GRAVE PURSUITS

Estranged high-school sweethearts find themselves entangled in a serial-killer case in Kay’s mystery series opener. 

Pennsylvania park ranger Emily Davis, while searching for a missing hiker, stumbles onto a human skull. Soon, the rest of skeleton is found, and it appears that the killer posed the body by folding its hands. Equally startling to Emily is the police detective assigned to investigate it: her ex-boyfriend, Sgt. Wade Brunner, whom she hasn’t seen in 11 years. When they were teenagers, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and left her when she desperately needed him—just after her little sister, Nora, went missing. While Emily and Wade sift through their unresolved feelings and rekindle their romance, police dogs unearth other murder victims. It seems that the killer has no desire to slow down and ultimately focuses on Emily, who gets a threatening note, followed by an item that means she’s the next target. Kay infuses this murder mystery with a Christian theme: Emily and Wade are both churchgoers, regularly pray, and find solace in Bible verses; Wade is also a youth pastor. The depiction of their complicated past and reunion is remarkably detailed, generating compelling drama that their investigation only enhances. The reliable supporting cast includes Emily’s fellow rangers (one who’s trustworthy, and another who’s sexist); Gavin, Wade’s private-security friend; and the sergeant’s partner, Sgt. Jamie Strauss, who’s soon to be wed. A few choice suspects will keep readers guessing at the culprit’s identity. However, the slow-moving investigation primarily involves Wade struggling to link all the victims and making little progress in doing so. Similarly, the killer’s motive for zeroing in on Emily is oddly inconsistent. Nevertheless, the author’s taut story remains engaging, and further novels in the series will surely pique readers’ interest. 

A straightforward romantic thriller enlivened by dynamic characters.