Skinned (The Rayburn Mysteries Book 2)

Josephine ‘Jo’ Rayburn and Rhys Harrison work well together. She is a detective who is hiding part of her past from Rhys, while he works as a coroner’s assistant, after dropping out of medical school to care for his mentally handicapped brother. There’s a new drug in town, and apparently, its formulation isn’t quite perfect yet, as bodies keep showing up in various parts of Alabama. Jo and her partner are investigating the deaths, with help from co-workers, a couple of FBI ‘overseers,’ and eventually, her half-sister and her partner. There are eerie similarities to a kidnapping event in Jo’s past. The resolution of that crime is linked to the information that Jo is keeping from Rhys.

This story is paced beautifully and grabs the reader from the start. A careful reader will find several grammatical and contextual errors within the narrative; fortunately, they are just occasional and not rampant. Each of the main characters is engaging and they work well together. With most characters, it’s easy to tell who is bad and who is good; however, there are a couple of players that the reader will have to figure out as the story progresses. The tension is tight throughout this story, and keeps the reader on edge. There is a scene in the final chapter that strains the credibility factor of this story, but the rest of it is portrayed vividly and believably. Overall, the good parts of this story far outweigh the flaws, and that makes this a gripping and intense read!

Carey Sullivan