Hidden in the Night (Missing in Alaska, Book 3)

 

ELIZABETH GODDARD

Stats: Trade paperback, Revell, 2024.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: This third book in the Missing in Alaska series didn’t capture me quite the way the first two books did, and I’m still not really sure why that is. I think that I just wasn’t really drawn to Nolan, the hero. Compared to the heroes of the first two books, he was just a little...bland.

Ivy has traveled from Florida to Alaska in search of a long lost Jack London manuscript. Ivy is a former FBI agent who left the FBI to work in the family business after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She has been blackmailed into locating the manuscript by her deceased father’s old business partner, who has threatened to reveal a secret about her father to her mother. Ivy is desperate to find the manuscript, desperate to keep her mother from learning this secret and I struggled a little with this aspect of the story. Her mother doesn’t have a lot of time left, and instead of spending that time with her Ivy is racing around the Alaskan wilderness. Of course we, the reader, don’t learn the secret until the very end of the book, but a former FBI agent allowing herself to be blackmailed? It just didn’t sit right with me.

Well, I guess I do actually know why the book didn’t quite capture me the way the first two did! Despite all of the above, the narrative is wonderfully written, as Ms. Goddard’s writing always is, and her descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness are evocative. And of course I did get very caught up in the story, while also a little worried about Nolan and Ivy getting their happily ever after. I don’t know if there will be a fourth book, but if so I will definitely want to read it.

*Received via the Revell Reads Blogger Program and voluntarily reviewed*

Synopsis from Goodreads:

At the behest of her ailing mother, former FBI special agent turned rare-book collector Ivy Elliott arrives in Alaska to secure an unpublished Jack London manuscript kept secreted away for decades. But when she arrives, she learns the manuscript is gone--taken by the granddaughter of the woman who possessed it. Ivy sets off in pursuit, not just to save the manuscript but to save the vulnerable girl, who was previously trafficked and has no idea what she's getting herself into. 

Joining forces with Alaska State Trooper Nolan Long, Ivy must battle a blizzard, sabotage, and the worst of an Alaskan winter as the search goes on. But every answer they find only raises more questions--and the danger to their lives and to the missing girl may only be the tip of the iceberg.

Shadows at Dusk (Missing in Alaska, Book Two)

 

ELIZABETH GODDARD

Edition read: Trade paperback, Revell, 2023

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program

First line: The old cargo plane vibrated as the pilot descended into the airdrop zone, the turbulence shuddering through Carrie Jams.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: Another wonderfully written, action packed romantic suspense from Ms. Goddard! In this second book in the Missing in Alaska series, Carrie is a pilot in Shadow Gap, ferrying passengers around Alaska, delivering supplies to residents living in remote areas, and whatever else is needed of her. When Trevor arrives in Alaska looking for answers to his sister’s disappearance, Chief Autumn Long, the heroine of the first book, recommends Carrie as a guide. Carrie is reluctant, as she’s about to leave for a long awaited vacation, and despite being intrigued by Trevor, she refers him to another local pilot. But when Carrie’s business partner, mentor, and best friend is murdered, her whole life is turned upside down, for the second time.

I really liked and admired Carrie. Ten years ago she miraculously survived an attack on her life, and still carries the emotional and physical scars. She’s worked hard to overcome adversity, and flying brings her peace and comfort. I loved Trevor. He uprooted his own life to help his sister escape an abusive marriage, and thought she’d created a good life for herself, only to have her disappear without a trace on a vacation to Alaska, leaving only a handful of photos for Trevor to decipher.

So we have two mysteries running concurrently as it becomes clear that someone does not want Trevor investigating his sister’s disappearance, and it becomes clear that someone is trying to kill Carrie. I love an Alaskan setting. The wild land, the mountains, the seclusion, all lend themselves to the perfect backdrop for mystery, suspense, action, danger, and survival. But we also get an engaging story and great character studies of Carrie and Trevor and what drives them. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

*Received from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed*

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Montana Detective Trevor West is desperate to learn what happened to his sister, who went missing in Alaska over a year ago, leaving nothing but a few photographs as clues to her whereabouts. At the advice of Police Chief Autumn Long, Trevor enlists the help of an experienced bush pilot. If Carrie James can't help him find the places in the photographs, no one can. 

But Carrie has her own agenda. Grieving the death of her closest friend and the only person she could trust, Carrie will help Trevor find his sister on one condition--that he help her track down her friend's killer. 

As the two close in on the answers they crave, they'll face dangers and connections they could not have imagined. They'll have to learn to trust one another--and face the dark secrets of the past--if they are ever to discover the truth and bring a killer to justice.

Cold Light of Day (Missing in Alaska, Book One)

 

ELIZABETH GODDARD

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2/7/23.

How acquired: Received from the publisher via Revell Reads Blogger Program.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: When this book came up for review, I didn’t even read the synopsis. Just the word “Alaska” and the author’s name were enough for me to know I wanted to read it. I’ve loved all of the author’s books that I’ve read so far, and lately I’ve been drawn to anything set in Alaska.

Autumn Long is the police chief in the small town of Shadow Gap, following in her father’s footsteps. Currently, the city council members are considering relieving her of her position, driving by Wally, who is pushing for his nephew to take over as police chief. On top of that, she’s suddenly faced with a small crime wave in her town, the likes of which Shadow Gap has never experienced before. So she’s got her hands full and plenty of stress on her plate.

Grier Brenner is an outsider who showed up in Shadow Gap to do some fishing, and then stuck around. That’s all Autumn knows about him, other than the fact that she finds him attractive and is drawn to him, feelings she does her best to ignore. I loved Autumn, but Grier was definitely the bigger draw for me. We know nothing about his past and can only speculate along with Autumn, who decides he must be former military at the least. But when the narrative is focused on him, we do start getting hints along the way. He’s a mysterious stranger, and we know he’s in hiding, as he keeps trying to remind himself he’s not in Shadow Gap to make friends and needs to keep to himself. But he’s also human, and with the townsfolk being so open and friendly, he can’t keep himself from visiting the Lively Moose every morning to eat breakfast with his new buddies. Whatever is going on in Shadow Gap, with two bodies, found near each other but seemingly unrelated, it’s nothing to do with him and he needs to keep a low profile. And yet he finds it hard to not get involved…

Memories that felt like they were from another life chased him. And here he was, running after danger again. For all the right reasons – again.

As the happenings in Autumn’s life and Grier’s life began to converge, the plot got a little convoluted, but the tenseness and suspense kept it moving at a brisk pace. Autumn and Grier are both being hunted, and find themselves thrown together in investigating, with Autumn offering to hire Grier since he obviously has skills, and Grier refusing the offers, because a background check might give her too much information about him, but then sticking close and working with her unofficially because he feels a need to protect her.

As I seem to say about every title I read from Revell’s romantic suspense line, the author’s writing is wonderful. I loved the detail about the Alaskan wilderness, and Autumn’s feelings about Shadow Gap and how much she loves her town and her work. The supporting characters aren’t fleshed out much, with Grier’s new friends being interchangeable to me, but this is about Grier and Autumn, and they were very real and believable and I was wholly invested in their story.

All in all, a great start to the author’s newest series. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book.

*received from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed*

Goodreads Synopsis: Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal activity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murders, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community. 

Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are--to disappear--when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he's not sure even Autumn could save him. 

As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.