#BookReview – “Deathwatch” by Dana Marton

Blurb

As the only person who can identify the most notorious hit man in the country, Kat Bridges is running for her life.

Murphy Dolan is in the Army Reserves, returning from his 2nd tour of duty, only to find a stranger hiding in his house. She's scared spitless. He's completely burned-out on violence. Neither of them has any trust left to give.

If the best of the FBI couldn't protect her from the country’s most notorious assassin, does a burned-out small town cop have a prayer?

Review

In the first Broslin Creek novel, Kate Bridges is the only person who can identify the number one person on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, so that man is determined to find and kill her. She only stays in one place for a few months at a time, and she’s currently renting a house from someone who doesn’t own it. When the real owner unexpectedly returns home, she’s knows she’s in trouble.

After an eight-month deployment in Afghanistan, US Army Reserves officer Murph Dolan returns home injured (physically and mentally) and only wants to get back to his old life. When he finds a sexy redhead asleep in his bed, he thinks she’s a welcome home present, at least until she starts screaming and pulls a gun on him. As it turns out, his brother rented the house to her. Murph can tell she’s in trouble—he’s a former cop and his instincts are on high alert—but he can’t help her unless she confides in him.

Kate and Murph are wonderful characters. Kate has lived a hard life growing up in foster care, but she lucked out with her wonderful adoptive family. She’s a tough, smart woman who’s had to make some tough choices to keep her family safe. Murph had a rough childhood, too, but he fared better than Kate did. He has PTSD and serious guilt about his friends and comrades dying overseas, which he thinks is his fault. They’re both broken people, but their trust in one another helps them heal.

This is a really good book. There are a lot of twists and turns, but I did guess who the villain was right away. Still, I enjoyed the way Kate and Murph tried to uncover the identity of the second assassin and how to trap him.

The ending of the book surprised me. There’s a HEA, but there’s also a loose end. I’m hoping this will be tied up in the next book, but I don’t think it will be due to certain things happening in this story, which I don’t want to spoil for readers.

Overall, I liked the book and will check out more books in the series.

4 Stars