Book summary (Amazon): Blacklisted in the photography business over a controversial shot, Avery Tate answered an ad for a crime scene photographer. She expected to be laughed at, but crime scene analyst Parker Mitchell hired her outright--and changed her life. But six months ago, when her feelings for Parker became too strong, she left his employ to sort out her heart.
Now, for the first time, Avery is facing the world that rejected her to attend the gallery opening of a photography exhibit and support her best friend, who modeled for the show. But the only image of her friend is a chilling photo of her posing as if dead--and the photographer insists he didn't take the shot. Worse, her friend can't be found. She immediately calls Parker for help. As Avery, Parker, and his friends in law enforcement dig into the mystery, they find themselves face-to-face with a relentless and deadly threat.
My thoughts...I'll admit, romantic suspense is not my typical genre. I'm more of a romantic historical fiction type girl, but Dani Pettrey's Alaskan Courage series sold me. When she began this new series with Cold Shot, once again I was drawn in by the twists, fast moving plot, suspense, and the connection between the characters. Still Life continues with the same elements.
Still Life's suspenseful side was pretty intense. It may be that I'm a little more sensitive to that aspect because it's been so long since I've read much suspense, but it was very well done. I was reading at night and got the shivers more than once! Avery's friend has been featured in a Black Dahlia-style shoot: models posing as if they were dead. Throw in a couple of shady characters, a few murder suspects, and our main characters' struggles with their past, and you've got all the elements of a great romantic suspense novel.
My only hang up, which I mentioned in my critique of Cold Shot, is the amount of characters to keep up with. There are a lot of people in Avery and Parker's "inner circle." Then you add the secondary characters who play a part in their investigation....let's just say I had to think a lot about who was who. You may have to have a reference sheet handy. Just sayin'.
Overall, despite the long character list, this book represents the author and genre well. Not too creepy, but just enough to keep you on your toes and guessing about "whodunnit" til the end. The spiritual aspect of the novel was not an afterthought, either. The characters' need for Christ to overcome their past and resolve the issues in the present was a key part in the novel. Well done.
*I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher, via NetGalley, in order to give an honest review, which I did.*
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