Responding to a car fire outside the Rocky Mountain National Park, Officer Nelson Rivers and his canine partner, a yellow Lab named Diesel, find evidence of an accelerant and no accident. It had been deliberately set. And with the driver of the vehicle at the hospital in a coma, all investigators have to go on is forensics, and items found at the scene - including an empty infant seat and a pink baby blanket with two long blonde hairs on it. Fearing there could be a missing child, the evidence is fast-tracked. DNA pulled from the hair points Nelson to Mia Turner, once arrested, tried, but acquitted for being an accessory to a warehouse fire that killed the mayor’s son. Her best friend, Lindsey, was not so lucky and was currently serving a prison sentence for supposedly setting the fire.

But when Nelson and Diesel get to her cabin on Dillon Reservoir to question her, they find her hunkered down outside her home, an unknown assailant shooting the place up from a hiding place in the woods. Nelson returns fire, and the shooter takes off, escaping in the darkness. After backup from the local police department takes their statements and leaves, Nelson finally questions Mia about her recent whereabouts. Despite his previous suspicions and the evidence, he finds he’s starting to believe her alibi for the time of the car fire.

Mia never believed Lindsey had anything to do with the warehouse fire that ruined their lives their senior year in high school, and after her acquittal, she’d gotten a PI license and the training to dig deeper into the crime herself. After three years, she was still determined to find the actual perpetrators and free Lindsey from prison. But life and bills are getting in the way. She inherited her cabin and outfitters business from her great-uncle, and someone was doing their darnedest to put her out of business, out of a place to live, and now, out of existence. Or were they trying to stop her from any further investigation of the fire?

DETECTION DETAIL is suspenseful and exciting as Mia and Nelson investigate what really happened at the warehouse and try to figure out who is trying to kill her. I felt that Nelson and Mia were well suited to one another and that made me so hopeful for their future. Since this is the first in a series of nine books, this author must build the world of characters and dogs that will be featured. That was fun and created a lot of anticipation for the future. There promises to be a great variety of personalities, backstories, dog breeds, and K-9 specialties coming. Hopefully, we'll get a peek at this couple again as Nelson's K-9 coworkers have their stories told.

I read this story in one sitting. The story was that tight and brisk. I HAD to know what was going to happen next! The plot moves along quickly with non-stop action as the bad guy is determined to reach his end game. The story incorporates the spectrum of Colorado locations: land to lake, city to rural areas with some very creative methods of mischief and mayhem taking place.

Besides the action, adventure, and compelling mystery, DETECTION DETAIL is also a sweet and satisfying love story. Both main characters have trust issues to overcome, and both put the welfare of the other before their own, sometimes in opposition to their own best interests. This couple just felt so right together from the very start. I recommend DETECTION DETAIL to fans of the Love-Inspired line of books, and new readers who enjoy an action-packed adventure with a sweet romance.

Book Summary