answers during one of the most sweltering summers in Savannah's history, he also worries for her safety. Everyone involved seems to have secrets, from Blondell's old boyfriend and his fundamentalist, snake-handling in-laws to the cop who led the original investigation. And somehow, the events of that tragic night connect to Nikki's own fractured family. But now the killing has begun again. Is Amity's murderer still at large, or is this a new, darker danger? Soon Nikki will discover what really happened twenty years ago, but the answers may come too late to save her life. . .
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
June 25th 2013
by Kensington
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Kristine's Thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised to find this book in my mailbox sent to me from Kensington Press. Thank you! In exchange for the unexpected but much appreciated gift I will give my honest thoughts.
This is book #3 in the Savannah series but can be read as a stand alone. References are made about events from the previous books but it does not impact the story.
I thought that the story started out strong with lots of potential. A twenty year old case in which a mother was convicted of killing one of her children and injuring her other two isn't all it appears to be. When her son recants his original story it looks like she may go free. Is she guilty or innocent? This is what I was asking myself. I was excited to dig into the past with Nikki and get the answers.
Once I got into the story it fizzled a bit for me. It dragged in places and was too drawn out for my liking. There were a lot of players within the pages and I found it a bit confusing trying to keep them all straight. It wasn't that it was awful just a little too long. I think that if parts of the story were shortened or even cut out it would have made for a more exciting read. Also I feel the need to mention that I hate snakes of any shape or size whether they are harmless or not and there were more snakes in this story than I cared to read about!
I thoroughly enjoyed Nikki and Reed's characters and I absolutely loved Reed's partner. There were too many other characters for me to become invested in. In fact as the story progressed and I was trying to figure out who the murderer was if it wasn't Blondell, I didn't really care which character it turned out to be.
In the end it was an average to good story and I liked it enough that I plan to check out more of Jackson's work. There were a few road bumps in the book but still a worthy read.
About the Author
Lisa Jackson
and her sister, Nancy Bush, grew up in a small timber town in Oregon.
She attended Oregon State University and later worked in the banking
industry. In 1983, Jackson's first novel, A Twist of Fate, was published by Silhouette Books. Currently, Jackson writes contemporary romantic suspense novels for Kensington Books and medieval romantic suspense novels for Onyx Books. Her books regularly place high on the New York Times, USA Today and Publisher's Weekly best seller lists.
Her novel Shiver won the Rendevous Rosebud Award, and If She Only Knew was a finalist for the Reviewer's International Organization Dorothy Parker Award for Excellence for Best Suspense Novel.
Jackson has been nominated twice for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, winning in 2005 in the Best Medieval Romance category for Temptress.
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