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Release date: January 20, 2015

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Genre: Mystery/Thriller 

Blurb: 

Ex-FBI Agent Brigid Quinn thinks she has a second chance at life. After too many years spent in the company of evil, she’s quit the Feds and is working out what normal is meant to feel like. She’s swapped serial killers, stakeouts and interrogation for a husband, friends and free time. But when you’ve walked in darkness for so long, can you stand the light? When a local teenager dies in a tragic drowning accident, the community thinks Brigid might be able to help comfort the family. But when she does so, something doesn’t add up. And it’s no easier at home: after a bereavement in the family, Brigid has reluctantly taken in her niece to give her a break before she starts college. Brigid’s ever-patient husband Carlo tells her they must go easy on Gemma-Kate, the grieving youngster. Which is fine, until she starts taking an unhealthy interest in dissecting the local wildlife. For Brigid, death still seems to be wherever she turns. But as she herself starts to feel unwell, it’s her own mortality that is the most troubling. And as she tries to get to the bottom of a series of allegedly accidental deaths and increasingly gruesome occurrences at home, she slowly realises that maybe this time, she’s let the darkness inside the only place she ever felt safe. Sometimes, death is closer than you think. 

Review: 

There’s something special about this series, I don’t remember being this excited about discovering a new to me author, or bingeing a series in record time since I picked up Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. (I then proceeded to race to Goodreads where I found out she had a series and I never looked back) Anyway, my Becky Masterman binge has been amazingly fun and I have to thank Chelsea (again) for putting this phenomenal series on my radar. 

Things pick up shortly where the first book ended and Brigid Quinn has slipped back into her peaceful existence in Tucson, Arizona and is still married to Carlo. I may be developing a bit of a crush on him, he has the patience of a saint and as much as I like Brigid, she would be very hard to be married to. She’s taking on some cases as a PI as she physically can’t just stop investigating and life is pretty great. Then her sister in law dies and despite some reservations, she honors her promise of taking in her teenaged niece, Gemma Kate so she can establish residency for college. 

I fell more in love with Brigid in this book and it’s just as strong as the first one. She has such a powerful voice, and Masterman delved deeper into her psyche this time around. I liked finding out more about her family and though they only make a brief appearance, the insight explained a whole lot about who she is. She narrates the story in hindsight, which was so clever as she would drop subtle hints about the events to come that piqued my curiosity without giving anything away. 

This time around Brigid isn’t hunting down a mad killer, she’s searching for a danger very close to home. She’s extremely paranoid and I found myself very wary of all the characters and their motives as well. The plot twist stunned me and was executed to perfection, as this point, I don’t think Masterman can do any wrong, she’s an incredibly talented writer and Brigid is the type of character that stays on your mind long after you turn the final page. I can’t wait to dive into book three, but what will I do when I’m done, there’s no book four yet?!

Overall rating: 5/5