It’s no secret that I love the Shana Merchant novels and each time I finish one, I’m pestering Tessa to see when the next one will be out!

A truly gripping, tense and atmospheric novel, Shana is often pulled between family loyalty and her love for the job.

This is pure action from start to finish and the book really packs a punch. Based in the stunning location of Thousand Islands in New York (a place I’d love to visit one day), this chilling police procedural will literally have you on the edge of your seat right until its shocking climax.

Dead Wind is book three in the Shana Merchant novels and, I have to say, it’s the best one yet. I feel like Shana is really proving she’s a force to be reckoned with. Full of twists and turns and everything you need in a first class thriller: mystery, action and a kick-ass lead!

Shana may as well cuff me and chuck me in the back because I’m in this for the long-haul!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review and advanced copy of Dead Wind and I can't wait to read book 4!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Dead Wind, the third novel to feature senior investigator Shana Merchant of the New York State Police, set in the Thousand Islands area.

When a body discovered on Wolfe Island, in Canadian jurisdiction, is identified as a local American politician convicted of corruption. Shana and her team launch an investigation, not knowing if the murder has its roots in local politics or if the serial killer Blake Bram, who held Shana captive for several days before she escaped, has come to the area to further his fascination with her.

I had not read this series before, in fact I didn’t realise Dead Wind was part of a series until I opened it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m just going to come out and say that I didn’t like the majority of the novel as the content is not to my taste although the ending redeems it somewhat.

Firstly the novel works as a stand-alone as all the salient points are recapped, except perhaps Shana’s childhood experiences and I don’t imagine they were covered any more deeply in previous novels as it would take away some of the suspense.

It is told from Shana’s first person point of view, so the reader gets up close and personal with the investigation and all her thoughts and secrets. It is done well enough, but duelling with a serial killer is not my kind of reading, especially when he seems at least two steps ahead. And the extra twist in the detail makes it seem contrived and unrealistic.

For readers who like a psychological thriller I think that this will be a good read as it has all the necessary ingredients, a cat and mouse game, a frightened protagonist and plenty of thrills. I simply didn’t like the concept.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review electronically.. Murder and mayhem…revenge…old friends…new ones…who did it???? This novel is written in a way that guessing the outcome is not easily done…I look forward to more books by this author…that being said, the story moved slowly.

Thank you so much to Tessa Wegert for my copy of Dead Wind. You guys know I love this locked room mystery style series, and the third book in the series is no exception. The third book continued Shana’s search for her serial killer cousin Bram. A body is discovered on Wolf Island, and it has Bram’s name all over it. Not only does Shana know the victim, but she feels it is Bram taunting her. She tries to balance solving the case, searching for her cousin, and dealing with a new attraction she has to her partner. But will she be able to catch her cousin, or is it too late?

Thoughts: I love Tessa Wegert’s writing style. She knows how to draw a reader in right from the beginning and capture their attention. I loved both the current mystery of who killed Hope and the overarching mystery of where Blake Bram is. It’s a fun cat and mouse mystery that ties together in a great way.

This book is both character and plot driven, as Shana really develops throughout the three books. It is fun to learn about her and her background throughout the series. I love the stories in each book as well. I highly recommend this series, and would also tell potential readers to start with Death in the Family to get the full scope of the story. 5-stars!

What. A. Ride! Wow. I have loved this series since the first book and getting to know Shana and Tim has been so satisfying. Tessa Wegert has such a unique writing style that appeals to true hard crime readers, novice crime readers, and anyone who just loves a good mystery/suspense novel. The growth of Shana over these three novels was so interesting and has you rooting for her the whole time. Well done. Highly recommend this whole series!

What better way to start of 2022 than reading Book 3 of the Shana Merchant series!?!

I love this series SO much and I’m glad I finally got caught up on the books! This series follows senior investigator Shana Merchant as she navigates life in the Thousand Islands/Alexandria Bay area, makes a new life for herself, and deals with demons from her past.

I really loved this newest installment of the series! We continued to learn more about Shana's past and complex family dynamic, in addition to seeing her friendship with Tim Wellington progress. And as always, I can't get enough of the unique setting of this book. I don't think I've read any other books set in the Thousand Islands area!

I think Dead Wind ended in a good place, but now I have no idea what comes next!! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book of the Shana Merchant series!

Thank you @netgalley and @severnhouseimprint for the #gifted copy of Dead Wind!

I really enjoyed this book, but wish I had realized that it was part of a series. I feel like I missed out a bit having not read the first two. Now I'll just have to go back and read the first two!

Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, and a twisted storyline! I definitely enjoyed reading this book I will recommend it but it was just ok for me, yes its worth reading but wasn't one of my top favorites! The storyline was interesting, it flowed nicely but still just ok for me! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Im so glad I found Tessa Wegert on one of my random book shopping sprees! Im also very pleased with how this series ended, Shana was a very likable character she had a lot of depth to her albeit she is very stubborn and sometimes too much of a do it myself person but I love how she developed throughout the series and Tim as well they compliment each other wonderfully and to be honest revenge was served in the end in my opinion while it may seem cruel to others when they read it but this character I do not pity.. This book had a lot more politics which I wasn't a huge fan of because it did seem to take up a lot of potentially good Bram time. But that did NOT make it any less enjoyable I wish the cat and mouse game with these two didnt end but I really hope to see more from Tessa Wegert!

This is the 3rd book in the series and I enjoyed it just as much as the rest of them! Lots of twists and turns throughout reading and that's what I love about Tessa's books! Thank you the opportunity to read and review early!

Third tango with Shana Merchant drags us into two different mysteries:
Killing of Hope Oberon: a convicted governmental officer along with her three friends for defrauding the government during bringing a wind farm to their local community is the first one! Hope had so many enemies, getting death threats from environmental groups. One of the environmentalists may take this threat too far!

And second mystery includes ongoing big mystery of Blake Bram: a ruthless serial killer and abductor of Shana who was once upon a time the trickster cousin Abe and whose fixation on Shay’s life is getting stronger at each second.

Shana teams up with her longtime partner Tim Wellington, investigating both cases, hardly restraining her unresolved feelings to her partner.

She still suspects the death of Hope might be related with the cat- mouse game Bram has been playing with her. Each second his stalking tendencies are getting out of control , breaking in Shana’s house, leaving gifts related with their childhood times and clues pointing his possible next victim’s identity.

Shana should keep her loved ones in distance for protecting them against the unpredictable jealousy of him.

On the other hand, the investigation of Hope’s death raises more political conflicts which feed bottled up grudges and long time revenge plans of locals.

Are both cases connected? Could Shana get upper hand to defeat Bram at his own game?

I was about to give four stars this book but the second half of the book, increasing high tension about Shana’s unfinished business with her cousin, revelations about the big secrets and impactful ending were so intense, heart wrenching and riveting! I literally had hard time to put the book down!

This book was more emotional, dark, heart throbbing than the other two books of the series. I liked Shana’s evolving throughout those journeys. At first book she was unreliable and broken character who was still nursing her traumatic experience she’s had in expanse ruining the entire case she and Tim were investigating. But at this book she’s wiser, stronger, braver. I loved to witness her self improvement and I also supported TIMSHA since he helped Shana to get rid of her dysfunctional relationship with her narcissistic ex.

Overall: this was one of my fastest reads! I’m rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 islander, obsessive, exciting, wild ride stars!

Looking forward to read more adventures of Shana and Tim in near future!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

240 pages

4 stars

In this book, I met investigators Shana Merchant and Tim Wellington for the first time. I had the feeling that I should have read the previous books to get the complete background, but Ms. Wegert gave sufficient hints for me to piece together their background sufficiently enough for me to feel comfortable with the story.

They are notified by the Canadian authorities that there is a dead person on one of their small islands that they may want to become involved in the case. Shana and Tim travel to a small island named Wolfe Island, just across the Canadian border.

They can’t shake the feeling that they know the victim, a woman. She is later identified as Hope Oberon. Hope was recently convicted, along with three others, of defrauding the local government. She was a government official who was involved in trying to bring a wind farm to their local community. She was trying to do good, but it all went wrong. She was trying desperately to live up to her father’s high reputation as the former mayor.

A key part of the story is the apparently ongoing issue of Shana’s cousin, Blake Bram, Blake is a notorious serial killer. He even recently kidnapped her and terrorized her for some time. She is still trying to recover. No one knows the extent of her relationship with Bram except her partner, Tim. This novel focuses quite a bit of time on Bram.

Tim and Shana ponder the possibility that Bram murdered Hope. They investigate other possible suspects. There is an environmentalist, Hope’s partners in crime, Hope’s husband, among others. They reach several dead ends. There is an imposter among them. He is trying to pass himself off as other people to throw suspicion on them. It works to some degree. Shana and Tim follow several false leads, getting more frustrated as they go along.

While having dinner with Tim’s family, Shana and Tim pick up some interesting information. The case moves quickly after that. In an exciting and somewhat odd conclusion, the story comes to an end.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this very riveting book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.