I actually read the other books in the series, but did not even remember them until I discovered them, as part of the series, on the Internet. Needless to say, I do not recall very much about them and cannot compare this one to them. In this book, Jane Bunker, a former Miami detective whose career exploded, becomes involved in a murder mystery on Acadia Island, off the coast of Maine. Acadia Island has meaning for Jane, as she and her brother were born there. Her mother took the children and escaped to Florida years ago, where she settled. Jane is a town detective as well as a maritime insurance investigator. In this case, Jane travels the short distance to Acadia Island to investigate a fire that destroyed a mansion. During her look through at the mansion, Jane discovers the burnt remains of the woman who owned and lived there. Thus, begins the mystery. Initially, Jane concludes the dead woman died in the fire, but further inspections shows she was killed before the fire and dragged there, with the fire set to probably disguise the murder. Jane meticulously uncovers clue by clue, trying to figure out what is going on. She comes up with a few theories, some of which prove to be false or non-starters. To complicate matters, Jane is ever haunted by the fact that her ancestry is on this island, and everyone knows it, but she has little time to figure that part out. As the story progresses, Jane plods through many clues and events, hoping to finally discover who killed this woman and why.

As I said, I do not recall the other books, which I read years ago. Thus, I cannot compare them. Instead, I read this one as a stand-alone. The author writes very well and has a captivating style that provides a fantastic picture of the Maine area. However, the story drags along slowly, as Jane slowly and methodically progresses from one clue and/or idea to the next. You get a good picture of jane, a methodical, plodding detective who refuses to leave any clue unchecked or stone unturned. However, I did wish sometimes it would move along at a faster pace, instead of slow and steady. I also found it interesting that Jane decides who the murder is slightly less than half way through the book, and then spends a lot of time trying to convict the alleged murder or figure out why she is wrong and whom she should really be looking at. This is a slow, steady book, written by an author who knows the setting and possesses a good sense of writing style. I think someone who enjoys a challenging mystery would enjoy it. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Hopelessly awful, sloppy. boring. trivial writing style.

Shiver Hitch is the third book in the A Jane Bunker Mystery series by Linda Greenlaw. This is the first book in the series that I have read. It is also the first book of Greenlaw's that I have read. You do not need to read the first two books in the series to enjoy Shiver Hitch.

Jane Bunker lives in small town Green Haven, Maine. She is employed as both a deputy and as an insurance investigator. In the midst of the cold Maine winter, Jane is called out to remote Acadia Island to investigate a house fire as part of her job as an insurance investigator. Soon she has to don her deputy hat as she discovers a body in the ruins of the fire. The body is that of the home owner. Who would want to kill her?

There is a story about Jane Bunker that has not been explored at all yet. Jane moved with her mother to Florida as a small child and knows nothing about her relatives on Acadia Island. The subject was touched on but Jane did little to find out about them. I hope that story is being saved for a later book in the series.

I really enjoyed Shiver Hitch and am definitely looking forward to more books in the series! Highly recommend.

Jane Bunker was born on remote Acadia Island but her mother fled to Miami taking Jane and her infant brother, Wally, along. Jane never heard anything good about her Bunker family but when her career as a homicide detective exploded she decided to settle in Maine. The plan was to find out about the Bunkers but after nine months she has not even visited the island. Her two gigs as an insurance investigator and assistant Knox County sheriff have kept her busy and it is the depths of a Maine winter. But when she is sent over to Acadia to investigate a house fire, she discovers a dead body in the ruins and a tangled web of murder, resentments, and big-time drug smuggling.

It has been a number of years since the first two Jane Bunker mysteries, Slipknot and Fisherman's Bend. I was concerned that I wouldn't remember much about the previous two but found myself slipping into the story easily. Jane is by nature a solitary soul but has made friends in her mainland village of Green Haven, notably her eccentric landlords and her fisherman friend, Cal. After many years of Maine vacations, I find her descriptions of life on the mainland and on remote Acadia completely authentic. I can even hear the distinct Downeast accent in the dialogue. Maine is a beautiful state but has all the problems of anywhere else, especially drugs and lack of economic opportunity. And Maine can be particularly dangerous, especially in the winter. Jane makes a number of missteps in her investigation; missteps that could get her killed. Hopefully, Shiver Hitch signals more to come in the Jane Bunker series. We still don't know much about the Bunkers, and the appearance of her brother, Wally, signal more to come.

Thanks to St. Martins Minotaur and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions above are my own.

RATING- 4 Stars

Shiver Hitch is a great suspense book. I throughly enjoyed the plot, characters and the author's writing..

This is the first book I've read by this author. I was intrigued by description and I wasn't disappointed.
Investigating a fire turned murder scene puts an interesting twist to this story.

Jane Bunker is settling into her life in Maine after leaving sunny Florida. She’s learning to balance her personal life alongside her much quieter professional life. Living in Green Haven she has traded the fast streets of fighting gangs and drug lords and wears the hats of marine insurance investigator and sometimes deputy. She has managed to avoid going to Acadia Island but a fire at one of the estates on the island now sends her there to investigate the damage. Before she’s finished she will be changing her insurance hat for her deputy hat when she discovers a body among the embers.

Greenlaw’s writing reflects her knowledge of Maine and its finicky weather. Her descriptions make you shiver as you follow Jane’s investigation and not just from the cold. Her prose is realistic as she leads you through the frozen landscape of an island whose inhabitants believe themselves above some mainland laws. Her characters are easy to get acquainted with and you quickly become comfortable with them. The plot is simple in its complexity. A bonus is the inclusion of Jane’s brother, Wally. Wally has Downs syndrome and I hope we get to see more of him. This is my first Jane Bunker mystery and I look forward going back and reading the first two.

A wonderful description of an isolated part of Maine. Jane Bunker has recently moved from Miami to Green Harbor Maine and with her police background has taken a job as an officer with the local police department. She is also the local insurance investigator.
Expecting a more laid back policing duty she is surprised when she is sent to Acadia Island because there has been a house fire that needs both police and insurance investigating. The house is suppose to be empty for the winter months but turns out not to be.
There are no shortage of suspects dice the victim was hated by nearly everyone from the caretakers to the lobster plant employees who are all ex-cons.
In the meanwhile jane's Down syndrome brother Wally is being thrown out of his federally funded housing for lack of funds. He will be arriving from Miami in due time and Jane is not finding many suitable living quarters.
The seriousness of the plot is broken up by Jane's landlords who own a gift shop of everything lobster and are delightful octogenarians. They make life fun with a different mussel dish every night for dinner. Watch out for those ingredients!
The book is a delightful read and has several moments of the dramatic from a terrible storm at sea to the climax scene. Well written and very enjoyable. Hope there is more Jane Bunker and brother Wally stories coming.

I couldn't get into this: the writing style didn't work for me. It seemed rather pedantic.

Jane Bunker was a Miami homicide detective who moved back to her home state of Maine when she decided to change careers and she became a marine insurance agent. She was given the case of a fire in the community of Arcadia Island to investigate which quickly turns into a complex murder investigation. Between the murder investigation, the wonderful descriptions of life in Maine, the quirky characters including Jane's brother Wally and the nautical references this was a great read. It had me guessing and changing my mind while looking at the clues throughout the story. I highly recommend it.

Tired of death and despair, Jane Bunker left her job as a Miami homicide detective to move to a small town in Maine, where she became an insurance investigator. Unfortunately, murder even happen in the place where “life is as it should be”. On an island Down East, a woman hated by all has perished in a house fire. Terrible accident or something more sinister? Coping with the change of place (not to mention weather), Jane must negotiate her way through an investigation involving a community that doesn’t open up to flat landers, deal with her highly eccentric landlords and care for her brother, Wally, who has Down Syndrome. Greenlaw knows Maine well, and she uses it well in this absorbing and sometimes humorous mystery