Twice as Bad, Miss Demeanor Book 2

River Nightingale is part-owner of Miss Demeanor Private Investigators based in Seattle. Reeling from the loss of one partner to a dream job opportunity, River and the rest of the crew, Maile and Cory, are informed that their fellow founding partner Shay and one of her informants were killed in a hit and run in the early morning hours. Seattle homicide cop Gage Hamilton has a personal stake in this as well — Shay was a friend, and River is his lover. They vow to track down Shay’s killer and bring him or her to justice. What they did not count on was stumbling upon a smuggling ring on the docks. As cases collide, River and Gage struggle to keep their personal tragedy from causing the death of another, River herself. 

Don’t let the fact that this book has just over one hundred pages deter you from digging into it. From page one the action starts and does not let up. In a shorter book, it is hard to find such depth and raw range of emotions, such as losing partners and navigating a new romance in the midst of tragedy,  but Ms. Jaytanie does it with ease. Ideally readers should start at book one of the series,  “P.I. I Love You”, to get the full backstory since two of the founding members are again involved in this installment. However, if readers start here it is easy to catch up as Ms. Jaytanie gives us enough backstory without overwhelming the current storyline. 

Alison Ellis