Monday, December 20, 2021

Book Review: "The Dead Season" by Tessa Wegert

Can you ever outrun your past? That's a question raised in Tessa Wegert's The Dead Season.

Shana Merchant was abducted by serial killer Blake Bram, but he let her live, and she’s never forgotten that. Leaving the NYPD after her abduction and becoming a senior investigator in the Thousand Islands of upstate New York, she thought life would be easier but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

When the decades-old remains of her estranged uncle are found, it drives Shana back to her Vermont hometown to try and help figure out what happened to the man they all thought left for greener pastures. That’s exactly where Bram wants her—back in the hometown they share, and he’s watching her every move, letting her know if she doesn’t solve this mystery, she’ll be responsible for more death.

But as she interviews family members and old friends and acquaintances, she confronts old traumas and is struck by how far apart our memories can be from the actual truth. And as Bram kidnaps again, taunting Shana with the connections they share, she knows it’s up to her to unravel it all before it’s too late.

I loved Death in the Family, Wegert’s first thriller in this series, and I thought this was terrific, too. Her books are so atmospheric, and they often surprise where you least expect them to. It’s a little bit of a slow burn at the start, but that didn’t bother me.

Shana is a complex, fascinating, flawed character, and I like the interpersonal dynamics with her colleagues and family. I’m looking forward to Dead Wind, the third book in this series, due out in March 2022!

Thanks to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Tessa Wegert, and Penguin Random House for inviting me on the tour and providing a free copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

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