⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? No doubt. Another exciting suspense thriller from one of my favourite authors that will keep you up late at night until the very end.

Bounty hunter Elle Randolph takes on every case she can, in an effort to outrun herself. Three years ago, she was the only one who walked away from a car crash that killed her husband and two others. Although she was cleared of any wrongdoing, she is fueled by guilt and dedicated to solving other people’s problems. But her running is over when she’s identified as a person of interest in a murder investigation.

Detective Ronan Clarke, a single dad for fifteen years, has been laser-focused on raising his daughter and serving the people of Mendocino County, California. He’s got everything under control—until a bounty hunter enters his jurisdiction, keeping secrets and bringing murder to his quiet town. The hunter is definitely involved in his current case, but exactly how is his question. Could she be his killer? As he unravels her secrets, he becomes increasingly troubled by what he finds. While Elle is forced to reexamine every painful memory of the life she left behind, Ronan grows more and more sure of her innocence. But can he trust himself to uncover the truth amid their growing attraction?

MY THOUGHTS

I loved the interactions between Elle and Ronan and Sara, especially Elle’s inability to lie to the hot police officer and Sara getting upset with her about it. It felt so real and illustrated part of Elle’s generous character perfectly.

Ronan and Elle had fantastic chemistry and provided much-needed lighter interludes to give everyone, the reader included, a bit of a break. Elle was still struggling to figure out where she fit in after everything that had happened to her. Ronan just wanted to do his job properly and protect the people of his town. They had an instant attraction and struggled to keep things completely professional.

I loved all these characters. They were well-developed and each one contributed an important part to the story. The plot flowed steadily and provided more than enough excitement, fear, and tension. I was close-ish in my guess of the murderer’s identity.

This is the book for you if you like small town murder mysteries, with edge-of-your seat suspense, found family, and a heartwarming romance. This is part of a big romantic suspense series but stands well on its own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Suspense, Romance
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Book 34 of Romantic Suspense