Deep Into the Dark by P.J. Tracy

Sam was only trying to help when he offered Melody his couch after her boyfriend hit her. But the next day, the man is found dead and Melody and Sam are the prime suspects. 

Margaret Nolan sympathizes with Sam. As a vet whose story is well known, Sam has had more than his fair share of troubles. And Margaret comes from a long line of career military. Her own brother was recently killed in action. That Margaret chose to be a cop instead of joining up makes her a bit of a black sheep in her family. 

So yes, maybe she's a little too close to Sam even though she's only just met him. But he doesn't seem to her like a killer. Until another body is discovered. 

With a killer very clearly stalking them and the police determined to pin multiple murders on one or both of them, Sam and Melody are forced to untangle the clues in order to clear their names and stay alive!

This is the start of a brand new series by P.J. Tracy and it is fabulous!

(A quick note about the author: P.J. Tracy used to be a mother daughter writing team. Unfortunately, P.J. passed away and her daughter has continued writing solo under the pen name.)

If you're at all familiar with P.J. Tracy's Monkeewrench series, then you know that series focused on a whole cast of characters and it's much the same with this new series. 

Detective Margaret Nolan is an up-and-coming detective. She's paired with the older, more experienced Al Crawford. She's also crushing on another detective, Remy Beaudreau, who is neck deep in a serial killer case when Margaret's case begins. 

Sam is a vet working in a bar in LA and he's a mess. The scarred face may be obvious to those who see him, but being the only survivor of his unit means guilt and nightmares that have all but ruined his marriage. 

He has a very protective streak when it comes to friends. And he considers Melody a friend. 

Melody is an ex musician and recovering addict trying to finish her degree. Initially she thought she was lucky to end up with a rich boyfriend she didn't have to hide her identity from. But his controlling nature and jealousy rear their ugly heads just before he's murdered. And of course Melody has an undeniable motive. 

It's clear that Tracy has plans for these characters. Each one is built and developed extremely well, but there's also definite room for them to grow as the series continues. 

And like any successful series, Nolan and Sam in particular are the kinds of characters you want to follow through multiple books!

I devoured this first in the series and am only embarrassed that it took me a year to get to it—but I did dive immediately into the second book as soon as I finished!

If you're a fan of the Monkeewrench series, you're going to love Deep Into the Dark! It's available now from Minotaur. 

Order a copy from your favorite india via Bookshop!