As Good as Dead

As Good as Dead by Beverly Barton

Amazon Description:
“The victims are all found face-down in the murky waters of the creek that runs through Cherokee Pointe, Tennessee. They are naked, except for the black satin ribbon tied around their necks. And each murdered woman shares a single characteristic...they are all redheads. Socialite Reve Sorrell has come to Cherokee Pointe seeking answers about her family history and her shocking connection to wrong-side-of-the tracks Jazzy Talbot. With their stunning good looks and shining red hair, the two are mirror images of each other-twins abandoned at birth and raised in very different worlds. And whoever left them for dead on a cold night thirty years ago isn't about to let them uncover the truth now. As a serial killer leaves another chilling calling card in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Reye turns to Sheriff Jacob Butler to help her unravel the potentially deadly secrets of her past. But someone will do anything to stop her...someone who won't make the same mistake twice...someone more cunning than she knows...and closer than she ever could imagine”

My thoughts:

Barton has a keen talent for suspense. When I picked this up, I didn’t know it was the third installment of a series. Someday I’m going to be better about that…I hate jumping into the midst of a series without realizing it. And, in this case, Barton brings so many characters in, that if you haven’t read the previous two books, you find yourself confused about who is who.

I would have loved a little more romance (this is billed as a romantic suspense, after all.) The characters, Reve and Jacob, had good chemistry…but it was barely even tapped. Aside from that, I enjoyed the sub-plots and the mystery. She kept me guessing to the end.