by Loreth Anne White
Publication date: June 12th 2018
Publisher: Montlake Romance
My rating: 4.5 Stars
Pages: 398
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A shallow grave exposes deadly secrets as bestselling author Loreth Anne White brings her thrilling series of romantic suspense to its shocking conclusion…
Disgraced ex-cop Angie Pallorino is determined to make a new start for herself as a private investigator. But first, she and her lover, newly promoted homicide detective James Maddocks, attempt a quiet getaway to rekindle a romance struggling in the shadows of their careers. The peace doesn’t last long when human skeletal remains are found in a nearby mossy grove.
This decades-old mystery is just what Angie needs to establish her new career—even as it thrusts her and Maddocks back into the media spotlight, once again endangering their tenuous relationship.
Then, when Angie’s inquiry into the old crime intersects with a cold case from her own policing past—one that a detective on Maddocks’s new team is working—the investigation takes a startling twist. It puts more than Angie’s last shot at redemption and a future with Maddocks at risk. The mystery of the girl in the moss could kill her.
My Thoughts:
The Girl in the Moss
has Angie a little out of sorts as the story first starts being as she was fired
from the police force, and her identity and worth so tied up with the job. Now, she must complete a certain number of
hours in the field to get her private investigator license. The only way to do
that is by logging time with a PI, such as Coastal Investigations where she’s
already on thin ice due to her notoriety.
Angie’s insecurities lead her to bungle things up with
Maddocks, so Angie’s on thin ice with him, too, but she has a plan to fix it.
Thank goodness she realizes she’s being an idiot early on and realizes how much
Maddocks means to her, because otherwise I’d really have to slap that girl! (Yes, I do realize she’s a fictional character…)
Loved Maddocks being patient and at the same time not taking shit. Maddocks’ daughter was a delight here as well!
Things start looking up when a case basically falls in her
lap. A woman was swept over the falls in
group fly-fishing trip several women took as part of a documentary twenty-four
years back. Her body finally washes up
and things may not have been as they appeared.
Angie digs into the case and finds a hotbed of lies and deceptions, and
stirring up the past does not make her popular in this little town! It’s a close-knit town and the locals are far
from friendly!
As usual, Loreth Anne White’s writing is beautiful and makes
you feel as if you’re right there
with Angie. Eerie and atmospheric, as are
the other books, crackling with tension, and a sense of impending danger. I was really worried for Angie’s safety with the
men in this small town. Some of the mystery
I guessed, but some of it was an absolute surprise. I like that the clues and story lead you to
conclusions that make sense, and I also enjoy a few twists I didn’t see
coming. I like that there was a little
of both here.
I’m really sad to say goodbye to this series! I can’t believe this is the last book because I
think there are several threads left unexplored, such as Leo and his shiftiness
(hate him!) and then Holgerson! A whole
book could revolve around Holgerson! Maybe
a spinoff? At any rate, I’ve loved every
one of the Angie Pallorino books and recommend them to anyone who loves a
gripping mystery with interesting characters and a romance to root for!
