Read Between the Lines (Coastal Investigation, Book Two, #2)

by Sheila Kell

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read Between the Lines is the second book in the Coastal Chronicles series.  Although a different mystery features in this instalment, readers will gain more by reading Deadly Betrayal first. In Read Between the Lines, Kell delivered another interesting and fast-paced tale of murder, with romance and family drama served on the side.

JD and Cassie are basking in their newness of their rekindled relationship after several years of separation when a new case lands in their laps. This new case involves a bestselling mystery author, Missy Sauvage, and an old friend of Cassie's. Someone is committing murders in the same vein as noted in Missy's latest release. This placed her on the FBI's suspect list. Now it's up to Cassie and JD to find the real killer before they strike again.

The tale which unfolded was engaging. The author provided a sample of the intricacies of the indie publishing world. One sees how helpful beta readers are to authors by helping them to fine tune their book. In Missy's case, though, a beta reader may have carried their help too far. The challenge facing JD and Cassie is to discover if a beta reader is actually responsible or is someone else involved.

The appearance of Cassie's ex-husband added brought more tension in the story. In this instalment, readers gets a clearer picture behind the reason she divorced him. 

The killer's POV added another layer of intrigue to the story. One can tell this person believed in what they were doing. Also, they saw their kills as an act of love, which Missy would appreciate.  I like the fact that although I suspected the villain's identity, I couldn't confirm it until the author made the revelation. Unlike Deadly Betrayal, Read Between the Lines gave us more of JD and Cassie's relationship.  I loved how their relationship blossomed even in the face of jealousy and interferences from the ex-husbands and ex-girlfriends. Also, it was nice to see JD bonding with his son.

Overall, this was a solid sequel. The story wrapped up nicely with a lovely ending. Not sure if there will be more stories featuring this couple, but I wouldn't mind if the author continues with the series.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading