Devil’s Gold
Amanda McKinney
Publication date: February 13th 2018
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Review:Despite being chronically late, occasionally disheveled and a tad disorganized, Dixie Knight is one of the top private investigators in the country, and when a young woman goes missing in the small, Southern town of Devil’s Den, Dixie takes the case. She expected it to be another ordinary missing person case—until Lizzie Meyers is found naked and beaten to death at a local, seedy motel.
While visiting relatives on his two-week leave, Marine Liam Cash bumps into Dixie at the local bar, and his attraction to her is immediate. When Liam connects Dixie’s current case to two unsolved murders in his hometown, he steps in to help find the killer, and keep her safe, whether Dixie wants him to or not.
After another woman is found brutally beaten, Dixie turns the town upside down trying to solve the mystery—could it be the rumored witch that lives in the mountains; the rich, neurotic doctor’s wife; or the perky, blonde receptionist at the local medical clinic?
Time is running out and Dixie knows she has to put the pieces of the puzzle together before another body turns cold in Devil’s Den.
DEVIL'S GOLD truly managed to surprise me! Going into it I expected to like it. I'm a sucker for a good mystery; however, I never expected to like it as much as I did. Combining a page-turning mystery, a feisty, sarcastic main character, and even a touch of romance, DEVIL'S GOLD proves just how enchanting a novella can be.
DEVIL'S GOLD introduces Dix, a private investigator at her family's Black Rose Investigations. Dix has always been the black sheep of her family. Constantly late, occasionally crass, preferring casual to fancy, she doesn't exactly fit in well with her sisters. However, given her her superior sleuthing skills, it doesn't seem to matter. I loved Dix from the get-go. Amanda did a fantastic job of capturing her voice, and honestly, it was just so much fun to see into Dix's head. I loved her observations, her sleuthing skills, etc. Plus, she's someone who constantly gets herself into trouble due to her head strong ways, which was funny to read about.
Given DEVIL'S GOLD novella length, I was slightly worried the mystery wouldn't be well developed. However, that wasn't the case at all. Amanda presented an exciting whodunit here, and I loved the surprising twists and turns it constantly took. In addition to the mystery, a little swoony romance is included as well! The dynamic between Dix and Liam was chemistry laden. I enjoyed the back-and-forth banter. I also liked that Liam was a man of mystery. At first, I couldn't tell if he was going to be a good guy or a bad guy.
The writing in DEVIL'S GOLD was on point. The story flowed well, and I liked how Amanda incorporated different POVs. It's fun to see someone else's perspective at times.
Overall, DEVIL'S GOLD is perfect for fans of mystery! My only complaint? I wish I had the second once ready as soon as I finished this! I need to know what trouble Dix and Liam get into next!
Amanda McKinney, author of Sexy, Suspenseful Mysteries wrote her debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY, after walking away from her career to become a writer and stay-at-home mom. When Amanda isn’t tending to her two beautiful boys, she’s hidden behind her computer screen crafting page-turning murder mysteries, peppered with titillating love scenes. Having been born and raised in the south, Amanda’s books are set in small, country towns and reflect southern culture at its finest.
Amanda’s debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY, was released in January 2017, followed by the first two books in the BERRY SPRINGS SERIES, THE WOODS and THE LAKE. The third book in the series, THE STORM is scheduled to be released in the Winter of 2017.
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Great review, Lauren! This sounds like a well written, enchanting read!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading Devil's Gold. Thank you
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