Lacey returns to her hometown to help search for her sister who has gone missing, but the search quickly becomes a murder investigation. Working on the case has her working alongside her ex-boyfriend Creed Payne, can they find the killer before it's too late?

An action packed adventure full of faith, reigniting of past flames, with great characters that I could cheer for from beginning to end. An intense read that had me riveted to the page, I liked that Lacey was able to re-evaluate her life and get a second chance with Creed.

Creed is a good man, and is very supportive of Lacey throughout. I liked this action packed read, it had a twisting plot and was hard to put down.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Hopping into this one make me pretty aware it was connected to another book, but not the series on the front label—another of Eason’s that I have read before and which was set in the same area. But I couldn’t remember which one (I’ve read 55 of hers and they aren’t all on the same shelf for easy reference) so it took me a bit to get oriented.

Once settled in, I really liked this fast paced murder mystery, the two leads, and the featured working dog. Unraveling what her sister had been up to that got her killed, before Lacey herself gets killed, is no easy task! Creed was a great hero, too.

Fun and enjoyable story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

I loved this book. I thought it s well done. The suspense and romance is a fantastic mix.

Very entertaining and it kept me hooked.

I do recommend this one.

Eason is another favorites, and I adored Following the Trail! A fun read and enjoyable mystery! Another wonderful weekend read!

Following the Trail by Lynette Eason is a non stop action Love Inspired Suspense Story. This is the 5th book in the K-9 Search and Rescue series. I have not read all the other books in the series, but they can be read as stand alone stories. Lynette Eason is such a talented author. Her books are always packed full of action, heart pounding and will keep you guessing until the very end.
In this one we see Lacey Jefferson’s search for her missing sister. However this quickly turns into a murder investigation. Someone wants Lacey and her search-and-rescue K-9, Scarlett, dead. Lacey has some rocky family history - with her father being a scammer. The only person that she can possibly trust is her ex-boyfriend, Sheriff Creed Payne. Second chance suspense stories are some of my favorites to read. This one will keep you on your toes.
Well written characters, action packed story line, and a all around good rainy day read. It's been rainy in Alabama lately, and I read this in all one sitting. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

In Lynnette Eason’s Following the Trail,, the 5th installment in the K-9 Search and Rescue romantic suspense series, this romantic suspense would keep you hook and in suspense from start to finish. It all started for Lacey Jefferson, a K-9 Search and Rescue worker, when she was worried that she haven’t heard back from her sister Fawn. She wasn’t answering her call and believed she might be missing. And that took her and her K-9 dog Scarlett down to her hometown of Timber Creek, North Carolina, a place she haven’t been to in over a decade. To search for Fawn, she requested the help from Creed Payne, the sheriff of Timber Creek, and her former high school boyfriend. Old memories return to the surface of the break-up and how everyone hated her criminal father back then. For Creed, he has a small sheriff’s office in Timber Creek and need a K-9 unit for search and rescue mission. When Lacey retuned back to down requesting his help to look for Fawn, he’d thought of a compelling plan to keep her here with him to lead his K-9 unit. When the search for Fawn turned grim, it was up to Lacey and Creed to search for answers on who wanted her sister dead and why. The closer they’ve gotten to the truth, the most they continued to dig for it while staying out of harm’s way. In the end, would Lacey stay and make a new go at Timber Creek or return back to Charlotte to find her true happiness.

This was a deeply moving and riveting romantic suspense that features K-9 Search and Rescue dogs. That always warms my heart. I cared for Lacey on how she had to go back home to deal with the hurt from the past and stuck to her guns to get to the truth of her sister’s murder. I loved Creed on how he would do anything for Lacey and became a true friend to Scarlett, even by standing in the crossfires of a killer on the loose. I loved how they would thrown together in the mix of things and resolved old hurts from the past to make amends for a brighter future. The location of Timber Creek was idyllic for the scenic settings from Fawn’s home and to the hospital and beyond. The theme of the story is that it’s time to let go of the past to find your future.

This romantic suspense made you want to root for Lacey and Scarlett and cheer them on. I couldn’t find anything to nitpick on the story since it was so good. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no specific reason. If you love heart-stopping romantic suspense novels with plenty of non-stop action, lots of romantic drama, tons of heated suspense, give Following the Lead a read today. This book is recommended for fans who love K-9 centric stories like Margaret Mizushima’s mysteries series, or romantic suspense and thriller novels alike.

Following the Trail
K-9 Search and Rescue #5
By Lynette Eason

Six years ago Lacey Jefferson left Timber Creek, North Carolina, and never looked back. She never would have returned to her childhood home now if her sister hadn't gone silent days ago. But she's back and the old hurts have come back. And the worst part is having to seek out her ex-boyfriend Creed Payne, who just happens to be the sheriff.

But Lacey will do whatever it takes to locate Fawn even offer up the services of Scarlett, her search-and-rescue K-9 partner. When a missing child needs to be located fast Lacey doesn't hesitate to offer assistance she never imagined that she would stumble into something more. Something that puts a target on her back.

Has she been targeted because of her missing sister? Or has someone decided to make her pay the price for her father's past misdeeds? To learn the truth and to stay alive she'll have to work with Creed while protecting her heart from the upcoming heartbreak when she has to leave him behind again. Fans of Lynette Eason's work will delight in this upcoming release. This is an engaging read that will keep readers guessing as to who the guilty party.

* This book will release on January 25, 2022. *

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but to provide my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.

Lacey Jefferson’s search for her missing sister quickly turns into a murder investigation—thrusting Lacey and her search-and-rescue K-9, Scarlett, into a killer’s sights. Now teaming up with her ex-boyfriend, Sheriff Creed Payne, is the only way to discover the murderer’s identity. But can they survive long enough to dig up the truth?

My review: This book starts out fast and keeps going. Lacey returns to her hometown to look for her sister. She'd only been there a few hours when she and her K-9 dog are called upon to search for a missing child. While doing that, Scarlett, her dog discovers a body. It's her sister. Ex-boyfriend Creed wants her to stay in town and start a K-9 unit for his Sheriff's department. She agrees only as long as it takes to find the killer of her sister.

Overall, it was a good book. I enjoyed the story line and the characters. I would recommend this book to all who enjoy a good mystery.

I was given this book by Love Inspired Suspense via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

Following the Trail by Lynette Eason gives readers an intriguing mystery to solve. Lacey Jefferson heads back to her hometown of Timber Creek. She can’t get ahold of her sister and wants to track her down. But when her ex-boyfriend Creed Payne asks if she can use her search and rescue dog to locate a missing child, she soon uncovers that her sister was murdered. The killer doesn’t want Lacey investigating and she just wants to find out the truth. Her sister had some secrets and Lacey and Creed seek to solve the case.

This story is action-packed! Lacey and Creed dodge bullets as they keep searching for answers. But the more the danger increases, so does the romantic tension between Lacey and Creed. They need to overcome past hurts to find a future together. I also love Scarlett, Lacey’s search and rescue dog. I might have done an online search to see if I could adopt a redbone coonhound!

Overall this story brings the suspense with Lacey’s mission to find the truth about her sister. The ending plot twists make this a must-read!

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Lacey Jefferson’s return to her home town with her K-9 companion Scarlett reignites feelings she had for her old boyfriend, Creed Payne, now sheriff. Unfortunately, Scarlett sniffs out her missing sister’s body, leaving Lacey and Creed with a lot of questions, and a murderer determined to prevent them from looking for answers.

Following the Trail was an interesting suspense novel with a nice second-chance romance tucked in. Overall, it had a lot of ups and downs, with breathtaking moments of tension, but also some elements that didn’t seem to fit quite right. The story started rather slowly and, though I don’t have a lot of experience with K-9 stories, some elements with regards to Scarlett felt somewhat shoehorned in rather than arising naturally from the plot and characters, and some situations and decisions did leave me with questions. I did really love the descriptions of Scarlett and her inclusion in the book, and Lacey’s involvement with the K-9 program and training dogs for it. The suspense aspect of the story took a bit to kick in, but once it got moving the story was nearly unputdownable, with some twists and turns that I wouldn’t have predicted and found incredibly intriguing. The romance was sweet, with just enough detail to make it believable that Lacey and Creed can get together again, and the ending wraps up all the various threads that Eason put together nicely. Given it’s a Love Inspired title, I did expect some faith elements in the story. There were moments where the characters prayed, and a mention of church friends for one community member, but very little overt inspirational content, overall. Though initially I wasn’t sure about this story, I did enjoy it in the end, and do look forward to reading some more K-9 suspense stories in the future.

Description:
Lacey Jefferson is a K-9 handler. When her sister disappears, Lacey returns reluctantly to her hometown to search for her. Turns out her boyfriend from high school is now Sheriff and sadly, it is no longer a missing person. It’s now murder and someone wants Lacey to join her sister.

Review:
I wanted to love this book. I read and totally enjoyed her recent "Life Flight" and hoped to like this one just as much. But … I didn’t. The pacing was up and down. I could put this book down for hours rather than being pulled back into it. Identifying the protagonist was too easy. I did like the characters but I wasn’t compelled to keep reading to make sure they survived.

Maybe a factor is that each book of this series is written by a different author. Perhaps it’s just harder to write a #5 book in a series when you haven’t written the previous four and lived with those characters for a while.

However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t recommend the book. It’s a nice read. Good happy ending. Nice assortment of characters. Scarlett is nicely depicted on the cover. She is a wonderful search & rescue dog. One of the things I liked most was when she was *not* doing S&R — Scarlett became just a loving, caring “puppy dog” to Lacey.

I hope others like "Following the Trail" more than I did. But I’m still an #LynetteEasonFollower.

I received a complimentary e-ARC copy of "Following the Trail" from the publisher, HARLEQUIN – Romance (U.S. & Canada), Love Inspired Suspense, via NetGalley. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

#FollowingTheTrail #LynetteEason #NetGalley

Title: "Following the Trail"
Series: K-9 Search and Rescue #5 (Note: different authors for each book.)
Author: Lynette Eason
Genre: Mystery, Romance
Publisher: HARLEQUIN – Romance (U.S. & Canada), Love Inspired Suspense
Release Date: January 25, 2022
Format: Kindle (read), Paperback, Audiobook
Pages: 227
Source: NetGalley
Cover: Nice. That is how I saw Scarlett in my mind’s eye.

Lacey came back to her hometown looking for her missing sister then come to find her sister had quiet a few secrets and she was apparently taking it to the gave after Lacey come across her body with the help of her K-9. Now Lacey and Sheriff Creed will do everything they can to find out why this happened.

I loved that from the moment this book started there was just something happening one after the other that I just couldn't put this book down. I loved how persistent Lacey was and wasn't about to backdown to anyone when it came to figuring out her sisters secrets. Both sisters were close to Lacey needed to see what was going on and make sure her sisters killer is brought to justice. This was just such a fun read and highly recommend you lovely readers to check it out.

This is a Romantic Suspense, and this is the 5th book in the K-9 Search and Rescue series. I have read and review the other books in this series, but I do not think you need to read these books in order. Normally, In the K-9 Search and Rescue books I love the dog character the most, but In this book I really love the second chance romance that was going on in this book. The dog, Scarlett in this book was great and I enjoyed her. I really love the characters in this book, and you could feel the love they have for each other from the second they see each other. The mystery and the romance was a great mix in this book. I have to say I guess most the twists before they where reveal, but I still loved reading the whole book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Love Inspired Suspense) or author (Lynette Eason) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Lynette Eason does not disappoint those readers looking for well-written romantic suspense. Following the Trail grabbed my attention from the start and kept it throughout the book. Creed and Lacey and Scarlett are great characters that really appeal. The plot has numerous twists and turns. The ending of the mystery and suspense was excellent--lots of action, excitement, and answers to the questions. And, there is an HEA for Creed and Lacey. I highly recommend this book to romantic suspense readers and to dog lovers.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am sharing my opinion of this engrossing book.

This was an excellent book. It kept you turning the pages to figure out what happened next and to see how the relationship between the two main characters developed. I am a dog lover so I loved the K-9 search and rescue aspect of this book. I find it add depth to the characters as well as the storyline.

I have long enjoyed Lynette Eason’s writing. Her suspense stories are so good. This one has a particularly good plot that I really liked a lot. A murdered woman with a secret that led to any more secrets. Very nicely done.

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion here is my own.

Following the Trail is another riveting book by Lynette Eason. Lacey Jefferson returns home to Timber Creek, NC after an absence of six years. The last person she wants to see is Sheriff Creed Payne, her ex-boyfriend. However, she has come to a dead end looking for her missing sister, Fawn, so she finds herself asking for his help. The story quickly becomes a murder mystery with someone determined to keep Lacey from finding the truth. With the help of Creed and her K-9 partner, Scarlett, Lacey works to find answers. Along the way, she also discovers the importance of forgiveness. This is a good mix of suspense, action, and romance with a bit of a twist at the end. I definitely recommend this book!

The right balance of suspense and romance that I have come to expect from Eason just in a shorter writing. And I am loving more romantic supense with K-9s in them.

This is the fifth book in the K-9 Search and Rescue series, but this could easily be read as a standalone novel. I love the inclusion of the dog Scarlett, as their training and skills are are incredible. The main characters are engaging and realistic. The story is a great mix of mystery and romance. I really like the fact that the romance isn't overpowering. Some of the twists weren't a surprise, but it was still an enjoyable story.

Following the Trail by Lynette Eason is a clean romantic suspense. I am a huge fan of Eason and this book was no exception. She draws you into the mystery from the first pages. I am also a fan of K9 books and Scarlett was such a treat! She had her own personality.

I found the storyline of Lacey going back to her hometown where her dad had conned many of the people out of their money thoughtprovoking. I think I would have felt very similar to Lacey.

When she left town she also left her boyfriend. He is now the chief of police in town. I enjoyed how they worked together to figure things out.

I would highly recommend this book and any book by Eason.