Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

In Hunter’s Bog, Kay Jennings doesn’t just write a mystery—she conjures a place. Port Stirling, Oregon, is more than a backdrop; it’s a living, breathing entity, cloaked in fog and secrets. The bog itself is a character, a liminal space where truth sinks and lies float just beneath the surface. This is a novel that understands the power of setting to shape story, mood, and morality.

This book opens with a body found in the bog—a discovery that ripples through the small coastal town like a stone dropped into still water. Police Chief Matt Horning, still recovering from personal loss and professional disillusionment, is tasked with unraveling a case that quickly becomes more than just a murder investigation. It’s a reckoning with the town’s past, its buried traumas, and its fragile sense of justice.

Jennings uses the bog not just as a crime scene, but as a metaphor for memory, guilt, and concealment. The natural world is omnipresent—watchful, indifferent, and strangely intimate.

Port Stirling is a town where everyone knows everyone, but no one truly knows themselves. Jennings explores how small-town intimacy can breed both loyalty and rot, and how justice must navigate the tangled roots of history and relationships.

Chief Horning’s arc is quietly powerful. He’s not a hero in the traditional sense, but a man trying to rebuild his moral compass in a world that no longer offers clear directions.

Matt Horning is a refreshing departure from the tortured-genius detective trope. He’s competent, compassionate, and deeply human. Jennings gives him space to breathe—to doubt, to reflect, to connect. His leadership is grounded in empathy, not ego, which makes his pursuit of truth feel both personal and principled.

The supporting cast is equally compelling: a forensic tech with a secret, a local journalist chasing more than headlines, and townspeople whose quiet lives mask loud histories. Jennings doesn’t rely on caricature; she builds characters with contradictions, making them feel lived-in and emotionally authentic.

Jennings’s prose is clean and evocative, with a rhythm that mirrors the ebb and flow of coastal life. Her use of shifting perspectives adds depth without diluting tension. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the mystery to unfold organically, with each revelation feeling earned rather than engineered.

The dialogue is crisp and believable, often laced with subtext. Jennings trusts the reader to read between the lines, which adds a layer of intellectual engagement to the emotional stakes.

Hunter’s Bog is a mystery that lingers—not because of its twists, but because of its texture. Kay Jennings has crafted a novel where atmosphere and ethics intertwine, where the land remembers what people forget, and where justice is as murky and necessary as the bog itself.

This is crime fiction for readers who crave mood, meaning, and moral complexity. Port Stirling may be fictional, but its shadows feel real—and they’ll stay with you long after the fog lifts.

This is book 8 of the series, and admittedly, I've only read a couple books in the series, so in a way, this book was my way of catching up with the Port Stirling series. The book starts off with a bang, with a kidnapping on their honeymoon. As a law enforcement officer, Matt wants to take charge, but he's wat out of his jurisdiction, so making friends with Stuart, and get him on his side. Meanwhile he has to have his team go through his previous cases, to see if the suspect could be somewhere in those file. The book slows as all the background search is being done, but then speeds back up when it gets to the last bit. If you're a fan of the series, you'll love this new addition. If you're new to the series, you might want to start a few books back before reading this one

Solid, gripping and well written police procedura. There's a dark atmosphere and it kept me on the edge. Good storytelling
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Matt Horning thought this trip was long overdue. After everything they’ve endured, he and Fern finally have the time—and space—to breathe. A holiday across Shetland and the Scottish Highlands, far from the weight of Port Stirling and its cases.

But peace is short-lived.

When Fern vanishes at the airport. Matt is thrust into unfamiliar territory—both in a foreign country and within himself. The abduction is bold, calculated, and all too personal. Someone has planned this. The only question is: why?

Back in Oregon, Matt’s team begins the painful task of retracing old cases—each one potentially linked to a new, terrifying vendetta. As Matt partners with DCI Stuart MacLean, a seasoned detective in the Scottish force, cultural differences and limited time test their uneasy alliance.

With Fern’s life on the line, every minute matters. Old enemies resurface, loyalties are strained, and the fog of Scotland’s capital grows darker by the hour.

In this gripping installment of the Port Stirling series, past sins catch up with the present—and love must outrun vengeance.

A honeymoon vacation goes wrong when the couple's law enforcement jobs follow them to Scotland. Instead of relaxing they are caught up in a kidnapping and must work out who is behind it. The story got a bit bogged down halfway through, but overall this was a fun, fast read in a different setting.I wished we saw more of Fern's professional side in this book, but if there are more books with these characters maybe we get more of her in other books.

Matt and Fern’s delayed honeymoon to the Scottish Highlands becomes a race by Matt to locate his kidnapped wife while collaborating with Scottish police whose policing style is radically different from his. A nail-biting thriller for fans of these beloved characters. I received an ARC from NetGalley, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Port Stirling Oregon's police Chief Matt Horning and his wife, Agent Fern Byrne of the state department are on a honeymoon in Scotland. Fern is early days pregnant and this is important because she is abducted and possibly exposed to Sarin gas by her captor. Matt pretty much goes ballistic and as he is a "take charge" kind of person he tries to run the investigation. But his counterpart, DCI Stuart MacLean of Police Scotland. The story begins with a comfortable start that ramps up and keeps gaining momentum even as the twists and red herrings multiply. A very good read.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected e-galley from Paris Communications | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles via NetGalley.
#HuntersBog by @kayjenningswriter #PortSterlingMysteriesBk8 @ibpalovesindies
#crimethriller #procedural #cooperation #PoliceScotland #abduction #investigation #suspense

Book eight in this series,best if you have read the others for background. Set in Port Stirling and Edinburgh Matt and Fern and their wonderful crew must work hard to solve this mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Hunters Bog", the eighth book in Kay Jennings's 'Port Stirling' series, featuring police Chief Matt Horning and his wife, Special Agent Fern Byrne. I was hooked on this series from the very first book, and Ms. Jennings has managed to create a cast of characters par excellence whose bonds have only deepened throughout the series; and in this one, they have a formidable task before them.
Matt and Fern are on their honeymoon in Scotland when Fern is suddenly and viciously abducted the one time when she is out of his sight and vulnerable. What follows is an extremely taut, suspenseful and emotional roller coaster as Matt - with the help of the amazing local DCI Stuart MacLean - and his team back in the States struggle to figure out which of their many adversaries might be behind the kidnapping. And to make things worse, from Fern's appearance right after the abduction it appears that she is the victim of a nerve agent!
While Chief Horning and DCI MacLean (who I could see earning a series of his own - hint, hint) are 'boots on the ground' in Scotland, the entire team works through the list of the many criminals (mostly incarcerated) whom they have put away in recent memory, giving the readers a little bit of historical context with each one.
With the life of his wife possibly on the line, will Matt and Stuart be able to effect a rescue in time?
Highly recommended; could be read as a standalone, but do yourselves a favour and read the entire series. It's great.

The 8th book in the Port Stirling Mystery series but as someone who has not read the previous 7 I can tell you this book can stand on its own merits. The author gives enough background that we can enjoy this as a stand-alone mystery. But the author does warn us that this book contains spoilers that will ruin the mysteries earlier in the series. So if you intend to read the earlier books, you might want to save this one for later.

Matt Horning is the police chief of Port Stirling, Oregon. His wife Fern Byrne is a US Special Agent. They decide to take their delayed honeymoon to the Shetland Islands and Highlands of Scotland.

It was a very enjoyable trip until Fern was kidnapped while waiting for the return flight to the US. Since it seemed quite possible that the motivation behind this crime could be related to some of Matt’s or Fern’s cases back in Oregon, the investigations proceed on both sides of the Atlantic.

I enjoyed this book (both vacation and the mystery).

Port Stirling, Oregon, police chief Matt Horning and his special agent wife, Fern, finally get their well-deserved vacation on a getaway to Shetland and the Scottish Highlands. But their heart warming holiday turns deadly in a pulse pounding game of cat and mouse when they reach Edinburgh. Did this shocking, brazen crime originate back home in Port Stirling? Is it the fallout of one or several previous cases resolved by Matt and Fern?! Great book and series! I loved to read about past characters! It can be a stand alone but should be read with the series! This book had great suspense, intriguing, action, kidnapping, murder, mystery, fantastic characters and some wild twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book and series! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I was attracted by the quote "This atmospheric story where worlds collide is perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Kendra Elliot, Ann Cleeves, and Val McDermid. ", all of whom I adore because of their in-depth knowledge and earthy depiction of Scotland and the Scots.

This is the first title from this series I have read. so a lot of the back story and characters went over my head completely and thus I could not engage at all with the plot and suspense promised, nor did I get an impression of the community/setting of Port Stirling or even Oregon which I am sure must be familiar to American readers.

I am sure that those who have enjoyed the previous seven books in the series will enjoy this book, but I'm afraid I won't be making the effort to catch up with this saga.