Bounty hunter Elle Randolph takes on every case she can, in an effort to outrun herself. Three years ago, she was the only one who walked away from a car crash that killed her husband and two others. Although she was cleared of any wrongdoing, she is fueled by guilt and dedicated to solving other people’s problems. But her running is over when she’s identified as a person of interest in a murder investigation.
Detective Ronan Clarke, a single dad for fifteen years, has been laser-focused on raising his daughter and serving the people of Mendocino County, California. He’s got everything under control—until a bounty hunter enters his jurisdiction, keeping secrets and bringing murder to his quiet town. The hunter is definitely involved in his current case, but exactly how is his question. Could she be his killer? As he unravels her secrets, he becomes increasingly troubled by what he finds. While Elle is forced to reexamine every painful memory of the life she left behind, Ronan grows more and more sure of her innocence. But can he trust himself to uncover the truth amid their growing attraction?
Release Date: Aug 11, 2026
Heat Level: Warm
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $14.99
“But he was a cop and she was on a case and he did live three hours away. And she most definitely was not considering another relationship. It was still too soon. Forever might be too soon. That last night with Todd lingered on the edges of her mind. It was always there. Always taunting her with a host of if-onlys. If only she’d refused to drive him that night. If only she’d divorced him earlier. If only she hadn’t allowed herself to be abused. If only she’d never dated him to begin with. But those were worthless thoughts. Still, they plagued her with regularity. She wasn’t going to think about Todd. Or Detective Clark.”
The first chapter of this book hooked me right from the beginning, and it kept me hooked for about 30 percent but then the pacing just started to slow down almost to a crawl and I kept getting distracted. There were so many scenes of stakeouts and questioning witnesses that it felt repetitive after a while. That said, Karen Rose did an excellent job of using red herrings and misdirection to keep me guessing about the true perpetrator. I never saw the ending coming, and I always appreciate a mystery that can genuinely surprise me with its final reveal.
I enjoyed Elle’s character arc, and how she rebuilt her life after her husband Todd destroyed everything in the blink of an eye. Her resilience in overcoming her domestic abuse and the car crash that changed her life was admirable, and I was able to truly root for her. I liked Ronan too, but I felt like he was there more as a backdrop to Elle’s story rather than a fully fleshed-out character on his own.
The romance was definitely a very slow burn, and I’m not sure the payoff fully justified the long build-up. While I enjoyed the mystery and thought it was well done, I would have liked to see a little more attention given to the romantic relationship, as it felt somewhat underdeveloped in comparison.
Overall, I enjoyed this mostly for the mystery and not the romance. I think I would try another book by this author. You should check this book out if you are a fan of authors like Sandra Brown and Laura Griffin.
~ Michelle
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