Jagger - Amanda McKinney

Jagger: Steele Shadows Investigations
Amanda McKinney
Publication date: June 18th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Secrets, lies, deceit… A former Navy SEAL turned homicide detective has met his match in this new *standalone* addition to the number #1 Bestselling Steele Shadows Series…

He found her covered in blood.
She promises she’s innocent.
The question is… Can he trust her?

Feared just as much on the streets as at a crime scene, Homicide Detective Max Jagger has dedicated his life to one thing—speaking for the dead. Everyone and everything else be damned, including his own demons. During one of the most oppressive heat waves to hit the small, southern town of Berry Springs, the former Navy SEAL is called to a scene where a real estate heiress is found standing over a dead body, holding the murder weapon. The local cops immediately dub it a slam-dunk case, but if Jagg has learned anything from his days running special ops, it’s that nothing is as it seems… including this suspect.

Despite her name, Sunny Harper is as beguiling as a fallen angel. Clever, cunning, completely unwilling to cooperate, and, perhaps his least favorite quality—mind-numbingly intoxicating. When evidence from the scene suggests an accomplice, Jagg begins to believe that Sunny is both innocent and in danger, despite the towns’ uproar to lock her up. Torn between his growing feelings for his suspect, he takes Sunny to a secluded lake house where he discovers there’s much more behind those enchanting green eyes… including secrets that could take them both under.

With his career on the line and the clock ticking, Jagg must decide if he can trust Sunny… before they both get burned.

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Author Bio:

Amanda McKinney is the #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author of more than ten steamy romantic suspense and mystery novels. She wrote her debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY, in 2017 after walking away from her career to become a writer and stay-at-home mom. Set in small, southern towns, Amanda’s books are page-turning murder mysteries packed with steamy romance.

Her books include the HOT new bestselling series, STEELE SHADOWS SECURITY, the multi-award-winning BERRY SPRINGS series and BLACK ROSE MYSTERIES.

Text AMANDABOOKS to 66866 to receive Amanda’s newsletter and get the latest on new releases, promos, and freebies!

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My Review

I have to admit that I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy this one. Although it's a romance, really that takes second place to the mystery element of this book. To begin with, we didn't really even meet Jagger's potential love interest and his investigation and rookie sidekick Darby took centre stage. Jagger isn't actually that likeable, he has an aurora of the old gumshoe detectives, the fact that much of the story is told from his point of view gives it an almost Raymond Chandler like feel. I think that it was this that made me wonder if we were going to get on. Not that I don't enjoy that kind of read, it was just not what I had been expecting.

Sunny is an interesting character. She's clearly got a lot of baggage and history. I think that it mentions that she's in her late 20's, but in many ways, she seems to be an older character than this. Perhaps simply because of what she has been through. 

For me, the suspense side of this book was the winner. Although there is romance here, it wasn't the main part of the story and I wasn't really that invested in their relationship. I did want to know what was going to happen and who was behind it all though. I think that it was that that made this ultimately a very enjoyable read. 

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