Kate Reilly was in second place traveling up to 170 miles per hour on the straightaway; occasional rain making the track a bit slick. When she attempted to pass the blue Corvette she had been following, her tires started to slide and the next thing she knew the two racecars were headed toward each other. Kate was able to walk away from the crash while the other driver was carried to the ambulance on a stretcher.

What Kate found out after the crash was that the other driver was NASCAR star Miles Hanson who was filling in on a rare weekend off. Following her melt-down during the after race press conference, the media, fans, and website blogs had a field day blaming Kate for the crash and severely injuring their hero. She received a deluge of nasty emails, and everywhere she went she was called names, harassed, and was generally vilified.

Later that night, Kate, her boyfriend Stuart, co-driver Mike, and friends from years ago met at a local restaurant. Kate declined the drink Stuart brought to her from the bar and handed it to her friend Holly. Soon after, Holly was found dead outside the back door of the restaurant. Tests later showed she was poisoned.

To add to the pressure, Kate’s estranged father called and wanted her to meet his wealthy family. He had abandoned her at birth, and the last thing Kate wanted was to get involved with him, especially at this time.

Through it all, Kate tried to stay strong, appreciating her first major sponsorship deal, and receiving continued support from the owner of the racing team. When further related deaths occur, Kate fights her panic, and she and her friends continue to search for the killer.

Braking Points is the second racing mystery by Tammy Kaehler. The first, Dead Man’s Switch, was highly regarded by both racing and mystery fans. The fast-paced energetic novel moves right along without a dull moment. The author’s ability to write detailed scenes without dragging the plot down keeps readers engaged in the storyline. She makes good use of the interchange between characters and Kate’s own jumbled thoughts to keep the story moving forward.

It’s surprising to find as many characters as there is in the story without the reader losing track of who is who. The well-written novel is a pleasure to read. We are looking forward to more Kate Reilly novels as the determined female driver continues to move up the ranks.

A special thank you goes to Poisoned Press for providing a complimentary copy of Braking Points for our review. If you are interested in purchasing either book, they are available on Amazon.com.