ARC Review: Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose

Beneath Dark Waters
Author: Karen Rose
Series: A New Orleans Novel (Book 2)
Publication: Berkley (August 15, 2023)

Description Deadly secrets lie beneath the murky waters of the Louisiana bayou in this pulse-pounding new romantic suspense novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose.

There’s no safe place for a child to hide when danger comes from every direction.

Public prosecutor J.P. “Kaj” Cardozo has only lived in New Orleans for six months, and he’s already working on a high-profile celebrity sexual assault case that’s made headlines all over the country. But when his son becomes the target of a kidnapping attempt as a threat to Kaj, he is desperate to keep him safe and turns to a private investigative firm famous for their protection services.

A veteran Marine, Val Sorensen is glad to have found a new career with Broussard Investigations. Her latest assignment as the bodyguard to ten-year-old Elijah Cardozo reminds her why—Val is a kick ass guardian with a tender heart.  Through her duties, Val grows fond of the boy—and his handsome father.

But when the high-stakes investigation reveals an explosive network of crime through a revived drug gang, lingering deep-seated corruption in the NOPD, and a group of murderers-for-hire targeting Kaj, Elijah, and his star client, they’re all left scrambling for safety…

My Thoughts: This entertaining romantic suspense title is the second in the New Orleans series and introduces us to more people in Broussard Investigations. 

When Prosecutor Kaj Cardozo needs a bodyguard for his nearly kidnapped ten-year-old son Elijah, he goes to Broussard because he doesn't trust the New Orleans Police Department. Broussard assigns former Marine Val Sorenson to the case because she's good with kids and has a connection to the drug gang that was implicated in the attempted kidnapping.

Cardozo is working on two high profile cases. A man has beaten a doctor who specialized in childhood cancer to death because he blamed him for the death of his young son. The second case is that of a famous actress who has accused a film director of rape. It turns out that the cases have some connections that aren't obvious at first. 

This was a twisty tale told in part by one of the major villains of the story who is a real evil character. I enjoyed the relationships in the story. Val and Kaj are two damaged people who are healing and find each other along the way. He is dealing with the loss of his wife to cancer and raising a very bright and diabetic son. She is overcoming the trauma of being raped by three of her fellow Marines and then not letting the Marine Corps cover it up. 

Val is also dealing with the death of twin. Throughout this story, she learns more about her brother and learns that he wasn't the hero she thought he was which brings its own trauma to the situation. 

So much happens in the 592 pages of the story that it is impossible to even hit the high points. But the story has people displaying courage in horrible situations and it is the story of a found family that is growing up around Broussard Investigations. I enjoyed it.

Favorite Quote:

He shot her an incredulous look. "Mean to me? I'm six-four and two-thirty. It would be damn hard to be mean to me."

But abuse wasn't always delivered with fists. Sometimes it was a parent withdrawing so deeply after the death of a child that they forgot about their surviving children. Sometimes it was a sibling's betrayal.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.