SUSPENSE SISTERS: Pearl River

Marji Laine here.

Since reading Counter Attack a few months ago, the first book in the Pearl River series, I have been so excited, anticipating book 2 of the series. I was not disappointed.

Fatal Witness starts off like a rocket. I was gripped from the first sentence from the perspective of a frightened child. The twists and turns in this story carried me along like a roller coaster. And I love how Patricia Bradley teases with false security from time to time.

She has a rhythm to her writing that gives just enough tension before allowing for a breath. I found myself heaving great sighs at the end of each suspenseful scene.

The characters of Danielle Bennet and Mark Lassiter are strong protagonists, especially against a large cast of possible enemies. And yes, I think I had almost everyone on my suspect list at one time or other. And no, I didn’t see the ending coming! Well done, Patricia Bradley!

However, I have to mention some charming secondary characters who practically stole the show. Gem, the German Shepherd police dog who belongs to Mark is delightfully playful when she’s not “working.” And Lizi, Dani’s Puli, is intriguing. I had to stop and find pictures of a Puli to fully see this dog in my mind’s eye. They really do resemble a group of four mops with a moppish head. I have no idea how they see through all of those dreadlocks, but they are darling! Patricia Bradley has a talent for details that makes her stories come to life in a unique way!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one other character – so detailed in her description that I feel I know her. Mae Richmond is a septuagenarian potter who insists on living alone in her mountain home above Pearl Springs. She’s firey and direct, but full of compassion and devotion for her friends and family. What a spark to add to this story! I LOVED her.

In fact, I loved everything about this story. Except when I got to the end and there was no more to read! I’m anxiously awaiting book 3 from Pearl Springs!

Here’s a little more about Fatal Witness:

As a child, artist and potter Dani Bennett witnessed the brutal murder of her parents. With no memory of the incident or her true identity, she was forced to take on a new name and a new life, hidden away in Montana for the past 25 years.

Mae Richmond has spent the same stretch of time searching for her granddaughter, who went missing the night her daughter and son-in-law were murdered. Convinced the woman she saw in a pottery magazine feature is the woman she's been searching for, she enlists the help of K-9 officer Mark Lassiter of Pearl Springs, Tennessee, who tracks Dani down.

Skeptical but curious, Dani sets out on a journey to uncover the secrets of her past and reclaim her true identity. But someone close to her is determined to keep the truth of what happened all those years ago hidden.

Fatal Witness is available in e-book as well as paperback and also as an Audible audiobook. I highly recommend the audiobook! Tantor Audio always does an outstanding job on their books and narrator, Ann Richardson, is downright brilliant with her renderings of the characters!

You can find Fatal Witness at all major bookstores, but here is the Amazon link.