“On Her Father’s Grave” starts off with a bang, leading the series Rogue River,” co-written by Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh. Two of the most prolific thriller writers of today, Rogue River Series, are set in the small town of Solitude, OR.
Stevie Taylor returns to her hometown after her father, the town’s Police Chief passes away due to a heart attack. Having survived some gruesome crimes in LAPD as a cop, Stevie wants nothing more than to stay away from the past pain and reconnect with her roots as a patrol office in her hometown.
Her return coincides with the death of a teenager under suspicious circumstances, and with the meeting of Zane Duncan, the new Chief of Police. In a town where everyone knows everyone, and everyone keeps everyone in sight, Stevie and Zane have to team up to get to the bottom of these death as there seem to be more bodies turning up. The flare of desire and chemistry that ignites between Stevie and Zane is a sure surprise for both, but something that they both like to take it further.
I always love the way Kendra etches her characters. She gives them so many layers of depth and individuality; it’s like peeling an onion, as you get to know their strengths and weaknesses, one layer a time. Kendra does a brilliant job of keeping the narration open and pure, with feelings and emotions decked out, with a hint of secrets that may divide the small town, and keeping the essence of a small town’s thinking and beliefs. The aura of anticipation as to what’s going to happen next or the blossoming relationship between Stevie and Zane, only adds more excitement to the story. On Her Father’s Grave keeps you glued until the last page.
The icing on the cake and this shows the prowess of a seasoned writer, is how she manages not to leave it as a cliffhanger, yet she makes us yearn and moan for more. The desire to get to the next book is so strong, that no reader will be able to resist getting to the next three books…. not a chance!
These are short novellas of four in the series, with Kendra working one end of an angle featuring Stevie and Zane, and Melinda caricaturing Carly and Seth from the other end, both teams with one single goal to get to the evil behind the killings by an unidentified drug.
Can’t wait to read how Melinda Leigh’s given life to the characters of Carly Taylor and Seth Harding in the second book, “Gone To Her Grave”.
Romancing Life 