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catreader18's review
5.0
The small town of Misty Pines’s crime rate is increasing again. What I enjoy about this series is how it combines thrilling crime with character development. It is a story just as much about the characters and their lives as it is about the crimes they are trying to solve. If you love crime set in a small town with excellent characters, you will enjoy this book and the series.
srivalli's review
mysterious
slow-paced
3.75
3.7 Stars
One Liner: Better than book one but slower too
Misty Pines’ Sheriff Jax Turner is slowly getting his life on track. Of course, he is still struggling, and his ex-wife, Abby, doesn’t seem to be as interested in him. However, when the local surfing legend goes missing, Jax is busy gathering evidence and digging deeper.
Abby isn’t having it easy, either. A severed foot washes ashore, which seems connected to another missing case. Since it falls in Jax’s jurisdiction, she hands it over to him but takes up the investigation at the FBI level as more clues turn up.
As the waters get murky, Jax will have to find a way out and expose the layers of lies and agendas without risking precious lives in the process.
The story comes in the third-person POV of Jax and Abby.
My Thoughts:
Reading books one and two together sure helped. This one is better and doesn’t try to bring ‘surprise twists’. Though there’s a sort of curveball, the killer and clues are pretty much aligned.
Having Abby’s POV helped to an extent. We get to see both their perspectives about their personal lives. I also like that they are a work-in-progress, irrespective of the result.
Jax is much better in this book. He is more in control, assured, and capable. True that he is still coming to terms and makes some mistakes, but I like his arc (possibly more than Abby’s).
The mysteries go in parallel, and as new evidence comes to light, some things become clear, while some get murkier. The resolution is decent and not unexpected. A little more focus on the reason would have helped.
Apart from recurring characters like Trudy, Troy, Dylan, and Jax’s team, we have two new entries- Olek (Abby’s FBI partner) and Rachel. It will be interesting to see how they contribute to the future books.
Compared to book one, this one heavily leans on Jax and Abby’s past and present lives. There’s a reason for this. Nurse Margot, with her Maggi noodles curls, does her bit to keep the plot going.
While the setting and descriptions are nice to read, this is a slow-burn mystery mixed with some police procedural. Unlike book one, it takes a long time for the plot to pick up pace. The urgency of the storyline is not replicated in the narrative style. This contrast makes it a little hard to stay interested.
The book does work as a standalone, but I am not sure how much readers can connect with Jax and Abby’s strained relationship. Though we get the basic information, some important snippets are not repeated, which could make the characters feel distant (depends, though).
To summarize, Deadly Tides is an engaging slow-burn mystery with introspective themes like grief, healing, abandonment, family, relationships, etc. I like it better and will read book #3 next year (or whenever it is available).
Thank you, NetGalley and Level Best Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #DeadlyTides
donnamallery's review
5.0
This is the second book in this series, and I have been anxiously waiting for it to be published. I was glad to find it on NetGalley. This is a police procedural novel. The main character, Sheriff Jax, is a suffering soul who is very likable. He has a crew of reserve policemen who help him solve the mysteries. He is divorced, due to their child dying of leukemia, but he still loves his ex-wife. She is an FBI agent who is frequently involved in the same cases. This book is about feet, different men, that wash up 0n the shore. Are these two cases related? One of them is a surfboard builder whose blueprints are highly desirable. There is also the nurse who helped take care of Jax’s child. She has moved into the area and has a crush on Jax. She also keeps appearing in places she shouldn’t. What evolves is a well developed story where you feel the sympathies of the characters involved. I’m guessing there will be more adventures with Jax in the future!
annie_21's review
2.0
I don't know if it's coincidental or like purposeful that both antagonists in all the Jax Turner novels I've read fromm Mary Keliikoa are female. It's also stranger because statistically male murderers are more like frequent that female ones but #girlpower #girlboss I guess?
The plot was definitely a ride because I didn't know who was actually the murderer. While Margot was definitely suspicious, I thought she was interested in Jax, not a whole murderer! Her motivation was definitely a bit stereotypical though because a woman with daddy issues being the murderer is a bit....distateful. Also the first book (Hidden Pieces I think) that had someone with a split personality. I think this means that Keliikoa just likes to recycle the stereotypical antagonists which is........nice.
I also think that it's really nice to see relationships heal from Jax and Abby to Rachel and her father. Even if Rachel and her father haven't been shown to reconcile, the implication is nice. Hopefully, they will. It's good to show healing relationships.
The plot was definitely a ride because I didn't know who was actually the murderer. While Margot was definitely suspicious, I thought she was interested in Jax, not a whole murderer! Her motivation was definitely a bit stereotypical though because a woman with daddy issues being the murderer is a bit....distateful. Also the first book (Hidden Pieces I think) that had someone with a split personality. I think this means that Keliikoa just likes to recycle the stereotypical antagonists which is........nice.
I also think that it's really nice to see relationships heal from Jax and Abby to Rachel and her father. Even if Rachel and her father haven't been shown to reconcile, the implication is nice. Hopefully, they will. It's good to show healing relationships.
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