Book Review: The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey

The Killing Tide (Coastal Guardians #1). Dani Pettrey. Bethany House (2019). 347 pages. Genre: Romantic Suspense, Christian Fiction.

First Line: "Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Fire ripped through Finn's right shoulder, ricocheting down his arm."

Summary (Goodreads): A Corpse That Only Leads to Secrets. 

An Old Flame with Danger Written all over Her.

Things Are about to Get Very Complicated.

When one Coast Guard officer is found dead and another goes missing, Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Finn Walker faces his most dangerous crime yet. His only clues are what little evidence remains aboard the dead officer's boat, and the direction the clues point to will test Finn and the Guard to their limits.

The already volatile situation is complicated even further by the arrival of Gabby Rowley--Finn's boss's sister and an investigative reporter with unrelenting questions about the crime. Now that she's returned, the tug on Finn's heart is strong, but with the risks she's taking for her next big story, he fears she might not live through it.

Thrown together by the heinous crime, Finn and Gabby can't ignore the sparks or judgments flying between them. But will they be able to see past their preconceptions long enough to track down an elusive killer, or will they become his next mark?

My thoughts:  Dani Pettrey is an author I have not read before, so it took me several chapters to get into the flow of the story.  But once I did, I couldn't read it fast enough.  

The investigative team involved in the series is the Coast Guard Investigative Service, so much of the action takes place on the water.  The book opens with a heart-wrenching rescue scene that goes bad followed by a chase scene through the streets of downtown.  The difficulty for me came in keeping the characters straight and feeling like I was missing something.  This didn't last long and I wasn't missing anything, the author was just revealing some of the characters' past and it caused to wonder if these characters had been in another book.  They weren't and more of the past story emerged as this story proceeded.  

Each of the members of the team plays a unique role.  I really enjoyed getting to know each of them and cared about them.  This story is primarily Finn and Gabby's, but we get to know the other characters as well.  I especially enjoyed scenes where the team would meet to go over the evidence gathered.  It gave me an NCIS (the tv show) vibe and helped to pull things together.  

Finn is likeable hero who is flawed, but takes his job seriously.  He cares about his team members and doesn't like to leave anyone behind.  Gabby is head-strong and driven and often took unnecessary risks just to get a story.  She seemed selfish at times, but just when I was thinking I didn't like her too much, she would check herself and realize she had been acting selfishly and correct it.  Being a reporter, her involvement in the investigation seemed a little unrealistic, but the author did a good job of providing an explanation.  

Figuring out if and how the two storylines intersected kept me guessing.  There were plenty of suspects, many of whom the team hoped weren't involved.  There were so many twists and surprises, it was hard to put the book down.  

I enjoyed this one so much that I immediately started on the second book in the series.  It picks up just a few weeks after this one.  If you are looking for edge-of-your-seat suspense with some great characters and some romance, give this series a try.

Quotes:

"Did she always put the story above all else? And did that include everyone? Did she put the story before God and His will for her life? She always assumed the pursuit of truth was what He wanted for her life, but she'd never actually prayed and asked Him to reveal His will.  She preferred to assume the insatiable drive in her - the urge to discover the truth - was created in her from the start."

"The moonlight shone through the upper windowpane, a cool breeze sweeping through the lower screen.  The air was growing heavy - the sign of another storm rolling in."

"The scent of corn bread and fresh chili swirled in the air, mixing with the burnt coffee smell that Gabby insisted was the worst way to describe the wonderful smell of roasting coffee beans emanating from the gold roasting machine."