Monday, August 24, 2020

His Brand of Justice - Delores Fossen (HI #1948 - Sept 2020)

Series: Longview Ridge Ranch (Book 4)

Can he help her recover her memory

Before they are both killed?

The only person who knows who killed Marshal Jack Slater's father is Caroline Moser. But the Texas profiler has no memory of the murder, her abduction…or Jack. And her witness-protection safe house has just been compromised. Now in Jack's protective custody, Caroline must trust her ex to help her recall her past before a murderer steals their future.

Good conclusion to the series. This is the fourth and final book but can be read by itself. The author gives enough details from the previous books to keep from being lost. In this book, Caroline is under the protection of the Marshal Service, specifically Jack Slater. He has two huge stakes in keeping Caroline safe. First, she is the only witness to the murder of his father. Unfortunately, she was kidnapped and held hostage, and in the process lost her memory. Second, before everything went down, Jack and Caroline were a couple. Jack wants his Caroline back so that he can reciprocate her words of love.

The book starts with a rush as the safe house where Caroline lives has been compromised. Jack arrives to protect Caroline and her nurse to find that a man has breached their perimeter. As a second shock, Caroline recognizes the man and confesses that her memory returned a few days earlier. Now it is up to Jack to get them to safety and find out what Caroline knows.

Things are not as cut-and-dried as Jack had hoped. Caroline never saw the murderer, and what she overheard makes her believe that someone inside law enforcement had a hand in it. Caroline doesn't trust anyone other than Jack. Someone out there wants to make sure that Caroline doesn't have a chance to talk about anything she knows.

The suspense in this story was intense from start to finish. There were multiple attacks on Caroline and Jack, showing that someone is determined to protect their secret. Which suspect will it be? One of Jack's fellow marshals, who has some questionable connections and suspicious actions? Or the creepy best friend of the serial killer responsible for Caroline's memory loss? Or maybe the do-gooder socialite or the computer hacker? I constantly flipped back and forth among the various suspects. Something would happen that would convince me of one person's guilt, only to be pushed aside by the actions of another. By the end, I was down to two but could not make up my mind between them. I liked watching Jack, Caroline, and the others as they tried to fit the puzzle pieces together. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, as it could have gone either way, right up to the end.

I liked watching the relationship between Jack and Caroline. Jack had never lost his love for Caroline, even while she was missing and later with her memory loss. He tries to keep his emotions under control while protecting her because he doesn't want them to distract him from her safety. Caroline was wary around Jack until her memory returned, and she remembered her love for him. I liked seeing them work together, protect each other, and long for the resolution so that they could get on with their lives. I liked the ending as they both finally got what they wanted.


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