.

Vickie McKeehan’s Shadow Canyon is Book II of A Coyote Wells Mystery Series. She blends a tablespoon of Native American mysticism with a cup of cozy mystery, adding a dash of a second chance, with a pinch of critters to make a wonderful recipe. You can see my review for the first book, Mystic Falls. HERE

Cover:  Vanessa Mandozzi

Publisher:  Castletown Publishing

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Vickie McKeehan blends a tablespoon of Native American mysticism with a cup of cozy mystery, adding a dash of a second chance, with a pinch of critters to make a wonderful recipe.

Hanging with her hunkalicious ‘boyfriend,” Gemma awakes from a dream, thinking of Kamena, the giver of visions (which we met in Book I, Mystic Falls), one of the three shamans that will be visiting her in the series. Oh, well, she’s up, so let’s take Rufus, her dog, for a potty break.

OH NO! What’s that laying on the beach? It’s a dead body and it’s name is Mallory. Because of their dislike of each other, the small town gossip mill is put into action and her name is at the top of the list for likely candidates as the murderer.

Gemma, Lando, and her friends begin to investigate the murder by taking a horse ride out to Shadow Canyon. Gemma is drawn there, like a fly to honey, or should I say, me to chocolate. She saw the past and knew Aponivi, the second shaman, was telling her something. But what? Whereas Kamena was a comforting shaman, Aponivi was kind of creepy. But murder is scary.

Gemma is a fun character. A bit bullheaded, she bumbles her way through a break in and I sure wouldn’t hire her for that job. She puts herself in harm’s way without meaning to, but she has a big heart and means well.

I love how Vickie McKeehan has easily blended mystery with Native American mysticism. It adds extra elements and that makes the story deeper and richer for me. And who doesn’t like a second chance at romance? The critters add some more of that delicious goodness that I love so much. The romance is clean and raises its head around every corner. No murder will distract them from making their relationship work this time, or will it?

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Shadow Canyon by Vickie McKeehan.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Murder with a side of chocolate.

Exhausted from dealing with the annual Sun Bringer Festival, Gemma Channing and her ex, Lando Bonner, are hanging out at the beach, trying to recover from the three-day event when her longtime nemesis is found dead on the sand dunes. As rumors grow about Mallory’s demise, many in Coyote Wells feel like Gemma is responsible.

Determined to find out who did it, Gemma goes into overdrive to find the real killer. With the help of Lando and her friends, they dig deeper into Mallory’s past, hoping to uncover all of her secrets. But they get more than they bargained for when the tables turn. The new theory brings a longtime mystery to the forefront, one that’s been hanging around for three decades…unsolved. What does it mean for the people in Coyote Wells when the secret’s uncovered? And will Gemma be able to figure things out before anyone else dies?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

   Vickie is the author of six novels, including The Evil Trilogy and the Pelican Pointe series. She’s a hardcore lover of books who grew up listening to her mother tell fascinating stories about ghosts and other tales full of characters she wasn’t sure ever really existed.

A self-proclaimed beachgoer and ocean-lover, she lives in Southern California with the love of her life. When she isn’t working on her next manuscript or screenplay, she loves to be outdoors.

In her spare time she tries to grow things which other people commonly refer to as gardening. She loves reading all kinds of books, both fiction and non-fiction, loves to play video games, and enjoys watching football with the hubby. If you’ve ever read any of her books, you know she’s a die-hard Raider fan, which means she has the patience of Job.

She lives for chocolate, but then who doesn’t? She’ll kill for a cup of coffee in the morning. She’s convinced the best food on earth is French fries. And she could easily be a vegetarian if it wasn’t for bacon.

Stalk Vickie McKeehan:  Blog/Goodreads/Facebook/Twitter

MY VICKIE MCKEEHAN REVIEWS

Evil Secrets Trilogy

• Just Evil
• Deeper Evil
• Ending Evil

Pelican Pointe Series

• Promise Cove

Sky Cree Series

• The Bones of Others

A Coyote Wells Mystery Series

• Mystic Falls