Scene of the Crime: Deadman's Bluff

Scene of the Crime #6

by Carla Cassidy

Buried AliveFBI agent Seth Hawkins was on a mission to catch a serial killer. Yet his only lead—a mysterious azure-eyed beauty found buried alive in the local sand dunes—had no memory of how she'd been abducted. Or anything else about her identity.

The only thing Tamara Jennings knew for sure was the undeniable attraction she felt for the strong, handsome man who saved her life. It wasn't long before their passion flared out of control. But as memories of her forgotten past returned, would they lead her to the killer—and to a life she could share with Seth?

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Romantic Suspense, Fiction, Suspense

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 19, 2013

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A serial killer the newspaper calls "The Sandman" has recently buried three women (one a month) in the sand dunes (Deadman's Dunes) in the Oklahoma town of Amber Lake. Two of the women were found dead, but one survived (heroine Tamara Jennings). Only now she has amnesia. The hero, Seth Hawkins (an FBI Agent on vacation visiting his sister Linda and niece Samantha), found Tamara in the sand dunes when he was out riding his dirt bike on the dunes. (Only Tamara's face was slightly visible in the sand, the rest of her body was buried.) Since she has nowhere to go when she is released from the hospital Seth's sister Linda tells Tamara she can stay at her place for a while. Gradually Tamara begins to remember things. But the killer knows where she is staying and is determined to get his job done and bury her again in the dunes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The setting for the crime on the sand dunes was different, and creepy. Tamara wanted to get her memory back but she was also scared of what she would remember (since she was buried alive). She was very likable and sweet. Seth was a kind and protective hero. I had fun trying to guess who the villain was.

An exciting, captivating, and entertaining suspense-romance by Carla Cassidy.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serial killer stories are among the creepiest and this one was well done. I was hooked from the beginning. Seth was on vacation, visiting his sister and niece, out riding his motorbike on the dunes when he stumbled on a woman nearly buried alive in the sand. He gets her out but she has no idea of how she got there, or even who she is. The local sheriff asks for his help in solving the mystery and Seth is glad to do it. Without any memory of what happened and very few clues it is a frustrating endeavor. It doesn't help that they are attracted to each other and have to fight it. When the killer tries to fix his mistake Seth and Tamara are in a race to recover her memory before it is silenced forever.

Tamara's first memory is of Seth pulling her out of the sand. She can't remember her name or how she got there just a sense of terror. It took her a full day just to be able to talk again. Seth was the only person who made her feel safe and she was relieved when Seth's sister invited her to stay with them during the investigation. I liked seeing the way that she was determined to get her memory back so they could catch the killer before he strikes again. I loved seeing her happiness as bits and pieces started to come back. She was also attracted to Seth even though she knew it was a bad idea. There was anything that could come of it but she wanted to feel normal. It was interesting to see what she did with the various memories that did come and how they showed her that there were things that she didn't want to remember. I liked the time that she and Seth spent together and how much they had in common. She knew that she was falling in love with him and was probably going to get hurt but she embraced the feeling anyway. When the final confrontation with the killer came her biggest regret was not telling Seth how she felt. I liked the fact she was brave enough to tell him later, even as he was pulling away. I loved seeing her face all her memories and deal with them as she tried to move on with her life.

Seth was on a rare vacation when he found Tamara. There was something about her that immediately grabbed him and he didn't want to let go. Even if he hadn't been recruited to help solve the crime, there was no way he wasn't going to get involved. I loved seeing the tenderness and care he treated her with. She was very different than any woman he had ever been attracted to before. He knew it was wrong and was sure that any feelings she had were just because of her loss of memory. Seth has never planned to be married since he has seen very few cases of happy marriages. The more time he spent with Tamara the more he could picture her in his life and that made him very nervous. When an attempt is made on her life by the killer Seth decides that he won't let her out of his sight. That only makes controlling his feelings even harder. His terror when she disappeared showed him that he had fallen in love with her. It was so hard to see him pull away from her feeling that what she felt was only gratitude. I loved the ending and the way he went to her.

The whole serial killer theme was very well done. There were a few brief glimpses into his mind, but never enough to give away who he was. There were enough possibilities that it really kept the suspense going. I didn't figure it out until near the end, thanks to one little clue. I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Jen_C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Gotta love that hot man on a motorcycle on the cover. This book was unique to me as the FBI agent was on vacation, just trying to enjoy the sand dunes on his dirt bike when BAM, back to work cause he rescues a woman almost buried alive in the dunes. The action starts right in the first chapter, no leisurely bunch of background filler. You do of course learn all you need to know about Seth and Tamara eventually. I loved that she asked for what she wanted and he tried be so fair with her. He was immediately gentle and treated her so well, but of course he has those manly strong protective instincts. He is no pushover. Loved his niece and sister as well. Linda just jumps right in to help a complete stranger and back up her brother. Even when I figured out who the Sandman was, I just kept wanting Tamara & Seth to figure it out. I loved that I did not figure it out TOO early and feel disappointed. I was just thinking "come on, you can do this" to the characters in my head. Great timing. Another great one from Carla Cassidy.

[Debbie Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Cassidy’s romantic suspense novel, FBI agent Seth Hawkins was on a mission to catch a serial killer. The drawback: His only lead is a mysterious woman found buried alive with no memory of the abduction or her life in general. As memory slowly begins to surface, Tamara Jennings and Seth Hawkins battle an attraction beyond words. Little by little, the memories come back in full only to place Tamara in the line of danger once again.

Fast-paced, exciting storyline—I found it hard to put down until the last page!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scene of the Crime: Deadman's Bluff was an excellent read. It grabbed you by the throat the minute FBI agent, Seth Hawkins, clawed the sand from a mysterious beauty's body while fearing the worst.

Tamara Jennings lost her memory after being buried alive in sand. She didn't remember her name, or her previous life. She had to remember because her life was being threatened again.

Carla Cassidy has written another terrific read. Enjoy!

[Camy · Rating 4 out of 5]

good pace. enjoyed

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable and boring.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

With some minor editing hiccups and one glaring clue that all the cops/lawmen seemed to ignore, the case was closed. 2 dead women, with a 3rd found just in time, the profiler didn’t do too good of a job. No real background checks on any of the suspects, and not listening to the “silent clues” that pop up when someone has amnesia. A decoy at the end almost cost her her life, but luckily the Marshal pieced things together.

[Bonnie Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast past read that will leave you breathless and on egde throughout this whole book. Seth Hawkins just wanted to have a vacation but all he got was throughn into a Serial Killer Murder Investigation and falling for the beautiful victim.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

HI #1414 = 3.5 stars

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was very intense and I enjoyed it.

[Tory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Normally, I really like Cassidy's book, for years she has been an auto-buy for me, but I just didn't connect with this story. One of the issues that I had was that when Seth realized that Tamara had amnesia, he didn't have her further checked out at a doctors or have her see a therapist. I also had a hard time buying into the relationship. Tamara is so obviously traumatized by her experience that I had a hard time believing that her feelings were real and not a response to having been saved by Seth, especially since the story seems to take place over about a week.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Pretty decent for a short read. Not as lite as I had expected. Nifty little serial killer with a twist.

[Mojca · Rating 1 out of 5]

half star

[Harlequin Books]

Category: Suspense