Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is the second book in this fast paced mystery/thriller that can be read as a stand alone. I haven’t read the first book, and while I probably would have enjoyed the book even more had I read it first, I don’t feel like I missed out on anything or had trouble following the story. There was plenty of backstory in the book to fill me in on what happened in book 1.

The book is told from three people’s point of view – Cara, an Anchorage detective who’s husband and son died in a terrible accident; Ellie – an older woman with a colorful past who just found out her estranged son died of an apparent overdose; and Mia, a young girl that was raised in a remote off-the-grid village of women and children in hiding from abusive men. Initially the reader doesn’t understand how the women related to each other, but as Cara investigates what she now believes was the murder of her husband and son, evidence begins to click into place.

I liked Cara – she was smart, determined and not easily discouraged or swayed. Her new relationship with Point Mettier police officer J.B., which apparently began in book one, was a sweet relief in the otherwise tension-filled book. Ellie is the epitome of a bad-ass woman that is nobody’s fool and takes no prisoners. She’s lived a hard life, but has finally found a place of peace, acceptance , and self-worth. All of that is put into jeopardy when her abusive felon ex-husband tracks her down. Mia was probably the least fleshed-out character. She lived a sheltered life in her village, but her intelligence and hard work ethic saw her making her own way in “Man’s World”. That is, until her innocent act of trusting the wrong person put her life at risk.

The book dragged a bit in the middle, and the ending seemed a bit rushed, but overall, I liked the characters and story and will read more books in this series if it continues.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.