I recently finished 'Buried Deception' by Amanda McKinney and immediately made sure I had all of the alerts set that would let me know when another book by her would be available for ARC. She proved with that book that she was going to be a favorite author of mine and this next book certainly didn't disappoint. And if I thought the first one got nitty and gritty, then this one went full-on gruesome. In the absolutely best kind of way. I also loved that Mia and Easton made appearances.

Beckett and Jo were at the center of this book and I was loving the chemistry between the two of them. Beck has had a crush on Jo for a while, so naturally, when she becomes the target of a serial killer, he is right there to help protect her. Swoon! In checking out what other people think of this book, I noticed that some feel the romance is rushed between Beck and Jo. But, personally, I'm assuming since he's been crushing on her for a while, they at least have known each other for a while even if they haven't interacted much. Plus, their friends are together. So, I really didn't feel that things were too rushed and reading about their romance was a great addition to the suspense happening. I love them as much as I love Mia and Easton and that's saying something!

A lot of red herrings pop up in this one to lead you astray. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I absolutely fell for them and I'm willing to bet many other readers will as well because Amanda McKinney is a master at the craft of red herrings! Maybe if (when) I go back and read it a second time I will pick up on different things and realize I could have figured out the guilty party sooner. But those red herrings are so good and so well done. I strongly recommend this book and I recommend that you read 'Buried Deception' as well! I'll just be sitting here waiting for the next one to come out. ( )

When Beckett Stolle of LINX finds Aria, a young autistic girl near the body of a woman who was killed by the Pollack Butcher, he puts her in the care of psychiatrist Jo Bellerose to try and unlock her memories of what happened to the murdered woman. Using art therapy, Aria begins to paint elaborate patterns in red just like the Butcher uses when killing women. While Jo doesn't believe that Aria is involved, she does believe that there is a connection. As Jo and Beckett investigate, secrets come to light that might keep them from finding the murderer and might also keep them apart.

Trail of Deception starts out with a very good premise using the idea of art as a background for this serial killer story. However, the story soon goes off the rails with underdeveloped characters and a weak suspense plot. Also, the dialogue and the relationships between characters do not feel realistic. Issues of drug abuse, autism, and PTSD are given a very superficial treatment, making the story even less believable. Overall, this book is very disappointing, particularly because the first book in the series, Buried Deception, is so good. ( )

Trail of Deception by Amanda McKinney
On the Edge #2

Dark, deadly and difficult to contemplate tale of a serial killer who has no remorse and is a heinous person I wished to be caught…as soon as possible.

What I liked:
* Jo: psychiatrist, partner in Dragonfly Clinic, complex, intelligent, caring, scattered, interested in patterns, has secrets, attracted to Beckett, wealthy, complicated childhood
* Beckett: ex-military, tracker, has studied criminal behavior, enjoys patterns and uses this information to in his job, ‘sees’ Jo and is drawn to her, partner in LYNX tracking & training business
* The way the relationship grows between Jo and Beckett and how it moves forward by the end
* Getting to see how Mia and Easton from book one are doing
* The look into the serial killer’s thinking
* The procedural aspects used, and clues found that gradually built up to reveal who the serial killer was
* The insight Jo and her mother gained about themselves and their relationship
* Wondering who will have their story told next as I eagerly await book three in the series.
* The plot, pacing, setting, character development, and writing

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how twisted some people are and what makes them the way they are.

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )