On My Kindle ~ Silenced by Dani Pettrey

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Jake Knew Something Was Wrong.
But He Never Guessed How Wrong.

A relaxing day of rock climbing takes a disturbing turn when Kayden McKenna's route brings her face-to-face with a dead climber. Is it a terrible accident or something darker? When the case is handed to overburdened sheriff Landon Grainger, he turns to Jake Westin for help. With Jake's past now revealed, he's ready to use his talent for investigation again--but he could never prepare for where the mystery will take him.

Kayden's climbing expertise soon leads her and Jake to the realization that the death was no accident. And worse, it seems the killer is onto them. When strange things begin happening in Yancey, Jake is terrified that once again his world may put someone he loves in danger. But the truth is far worse than he could ever imagine.

My Review:

Kayden scaled the rock face, the addictive burn spreading through her arms, her body. Man, she loved this--hanging on the edge of a seven-hundred-fifty-foot sheer cliff face, knowing one wrong grab meant death.

Do you get the idea Kayden thrives on danger? We've gotten to know the entire McKenna clan more with every Alaskan Courage book. Kayden's a bit closed off for me, and the one I find toughest to relate to probably because she's so tough and independent. She's committed to not marrying or having children since her mother's death from rheumatoid arthritis, and even keeps her brothers and sister at arm's length. And Jake? We finally found out about the mysterious Jake in the last book, Stranded. Jake had been a homicide detective in his prior life, but after his wife and unborn daughter were murdered, he chose Yancey to hide and heal from the pain. Kayden's been at odds with the Jake throughout the entire series, her interactions with him full of doubt and mistrust, but now that his past has been revealed, she finally admits that she's drawn to him.

"God doesn't promise the way will be easy, far from it, but He promises to carry us through, to give us the courage and grace we need when we need it. He most often doesn't change the circumstances, He changes us." ~Jake to Kayden

The faith thread was gentle, laced with a few prayers and this little goodie. The theme really resonated with me: that a person should live their life to the fullest, without letting fear guide their choices. The plot was fast-paced in a hang-on-to-your-seat kinda way, but, for me, there were so many different pieces to the puzzle, by the end, I still wasn't sure how they fit together. If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers with a little romance mixed in, you'll enjoy Silenced. While it wasn't my favorite book of the Alaskan Courage series, it definitely kept me turning pages for a few hours. Each of the books are stand-alones, but since the McKenna clan is a close-knit bunch who show up in every book, you'll probably enjoy it more if you start with the first book.

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reviewing Silenced and for the free copy I received in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. This opinion is my own, and I received no compensation.