Enemies become lovers in a race to stop a killer. When another woman’s body is found near the Carson Meadows Trail, Sheriff Zane North realizes the killer he’s been hunting is still on the loose. As he digs deeper into the case, he doesn’t expect to fall for his chief suspect’s sister. Can he stop the killer before he strikes again, and save the love of his life?
Deadly Devotion: Callahan County Cold Case Book Two
By cindimyers
“Deadly Devotion” by Cindi Myers is book 2 of the Callahan County Cold Case trilogy and continues the mystery of who killed Mallory Jameson introduced in the first book, “Saving the Sister”.
Sheriff Zane North needs to solve this cold case and is revisiting old files and talking to people who might remember something about Mallory. This leads him to Ashley Alexander, whose brother dated Mallory and whose father was accused of her murder.
But now someone is leaving notes and putting the Alexander family front and center again.
Zane and Ashley share an instant attraction, but finding out who is sending threatening letters has to take priority.
“Deadly Devotion” is a breathless ride as we wonder if the killer has been right in front of us all along.
Second book in the series and just as gripping as the first. The Callahan County sheriff’s department is still working to solve the fifteen-year-old cold case of Mallory Jameson’s murder. Leads are nearly non-existent, so the sheriff and his deputies have gone back to the beginning and are re-interviewing previous suspects and persons of interest. One of those people is Dylan Alexander, Mallory’s former boyfriend, and son of the man who many believed killed her. The Alexander family suffered a lot during that time, which has left Dylan wary and his sister Ashley bitter. She doesn’t react well when the sheriff shows up to interview Dylan yet again.
I liked Zane. He is dedicated, experienced, and smart. He is confident in his department’s abilities, but also smart enough to use the outside resources that are available to him. He is also very professional, with an underlying kindness. It’s clear that protecting the people of Diamond Springs is essential to him. I loved how he handled Ashley’s hostility when he showed up to question Dylan. He knew the history behind her attitude and didn’t let it bother him.
I liked Ashley too. She is understandably cynical about law enforcement after everything that her family went through. Trusting anyone doesn’t come easily, and she tends to keep most people at a distance. She is very protective of her brother and initially tends to jump to conclusions whenever Zane shows up at their house. She is also observant and intelligent and provides some fascinating insight during Zane’s investigations.
Ashley and Zane had an immediate connection. It was amusing to see Zane’s rather flummoxed reaction the first time he saw her, and how it took him a minute to remember why he was there. Ashley reacted to him, also, but her distrust dampened the initial effects. Zane was determined not to give in to the attraction while working on the investigation, but as time went on, it was clear that he was fighting a losing battle. When Dylan’s fiancée, Kerri Lynn, received a letter similar to the ones that Mallory and Lauren received, Zane wondered if they were dealing with the killer, a copycat, or someone playing a cruel prank. As other letters show up around town, including one to Ashley, she and Zane don’t have much opportunity to act on their growing feelings, though there are some sweet scenes of them together.
The suspense in this book is even more intense than in the previous one. The death of another young woman increases the tension around town and in the sheriff’s department. While there appear to be connections to the earlier events, something about this one raises doubts in Zane’s mind. I loved following the investigation and the twists and turns before it was finally solved. The ending was a nail-biter as Ashley ended up in the cross-hairs of a desperate killer. I was impressed with her ability to remain reasonably calm and take an active part in her own rescue. I loved her confidence that Zane would reach her in time. The epilogue was great, and an excellent way of showing the Alexander siblings moving on with their lives.
The secondary characters played essential parts in the story. Dylan, of course, as a person of interest because of his association with both Mallory and the recently murdered woman. I liked his confidence that Zane would treat him fairly, and his attempts to get Ashley to lighten up on Zane. The sheriff’s department secretary, Cheri, flat out irritated me. Even in the first book I wondered why Zane had hired such an obviously immature girl for a job like that. In this book, her gossip was even more inappropriate, and her actions were downright stupid when it came to specific events. I also hated her attitude toward her so-called best friend’s engagement. Her treatment of Dylan was creepy, and I thoroughly understood Ashley’s dislike of her. Another character that continued to rub me the wrong way was the newspaper guy, Randall Piper. I agreed with Ashley when she said he should be working for the tabloids. His rudeness and lack of empathy toward the victims was infuriating. I also didn’t like the way he denigrated the sheriff’s department. I kept waiting for him to take something far enough that he’d be in trouble, but he always skated just close enough to avoid any consequences.
BAM! And the intensity got even more strained, the fifteen-year-old murder mystery haunting the law enforcement and the small town folks of the Callahan County. I am loving this binge-reading mini-series by Ms. Myers. I think the fact that the books are released so close together brings the energy even higher in the stories.
Zane North is a by the book law enforcement man. He gained his experience in the military, now running a tight team of the police force. He is dedicated, service minded, and smart. He is understanding, kindhearted, yet tough protector when needed.
Ashley has her reasons why she doesn’t trust easily, and not at all when it comes to the police. Ashley and her brother Dylan had suffered more than enough after the murder fifteen years ago. This new hype about the case just brought bad and sad memories to her mind. But the Sheriff is investigating and so tempting to Ashley.
Ashley and Zane have obvious chemistry and connection. With the crazy, dangerous threating letters showing up all over the town they don’t have many chances to act on the attraction, but there is no denying it, it is a palpable force in the air. The romance is clean and sweet in this tale, even though there is no doubt of the ardent emotions developing between Zane and Ashley.
The suspense is deadly dangerous, it is personal, and it seems to be connected to the old crimes. It has plot twists that shake the foundation of the characters lives, changing their future, their destinies forever.
I was glued to my kindle while reading this tale, founding it unputdownable, wanting to learn more as the story progress. It is a vigorous, potent, and compelling tale of crimes of the worst kind, and I am completely invested in finding out the solution to the cold case of the Carson Meadows Trail murder. While the books are definitely connected, they can still be read as stand-alone books if so desired.
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side