Thoughts

Finally! This is the story I have been waiting for! Bram Blake. Books 1 and 2 give little snippets about Bram, but not enough in my opinion. Everything has lead up to this book where Bram takes center stage. While there is another murder of a local to solve, we get to know more about Shana’s psychopath of a cousin a lot more like where he went when he left town as a teenager, other names he has used and other women he has killed.

The secrets are explosive and worth the wait. I think it would be so fun to get a book all about Bram himself in his own words. It’s fascinating to me how he eluded law enforcement for so long. They talk about there being more victims, but not much else is said.

I highly recommend this, but sadly I think it’s over now.

Whoa! This book had me hook, line, and sinker! My mind is still reeling, my heart rate is racing, and trails mark my cheeks where tears dripped moments ago. If it isn't obvious, I loved this book. Tessa Wegert does an astounding job creating likeable characters, that drag you into the story. This is the third book in the Shana Merchant Series and of course I read the third book first. Don't worry I already added the first two to my cart. This book is a high-octane ride, that will have you glancing over your shoulder to make sure no one is there, as the hairs on your neck slowly rise. Dead Wind will have all your senses heightened as the rush of the river fills your ears, the mud sucking at your boots, and your emotions run high.

Shana Merchant is a police officer working in the Thousand Lakes region of Northern New York. Wegert's descriptions will transport you to this small town, where everyone knows your name and your business. As a Hope Oberon's body is discovered beneath a large wind turbine the hunt is on for who would want her dead. Could Shana's serial killer cousin be involved? Or are there two murders on the lose? As Shana's past collides with her present, all bets are off. There are twists and turns you do not see coming as the past of Thousand Lakes is dusted off and not everything is as it appears.

Seriously you need to read this book! I am assuming you will need to start with book one to really experience Shana and her past. I had no issues reading this as a standalone. I could not have been happier to discover that Shana is from Swanton, Vermont! What! Vermont does not get enough attention and I loved this detail! Thank you to Tessa Wegert, Book Forward, and Severn House for sending me this fast paced, tense, all-encompassing read that I could not put down!

Do you enjoy a riveting crime story about murder, politics, and power? Come along with Senior Investigator Shana Merchant and her partner Detective Tim Wellington as they solve not one, but two jaw dropping cases!

"Dead Wind" by Tessa Wegert, is book three of the "Shana Merchant" series. I read this as a standalone and it was wonderful. It is a complex police procedural storyline with hints of romance scattered in. Readers need to pay close attention to the book as Shana and Tim attempt to solve the murder of a local woman and catch a serial killer. Both are juicy plots that will keep readers asking questions till the very end. Can you figure out the cases before Tim and Shana do?

"Dead Wind" will be published April 5th.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House, for the honor of reviewing this exciting thriller. It is a twisty read full of exciting plots twists!

Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book. The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion. #NetGalley #DeadWind #MustReadMysterySeries

I read The Dead Season, Book 2 in the Shana Merchant Series, in January and devoured it and was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Book 3 this month. It was exciting to get back to A-Bay and Shana's pursuit of Bram after the major cliffhanger at the end of Book 2! The continuation of the cat and mouse game between the cousins plus a new murder and small town politics + dynamics made for a real page turner.

I tend to love the part of a book where the significance of the title is revealed and “dead wind” was the perfect title for this fantastic novel. Plus I love a book that keeps me guessing until the end which this definitely did. Dead Wind exceeded expectations for me and I highly recommend this series for anyone who enjoys compelling twisty psychological thrillers.

This was a thrilling conclusion to this story line. It’s full of action and a few surprises. I really like Shana, she’s a tough female. I hope there’s more in this series. I really enjoyed it
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

What a fabulous thriller! I must admit I did not read the first two in this series but I was able to catch on quickly. 

Shana Merchant is a senior investigator and finds herself working a case with partner Tim Wellington, where a body is discovered on Wolfe Island under some wind turbines. As the story goes on, we are immersed in a twisted mystery and the backstory of the victim emerges that leads to more questions than answers. Is this murder totally unconnected to Shana's past, or is Bram back? The story soon provides that answer. 
I loved the way the author combined the current mystery with Shana's past. Obviously those parts were a surprise to me, having not read the previous novels, but I found it so interesting as the novel unfolded. The authors writing really hooks you in and builds the suspense. Another one I highly recommend.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Severn House for this gifted copy.

Shana Merchant is back in the most chilling and compelling installment of the series yet. "Dead Wind" picks up after the cliffhanger in "The Dead Season." Wegert’s previous books are more locked-room mysteries but this one, while certainly still a mystery, presses more into the psychological thriller genre. It was my favorite of the series so far, showcasing not one, but two killers who are on the loose and on a crash course for Shana in the quiet Thousand Islands community she now calls home.

I knew after reading "Death in the Family" that I was going to enjoy this series and I had predicted that as the series progressed, so would my enjoyment of the books. I was right. We get a double mystery in this one with Shana and Tim trying to solve a local murder that’s wrapped in politics, as well as chasing down Bram Blake who has resurfaced in the area. The dual plots kept the pacing fast and intriguing. They also fit seamlessly together and didn’t confuse or take away interest from each other. In "Dead Wind" we get a more confident Shana. She’s still haunted by her past but in this one she comes across as a stronger, more capable character. I loved her take action mentality to hunt down Bram, confront her relationship with Tim (yay, was anxiously waiting for that to play out), stand up to Carson and solidify her place in the gossipy community despite being an outsider. There was also a lot of complex emotion in this one—how she tries to rectify the Abe of her past with the serial murderer stalking her. I know we are getting a fourth installment, but with no cliffhanger and a wrapped up, emotional ending, I’m curious to see where Wegert takes this series next.

Set in the Thousand Islands area of America this is the third book about Senior Investigator Shana Merchant. The setting is an area of small communities where people know each other. Grudges can be held for a long time. A body is found on an island (on the Canadian side) and Shana and her fellow investigator, Tim, are sent to investigate any possible USA connection. Indeed there is a possibility that the crime might have been committed by someone who is not local at all. Some 18 months earlier Shana was held captive by a serial killer in New York. She only just escaped with her life and it is possible he has followed her upstate.

This book follows the investigation into the murder as well as Shana's life more generally. Local politics and the environment are aspects of this as is Thousand Islands life more generally. The possibility that the murder was committed by Shana's abductor is always in the background. If he is hiding out in this rather remote area how is he doing it?

I did like the way the setting was used. The fact that the area is very attractive but can at times be rather spooky was well done. A number of characters roam the pages of this. Some are more important, some less so. However I didn't really get a feeling that they were well fleshed out. Shana's character wasn't bad though seemed to lack some depth for me given this is her 3rd appearance in a book. The same really applies to Tim for me. I felt I wanted more from a number of these. Shana's boss would be a good example. She seemed an interesting character but I never found out enough for my taste.

Bram Blake may well be an obsessed serial killer with an interest in Shana. However it is quite clear throughout this book that Shana is equally obsessed with Blake. The narrative kept returning to him and, at times, it seemed to overwhelm the story. I certainly can't say that this book was bad at all. Equally though I really didn't find that it gripped me. In general it felt rather superficial. That is not to say that parts of it were not good. I guess it would probably have been better to read the two earlier books first to get the background.

With this third installment in her Shana Merchant series, Wegert delivers an atmospheric, tense, and utterly creepy story of a police detective determined to stop a serial killer from striking again – a serial killer who happens to be her cousin. The author brings a fresh perspective to the serial killer story, focusing less on voyeurism and more on the lasting impact of those touched by crime. She backs that up with a solid whodunnit that will keep you guessing. All that, paired with beautiful imagery from the isolated upstate New York setting of a Thousand Islands, makes for a killer read!

I really enjoyed Death in the Family, but unfortunately this series has had diminishing returns since its debut. Dead Wind has dual mysteries at its heart - the ongoing mystery of Bram and the fresh murder of a recently disgraced member of town council. The resolution of both mysteries spun me right out into a rage, so Wegert is well capable of evoking an emotional response from me, just perhaps not the one she was looking for. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but Bram's final murder, to me, was wildly out of character with his established M.O. The resolution of Hope's murder is such a biazarre version of you took something from me so now I'm going to take something from you, but that works less well than one might wish when the person you're attempting revenge on is chock full of dementia. If the character had any other chronic condition that required intensive caregiving, the revenge works - but with dementia, the powers that be have already taken everything, and you can't properly hurt someone who doesn't even know what year it is by enacting a long simmering vengeance plot.
Tim and Shana continue their dance, and it was the bright spot in the book, although it felt a bit rushed with everything else going on in this short book.
Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an arc for review.

"Small towns have long memories."

Full disclosure: I absolutely LOVE the Shana Merchant series. Tessa Wegert manages to write compelling mystery novels with flawed but loveable characters that result in twisty stories that I can never pin the culprit down in. Some mystery books will make the reader feel stupid for not picking up on little clues and hints, but Wegert does something I wish other mystery authors would do and that is put the reader in the shoes of their detectives. I don't feel bad for missing something, because I'm right there with Shana thinking about the case; often times you won't be able to pin down the who or why until Shana does and I really love that dynamic. It's far more engaging in my opinion, and doesn't feel like it's pandering to readers or trying to pull the rug out from under them (I've read plenty of mystery novels where twists were thrown in purely for shock value - a sudden twist doesn't make a mystery a fantastic read). Okay, now that I've fangirled over Wegert and her writing (her Instagram is so worth following, by the way, because she posts gorgeous pictures all.the.time.), onto the book!

This is only book 3 in the series, and it kept me on my toes. Initially we have the death of a woman who was about to be sentenced in a corruption case - her body is found propped up next to a wind turbine and as the corruption case involved her taking bribes to try to install a wind farm in a nearby town, it only seems natural that her death is linked. But she was about to be sentenced - she was being punished, so why kill her now? There's no shortage of motives, and unfortunately, some may not even deal directly with the victim, but point back to her father, a (mostly) beloved mayor, pulling a similar stunt back in the 80s. He wasn't taking bribes, but he tried to bring in a resort, and it was something townspeople still gossiped and harped on about years later. In addition to dealing with that, Shana is still trying to track down Bram and capture him for good, plus she's dealing with growing feelings for her partner, Tim. There's also a really crappy, manipulative ex that's creating drama for no good reason and he always infuriates me, so seeing him return had me grinding my teeth.

I can't say too much without spoiling it, but if you want a good detective story, you should absolutely be reading Wegert's books. I was afraid after this one that there wouldn't be another, but she's working on book 4 now, so I highly encourage everyone to jump into the series now and get acquainted with all the characters of A-Bay.

This is my first 5 star read of 2022! I love Shana and the story surrounding her cousin. The murder in this one was super interesting, and there was also information about wind farms that I was fascinated by. I am a total greenie and have been into wind farms, and this gave me a pause on that. I was very satisfied with this story! Cannot wait to read more in the future!

I didn’t realize this was part of a series until I had already started reading it. However, it works as a stand alone as well.

Overall, this book was okay. I found parts to be boring and unnecessary. Several of the characters were flat and I didn’t really care what happened to them, including Tim and Shana. Actually, I thought Bram was the most interesting character.

As far as thrillers go, this wasn’t nearly as twisty or mysterious as it could have been.

I did love the Shana/Bram story, though. I wanted the whole book to be about them hunting Bram. That story line kept me on edge and interested in the book.

As this is the third book in the series I really loved watching the story and characters develop even more. Shana is still on the hunt for her serial killer cousin and a body has washed ashore in Canada that has his name written all over it. Thus begins her journey to Canada to check things out and see if she can get any closer to finding Bram. Loved this book and looking forward to more from Tessa.

Dark And Sinister…
The third in the Shana Merchant series and another to keep the reader gripped with an edge of seat, tumultuous read. A body is discovered on Wolfe Island, near a wind turbine and eventual identification sends ripples of shock throughout the community. Can Shana find the killer and is she keeping secrets of her own? A cast of interesting and credible characters, a dark and sinister storyline and a thorough sense of menace throughout makes this a wholly compelling tale.

This is tightly plotted and very strong on characterization. The author takes one along as her characters travel amongst the Thousand Islands and the border between the USA and Canada. It's a poignant and melancholy backdrop.
The pellucid prose brings an intense storyline vividly to life with strong relationships and unhealed wounds. The climax is breathtaking. An outstanding novel.

Firstly, huge thank you to Tessa Wegert for e-ARC of DEAD WIND! I was beyond thrilled to start this right away!

Holy smokes. This is cleverly well-written. Wegert did an amazing job drawing me right from the beginning and I certainly loved the two events occurring in the story, the mystery of who killed Hope and the ongoing adventures with Blake Bram. I thought the characters were well developed and well-woven to the end. I devoured this book in two nights!

I want to thank Tessa Wegert, NetGalley and Severn House for gifting me with e-ARC of DEAD WIND in exchange for honest review/ opinion.

4.5 stars!

Dead Wind is another atmospheric suspense/police procedural that picks up on the cliff hanger from The Dead Season. It was a painful wait trust me. When a body is discovered on Wolfe Island, Shana and Tim find themselves on Canadian soil to assist in the investigation and figure out who the victim is and where she’s from. With the identity of the victim, a small community is suddenly uprooted and past secrets are dredged up. While trying to solve the new crime while still searching for Bram, Shana can’t help shake the feeling that he is somehow involved in this.
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I love how these books are a locked room type mystery within a mystery. Perfectly atmospheric, small community setting and a bit of cat and mouse with plenty of twists and suspects really make this series a whole package for me. But that’s also the problem, I’ve gotten a bit attached to the characters so after finishing the book I was both happy and sad. I want more Tim and Shana but it seems that this could be the end of the series? Is this the end? I don't want it to be the end.

This is part of a series but I found it worked well as a stand alone. I found the mystery gripping and will be reading the previous books in the series