REVIEW: SHATTERED ~ DANI PETTREY

When Reef McKenna is found covered in blood, holding the murder weapon that killed Karli Davis, there are few in Yancey, Alaska who believe in his innocence; and only one who believes it without a shadow of a doubt – his sister, Piper. Looking like an open and shut case, the police aren’t even looking for other suspects.  Piper vows to do everything in her power to prove Reef's innocence, and she won’t stop until the real killer is found.

Deputy Landon Grainger practically grew up with the Mckennas and considers them family, but he is determined to do his job and be unbiased.  Landon doesn’t trust blindly – he learned a long time ago that those closest to you have the power to hurt you the most.  Landon believes only in hard evidence, and the evidence says Reef McKenna is guilty; so Landon does his job, even knowing that his being the one to arrest Reef breaks the heart of the woman he secretly loves: Piper. 

When Piper loses faith in the police and launches her own investigation, she nearly gets herself killed.  Unlike the other McKennas, and Landon, Piper is thrilled someone made an attempt on her life; it means she’s on the right track - something Landon can’t completely dispel.  Knowing that Piper will not stop digging on her own, Landon knows what he has to do to protect her.  He risks his career by taking a leave of absence, hands Reef’s case over to the Sheriff (who believes in Reef’s guilt and insists on a quick conviction) and joins forces with Piper and the rest of the McKennas to track down Karli’s killer on their own, with Reef’s trial date looming ever closer.  The quest for answers takes Landon and Piper from Alaska, to British Columbia and even California; but the feeling that they are being watched never goes away.  What they ultimately discover spans much bigger than just Karli herself, and when they get too close to the truth, there’s no guarantee they will make it out alive.

Shattered is the second book in Dani Pettrey’s Alaskan Courage series.  I found this book at the bookstore and was hooked after reading the synopsis, so even though I could not find book 1, Submerged, I started on this one anyway.  This is my first book by this author but will most definitely not be my last.  I wish I had started the series with Submerged, but I will definitely read it next.  Shattered can be read as a stand-alone novel, but there are some reference to events of book 1 which I was clueless about, so at times I did feel a little out of the loop  (only once or twice), but that’s my fault, not the author’s; series’ are meant to be read in order, after all.

I absolutely love all of the McKennas and everyone who works to prove Reef’s innocence.  The author really makes you care about the characters, and I was rooting for Piper and Landon to not only solve this case, but also finally admit their feelings for each other, the whole way through.  It is impossible not to get emotionally invested – brilliant writing.

The action and suspense was also just the way I like it.  The author made me fear for Piper and Landon's lives several times.  The hunt for Karli's killer was realistic and I felt just as despondent as the characters did when their investigation reached dead ends. The combination of romance, mystery, danger and faith makes for a gripping read.  Shattered truly has it all.  I love everything about this book.

I look forward to starting the series and discovering how Cole and Bailey found each other, and to continue Gage and Darcy’s story in Stranded.  I hope Kayden and Jake get a story of their own as well, and I am sure they will.

Product Information:

Title: Shattered

Author: Dani Pettrey

Pages: 320

Year: 2013

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 0764209833

ISBN13: 9780764209833