Review: Innocent Prey by Maggie Shayne

Book Blurb: To save innocent lives, they'll have to risk their own. Self-help superstar Rachel de Luca and Detective Mason Brown have finally given in to their overwhelming attraction to each other, but neither of them is ready to let physical passion turn into full-blown romance, so they carefully maintain an emotional distance. Then a judge's daughter disappears, and Mason has a terrible sense that it's connected to the most recent case they solved together: the abduction of Rachel's assistant. The discovery of a string of missing women—all young, all troubled—seems like a promising lead. But there's no clear connection between the missing girls and the high-profile young woman Mason is trying to find. He realizes that once again he'll have to rely on his own well-honed instincts and Rachel's uncanny capacity to see through people's lies in order to catch a predator and rescue his captives. But can they do it before Rachel becomes his next victim? My Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Supernatural, Mystery A girl went missing while outside working with her blindness coach. She was involved in a car accident a few months prior where she lost her eye sight, and has not adjusted well. Her family is trying to keep her disappearance hush-hush since it may be an act of rebellion. Rachel gets pulled into the investigation when Mason is asked to look into the disappearance and something feels off to her. Rachel and Mason follow the evidence to what just may be the kidnapping of multiple girls. This is the third book in the series, dealing with an entirely new police case but with the same characters and relationship established in book 1. Book one gives the details about Rachel and her psychic gift and how Mason is involved, so I highly recommend that these be read in order so the reader does not miss out on any of the dynamics of the story. I really enjoy this series. It has the right blend of mystery, supernatural, relationship drama, snark and darkness to keep me invested and on my toes. The characters feel like real people with flaws and quirks, questionable pasts and motivations. The book is narrated by both Mason and Rachel which makes me happy because that way the reader gets to see and know everything going on. I love Rachel and her sarcasm. She speaks her mind and is pretty dark at times, yet is held as some sort of inspirational guru. The irony is not lost on anyone here. Mason is trying so hard to make up for his past crimes and be a good person for his nephews, but he can’t forgive himself. I love the dynamic between the two, how much they feed off each other and help each other makes them a great team regardless of how they feel. I really want them both to get over their personal hang-ups and just admit that they want to be a couple. I could have smacked Rachel at the end of the book for how she reacted to Mason’s revelation. Sigh. I would love for them to grow up and have an adult relationship. And once again Myrtle is a hoot and the way everyone reacts to her (aka can’t help but to love her) is sweet. This is a mystery after all so the review is short and sweet so as to not give anything pertinent away. I would recommend this series to anyone who loves a dark mystery with a supernatural twist with an unusual hero. I enjoy Maggie Shayne’s writing style and look forward to more in this series as well as something new from her. I received this title form the publisher in exchange for my honest review.