Desperate Deception: Dark Mountain 2

	Title:
	Author:	D.B. Tait
	Published:	2015, Momentum
	No. of Pages:	234
	Cover Price:	$3.63 Kindle

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D.B. Tait’s Desperate Deception: Dark Mountain 2 is the second novel in the Dark Mountain series. Julia is out of prison after serving 10 years for a murder she didn’t commit. She is presently living with her mother and her mother’s lesbian partner; Julia is also in a serious relationship with a police officer, Dylan. Julia discovers her neighbors’ bodies, and what is first thought to be a murder-suicide, turns out to be a double murder. Although Julia would prefer not to be involved, she, along with Dylan who is on the homicide squad, end up investigating the murders. Her mother, an artist, has an opening to show her paintings at a beautiful resort on the mountain, and the resort manager is murdered. There are also some missing women in town who know Julia because they were in jail together, and after being released, worked for the resort manager in the sex industry.

As the story progresses, Julia and Dylan have some relationship problems, many due to the fact that even though she has been proven innocent, she recognizes that many of the residents in her town still consider her guilty. She feels that Dylan’s career is at risk due to his relationship with her. Apparently, the murder conviction was while saving her younger sister; however, the sister doesn’t play a part in the storyline and readers will probably wonder where she is and why there is no interaction. Julia starts asking questions, and someone attempts to murder her, adding to the suspense.

The novel is set in Australia, so for readers in the US, there are differences in idioms, grammar, and word usage. Most of this is quite charming, and the story will most likely inspire a trip to Australia. The book does need some professional editing, however, and hopefully it will be done in the final Kindle version. The book is quite inexpensive, and, since it comes only in the Kindle version, is convenient for Kindle readers.

Although the book has a story that has some suspense, and will keep most readers entertained, some of the subject matter is for adults, as well as a couple of fairly graphic love scenes. For readers who don’t mind this kind of material, this book will be enjoyable. It may be a good idea to read Tait’s previous book before this, to find out what happened to Blossom, the sister, as well as other events that are referred to in the novel, but are not explained.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This book may be purchased at Amazon:
Desperate Deception: Dark Mountain 2