When two Jane Does are killed on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, detective and behavioral specialist Avery North discovers they share something in common--a tattoo of a magnolia on their shoulders. Suspecting a serial killer, Avery joins forces with medical examiner Jackson Bryant to solve the crimes and prevent another murder. But it doesn't take long for them to realize that there is much more to the case than meets the eye. As they venture deep into a sinister world of human trafficking, Avery and Jackson are taken to the very edge of their abilities--and their hearts.
What can I say about Avery? The girl has been through the emotional ringer, that's for sure. You find out very early in the book that she's suffered two tremendous losses, that of her husband and brother. She's dealing better with the traumatic grief of the former than the latter. She's also dealing with a mother who has been changed by the loss of her son, changed so much that she's not the support for Avery that she once was.
Any one of these issues alone might would have brought her into my office.
Then these girls start cropping up dead. Avery's got a lot of irons in the pot, especially when you throw in the hottie medical examiner. She's single-momming it with a pre-teen, and trying to juggle a demanding job, time at church, time to herself, time with a retiring father and distant/grieving mother...and now this burgeoning relationship. Whoa.
I really appreciate how serious Avery takes all of this, especially with a child to consider. Too often in their needs, and their child rarely, if ever, factors into it. So Avery got lots of kudos in my book for being a good example of how relationships and even dangerous jobs should be viewed when there are children in the mix.
You'll have to read the book to see how Avery's job gets even grittier and how she and Jackson heat things up. Lisa does a great job of integrating the suspense and the romance, so you get a good dose of both elements.
I'm giving away my review copy* to one lucky commenter below. My giveaways are a perk for blog subscribers and followers, so if you haven't already, please click the blue "Join this Site" button to the right and add your pretty, smiling face to my subscriber list, or Click "Subscribe in a Reader" if you prefer.
Just leave a comment with your email address in a spam-me-not format (jeannie at charactertherapist dot net). The giveaway will run through next Sunday.
*Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
