Micki Browning

Received via Abili and NetGalley in exchange for an completely unbiased review.
Also posted on Silk & Serif

Adrift is the debut novel for author Micki Browning – and it’s amazing. Mer, a safety diver who saves a man while babysitting a set of tourists, is thrown into an epic mystery about a ghost, a murder and starring the dysfunctional crew of a paranormal investigation team. Mer becomes part of the safety divers for a paranormal investigator’s documentary on a ship wreck that the diver show more Mer rescued had seen a ghost. The head of the documentary, Ishmael goes missing under water and Mer becomes the prime suspect in murder. Meanwhile, Mer begins to suspect that not all is above board with Ishmael and his paranormal investigative team and vows to unearth the truth – even if it destroys her. What she finds may not be what she was expecting..

I loved this novel and couldn’t put it down. I mean, struggling marine biologist, diving, an underwater mystery, paranormal documentary AND shipwrecks? Yes, pleaase.

Adrift is one part mystery and one part drama. While the police investigate Mer, we follow Mer as she investigates the mystery of the haunted ship wreck that inevitably leads us to an unexpected conclusion. Browning sets the stage by creating an “interesting” dynamic between all the members of the paranormal crew as well as bringing in Mer’s shifty ex-boyfriend at just the right time. The reader is suspicious of most of the cast while also being lead along on the dramatic roller coaster that is Mer’s romantic and personal life.

Personally, I loved that Browning created a novel filled with suspense and suspicion. The two S’s are interspersed by strong emotive descriptions, intense action scenes and a strong plot. I read this book cover to cover in one night and was left wanting more..thankfully this is book one of the Mer Cacallo Mystery.

Most shocking, this is a debut novel that is written as if it were written by an experienced writer (pen name, perhaps?). Browning hits all the stops, breathes life into her stories and yet doesn’t let the plot wither – something that is rare in a new writer. I would definitely recommend Adrift to anyone who loves a good mystery with complex romance or even just a novel that defies expectations on both the skill front and the plot front. I DID NOT SEE THAT ENDING COMING!

This book will appeal to readers who enjoy mystery, complex romance, suspense, novels about the ocean and marine biologists who daylight as a safety diver and novels that defy the norm. I would not suggest this novel to those who are looking for a dreary DNF novel because you will be up all night reading this one until the very end. show less

Death is one click away when a string of murders rocks a small Colorado town. Echo Valley, Colorado, is a place where the natural beauty of a stunning river valley meets a budding hipster urbanity. But when an internet stalker is revealed to be a cold-blooded killer in real life the peaceful community is rocked to its core.
Both the main characters were incredibly stubborn, but also quick-witted, and unapologetically blunt. While I wasn’t a huge fan of either of them at first, they began to show more grow on me as the story went on and I learned more about them.

The plot was interesting...for lack of a better word. I liked how the author cleverly centered it around video games and cyberspace as well as how determined Detective Jo Wyatt was. She refused to back down even when everyone else was ready to close the case. The banter between Wyatt and "Squint" was sometimes hilarious and just what the story needed. We got to see little into Jo’s personal life also. I'm curious to see what happens in future books since a few plot elements were casually sprinkled about in this one. I was also impressed with how well the author handled the sexism that the main character often faced. It was clear that the author added this in with a lot of forethought and sensitivity, but she also wasn’t afraid to show how bad it could get. Many scenes will have you disgusted, if not down-right angry.

I really did enjoy this story. It was great how everything came together at the end as the tangled path of the mystery was finally sorted out. If you enjoy mysteries featuring headstrong characters with a lot of heart...you should really like this one. show less

This book has everything you could possibly want in a police procedural mystery. Appealing, life-like characters. Snappy dialogue. A plot as twisty as the icy Rocky Mountain roads, and as dangerous, too: one slip, one wrong turn, and you might find yourself tumbling over a sheer cliff, plummeting toward death . . .

That’s a bit of an exaggeration. You won’t die from reading this book. But you’ll feel the increasing danger and wonder whether the characters will survive to the last show more page.

I’ll be honest. It took me a while to warm to Detective Jo Wyatt and for a while, I was afraid this would put me off the entire book.

For the first few chapters, I found her initial suspicious and (at points) hostile attitude toward Quinn off-putting. She’s a detective doing a difficult job amid her own heartbreak and disappointments. I sympathized with that. At the same time, it was hard for me, someone outside the police force, to understand why her first reaction to everyone is suspicion.

But by half-way through the book, I grew to like her. I understood that she is policing in Echo Valley, her hometown. That comes with advantages–she’s familiar with the people–and major disadvantages–she’s expected to ignore certain crimes because of the perpetrator’s identity. Once that clicked into place for me, so did Jo’s character.

All the characters are complicated people. Even the minor characters, such as Jo’s father, are developed. Browning has the ability to craft uncannily-life-like characters who drive the story with a building momentum. This gives Shadow Ridge an energy that is sometimes missing in more paint-by-numbers procedurals.

Browning makes great use of her own background in law enforcement. There are some tantalizing details about cop habits and behavior. The book feels like the author knows how homicide investigations work, and has dealt with the frustrations and fears, unknowns and unknowable aspects of any unnatural death. It struck me that Browning isn’t only concerned with the detective catching the bad guys, as is standard for police procedurals. She’s also concerned with the societal responsibility of a cop to see people as people.

I believe this is the first in a series. With such rich, deep characters and an intriguing setting, there’s plenty of material for future stories. I enjoyed Shadow Ridge a great deal and recommend it for all police procedural and mystery lovers.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. show less

One of the things I loved about this book is the authenticity with which Micki Browning writes. The story kept me thoroughly engaged and I loved the main character Meredith Cavallo, a.k.a. Mer. She's witty, smart, and practical and all the more reason why the paranormal aspect of this mystery works with this particular character. This is really a refreshing take on the usual path of a traditional mystery, and one that I liked a lot. In her story the paranormal activity is introduced when her show more dive group encounters a man who believes he's seen a ghost. This is a perfect foil for our scientific thought processing MC to have to investigate. Plus, there's a little of everything in this wonderful debut, aside from mystery and the paranormal, there's just the right level of romance.

I'm glad there will be more Mer Cavallo books! A really great job on this debut for Micki Browning! show less