Shadow Ridge by M E Browning

Shadow Ridge

by M E Browning

Death is one click away when a string of murders rocks a small Colorado town in the first mesmerizing novel in M. E. Browning's A Jo Wyatt Mystery series.

Echo Valley, Colorado, is a place where the natural beauty of a stunning river valley meets a budding hipster urbanity. But when an internet stalker is revealed to be a cold-blooded killer in real life the peaceful community is rocked to its core.

It should have been an open-and-shut case: the suicide of Tye Horton, the designer of a cutting-edge video game. But Detective Jo Wyatt is immediately suspicious of Quinn Kirkwood, who reported the death. When Quinn reveals an internet stalker is terrorizing her, Jo is skeptical. Doubts aside, she delves into the claim and uncovers a link that ties Quinn to a small group of beta-testers who had worked with Horton. When a second member of the group dies in a car accident, Jo's investigation leads her to the father of a young man who had killed himself a year earlier. But there's more to this case than a suicide, and as Jo unearths the layers, a more sinister pattern begins to emerge--one driven by desperation, shame, and a single-minded drive for revenge.

As Jo closes in, she edges ever closer to the shattering truth--and a deadly showdown that will put her to the ultimate test.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

3.5 of 5 stars

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I received a copy of Shadow Ridge in exchange for a fair and honest review.

M.E. Browning's new novel, Shadow Ridge, is the beginning to a whole new series; Jo Wyatt Mysteries. Personally, I love nabbing a mystery series right at the beginning, so I couldn't be more excited about this.

Just because a location is full of stunning scenery doesn't automatically mean that it is safe. Take Echo Valley, Colorado, for example. A place full of natural beauty. And yet there is still a stalker and killer on the loose.

That's where Detective Jo Wyatt comes into play. While investigating one seemingly simple murder case, she quickly discovered ties to several other older deaths. All of which result in the concerning conclusion: there's a serial killer in her jurisdiction.

A brand new series focused on a competent and tough as nails female Detective? Yes, please! I knew right away that I just had to read Shadow Ridge, and I was not disappointed by what I found inside.

Detective Jo Wyatt is every bit the Detective I was hoping she would be. And I swear I'm not just saying that because of her name (those that know me will understand that particular joke). In all seriousness though, I'm psyched that this appears to be the first of many novels surrounding her character.

Honestly, my only complaint on that front is that it felt like we knew more about Jo Wyatt than we actually did. Sort of like we were starting in the middle. Which in a way is fine, as we don't automatically need to see her rising through the ranks to Detective. Still, I wouldn't have minded knowing more.

There are a couple of other points that I would love to make about Shadow Ridge. For starters, M.E. Browning spent twenty-two years on the force, according to her Goodreads biography. So right away that explains a lot about the details and tone of this novel. She clearly pulled in a lot of personal experience here, and it made a world of a difference.

The other piece I want to talk about is the focus on games. It's actually quite refreshing, and something I really enjoyed (also, as somebody who religiously follows several Twitch streamers, it tickled my fancy).

Shadow Ridge is an atmospheric read. The haunting elements of murders and cover-ups are balanced perfectly with Jo Wyatt's blunt and driven personality. For that reason, I sincerely cannot wait to see what the next installment in this series looks like.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 7 December, 2020: Finished reading
  • 7 December, 2020: Reviewed