Welcome friend! My last couple weeks have been very busy. Reading and writing has been hard to get to and sometimes I have felt guilty for ignoring a hobby that is such an integral part of my life. When I feel really disconnected from reading (in the years I was active on social media, I would have labeled this as a ‘reading slump’ but now it is just life), I have to push myself harder to read. Even if it isn’t much, it still needs to happen. The book that I am talking about today, Midnight Dunes by Laura Griffin, is one I pushed myself to read. It was exactly the kind of book I needed to come back to. I could follow the story easily, even if sometimes I felt preoccupied by life.
If you are interested to pick up a romance suspense novel with well-written characters and a high stakes criminal investigation (and love), read on for the synopsis and my thoughts!
When the shocking discovery of a murdered woman’s body disturbs the tranquility of tourist season, the police detective in charge of the puzzling case must work alongside the new filmmaker in town to pursue every lead in the new romantic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.
After a scandal derails her television reporting career, Macey Burns comes looking for a change of pace in Lost Beach, Texas. She’s ready to focus on her first passion–documentary filmmaking–and has a new job working for the island’s tourism board, shooting footage of the idyllic beachside community. Her plans for a relaxing rebound are dashed when she realizes the cottage she’s renting belonged to the woman whose body was just found in the sand dunes.
Detective Owen Breda is under intense pressure to solve this murder. Violent crimes are rising in his small town, and he can’t stand to see anyone else hurt…especially not the beautiful documentarian who keeps showing up at the precinct.
With the clock ticking, cameras rolling, and body count climbing, Macey and Owen must use all their resources to find the killer without getting caught in the crosshairs.
Content notes include assault, murder.
Thoughts on Midnight Dunes
Midnight Dunes is a romance murder mystery. This is the third book in The Texas Murder Files and this is my very first book by Laura Griffin. I had been wanting to read a romantic mystery and I was thrilled to learn of it.
The story starts off with Macey and it is only as it progresses that we learn how she comes to be working for the tourism board of a small town in Texas. I really like Macey. She is independent and on top of things. She hasn’t forgotten her reporter career – she was so good at it and she brings that same fearlessness into creating advertising for the town. Living in the house where a woman who was found dead lived does not shake her up and she is determined to reach her personal goals no matter the danger. I would have been terrified if I were in her shoes!
Owen is a detective in this small town in Texas, in charge of investigating the murder of the girl. I liked how much background the author provided for the characters – Owen’s history with his brother and the police department was important to understand the stress of the investigation.
The backstories of the characters are harsh, especially for the characters who are in law enforcement. They are all trying to stay afloat somehow. Laura Griffin created a small town where I suddenly knew so many people. I quite enjoyed the progression of the character arcs.
This is a romance thriller so the chemistry between Macey and Owen was depicted very well too. I loved seeing them together and their attraction kindling into something more was not rushed. I enjoyed the true-life nature of the story.
From the crime angle, there was a lot of tension to find the culprit who had murdered the woman as well as the implications of having an unsolved murder and more bodies showing up. I loved watching Brooklyn 99 and I don’t think I have read a romance involving police officers in a long time so I enjoyed this book even more for that reason. I kept coming back to Midnight Dunes. I was curious about what was going to happen next, how Macey and Owen’s paths were going to cross and what new developments would happen on the case. It was like watching a movie that is moving at a good pace with balance between work and home, creating enough action on both sides that I am hooked.
For the ratings I generally give for books:
- Characters wise, the conflict and everyone’s background were very well done. I was curious about some of the characters that did not get as much centre stage and I will be picking up their stories in other books that Laura has written.
- Plot was quite fast. The pace and storytelling was steady.
- I liked the alternating perspectives. They helped me understand the characters and their motivations. I appreciated getting perspectives aside from Owen and Macey. This helped build the tension of the case as well as observe through their eyes how the protagonists were evolving.
- Emotional response – I was very engaged. I was scared for Macey at times so emotionally I was quite invested.
- I thought about the life of police and detectives and the kind of pressures and work hours they have.
- World building was great. Learning about Texas was fun! I didn’t know they had white sand dunes. Macey was working for the tourism board so it was important to be able to create a town in my head and Laura painted that with precise details.
- Cover wise, I liked it. I liked the scene of the girl and her hair just flying in the wind with a backdrop of sand dunes. The colors work well and highlight the atmosphere of the town that Macey is moving to.
Have you read any books by Laura Griffin? Do you have a favorite romance mystery novel you love?
Tell me in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Add Midnight Dunes to your Goodreads bookshelf. It is now available in stores and you can request it from your local library. Stay tuned for my interview with Laura Griffin, coming on Monday.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Cover Photo by malith d karunarathne on Unsplash
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