The Dead Season

Beginning shortly after Death in the Family, the first book in the series, readers learn that Shana has been suspended from her job as a senior investigator after events triggered her PTSD. Shana still feels the effects from when she was held captive by Blake Bram, a serial killer who released Shanna but left her with more than just a physical scar.

Now awaiting to be reinstated, Shana ignores her impending psychological evaluation and focuses on two new cases - a small-town mystery from Shana's past that has haunted her family for decades and the case of a kidnapped child that may be connected to Bram.

This second installment of the series has a lot of family drama and secrets. There's a slow burn feel as the mysteries are set up, but if readers are patient, they'll be pulled into a tense and thrilling game of cat-and-mouse between Shana and Bram. The mysteries are strong but it's Shana's past and the taunting nature of the bond between serial killer and survivor that has me eager for more. 

And just wait for the whopper of a twist - it had me reeling and literally yelling 'You shut up!' at the book in my hands. Yeah, it was that good.

Shana is an interesting and complicated main character and I'm excited to see where this series heads. I sense that Wegert will drop tidbits about Shana and Bram's past throughout future books, and I eagerly look forward to reading more books in this series. 

Look for book six - The Coldest Case, when it hits stores November 5, 2024

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Tessa Wegert

Genre: Suspense, Canadian

Series: 2 in Shana Marchant 

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from public library

Publisher: Berkley

First Published: December 8, 2020

Read: September 18 - 20, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: Senior Investigator Shana Merchant has spent years running from her past. But she never imagined a murder case would drive her to the most dangerous place of all—home. 

After leaving the NYPD following her abduction by serial killer Blake Bram, Shana Merchant hoped for a fresh start in the Thousand Islands of Upstate New York. Her former tormentor has other plans. Shana and Bram share more than just a hometown, and he won’t let her forget it. When the decades-old skeleton of Shana's estranged uncle is uncovered, Bram issues a Return home to Vermont and solve the cold case, or the blood he spills next will be on her hands.

As Shana interviews members of her family and the community, mining for secrets that could help her solve her uncle's murder, she begins to realize how little she remembers of her childhood. And when Bram grows impatient and kidnaps again, leaving a trail of clues Shana alone can understand, she knows his new victim will only survive if she wins the psychopath’s twisted game. In order to solve one mystery, Shana must wade into her murky past to unravel another.