Beneath Bone Lake by Colleen Thompson starts out with a mystery as Ruby Monroe returns to her Texas hometown after a year spent in Iraq, working as a bus driver. She impatiently waits at the airport for the arrival of her sister, Misty, and four-year-old daughter, Zoe, holding with her a secret she's itching to get rid of. Only someone else seems to have gotten a hold of not only her secret, but her family, as well.

Arriving at her house with dangerous and drugged strangers in residence, Ruby calls the local law enforcement for help. Before anyone arrives, Sam McCoy, her neighbor and late husband's foster brother, is on the scene and as trouble escalates, Sam tries to help Ruby as much as he can without getting too involved. After all, it wouldn't do well for someone with a criminal past to be tangled up in drugs, shootings, missing people, and an unidentified body that turns up in Misty's car in Bone Lake, would it?

Ruby Monroe is a woman who simply wants her family back. What should have been a happy reunion with her sister and daughter, turns into a nightmare as she fights against gunmen, corrupt cops, and even those she thought she knew best, with secrets that are starting to unravel.

Sam McCoy is a hero who always seems to be getting caught doing the wrong things for all the right reasons. While trying to stay away from the trouble surrounding Ruby's return, he is nonetheless drawn to her and to helping her cause. Before he realizes it, he's willing to go to any lengths to help secure Ruby and her family's safety, even if that means breaking the terms of his parole.

Beneath Bone Lake is different from other books in the Romantic Suspense genre that I've recently read. This is a complex story with more mystery, action, and suspense in the plot than romance. I do applaud the way Colleen Thompson concocted the mystery, never letting you know what is really going on or who is behind it all. While this story may have moved slowly for me during the first two-thirds, I was glued to the pages towards the end in... well, in suspense.

Beneath Bone Lake would not be a book I'd recommend for those looking for more romance in their novels, but for those who enjoy a good mystery and suspense with just a dash of romance, this should be one to check out. Find out more about Colleen Thompson and her novels on her website, http://www.colleen-thompson.com/ . ( )

This is really suspense with romantic elements, but a good read nonetheless! ( )