This is a perfect pageturner. Second book in the Misty Pines mystery series.
I loved the characters and the story unraveling in a very mysterious way.
Ending is so twisted.
It was so amazingly written with lots of description about the coastal places, weather and the people's lifestyle.
The dual POV narration worked well with this story. And I loved it for that.
I haven't read the first book in the Misty Pines mystery series, Hidden Pieces. I just read snippets of it when needed. So I guess this can also be read as a stand alone.
Thank you netgalley and the author for the arc.

As a police procedural, this was okay for me. There are a lot of intertwining pieces and storyline, and even with all the red herrings I think it was pretty obvious the path that the story was taking. Perhaps if I had read the series from the beginning, I would be more invested in Abby and Jax's story. I didn't find myself emotionally connecting to the characters so it felt very surface level to me. If you like an easy to read, quick police procedural, you may enjoy this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Thank you to the author, Level Best Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second in a series, but reads well as a stand-alone (I did not read the first book). This is a solid police procedural with lots of threads and different characters, that all tie in together in one way or the other. The author did a good job of making her investigators human and well-rounded, albeit both of the main characters had sharp edges. The atmosphere of a small town where resources are often stretched andor lacking was authentic, and I loved the coastal vibe. The mystery is a slow burn that speeds up toward the end, and although it's solved at the end, it's not neatly tied up in a bow - which I personally enjoy more.

It was a pleasant read
Well paced, fast to read as mainly dialogues.
I didn't realise it was the second book in the series, but I didn't mind as it was easy to read as a standalone book.
I liked the characters and that Abbey appeared to be tougher than Jax when it came to grief over their daughters death. As much as it was a mask she was wearing, the author didn't make it cliche of strong male character and weaker female.

As much as I enjoyed this book, and it was a good entertainment, I didn't find anything particularly memorable about it, and it's likely I will forget what it was about in a few weeks.

Deadly Tides is a strong police procedural with outstanding characters that are easy to become invested in and the settings are described so well that you can see, hear and feel them. I believe that all of that makes a great book to read and enjoy. Sherif Jax has his work cut out for him with a mysterious murder but he has a powerful team supporting him. I have developed a soft spot for Sheriff Jax and I really hope he gets his happy ever after. A satisfying whodunnit that is a hard one to unravel. A dark and gritty crime not for the faint hearted. I am eagerly anticipating the next book.

Mary Keliikoa has woven the threads from many small events into a compelling mystery sure to leave readers zipping through chapters long after bedtime. The characters are three dimensional, you can see them moving through their daily lives. The community is well researched and dynamic. The MC and his ex-wife must work through their emotions to conduct a dual investigation while the killer keeps the pressure on this coastal town. The pace speeds up then takes a pause to let us take another guess at his identity. The overall feel of the book is a trip to Misty Pines and a peek into the deadly tides.

Mary Keliikoa's second mystery in Misty Pines, Oregon finds FBI profiler, Abby Kanekoa, searching for her mother who has left her Alzheimer’s care facility. Luckily her mother is found on the beach, unfortunately she is holding a tennis shoe with a severed foot. The foot belongs to Terry Chesney, a local surfing legend and designer of surf boards.

Sheriff Jax Turner, who happens to be Abby's ex-husband, finds himself dealing with more than one severed foot and missing person from the surfing community as he works with Abby to find this serial killer. There are plenty of suspects and secrets to be revealed.

This is an atmospheric read, the author's descriptions of the beach and the forests take you there. The characters are well developed. Jax and Abby are each working on moving forward from their shared loss. This is a satisfying read and I enjoyed the mystery. The author had me guessing. This can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the previous book for more on the Jax and Abby relationship and, of course, for the excellent mystery. I look forward to the next installment in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Level Best Books, and Swell Media for an ARC. The review is my own.

Book 2 in the Misty Pines series finds Sheriff Jax Turner trying to turn his life around after spending years heavily mourning the loss of his young daughter to cancer. His inability to move forward cost him his marriage, but he hasn't given up hope of reconciling with his ex, FBI agent Abby Kaneoka. The plot alternates between these two characters as they navigate life and parallel cases involving missing persons and severed feet. There are so many things I like about this book: it is well written with likeable, multidimensional main and secondary characters, a unique plot, and lots of twists and suspects. I can't wait for book 3!

Mary Keliikoa writes two mystery series, one about private investigator Kelly Pruett and one about Sheriff Jax Turner in a small Oregon town called Misty Pines. Her Kelly Pruett books have been nominated for the Shamus, Lefty, Agatha, and Anthony awards. The first book in the Misty Pines series was a finalist for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion and won the Ippy Silver Award. The second book in the Misty Pines series, Deadly Tides, is scheduled for release by Level Best Books on 24 October 2023.

Deadly Tides opens with FBI agent Abby Kanekoa searching frantically for her mother who has wandered away from the assisted living facility again. The facility staff weren’t quite sure when she had slipped out but everyone was confident she wasn’t dressed for the January temperatures in Oregon.

In the meantime her ex-husband Sheriff Jax Turner fielded a request for a check on surfboard shop owner Terry Chesney, who had been talking to his brother on the telephone the previous night when their call was interrupted on Terry’s end. He didn’t call back to finish the conversation and he was not responding to further calls. Turner found an unlocked house and recently purchased groceries that had not been put away, along with Chesney’s wallet and cell phone. No sign of the man himself though. Turner alerted his staff and they began a search of the dense woods behind Chesney’s house.

From this promising beginning a complicated story develops, including two missing men, a dead homeless man, lost designs for custom surfboards, two teenagers whose stories keep changing, and a host of suspects. Underlying the multiple investigations is Turner’s slow recovery from the death of his daughter and misery over his subsequent divorce from Abby. Strong psychological suspense begins to build midway as possible motives for murder start to unfold. Fans of character-driven mysteries and psychological thrillers will like this one.

Deadly Tides brings readers to the Oregon coast for a second book with Sherriff Jax Turner and his ex-wife Abbey Kaneoka. This book, which reads well as a stand-alone, is the second in author Mary Keliikoa's Misty Pines series. With well-developed and relatable characters who are struggling to understand themselves and their relationship, a mystery that draws readers in from the beginning and suspense until the very end, this is an excellent read.

Not being a huge reader of police procedurals, I was delighted to find myself pulled into this story by characters I wanted to get to know better. As I continued to read, the plot kept pulling me along and I found myself trying to figure out what was going on and what was going to happen next. This is definitely a book I'll recommend to patrons and friends!

An Intriguing Complex Police Procedural

FBI SA Abby Kanekoa goes looking for her mother, an early onset Alzheimer's patient who had walked away from her assisted living facility. Kanekoa drives to a beach that should have been too far for her mother to walk. She climbs to the top of a tall mound and looks. She sees something red among some logs in the distance. As she approaches, it looks like red hair that her mother has. When she approaches, her mother quite wet. She is hunched over something. When her mother stands, there is a lot of blood on her clothes. It is not hers; it is from the severed foot in a sneaker that she is holding. This is a case for her ex-husband, Sheriff Jax Turner. Another foot in a sneaker is found up the coast. From this start, an intriguing story proceeds.

The main storyline becomes complex very quickly. A welfare check requested by a brother reveals a bloody scene without a body in a forested area behind the residence. Then, a body is found at the bottom of the cliff further behind the residence. The body is not the missing person. The investigation begins. The missing person is a premier surfboard designer and builder. His latest design has large financial potential. There are several people who could profit from selling the design to a major manufacturer. There are multiple issues that make this investigation more difficult. The best witness is mother of SA Kanekoa, Sheriff Turner’s ex-wife. The mother is suffering from dementia. Also, the sheriff becomes the love interest of a woman. This is driving a wedge between Turner and Kanekoa. There is a second main storyline thread. That was finding the owner of the second foot, and what caused him to lose his foot. This one is headed by SA Kanekoa. Her personal problems in caring for her mother do not allow her to focus on and contribute to this investigation. This main storyline captured my interest and kept it until the end.

There are two B-storylines that contribute to the background on both Turner and Kanekoa. Both are inextricably integrated with the main storylines. The first was the relationship between Kanekoa and her mother. Trying to ensure that her mother is safe in her assisted living facility and in her role as a witness. This significantly affects her job as an FBI agent and her investigation. The second is Turner hiring a new deputy. The best candidate is the daughter of his former partner in the Portland Police Department. He doesn’t want his daughter, an officer on the Portland police department, to leave Portland. He expects Turner not to hire her. This thread provides insight into how Turner makes a difficult decision of his work or his friendship with his old partner who had helped him so much in the past. For general background, the history of Turner’s and Kanekoa’s marriage a more intimate view into both of those characters. Both characters were well rounded for me. These aspects of the novel enhanced my reading enjoyment.

For aspects of a novel that some readers have serious objections, first there are not any intimate scenes. For vulgar and rude language, this novel has the fewest of both that I have seen in quite a while. Much violence is described in the less edgy after the fact. There should not be any issues in this novel for readers. It is the second novel in the Misty Pines Mystery series. I have read the first novel and found no aspects of this novel that required the knowledge learned by reading the first novel.

This novel is what I call a thinking novel. I enjoy complex and twisty novels. This criterion was met with spades. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel. I like this novel better that the first novel in this series. Based upon the two novels of the author that I have read, she has earned a spot in my Must-Read authors. I recommend reading this novel. I rate it with five stars.

I received a free prepublication e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Level Best Books. My review is based solely on my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank Level Best Books for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

FBI Agent Abby Kanekoa is dealing with the loss of her daughter, the end of her marriage and her mother who is in an assisted living facility with Alzheimer’s. Her mother keeps escaping the facility and finds a tennis shoe with a man’s foot inside on the beach. Her ex-husband, Sheriff Jax Turner is already investigating the local surf champion who is missing when he is called to the scene. Could this be his foot? Jax learns that the surfer, Terry Chesney, had been offered a large sum of money for his new surfboard design, but was unwilling to sell. Jax soon has several suspects in this missing person case, Terry’s employee, his brother who wanted him to sell his design, and some local teens who were known to hang out and cause trouble. Jax learns that a year ago another man from the area went missing and his foot was found on the beach. Is there a connection between the two men? As Jax and Abby work together, is there a chance to heal what has gone wrong between them? A bit confusing at times (for me), but the author wraps everything up nicely at the end. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

BOOK: DEADLY TIDES
AUTHOR: MARY KELIIKOA
PUB DATE: OCTOBER 2023
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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This book was amazing, with a perfect blend of thriller and the MCs' personal lives. I really liked this book, the thriller was solved gradually with the Misty Pines officers and the FBI agents leaving no stones unturned, my kind of thriller.
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I liked that I was able to get an insight into Abby and Jax's lives even though I didn't read the first book in the series. I could still feel their grief over their dead daughter, Lulu, and their efforts to work on their marriage. Although they made a leeway in the relationship, I can't wait to see what's next
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This book was a nice, easy read with no boring pages. I'd love to keep reading this series because it has amazing character, and the author is wonderful

This is the second book in the Misty Pines Mystery series and it is even better than the first book. Great characters, a fast paced plot, and it kept me guessing til the very end. This could easily be read as a stand alone. It's not necessary to start with the first book although it was engaging as well. Highly recommended

A murder mystery, Deadly Tides by Mary Keliikoa (2023) is the second in the Misty Pines series. Having not read the first in the series makes this a standalone review. Oregon Sheriff Jax Turner is back investigating, and this time, it is the death of a well-known missing surfer, and he’s trying to reconcile with his former wife. He also has to hire a new deputy, when he is called to the beachside with the discovery of a foot in a running shoe. As the identity of the foot takes some time, another body is discovered, yet there are few clues and the puzzle pieces don’t fit together. A third dead body means there is a serial killer as the FBI joins the investigation. With all too human characters and their lives complicating the case, this makes a fine western police procedural with a three and a half stars read rating. With thanks to Level Best Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

The mystery is really good. It's full of twists and kept me guessing. The cast of characters are interesting. I really enjoy Jax. I'm not a fan of Abby. At times I had to force myself to keep reading the parts featuring her. The way things came together was well done and I like the new dynamic of Rachel and Koa.

I didn't know this book was the second in a series and normally it doesn't matter but this one felt like I had missed so much making the book harder to connect with.

I really enjoyed the story between Jax and Abby but I felt massively disconnected. I plan to reread this book once I have read book 1. It was that well written that it deserves another go around but right now...

3.5 stars

Deadly Tides was a solid book that is the second in a series. I can't wait to read the next book about Jax and hid police department.

The second installment in the Misty Pines series puts Mary Keliikoa's name in neon lights. Sheriff Jax Taylor and his deputies investigate a missing surf legend as Jax attempts to reconcile with his ex-wife, an FBI agent who is investigating her own case, which may be connected. Keliikoa's characters are uniquely flawed, heartfelt, and authentic. Her ability to keep readers on the edge of their seats is flawless. The writing is suspenseful and cleverly engages. I love how the Oregon setting deepens the story and mood. The ending was a good reveal that also moved the relationship between Jax and his ex a little closer to resolution. Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for this ARC and opportunity to read Deadly Tides.

Deadly Tides is the second book in the Misty Pines mystery series by Mary Keliikoa.
I absolutely LOVED the first book in the series. This can be read as a stand-alone book but highly recommend the first book [book:Hidden Pieces|61826572] in the series.

Sherriff Jax Turner is keeping his small community safe while trying to get back his ex-wife, Abby who is an FBI agent.

A welfare check on his brother at his surf shop, Jax is looking into his whereabouts and the FBI and Abby gets involved, leading a joint investigation.

This was such a well-crafted and perfectly paced mystery.
There is so much development and depth to the characters.