"Killing Me Softly"

by Maggie Shayne, Secrets of Shadow Falls #1, AF, 376p, rating=3.5

The Nightcap Strangler, who terrorized the town of Shadow Falls sixteen years ago, has finally been executed. Case closed. Until Bryan Kendall's lover is murdered in the notorious killer's unique style and the rookie cop stands accused. Has someone committed the perfect copycat crime…or was the wrong man put to death.

A continent away, Dawn Jones hears that her first love has been accused of murder and knows that only she can help him. But to do so, she'll have to face the very fears that drove them apart.

Together they'll work to uncover secrets someone's willing to kill to keep, and renew a love as dangerous as it is inevitable. And their best lead is the girl found dead in Bryan's bed, reeking of the whiskey poured down her throat before her killer squeezed it shut.

A killer who thinks that Dawn, too, could use one last drink… (Goodreads)

Two or three months ago a co-worker and I got to talking about books.  She proceeded to tell me about this book series.  It sounded too violent so I wasn't crazy about reading them.  Days later we ended up doing a bookswap.  She lent me this book and I lent her Ted Dekker's Thr3e.  Well, needless to say I sat on it for quite a long time.  Then finally I picked it up last night and read it straight through (thanks to my husband who ended up taking care of the kids all night). 

This was a gripping thriller!  Not too descriptively violent or gory after all.  The only kill joy for me was the fact that my co-worker had told me who the killer would be ... in her excitement to brief me on the book!  Had I not known I probably would not have guessed correctly!  The twists and turns made for quite a goose chase.  Oh well, it was a fun read nonetheless.

If you like crime mystery thrillers with an added element of the paranormal, then this might be right up your alley.  Warning though, this is an adult fiction so it contains adult content .. violence and steamy romance.