Leah Nash has just finished publicity for her first book and it's time to buckle down and start her second. Except she's just not all that interested in the case her agent's picked out. Luckily, a new case falls into her lap.

Well third time's the charm. I'm officially hooked on this series. This series gets better as it goes on. Started out a low 3.5 (#1) and then a high 3.5 (#2) and now a solid 4 (#3). The plot was riveting. I was hooked on finding out what was going on. There were twists I didn't see coming and it was fantastic. I also loved that it was a cold case. I love people investigating cold cases.

I guessed some parts and missed others. Totally picked that Eric and family were covering about the hit and run that occurred the same night Heather disappeared. I just thought that Eric was the one driving, not his mum. So so close. On the other hand I totally suspected Dorsey Cowdrey. Granted I didn't guess that Anthony Dunn was in on it but I did guess Dorsey was. When Leah picks up her rental car and Dorsey has just returned a green pickup - the same one that was tailgating her just before she was shot? I was waiting for the big reveal so I could go haha and it never bloody happened. They skimmed over that bit and just went to, he did it. I was very annoyed. I had felt so smart.

I liked Leah a whole lot more in this book. She was more reporter like - unbiased and objective. Or at the very least aware of her biases. It made it easier to like her. Plus this time she didn't get stuck on one theory and keep at it for the whole book, rather assessing and considering and investigating and it was perfect.

The frenemies relationship Leah and Ross have going on was hilarious. I was totally rating it. And Courtnee cracked me up.

“So, then Rebecca says, [and here he did a dead-on impression of her icy tones] ‘Courtnee, when I gave you my credit card to pick up my lunch, and told you to get something for yourself, I meant something to eat. I didn’t mean a new purse at Target.’ ” “I don’t even want to ask, but I can’t help myself. What did Courtnee say?” “She—she—she.” Every time he started, he had to stop because he was laughing so hard. And a laughing Miguel is hard to resist. He pulled himself together for a minute and with only a few crack ups managed to get Courtnee’s response out. “She said, ‘Well, Rebecca, you said to get myself something. So I did. Besides, my purse was seventy percent off! So, when you think about it, I saved you $70. You’re welcome.’ ” His voice conveyed Courtnee’s injured tone perfectly.

Hunter, Susan. Dangerous Places (Leah Nash Mysteries Book 3) (pp. 157-158). Severn River Publishing. Kindle Edition.

I was giggling away reading that. Honestly this book was a lot funnier than the previous two. It was just so ridiculous at some points and I was rating it.

I was bummed that Sammy was killed off so early in the piece. I rather liked her. And that Cole only plays a small part. I kind of want to learn more about him. He's growing on me. Much like Leah is.

As for the rest of the characters, they were varying degrees of okay. I thought Rebecca was okay in the last book, but she was terrible in this one. Blackmailing the sheriff to get Coop a promotion was kind of hardcore. I was not expecting it. Coop was average. I don't really understand him. Or understand why Leah and him are friends. I did like that Leah wasn't as cutting to Coop about Rebecca as she was in the last book. It was pretty over the top in the last one and it made it especially hard to like her. In this one, she tones it down, keeping her comments to herself.

I love Miguel. He's fantastic and I love him injecting his Spanish words all over the place. I hated Nick (the ex husband and new boyfriend). I didn't like him in the last book and I didn't like him more in this one. And I felt sorry for Leah when she found out her mum lied to her about her dad dying. I might not like Nick but he was right when he said it's hard to realise your parents are just human and make mistakes like all the rest of us.

A solid mystery with entertaining characters and a complex plot. 4 stars. ( )

Characters are where a book begins and ends for me. I need complex, 'human' characters to truly fall into a book. Susan Hunter gives me that and so much more with this series.

Leah Nash is a fun character to get to know. She's a strong, independent female lead, with a quick wit and just enough flaws to make us love her a little more. Her kooky and totally lovable network of friends and family adds a complexity of emotions to the story.

The dialogue is not only realistic, but uniquely defines each character. Hunter perfectly captures the individuality of speech that is part of each character’s personality.

Once again, we find Leah investigating a cold-case murder. We go along with her as she pieces together the past events. All of it feels completely plausible, and the twists took me by complete surprise.

This is book 3 in the series, and it could be read as a stand-alone. Hunter does an excellent job of orienting us in the story, so new readers understand the background and those of us who started at the beginning don’t get bored with too much repetitive content. For the most part, the plot here is self-contained. As with most series fiction, some of the minor characters from the first two books return for small parts, and aspects of Leah’s personal life are carried forward. I always think a series is more enjoyable when you can start at the beginning, but it’s not a necessity here.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.* ( )