While out hiking, Detective Ray Johnson falls and discovers a body. The man has been stabbed and his ring finger removed. Ray was with his girlfriends’ son, Marco, who was also injured. This puts Ray in a precarious position with Marcos’ mother, Susana, a crisis center hotline counselor. Susana had already lost one husband and worries about getting involved with a man who puts his life in danger every day. She had just handled a hotline call from a woman and was unable to find a successful resolution before the woman hung up on her. Two stressful situations begin the story, with more to come when they learn that the man who was murdered was the son of a wealthy family. Although injured, Ray is determined to work the case along with his partner Detective Deborah Smith who is dealing with her own personal issues. The beginning was a bit confusing, for me, but once all the characters were in place, an intriguing mystery. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

I’m a fan of Kelly Irvin’s romantic suspense novels, and I didn’t realize until now that she was really going back to her pre-Amish-fiction roots in the last few years with those titles. I just thought she was trying something new but it turns out that her debut novel was also a romantic suspense. And now it’s been newly updated & re-released!

A Deadly Wilderness alternates perspectives between a few different characters (who are connected as family, friends, or colleagues) through a high-stakes, cat-and-mouse investigation where you’re not completely sure who’s the cat and who’s the mouse. The author expertly draws readers into the tension of this police procedural from the very beginning, thanks to the frantic call to a crisis hotline and the hike that ends in a gruesome discovery. This tension does not ease until the novel’s end and in fact increases throughout the story as personal conflicts and inner struggles are added to the mix. Temptation. Family dynamics. Romantic tension. Addiction. Loss. These are just a few of the battles being juggled alongside solving this murder mystery – a mystery that has its own complex layers to sift through. Needless to say, the key players in this investigation are kept hopping from beginning to end.

The romance is not necessarily in the forefront of the story, but that’s not a bad thing in this case because it’s all tied together. It’s always simmering in the background, and there’s a doozy of a kiss that had me reaching for a fan. So while the romantical stuff doesn’t dominate the story, it definitely impacts the characters and has its time to shine. The faith elements are much the same way – present but not overpowering. I appreciated the author exploring how Ray and Susana each needed to trust God with their relationship and their futures, and I found the end particularly touching as it relates to Deborah’s subplot. I know this book was originally part of a series where Deborah got her own story, so I’m hopeful that maybe we’ll get an updated version of that book as well.

Bottom Line: Layered characters and an intriguing mystery make this police procedural difficult to put down and unpredictable. The romance between Ray and Susana is but one example of our glimpses into the characters’ personal struggles – struggles which many readers will relate to – and the Hope that the author presents in the midst of them. Surprising twists and unexpected turns keep readers on the edge of their seats and invested in the outcome. There are a lot of different layers to this story, and Irvin weaves them each together to give us a riveting read from start to finish!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Susana is afraid to love anyone who puts their life on the line. She's already lost one husband. She doesn't want to risk loving and losing again. She especially doesn't want her son to get hurt. Ray is a police detective who loves Susana. He takes Susana's son on a hike and falls down a ravine and lands on a dead body. While he tries to solve that mystery, he as a new partner that is anything but kind. She's got a drinking problem that she won't admit too. Then there's his old partner that is now is Sargent who seems to be having an identity crisis. The mystery is good and kept me reading.

I was given this book by Ally Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. In was not compensated in any way.

Just the perfect mix of suspense and mystery! The ending seemed a little abrupt but since it's a series, I guess the reader will learn more in the next book. 8 year old Marco was probably my favorite character in the story!



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

This was a great book from a new author. I loved how she grabbed my attention right away! The story flowed nicely and kept my interest the whole way through. I also liked how the ending seemed to come naturally and didn't feel rushed like a lot of books.
I look forward to reading more of her work.

What a great read! It will keep you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages to see what happens next. It's full of action, suspense, drama and will keep you guessing until the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of romantic suspense.
I received a complimentary copy from Ally Press via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, serial killer, A kind of who done it, and a few crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Wow!

Mystery, intrigue and suspense make this a wow of a story. It grabbed me from the start and had me guessing all the way through. In the middle of it all was Susana and Ray’s story as well as that of some other supporting characters. Susana and Ray’s past comes front and center as it impacts where they are now in their relationship and where they end up. The story had me hoping theirs would end happily, but the twists and turns throughout kept me guessing and glued to the pages.

Some of the secondary characters’ stories involved some difficult issues. However, the author did a wonderful job weaving them into the story without taking the focus away from the main characters. She also did a fantastic job with the vivid descriptions of the settings and the addition of terms used by the characters. All of this added a sense of realism to the story which gave me an even greater connection to the characters and drew me in even more.

Romance, faith and forgiveness accompany the mystery and intrigue throughout. These elements kept me in suspense and on the edge of my seat up to the very end at which time all I could say was, “Wow! What a great story!”

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. All comments and opinions are voluntary and completely my own.

A Deadly Wilderness is actually Kelly Irvin’s first published book. It was published in 2010 as a hardcover only. Now it has been updated with a new eye catching cover and is available in ebook and paper back copies. I found the book to be riveting, gripping, action packed, unpredictable and definitely an edge of seat read. This book gives new meaning to the word suspense. It’s romantic but also a clean read. I highly recommend it with a five star rating.

I recommend A Deadly Wilderness to readers of Suspense and to fans of Kelly Irvin. The updated version will become available on 5/23/23.

I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions shared here in this review are my own.

#ADeadlyWilderness#NetGalley

A Deadly Wilderness
By Kelly Irvin
Pub Date: May 23, 2023
Christian fiction
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The author splits her time between writing Amish romances and romantic suspense.
This book was originally published in 2010. It is a very good mystery novel.
4 stars

I always enjoy Kelly Irvin’s books and A Deadly Wilderness was no exception. Great plot and character dynamics. If you enjoy romantic suspense I recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Would recommend this book to people who like action, suspense and drama in a story, This book had a little bit of everything. Close knit family, love stories, loss and grief, religion, police, crime, addiction, murders. There was definitely suspense and made me want to keep reading to see what would happen next. The characters were very likable and made you see life from all of their perspectives in a detailed way. The book ended in a good way!

This was the first book I have read by this author. Hopefully, it won't be the last! A deadly wilderness immediately grabbed my attention and I finished the book in less than 24 hours. It was a suspense story with a romance element that takes place in San Antonio. It was a a "who done it" suspense story with many characters and twists involved. I also really liked it hard a Christian theme running through the book. It follows a detective and his case as he deals with real life problems and people that suffer from life's problems as he struggles to solve a mystery of a prominent son's murder. A definite 4 stars for me!

Note: This version of the book is not currently on Goodreads: its original print version from 2010 is so I am placing my review under it for now.

Synopsis (It's a fiction book, so it helps…from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
***************************************************************************************************************************************
A frantic anonymous crisis center hot-line call propels counsellor Susana Martinez-Acosta smack into the center of a murder investigation and a homicide detective’s arms. Exactly where she doesn’t want to be. Following the tragic death of her husband, she’s struggled to build a safe haven for herself and her son. That new world doesn’t include hit men and persistent detectives with dangerous jobs.
An idyllic wilderness hike turns deadly when homicide detective Ray Johnson tumbles into a ravine and lands on a corpse later identified as the son of a prominent citizen. Ray works to solve the political hot potato murder before city leaders bump him from the case. His determination to find the man’s killer leads him from the wealthiest enclaves in San Antonio to the city’s dark underbelly, all the while trying to win the woman he loves.
A Deadly Wilderness is a romantic suspense novel that will take the reader along on a tumultuous journey as the consuming need for material wealth drives a deadly wedge among family members who haven’t learned when enough really is enough. The journey ends where it began—in a deadly wilderness.

This was a very quick read having read this before and this description removed the fact that this is (or was) considered Christian fiction. It is a decent read but I do not like the cover: the UBIQUITOUS woman running away (or looking away) from the reader is on what seems to be 10% of all our books now and wearing a red coat while running is also everywhere as well...maybe ut us a ploy to get people to read a book that they think is someone else??
Not a great book but not a bad book --- solidly MOTR.
#shortbutsweetreviews