Dead West by Linda L. Richards
The Endings Series #3

I had trouble relating to the main character and it took a while to get into the story. I am not sure if coming into the series on the third book was the reason why I felt the disconnect or if the female assassin was so lacking in depth that it felt plodding, then again, perhaps she was plodding through life and that feeling is what was what the author was trying to achieve.

Katherine Eveline Ragsdill seems to have taken up killing for money after a traumatic event occurred in her life. The event was no doubt covered in previous books along with her decision to step into her new job description. I believe, from reading reviews and book synopses, that the previous two books might give more insight into Katherine and would have helped me know her better.

Anyway, this book has her sent out with a designated kill contracted for. Meeting the mark, finding out that he is a good person with high ideals, and feeling drawn to him are the first mistake she makes in being able to fulfill the contract. Then Walker is kidnapped, she feels the need to “save him”, and the plot thickens. Katherine has to contend with as the story progresses including truly evil men who use and abuse, a man she admires but can’t have, someone young that she feels connected to and helps in a big way, many she will not see again, and a new course to set at the end of the book. The final scene is of Katherine driving down the road with her dog toward…well…I’m not sure where she will end up.

I never really got to know the woman who is the main character. I don’t know if she has a moral compass or not. She has killed before and perhaps some of those killed were not evil. Perhaps she is growing and evolving and coming out of the stupor of grieving to find herself capable of moving on to something positive and she will end up somewhere better in the future. I might give the next book in the series a chance to see what happens next with her and the dog she is now traveling with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanvies Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

Dead West is apparently the third in a series, though I read it as a stand-alone just fine. Though I may have understood a bit more about our MC if I had.
Going into it, the fact that it was a female assassin for hire intrigued me. Until she decides to fall in love with her hit within an hour of meeting him, and making all sorts of last minute decisions that ultimately could back fire. Completely unrealistic.

If you love westerns and are interested in the history of wild horses and Rachel’s, this book may be for you. I ended up skimming through quite a bit as that part just did not interest me.

I was also thrown off by what seemed like 2 additional separate storylines. A small bit about human trafficking, and then suddenly a stalker unrelated to anything else.

Overall it was an easy book to read, just wasn’t really up my alley.

Thank you NetGalley and Author Guide for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pub date: 5 September 2023

Once I started reading, I was soon engrossed in the narrative. Told entirely from the assassin's point of view, she is candid about her take on her untraditional profession. She does a job and if she didn't do it, someone else would. She is a well developed, multi-faceted character and, surprisingly enough, you find yourself kind of liking her, rooting for her - despite knowing that she is a cold killer. But this job is different for her, she sincerely cares for the target - complicating her life and challenging her resolve. This was a well-written, riveting psychological thriller that I finished in two days. It was my first time reading anything by this author, but likely not the last.