by J.G. Hetherton

This was an interesting read. This is the second in a series, a Laura Chambers Mystery. When I requested the book, I did not realize that it was the second in a series, and then when it was accepted for me to read, I figured, well, hopefully it can stand alone.

A book set in North Carolina, Laura Chambers is a journalist and a woman is found dead on the highway. She believes it is a childhood friend whose parents were murdered when the girls were 8 years old. Laura goes through many trials and tribulations to figure out what happened to Emily Merritt. She discovers that her family and the Merritts were closer than she remembered, especially since her father told her to forget about them after they died. Laura receives a lot of backlash from law enforcement and has several near death experiences only to find the real killer and a human sex trafficking ring occurring right under her family’s nose. The book didn’t get really captivating until more than halfway through and then it was hard to put down. I felt like I was missing a part of the story, which some of the loose ends were answered by the end of the novel. I would give this one a four star rating only because the last quarter to half really saved the book, but my advice for the author is to allow the book to have more stand-alone feel than it does now.

This one is being published on July 12th, 2022, and the first book in the series is “Last Girl Gone,” so you have time to read that one before this one releases. Make sure you check them out, because I think Hetherton definitely has some potential. It was also cool if you’re from North Carolina to read about your own backyard!

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