Title: Deadly Tides (Misty Pines Mystery #2)
Author: Mary Keliikoa
Pages: 274
Publish: October 24, 2023
Rating: 3/5 stars
Received as an ARC from NetGalley and Mary Keliikoa's publisher, Level Best Books.
This police thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through and will have you questioning everything you know about grief management.
Sheriff Jax Turner is a well-respected cop in Misty Point, Oregon. He's returning from a traumatic case (Misty Pines Mystery #1) and is still dealing with his divorce from Abby, who is an FBI agent, and the death of their 5-year-old daughter.
Jax and Abby's lives will be thrown back together when a surf legend in the town of Misty Pines goes missing, and only his foot is found. They go through many leads: a former surfing competitor turned surfboard business owner, an employee that wanted to make more money, and a scared-straight program for troubled youth - all have motives, and keep adding mud to the already muddy waters.
What I enjoyed about this novel was that you (at least I didn't) see who the killer was and what their motives were. It was heavily implied, but I kept doubting it due to their relationship with everybody. I also enjoyed that the chapters were written in a dual-point-of-view style, which not might be for everyone, but it worked for this story.
I also enjoyed that the story didn't end with Jax and Abby getting back together, to me that was satisfying. Their grief was so impenetrable that they still needed time away in order to, maybe, get back together.
What I didn't like about the novel was that it was very description heavy. I would get bored reading it and would skip a few pages and didn't feel like I was missing much in those few pages.
For not one who reads police thrillers or mysteries, I did really enjoy this novel and I think it is a good stepping stone for getting into police-themed stories.
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