Chilling Effect (An Aroostine Higgins Novel Book 2)
By: Melissa F. Miller
Rating: 4.5 of 5
“Chilling Effect” is the second book in the new Aroostine Higgins series by Melissa F. Miller. The character seems to have been introduced in a previous series by the author but I have yet to read that series. I did read the first book in this series, “Critical Vulnerability”. While I enjoyed the first book and I believe that it enhanced my reading of this book, I don’t think it is necessary to read the books in order to enjoy this story. There is enough background information given in this book to have it make sense and while there is information about the first book, I don’t consider the information to be a “spoiler” problem.
In this story, Aroostine and her husband Joe are on vacation in Oregon. The purpose of the trip is to help mend some of the breaches in their marriage that occurred during the previous book. The point of the trip is to put aside work and simply be with one another. Unfortunately, work comes to find Aroostine regardless of her good intentions.
There are crimes committed on a local reservation and Aroostine, at the behest of her old boss in Washington DC, finds herself neck deep in trouble trying to figure out what has been going on.
Roo (as her husband calls her), continues her journey in discovering her spiritual roots in her Native American heritage. She also calls upon the teachings her grandfather taught her before he passed away. It becomes apparent that she has put this all behind her early in life probably due to the grief she felt at losing her grandfather.
She and her husband work together to solve the crimes and to figure out where their lives will go from this point.
Once again, I really enjoyed the storytelling ability of Ms. Miller. The character is one that speaks to me both as a woman and a person of diverse heritage and teachings. It is always a pleasure to read a character and see little bits of yourself or a loved one in that person. That the author has made the character real for me is an added bonus in reading this fast-paced murder mystery.
The legal part of the book is present but it is not enough for me to consider it a legal thriller – which is also true of the previous book in the series. I read murder mysteries, thrillers, and the occasional legal thriller, so whatever the official genre, this book is certainly one that I would chose to read in any case. I recommend it to anyone who also likes these genres.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
“Chilling Effect” is the second book in the new Aroostine Higgins series by Melissa F. Miller. The character seems to have been introduced in a previous series by the author but I have yet to read that series. I did read the first book in this series, “Critical Vulnerability”. While I enjoyed the first book and I believe that it enhanced my reading of this book, I don’t think it is necessary to read the books in order to enjoy this story. There is enough background information given in this book to have it make sense and while there is information about the first book, I don’t consider the information to be a “spoiler” problem.