LOVE INSPIRED SUSPENSE BOOK SERIES CRITIQUE - ROCKY MOUNTAIN K-9 UNIT (2022)

I keep hoping for an Arizona series, but this is getting close.

Note - this critique will give spoilers of the series.

The main story involves a car crash with one fatality, one person in a coma and with amnesia when she recovers, and one missing baby. Other stories include a serial killer striking at various state parks who targets blondes (such as K-9 officer Harlow Zane in book 6) and Sergeant Tyson Wilkes working to  convince his highers up to make the K-9 unit permanent, in spite of several sabotage attempts.

This series includes:

1. "Detection Detail" by Terri Reed.
2. "Ready to Protect" by Valerie Hansen.
3. "Hiding in Montana" by Laura Scott.
4. "Undercover Assignment" by Dana Mentink.
5. "Defending From Danger" by Jodie Bailey.
6. "Tracking a Killer" by Elizabeth Goddard.
7. "Explosive Revenge" by Maggie K. Black.
8. "Rescue Mission" by Lynette Eason.
9. "Christmas K-9 Unit Heroes" by Lenora Worth and Katy Lee.

Once again, I didn't read the Christmas novella duet.

In the previous series, the broad stories are resolved in books 7 and 8, but this one completes one of the stories in book 6. My favorites are "Undercover Assignment" and "Explosive Revenge." The former one is based in New Mexico (the territory for this K-9 Unit is from New Mexico to Montana); not quite Arizona, but close enough for me to feel homesick.

While I enjoyed the series, there was one story I had a hard time getting into, a first for the K-9 series, that being "Hiding in Montana." Also, there were two different stories in this series where the heroine enters the book struggling to keep her business afloat, with her main business antagonist is a suspect for the trouble-making, and exits the book selling her business to that main antagonist (who was not part of the troublemaking after all) to take another job and be close to the hero. I may be one of the few, but that made me feel sad in both cases. 

That said, this series is full of great suspense and romantic tension. 

 

BOOK REVIEW - TRACKING A KILLER (ROCKY MOUNTAIN K-9 UNIT BOOK 6) BY ELIZABETH GODDARD

 

Where is the serial killer focusing on blondes at state parks going to strike next? Will K-9 officer Harlow Zane's cadever dog find the missing ranger, and will she still be among the living? Will her former co-worker, FBI special agent Wes Grey, be a help or a hindrance (or both) to this case? And is she the killer's next target? 

Tracking a Killer by Elizabeth Goddard is a nail-biting suspense story. This is the sixth part of an eight part series, but even though the serial killer has been mentioned through the series, you don't need to read the previous stories to be terrified ... I mean to enjoy this thrilling book. The characters are compelling, and the plot will keep you guessing. 

Now the big question - is it a coincidence that the main characters' last names are Zane and Grey? Is this an attempt to draw in Western novel fans?

Back to being serious. This is a well-written novel, as the rest of the series is, and I really enjoyed it.

 

 

BOOK REVIEW - DEFENDING FROM DANGER (ROCKY MOUNTAIN K-9 UNIT BOOK 5) BY JODIE BAILEY

 

 I got hooked on Love Inspired Suspense by two novels back in 2019: Undercover Protector by Elizabeth Goddard, which was set in an animal rescue center (focusing on tigers) and Dead Run by Jodie Bailey. Well, the 5th installment of Love Inspired Suspense's Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit is Defending From Danger, which is set in an animal rescue center (focusing on wolf/dog hybrids) by Jodie Bailey. Kind of sounds like full circle doesn't it? (By the way, the next book in the series is written by Elizabeth Goodard!)

Those who read my reviews know I'm a Jodie Bailey fan. This story is no exception. The reveal of the villain surprised me. It, as usual for Jodie Bailey, has great characters and an exciting story. 

As usual, I recommend this story.