ARC Review: Gone to Her Grave by Melinda Leigh

Gone to Her Grave
Author: Melinda Leigh
Series: Rogue River Novella Book 2
Publication: Montlake Romance (October 21, 2014)

Description: In Solitude, Oregon, everyone has secrets…and some will kill to keep them.

When she believes a teen is falsely accused of drug dealing, social worker Carly Taylor takes on a high-risk case and her estranged husband—the detective in charge of the investigation—to prove the boy innocent. A deadly new designer drug has taken hold of her small rural hometown of Solitude, Oregon, and Carly is determined to find the real dealer and clear the teen’s name. But the deeper she digs into the case, the more danger she unearths, until someone decides it’s time for Carly to move on…permanently.

Investigator Seth Harding knows he can’t stop his wife when she has a child to protect. But he risks any chance of reconciliation with Carly if he can’t learn to accept her dangerous job. When a drug dealer decides Carly is getting too close, will Seth lose her altogether?

A pulse-pounding Rogue River novella, Gone to Her Grave is the second exciting addition to the new romantic suspense series from Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot.

My Thoughts: This second Rogue River novella is action-packed. Carly Taylor is a social worker who is currently separated from her husband Seth who is an investigator for the County Sheriff's office. Their main source of conflict is Seth's desire to protect her and his feeling that his work is more important than hers.

Carly is immensely busy in this story. She is concerned for Tammy Fisher and her four kids because Darren Fisher is a drunk who abuses his family. Carly tries to get Tammy to ask for assistance by Darren has her so cowed that she won't. She is also involved when Russ Warner is arrested for drug dealing and a possible homicide. Russ was introduced in the previous story when his abusive father attempted to kill Zane and Stevie.

Russ is accused by another teen - Peter Rollins - of selling him the same drug that has been plaguing the county and has been responsible for a number of deaths. The one thing about this story I had trouble believing is that Peter's mother would take the drug away from Peter and then take it herself. The fact that she is in a coma and might die is what sets Russ up for a murder charge. Carly believes Russ when he says that Peter is lying and both Zane and Seth think so too after questioning Peter. But Peter is supposed to be a good kid from a good family and Russ's dad was a drug dealer.

Besides the relationship issues, Carly is in real danger when Darren goes out of control. Being rescued by Seth who has had some tough love from Carly's mother may give them the opportunity to rebuild their relationship.

We still don't know who is making and selling the drugs in town. We do learn that Carly's father's death is going to be looked at more carefully. It is possible that it wasn't a heart attack that killed the healthy 59-year-old. I am also still wondering where Roy Krueger disappeared to. He was the police chief briefly after Carly's father died but left town abruptly when Zane took over. I'm also wondering what is going on at the resort Faye O'Rourke is building.

I can't wait to read the third and fourth books in this quartet to finally have my questions answered.

Favorite Quote:

"And that, Seth, is the problem," Patsy said. "Until you accept Carly as she is, not as you want her to be, you aren't going to get her back."

I received this novella from the author for review. You can buy your copy here.