Deadly Betrayal by Sheila Kell is the first book in the Coastal Investigation series. Having enjoyed the author's Agents of H.I.S series, I went into Deadly Betrayal with high expectations. While not as great as the books from her Agents of H.I.S series, Deadly Betrayal delivered an interesting and fast-paced tale of murder and betrayal.




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The story in Deadly Betrayal follows Cassie McKay and JD Walker. At the beginning of the story, the reader learns that Cassie was a divorcee and a former FBI analyst. She returned home to Mississippi after the failure of her marriage and the lack of recognition by the FBI. The reader learns she is to start her new job as a private investigator. However, she doubted her abilities and planned to inform her prospective employer that she had second thoughts about the job. Then she learns that her new partner would be JD Walker, the boy, now a man, who broke her sixteen-year - old heart. 

Now, this new development should have her running in the opposite direction, especially when their reunion started out on a bad note. However, with the murder of his son's mother and with him as the only suspect, Cassie would be the one to help him clear his name. Will they have the ability to overcome the pain of the past? Can they work as a team and find the actual murderer?

The mystery emanated a cozy vibes. Suspense was non-existent, nevertheless the need for answers had me turning the pages.  Granted, this was not a long book, so it was an easy read. Initially, guessing the identity of the perpetrator proved a challenge, but as the story unfolded, it all became clear. With this knowledge came the understanding for the reason behind the name of the book.

Now, while I enjoyed the mystery element, the romance failed to win me over. It was quite underwhelming and lacked authenticity. In fact, hardly any page time was given to this aspect of the story. It's understandable that there was an urgency is clearing JD's name.  Nevertheless, one would expect that after years of separation, it would take some time for a rebuilding of their relationship. Especially, given how their relationship ended in the first place.  The author glossed over their past issues. Also, it stuck me as odd that JD during his tenure as police detective never took advantage of all the resources at his fingertips to verify information given to him that led to the end of his relationship with Cassie.

Overall, while not my favourite from the author, Deadly Betrayal delivered an interesting tale which would appeal to readers who enjoy romantic suspense with emphasis on the suspense.

ex-cop, false-information, falsely-accused, first-in-series, framed, friends, friendship, frustration, Mississippi, murder, murder-investigation, new-series, private-investigators, read, romantic, suspense*****

Cassie and JD are back together after a number of years. She gave up on a nowhere marriage and a nowhere career with the FBI and came back home to her mama and her roots. JD gave up on a career with the local PD and a nowhere relationship with his child's mother. Together the wind up working for the same PI who is an old friend and a need to clear JD of charges that he strangled the boy's mother. Let the sleuthing begin! Good read!
This is the first I've read by this author.
I requested and received an EARC from The Wild Rose Press, Inc via NetGalley. Thank you!

I feel deadly betrayed, I love romance with mystery, but this book…

Cassie and JD were childhood sweethearts but they were separated as teenagers. Now life throws them back together to solve the murder of JD’s ex girlfriend.

My favorite thing about this book is that it was short, because unfortunately both the romance and the mystery felt flat. The storyline was mostly predictable and boring.
There were some potentially interesting plot twists but it was all poorly written so I didn’t really feel anything.

The characters were so underdeveloped that they felt like cardboard cutouts; there was a lot going on but it was barely reflected in the characters’ emotions. JD was mostly angry, and rightly so, but I would expect more feelings from him, there were good things happening for him too.
However the worst was Henry Kyle - a ten year old boy who was just, after five years, reunited with his father and whose mother had just been murdered. The kid was acting as if he was on vacation; perfectly relaxed, barely any tears. A normal little boy would be more devastated after losing his hamster.

All in all I’m glad it’s over…

Thank you Backlit PR and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted on Goodreads on 23.03.2023

This book was a decent read, it had light suspense, intrigue, action, mystery, murder, and some twist and turns! The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely! It wasn't one of my all time favorite but still worth reading! I will recommend reading this book! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Wow I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the second one to come out. The relationship between the two main characters Cassie and JD is great and can't wait to learn more about them and Henry Kyle. The book had my hooked from the beginning from the car getting it to the restraining order which I hope the restraining order gets touched on more. It has suspense and keeps you intrigued and makes you want to keep turning the pages to find out more. Definitely recommend this book and again can't for the second book to come out to see where it takes us.