Another winner from Laura Griffin. I wasn't sure how I would feel about Owen Breda as a hero after he was a bit of a partier in the last book, Flight. But I should have known better. With his brother, the senior detective in the tiny Lost Beach PD, off on assignment, Owen has a chance to take control some. Too bad it's when they find the body of a missing woman during the busy season - - and that's a sure fire draw for the media. Heroine Macy, a TV journalist turned tourist board filmmaker has a hard time temping down her curiosity about the murder and soon she and Owen are trading clues and kisses while a killer watches. It's a pulse pounding mystery filled with the kind of local color and well-developed cast of characters that make Griffin one of my favorite romantic suspense writers.

This was an enjoyably fast read. There were times where I thought I knew what was going on, but than it would twist a different way. The characters were developed well, and they were believable, but there was something missing. Owen and Macey’s relationship I felt kind of was rushed. There seemed to be a missing spark. I guess I wanted a little more from this and it was just kind of one tone. I had no clue who had murdered the girl, but when we find that out it is not some big revelation, bc I barely remembered this character.

Unfortunately while this was an ok read it did not spark any desire to seek out the authors other works.

I’m loving Laura Griffith more and more the romance/mystery storyline is becoming such a favorite of mine!
Detective Owen Breda is investigating the case of a murder of a local resident of Lost Beach which is a small coastal town in Texas.
Macey Burns needs a fresh start a former news reporter, after a bit of personal and professional scanda , she’s now hoping her new business which is a publicity company will take off. She’s been hired by the city to make a tourism video and this is the step she needs to get her name out there for her business. What she doesn’t know is, she's rented a beach house where the recent murder victim used to live. When she discovers this she begins to feel uneasy, a strange man appears and she keeps feeling like she’s beeping watched. There’s an immediate attraction between herself and Owen and they both can’t deny that, but the last thing she needs is a fling with the handsome detective. Soon they both find themselves in the crosshairs of a murderer whose determination to make sure they stay out of his way! Four stars! Yes there are some steamy parts!

Set in Texas this is an interesting premise of a disgraced news reporter as she works to start a new career and ends up in the middle of a murder investigation. Added to the suspense is a bit of romance and the promise of more to come with a sequel.

Midnight Dunes by Laura Griffin is coming on May 24th and it's another fantastic addition to the Texas Murder Files series! When a local resident turns up dead detective Owen Breda is on the case. Lost Beach is a small coastal town in the state of Texas and things like this don’t normally happen. Macey Burns has come to Lost Beach in hopes of starting her own publicity company. She’s been hired by the city to make a tourism video. This will be a redemption of sorts for her. After a bit of personal and professional scandal, Macey needs to do the things she loves and do it on her own terms. She’s hoping this job with the city will be a launching pad for a new business. What she doesn’t know is, she's rented a beach house where the recently deceased resident used to live. The fact that the previous tenant was murdered brings an underlying feeling of unease for Macey. The only stable thing going on is her ability to constantly run into Detective Breda. An attraction is there but is it convenient or conducive to her new plan and career path? What we do know for sure is that there is chemistry only Laura Griffin can create. A smart coupling that will help uncover a murder mystery. Griffin has a spectacular way of telling a story and this reader will forever be a fan.

~Tanja

MIDNIGHT DUNES is the third book in Laura Grffin’s new ‘Texas Murder Files’ series. While not quite the same high quality as her Tracers series, this is miles above the horrid Alpha Crew books. After her crash and burn as an investigative reporter, Macey Burns has started a new production company, and her first contract is to film ads for the Lost Beach tourism board. She rents a beach house in Lost Beach as her on-site base. On the second day of her stay, the body of a local missing woman is discovered not far from her house. Macey slips past the police posted boundaries to snoop and makes contact with Lost Beach detective, Owen Breda who is leading the investigation. He shows up at Macey's house with a lot of questions for Macey but fails to tell her that she has rented the house in which the previous tenant was the murder victim.

Owen and the Lost Beach police department are under much pressure to resolve the murder and ensure Lost Beach has a reputation as a safe vacation destination for families and tourists. Macey is under a lot of pressure to complete a successful Lost Beach ad campaign for her new company. In the course of her filming and interviewing locals for her campaign, Macey comes across information about the murdered woman that she passes to Owen but also puts her in the sights of the murderer.

Good read, but I’m not a fan of the protagonist being hunted by the killer trope.

Laura Griffin writes dependably well written romantic suspense novels. This one fit that bill, though it wasn’t quite as gripping as some of her past books. Midnight Dunes delivers a good story. The character depth and the suspense level aren’t quite up to Griffen’s usual standard. That said, it’s still a recommendable read and I’m still looking forward to her next one.

Midnight Dunes is the latest book in Laura Griffin’s Texas Murder Files series. This book focuses on Detective Owen Breda, the brother of Joel Breda who was in the previous book. A body has been found and he suspects it is the local girl who went missing a couple of weeks ago. A lot of the previous characters from the Lost Beach Police Department show up as well.

Macey Burns is a former TV reporter who is trying to get her life back on track after a job related meltdown. She is on her way to meet her employee and friend to begin her new endeavor as a film production producer when she has a flat tire on a dark dissolute road. Detective Breda stops to help her but she declines his help because she is terrified of being alone with a stranger on a dark deserted road. Her friend arrives to help her just in time and Owen leaves.

After settling into her dismal and dirty beach house, Macey goes for a morning jog to clear her head. She discovers the police have roped off a large portion of the dunes as an active crime scene. She encounters Owen and discovers he is a detective with the local police department. She tries to find out what is going on but Owen doesn’t give her any information. They continually bump into each other during the course of Owen’s investigation and Macey’s job taking pictures for Lost Beach’s new tourist campaign. Macey figures out that she is renting the missing girl’s beach house when she discovers the dust all over the house is actually fingerprint dust. Once she is attacked in front of her house, Owen is even more desperate to find the killer.

Macey keeps running into information that in important to the leads Owen is pursuing. This keeps them dancing around each other. They are attracted to each other, but for various reasons keep backing off. I did enjoy the gradual build up to their romance. It seemed perfect since they were both involved in their own lives, even though the mystery kept bringing them back together. I did not guess who the killer was until the very end. The supporting characters were necessary and important to the plot. I am really looking forward to a couple of the secondary characters getting their own books.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ms. Griffin divides the romance portion and suspense portion in perfect harmony. I preorder Ms. Griffin’s books as soon as they are listed. I highly recommend not only this book, but any of her other books. You will not be disappointed.

Laura Griffin is easily one of my favorite authors. Time and time again she delivers fun and feisty leading ladies in intriguing murder mysteries. Her side focus on photography and videography in this title (as well as several others) is intriguing and provides a reprieve from the heavier topics covered.

Macey Burns has settled in Lost Beach on the Texan coast for the summer - tasked with creating a commercial by the city tourism board. As she is starting up her own business after a scandalous departure from her previous news job, this commercial is tantamount in launching her new career.

From her very first night in Lost Beach, Macey finds herself in the middle of a missing person case. Owen Breda, lead detective, quickly moves from handsome stranger to hot distraction. His protective instincts constantly battle with Macey’s strong will and determination.

This was a quick read for me. I always enjoy Laura Griffin’s tried and true formula for creating a fun, suspenseful romantic thriller full of interesting characters. I look forward to future books in the series!

This is the third book in Ms. Griffin's Texas Murder Files series but can be read as a standalone. A lapse in moral judgement has cost Macey Burns her job as a San Antonio television reporter. As a result, she starts her own production company, and her first contract is to film ads for the Lost Beach tourism board. She rents a beach house in Lost Beach as her on-site base. On the second day of her stay, the body of a local missing woman is discovered not far from her house. Macey slips past the police posted boundaries to snoop and makes contact with Lost Beach detective, Owen Breda who is leading the investigation. He shows up at Macey's house with a lot of questions for Macey but fails to tell her that she has rented the house in which the previous tenant was the murder victim. Owen and the Lost Beach police department are under much pressure to resolve the murder and ensure Lost Beach has a reputation as a safe vacation destination for families and tourists. Macey is under a lot of pressure to complete a successful Lost Beach ad campaign for her new company. In the course of her filming and interviewing locals for her campaign, Macey comes across information about the murdered woman that she passes to Owen but also puts her in the sights of the murderer. It's a struggle for Owen to work the investigation and deal with his attraction to Macey and his instinct to keep her safe. I enjoyed this story of Macey and Owen and the return to this location on the Texas coast.

***ARC Provided by the Author***

Laura Griffin titles are like catnip for me. They just are. One appears for me to read, and who cares if I am reading about murder while drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music, I am not waiting to read it.

Macey and Owen. She is in town briefly (isn't that what they all say?) and her attraction to Owen is instant, although this book is far from instalove and rather is about 2 people who are attracted to one another, but remain their own people and figure out a way to make that work for them as a couple.

I also liked that Macey's past was not allowed to define her. Yes, it was there, and it was why she was no longer employed in her former profession, but it wasn't something she had to keep dwelling on...she was making efforts to move forward, and the book allowed her to do so.

For some reason, Joel from the previous book left me wanting to know what happens next for him and Miranda, and as he is Owen's brother, he fits naturally into this story, making him excellent for the plot and giving him almost an extra epilogue from his title.

There's also a pretty compelling murder mystery going on in this one, although it's almost like it's one of the main characters. It never feels like it's pushed to the side, but it also never feels like too much focus was placed on the suspense portion of the novel. It's balanced well between the romance and the suspense.

I enjoyed and recommend this title.

A local girl goes missing and is found dead two weeks later, it is up to the local police department to figure out who killed her, with Detective Owen Breda heading the investigation. He is hitting brick walls in his investigation, but what he is not expecting is Macey Burns to appear in his life.

On her way to her rental, she gets a flat tire and a tall mysterious man stops to see if she needs help. Since she is in the middle of no where she gets spooked and says her boyfriend is on his way. What she finds out later is the guy who stopped was Owen. Macey keeps having the answers Owen needs in order to gets leads on his investigation, he is not happy about it, but it seems her luck that she is able to give him information.

As time goes on you can tell that the chemistry between these two continues to build, until neither of them can fight it any longer. Macey left her life as a reporter behind to start her own business. She is given a contract to create videos for tourists of the area and she does a great job maybe too great of a job, but you can see how her past experience as a reporter helps her get the locations and information she needs for her shots.

I really enjoyed this book, I'm glad the focus was both on Macey and Owen and the investigation, there was a good balance between the two. I liked the characters and the slow build of their relationship. I do have to admit I was completely wrong on who the killer was, because I felt like the evidence was growing towards one person when it was someone completely unexpected. Great job Laura! This is a great suspenseful series!

I always get so excited when I see a new book by Laura Griffin. Her stories are always filled with characters that you wish you could be friends with, characters you like, characters that are fleshed out with strengths weaknesses, and some insecurities, like the rest of us. The storyline is always clean, gripping, with some edge and bite, and moves along without bogging down and becoming sluggish., there are always a few twists and I am always surprised by the ending.
When a local girl, Julia Murphy, goes missing and later is found murdered, it is up to Detective Owen Breda and the local officers of the Lost Beach police force to find out who is responsible. Owen and the others work diligently to find the who and the why in order to bring justice to the victims.
Macey Burns left the world of reporting behind and has come to Lost Beach to follow her passion for film production. By taking this job for the tourism board for Lost Beach she hopes to get her fledgling production company off the ground...what she didn't expect was to be thrown in the middle of Owen's investigation and in the path of a murderer.
I am really hoping to see some of these characters again! Great job Laura!

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