Ashes and Bone

by Stacy Green

[kimbacaffeinate]

Green continues to flesh out the characters in this small-town and gives us a list of suspects that kept me guessing. Her characters are colorful, and I enjoyed them from their southern charm to their secrets. Jaymee and Dani together spell trouble as they decide to investigate on their own. Green gives us a few chapters from Nick’s perspective which only intensified the search for him. Old suspects and characters are woven into the tale, and I loved how she pieced together aspects from each book.

Ashes of Bone was an intense mystery with threads that led us from corrupt politics to ties to the Dixie Mafia. Green writes engaging mysteries and weaves in past southern history and artifacts which I found fascinating. Jaymee and Dani are in the thick of things, and, despite getting into trouble, they are quite the crime stoppers. I enjoy the banter between these two. The romance which has been building throughout the trilogy and is very low key, with moments of reflection and tenderness but I fear those reading this as a standalone won’t connect. For that reason, I strongly recommend reading these books in order. Some of the action scenes were over the top, but Green did create a base for them with subtle hints and foreshadowing. There were a few minor discrepancies that threw me out of the book that did not pertain to the mystery. For example, Nick remarks on the scent of Jaymee’s hair when he pulls her close. Romantic right? But each time the scent was different and yes it struck me right away. Green did a wonderful job of threading the stories to the overall ARC of the story. She tied up loose ends and answered those niggling questions I had. Ashes and Bone was a satisfying conclusion to this series, and I will miss visiting Roselea.

Fans of romantic suspense and mystery nestled in southern charm and history will enjoy Ashes and Bone and the entire Delta Crossroads trilogy. I look forward to Stacy Green’s next endeavor.

Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer