Minutes to Kill (Scarlet Falls)
By: Melinda Leigh
Rating: 5 of 5
“Minutes to Kill” is the second book in the Scarlet Falls series by Melinda Leigh. In this series so far, the stories have centered on the Barrett siblings. The first book dealt with a crushing blow to the family, the murder of one their brother, Lee and his wife Kate, and the family effort to track down their killer.
This book is about the second of the remaining three siblings, high power attorney, Hannah Barrett. She is a big city girl with no landing spot but certainly does not plan for a future in Scarlet Falls, the small town of her youth and where the remainder of her family still lives.
As she was growing up, Hannah fought for her father to treat her the same as he did her brothers. The Colonel was a strict man who put self reliance and survival skills above all else. Because of what she learned and her struggle to get her father’s attention, Hannah has developed a tough exterior and the attitude and skills to survive almost any situation.
At a high point in her career, she walks into what seems like an abduction of a teenage girl. Hannah tries to thwart the kidnapping but, instead, ends up injured and with the mental anguish of knowing that the young girl was taken.
She goes back to her home town to recover from the physical injuries as well as to spend time with family and to take part in the trial of her brother’s murderer. She is also interested in pursuing her acquaintance with the police detective who was instrumental in her brother’s case, Detective Brody McNamara. As the story progresses, these two find themselves spending time with one another and finding something special in the process.
While the whodunnit in this story is pretty obvious from the beginning, there is a mystery involved. It is one that I was able to guess at earlier on and finally figure out just before the author’s reveal. It made sense and gave a good closure to the story.
Interestingly, the first book in this series is what I would classify as Romantic Suspense; however, this book, while there is a romance involved and one sexual scene (with fairly vivid description), I would classify more as a Mystery/Thriller. There was less focus on the romance and more on the victims and their captors. The romantic relationship develops and grows in a very natural and believable way.
It looks as if the next (and perhaps final) book in this series will focus on the last of the Barrett siblings: youngest brother Mac who is a wildlife biologist. There seems to be a relationship in the making at the end of this story which would lead into the next book. Having enjoyed both of the first two books, I will be looking forward to reading the next one, too.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Montlake Romance, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
“Minutes to Kill” is the second book in the Scarlet Falls series by Melinda Leigh. In this series so far, the stories have centered on the Barrett siblings. The first book dealt with a crushing blow to the family, the murder of one their brother, Lee and his wife Kate, and the family effort to track down their killer.