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Dead Stop by Jamie Denton
4★
The recording that lands on reporter Ainsley Brennan's desk bears no postmark and no return address, only an ominous label - 'Day One' - and that agonised screams of a young woman. It's a sound Ainsley will never forget, and when a pretty coed's mutilated body is found in the nearby woods, she knows there's a connection. But convincing Serenity Heights' stubborn, sexy new deputy police chief, Beck Raines, that she's right is another matter.Nothing ever happens in Serenity Heights. That's precisely why Beck Raines transferred there from L.A.'s homicide division before the inevitable burnout set in. Now suddenly he's dealing with one dead freshman and another who has gone missing, not to mention a gorgeous, interfering reporter who's quickly becoming a professional and personal complication.As the attraction between Beck and Ainsley spirals out of control, so does the danger. Someone is torturing and killing the town's brightest and most beautiful students - someone determined to make them suffer for their lives of privilege and success. With each grisly murder, the serial killer grows bolder, braver, and more brutal. And his next victim will be the most shocking and personal of all.The plot in this book was reasonable and believable but I thought the motivation of the killer was the one major weaknesses. I also wished the author had waited a little longer to reveal the identity of the killer. Otherwise it was an exciting, very well done story. Anyone who likes a good "who-done-it" type mystery with a little romance thrown in, will like "Dead Stop".
