Crime Times Two by Julie Howard
Series: Wild Crime (# 2)
Release Date: October 8, 2018
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Pages: 214
Source: book provided by the author for review
A little bit suspense, a little bit mystery, and a little bit romance…
Meredith knows three things: First, the man in the library begged her to help him. Second, he was afraid of his wife. Third, now he’s dead.
While the evidence first points to a natural death, Meredith is certain there’s more to discover. People are tight-lipped in this small mountain village, and the man’s wife isn’t talking either. Then a second death occurs, with remarkable similarities. It’s time to talk about murder.
As a slow-burning relationship heats up in her own life, Meredith struggles with concepts of love and hate, belief and suspicion, and absolution and guilt. Nothing is clear cut…
She must decide: Is guilt, like evil, something you can choose to believe in?
Review: Crime Times Two was a fast paced and quick read. Having not read the first book in the Wild Crimes series I was a little at a disadvantage but there was enough background information given to keep my interest. The story had a nice flow to it and there were multiple story lines going on that tied together nicely. The characters had a depth to them especially given most of their pasts but they had a strength to them as well. Meredith, a struggling single mom, was stronger than she thought given she had been a victim of domestic abuse but also other things that her husband had put her through. Her two kids were adorable and added another dimension to the story. Meredith’s friend Honey and lifesaver at times, was a force to be reckoned with and she didn’t let anyone tell her no. The ideas she came up with were often far-fetched but still worked out in the end or did they?
There was a small town feel to the story and all the gossip that went with it. Meredith and Curtis, the sheriff, had an attraction to each other but both were moving slowly and often times were fighting their chemistry. The cases he was involved in were the meat of the story and somehow Meredith was involved in them every step of the way. The crimes committed had twists to them and added a layer of suspense. There was anger, tears, hurt, along with real life concerns about bills, housing, cars and meals. There was laughter, making the best of a bad situation, lots of animals, jobs, secrets, some romance and ultimately love. There was some closure but the book ended too abruptly for me. According to Amazon this is a two book series but there were enough loose ends that I could see another book in the future (hint, hint). I liked how the book was separated into parts with a quote preceding each section. The cover was picturesque and helped me visualize the setting and the winding and perilous drive the characters took from one small town in Idaho to another.
Ms. Howard is a new to me author and I look forward to reading more of her books in this genre, especially the first book in this series, Crime and Paradise, which I just purchased.
Favorite Quote: …”Or a little brother. We have two houses too; our big house and our trailer.”
Meredith smiled. Two houses. She’d never considered their state of affairs that way. “We have lots, don’t we?”
