Still Life

The saga continues in my reading a series' Book 2 prior to Book 1! I will remedy that in the near future; Still Life is a gripping read that kept me guessing until the very end. I admit that I am somewhat clueless when it comes to mysteries and figuring out "whodunit". My excitement at picking up clues approaching the denouement was palpable!

Still Life's subject matter certainly fell on the moribund end of the spectrum; certainly understandable given the genre. Read Still Life in broad daylight, or at least not much past twilight; its vivid descriptions and engrossing plot will keep you up later than you anticipate, and you may need to wind down a bit prior to actually pursuing sleep!

I don't know if the complimentary copy I received was show more final or an eARC; I guess the former, as the release date came and went. With that, I found multiple grammatical errors (most notably around apostrophes) and the occasional homonym error that proved distracting through the climax and denouement.

I also wonder at Parker's sudden switch from grieving a past love to suddenly being "all in" with Avery. Pettrey spent so much time regurgitating Parker's old relationship and what a hard time he'd been through, that the switch felt forced and fast. It would have been more believable had some of the reiterations been left out or condensed.

And finally, I struggled keeping all of the characters straight. Many of the names could be used for boys or girls, or typically for one gender and then surprisingly used for another in this series, and I took a good 2/3 of the book to get them all straight.

Still, I enjoyed Still Life and would happily pick up Books 1 and 3 in the series. I appreciated the clean romance, faith elements, quick pacing, hidden clues, and final wrap-up.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Still Life from the publisher. All opinions are, as always, my own. show less

There are so many reasons to love this book. It's written by one of my favorite authors, the guy on the cover is drop-dead gorgeous, and the suspense begins immediately. But wait... there's more! Author Dani Pettrey slowly peels back the layers to show the strengths and weaknesses of her intriguing characters, while offering a chilling portrait of a twisted mind in action.

Still Life is another feather in Pettrey's writing cap. It's filled with danger, adventure, and suspense, but there are also powerful moments with love, hope, and a reminder of God's love and grace. I recommend it to all who enjoy romantic Christian suspense and psychological thrillers.

I received a copy of this book from JustRead Tours. There was no obligation for a show more positive review. show less

I enjoy reading romantic suspense stories and Dani Pettrey has mastered that genre. I like how she unfolds mysteries one layer at a time and keeps the reader wondering how things will ultimately conclude. Plenty of twists and turns, intrigue, and suspense in Still Life kept my interest high. The edge-of-the-seat action and watching Avery and Parker’s relationship develop kept me engaged. Woven throughout is a faith in God and how He works in people's lives to bring about transformation and reconciliation. I liked the friendship of the long-time friends in the series, and how they work together and care deeply for each other. With Still Life being second in the Chesapeake Valor series, and with returning characters, I would encourage show more readers to read the first book in the series, Cold Shot. Readers who enjoy mystery and suspense blended with a sweet romance will not want to miss Still Life. I was given a complimentary copy of the book from the JustRead Blind Tour program and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are my own. show less

Still Life by Dani Pettrey was my book club’s March selection. We all liked it, perhaps not as much as book 1 in the Chesapeake Valor series, Cold Shot, but all of us liked the fast-paced suspense and the developing romance between main characters, Avery and Parker. There was one thing we did have trouble with: the number of characters that were involved — lots of characters in the ensemble cast and lots of characters that were involved with the investigations the book undertook. I actually had trouble with the names given to the main characters. Most are gender non-specific and are usually last names. I know, I know, this is hardly a real problem and I am a bit old-fashioned (my 3 kids all have very traditional names), but it still show more took me out of the story as I tried to remember just who was who. As I looked at the lower starred Amazon ratings, I found some had trouble with the darker turn to Pettrey’s novel. My group members are big fans of Criminal Minds, CSI, and other shows of the same genre, so the creep-factor was a bonus for us! Still Life also made us want to explore Baltimore and environs. When a book’s setting inspires, that is a really good thing. The spiritual theme of forgiveness and its impact on past guilt is a relevant issue and we found it well-handled. For readers that may not be able to road trip to Maryland, Pettrey has a Book Club Kit for Still Life that includes recipes, pictures of Fells Point in Baltimore, discussion questions and more. What a great resource!.

Still Life is book 2 in the series and many story threads are still to be untangled. We are looking forward to more thrilling rides with Dani Pettrey.

Recommended.

Audience: adults. show less

The author, Dani Pettrey, has woven a multi-layered suspense story set in the Baltimore, Maryland area. Utilizing a cozy group of co-workers who probe until they find the culprits in the horrific criminal cases to which they have been assigned. Pettrey takes the reader into the world that makes up the lives of these men and women of valor.

The friendship, sense of humor, and romantic entanglements show they are human and how they cope with the grimness that is their daily world. Infused with faith that sustains and gives hope, the characters learn to overcome their past and go forth forgiven.

In Still Life the main thread dances around the photographic art show from which a main piece has been swapped out and in its place another piece show more depicting a posed model who appears to have been dead when the picture was taken. As the team pursues the art theft a darker, twisted crime becomes evident requiring intense probing.

While the team pursues this art crime, others of the team tackle a boating incident involving human trafficking.

Pettrey shows the reader how dark and depraved the human physic can become and yet she handles these issues with discretion. I don't care for reading about some of the elements of criminal depravity addressed in Still Life but the author writes without too much horrific detail.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Beth House to facilitate a review of my opinions. I was not compensated. show less

Avery Tate worked with Parker Mitchell as a crime scene photographer. Though she loved the work, her feelings for Parker were beginning to shift from friendship to something deeper. Knowing they could never be a couple, she quit working for him to try to forget about him. Parker Mitchell is a crime scene analyst who has a real gift for forensic detail. He worked really well with Avery and liked her a lot but struggled to pursue anything deeper. His heart still belonged to Jenna, whose murder remains unsolved. Avery returns home to support a childhood friend who modeled for a photography exhibit. Her friend never shows up to the exhibit but the picture Avery sees is one of her friend looking the picture of death. She fears something has show more happened to her friend. In desperation, Avery calls Parker and they, together with Parkers friends, try to figure out what happen to her friend. What they discover, both professionally as well as personally, is whole lot more than they bargained for.

Wow! I loved this story! In 'Cold Shot' you get to know the group of friends and their background but it concentrates on Griffin and Finley. In 'Still Life' you'll find all the same friends but it focuses on Avery and Parker. Parker is a guy you can't help but love. Who doesn't love charming and protective with a beautiful Irish brogue! I was really looking forward to getting to know him better and I was not disappointed. He and Avery work really well together and I loved their interaction together. Especially when he called her love or lass. (sigh) Avery is such a nice person but she struggles with letting go of past mistakes. It made her easy to relate to. Though this has romance in it, it is also very much a suspense/thriller type story that has several unexpected twist and turns with comic relief in just the right places. The spiritual aspect of the story was really well done, though not pushy, and focused on being a new creature in Christ despite your past. Always a good reminder. The underlying mystery concerning Luke (which started in the first book) remains unsolved but some interesting things come to light. The titles for both the first and second books match their storylines really well. Dani Pettrey is a favorite author and in my opinion just gets better and better. I would recommend reading the Chesapeake Valor series in order to help understand the friendships better as well as the background about Luke. 'Still Life' comes highly recommend from this reader. I can't wait for Blind Spot!!!

*This complimentary copy was provided by Bethany House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Some favorite moments:

He hadn't realized how strongly, how deeply, he cared for her until she was no longer at his side daily - working together in close quarters, in adrenaline-fueled situations, into the long, late hours of the night. He loved Avery, but he still loved Jenna. Jenna was his first and, until now, only love.

"You're strong and tender, intelligent, and far too witty for me to keep up with. Not to mention beautiful inside and out. Don't be ashamed of your past. You're a new creation in Christ. Focus on that."

Parker and Avery approached, both wearing a nice shade of pink lip gloss on their lips. Griffin chuckled. "What?" they both said. ..."Seriously, what was with the chuckle?" Griffin glanced at the pink sparkly shine on Parker's lips and took pity on the man. "You got a little something..." He pointed to his own lips. "Right there. Nice shade on you, though."

For more information about this book or other books by this author, I encourage you to visit her website at http://danipettrey.com. show less

This story grabbed my attention from the start as I liked how the characters were able to work at solving the mystery based on multiple outcomes. While they kept up hope for one outcome, they kept their options open for more. I liked how Avery was open about her past even when she was ashamed of it, but realized that being open could help them with the investigation and that made her more real to me in that she was willing to let go of the past to focus on the future.
I also like learning some of the history of the area as the author used some of the local history in the area as part of the crime scene. It gave me a taste of hidden treasures that are around many towns and a bit of a nod to the first book as it too has a bit of a show more historical theme.
I highly recommend this book and series and look forward to seeing what happens next, show less