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Lethal Loyalty: The Portland Murders
96 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 24, 2026
About the author
M.M. Desch
3 books87 followersMM Desch's Portland Murders series spans Portland, Oregon and Durango, Colorado — interconnected thrillers where the psychology is real, the corruption runs deep, and no one seeking justice walks away clean. A recovering-alcoholic psychiatrist. A detective compromising everything for his family. A widow in love with a woman who's hiding a fortune in secrets. Each book stands alone, each one cuts deeper.
Available now: Tangled Darkness (a Chanticleer Clue Awards shortlist honoree and Readers' Favorite Finalist), If I Go Quiet, and Lethal Loyalty, with more titles in the pipeline. Start with the book that calls to you — Portland will handle the rest.
Get a free Portland Murders novella at marydesch.com/free.
Available now: Tangled Darkness (a Chanticleer Clue Awards shortlist honoree and Readers' Favorite Finalist), If I Go Quiet, and Lethal Loyalty, with more titles in the pipeline. Start with the book that calls to you — Portland will handle the rest.
Get a free Portland Murders novella at marydesch.com/free.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 4, 2026
Lethal Loyalty is a short, approximately 90-page novella, and I think my biggest issue with it is actually pretty simple: I wanted more of it.
Especially because there's quite a lot happening here for such a short book and I would've happily taken a few extra chapters to develop the characters and their relationships a little further.
The story takes place in Durango, where the municipality is trying to deal with its water issues through a multimillion-dollar pipeline project.
And, well...
Multimillion-dollar government project.
What could possibly go wrong?
Corruption slowly raises its hand from the back of the room.
At the center of everything is Olivia, who has been in love with James since childhood.
James, meanwhile, is approximately 30 shades of red flag.
Olivia has spent years imagining a future with this man: kids, happiness, maybe the white picket fence, the whole thing. Unfortunately, James and his new partner Kate have other plans for her.
And Kate isn't exactly winning any awards for Healthy Human Communication either...
They want Olivia to obtain confidential financial documents connected to the pipeline project. This could put her career in danger, but apparently the possibility of having James's babies is worth risking everything.
Olivia.
Girl.
Have you LOOKED at this man?!?
Things become considerably more complicated when her friend Valerie discovers what she's doing and starts questioning what's really happening. There's also an investigative reporter sniffing around the potential corruption, and when Kate learns that Valerie knows too much, Olivia is essentially given another choice.
Deal with Valerie...
Or potentially say goodbye to that future she's spent her life imagining with James.
And that's where the story really starts asking how far Olivia is willing to go; for James, for herself and eventually just to survive the mess she's helped create.
I liked the premise, particularly the combination of municipal corruption and Olivia's completely misplaced loyalty to a man who was basically walking around wearing a red flag as a cape.
But I wanted more context.
I wanted to understand Olivia and James's history better and why her attachment to him was powerful enough to influence some of the decisions she makes. I wanted more insight into Kate and James and their dynamic. Even their exact relationship felt a little unclear to me at times. And once things escalated into much more serious territory, including murder, I especially wanted more room to explore the people involved and the consequences of everything happening.
At around 90 pages, there simply wasn't much time for all of those elements to breathe.
Still, I wouldn't call Lethal Loyalty a bad read at all. It's quick, has an interesting corruption storyline, and definitely made me question just how far Olivia was prepared to go for a man who had been setting off my internal alarm system from approximately five minutes after meeting him.
I just finished it feeling like I'd gotten the bones of an interesting story when I would've liked a little more meat on them.
3.5⭐
Thank you to M.M. Desch for sending me a copy of Lethal Loyalty and giving me the opportunity to read and review it. All opinions are my own.
Especially because there's quite a lot happening here for such a short book and I would've happily taken a few extra chapters to develop the characters and their relationships a little further.
The story takes place in Durango, where the municipality is trying to deal with its water issues through a multimillion-dollar pipeline project.
And, well...
Multimillion-dollar government project.
What could possibly go wrong?
Corruption slowly raises its hand from the back of the room.
At the center of everything is Olivia, who has been in love with James since childhood.
James, meanwhile, is approximately 30 shades of red flag.
Olivia has spent years imagining a future with this man: kids, happiness, maybe the white picket fence, the whole thing. Unfortunately, James and his new partner Kate have other plans for her.
And Kate isn't exactly winning any awards for Healthy Human Communication either...
They want Olivia to obtain confidential financial documents connected to the pipeline project. This could put her career in danger, but apparently the possibility of having James's babies is worth risking everything.
Olivia.
Girl.
Have you LOOKED at this man?!?
Things become considerably more complicated when her friend Valerie discovers what she's doing and starts questioning what's really happening. There's also an investigative reporter sniffing around the potential corruption, and when Kate learns that Valerie knows too much, Olivia is essentially given another choice.
Deal with Valerie...
Or potentially say goodbye to that future she's spent her life imagining with James.
And that's where the story really starts asking how far Olivia is willing to go; for James, for herself and eventually just to survive the mess she's helped create.
I liked the premise, particularly the combination of municipal corruption and Olivia's completely misplaced loyalty to a man who was basically walking around wearing a red flag as a cape.
But I wanted more context.
I wanted to understand Olivia and James's history better and why her attachment to him was powerful enough to influence some of the decisions she makes. I wanted more insight into Kate and James and their dynamic. Even their exact relationship felt a little unclear to me at times. And once things escalated into much more serious territory, including murder, I especially wanted more room to explore the people involved and the consequences of everything happening.
At around 90 pages, there simply wasn't much time for all of those elements to breathe.
Still, I wouldn't call Lethal Loyalty a bad read at all. It's quick, has an interesting corruption storyline, and definitely made me question just how far Olivia was prepared to go for a man who had been setting off my internal alarm system from approximately five minutes after meeting him.
I just finished it feeling like I'd gotten the bones of an interesting story when I would've liked a little more meat on them.
3.5⭐
Thank you to M.M. Desch for sending me a copy of Lethal Loyalty and giving me the opportunity to read and review it. All opinions are my own.
September 6, 2026
Thank you M.M. Desch for providing me a copy of this prequel novella to Play Me Once. What a fun read! If you like the mystery of an Alfred Hitchcock story and love a novella (I do!) that gives you just enough to want more in the next book of the series, you’ll enjoy this!
March 24, 2026
“Lethal Loyalty” quickly sets the stage as the prequel to “Play Me Once,” yet to come in 2026. Introducing readers to the manipulative Kate Nichols, the love-struck Olivia, the ex-friend Valerie, and the investigative journalist, Derek Wilson. As each of these characters slowly make their debut, readers are fascinated by their roles in the mystery playing across the page. In a drought ridden Durango, we are left questioning the sincerity of their motives, the ethics, morals, and thought behind their decisions, and the impact of it all as it comes to a head.
Author MM Desch leaves readers grasping to determine who is on the right side of it all as the water pipeline project quickly comes to fruition, and life changing amount of money sit ready to fund it. Everyone seems to have their own separate agenda, a bit dirty in their intentions, leaving us wondering who can truly be trusted. Rushed meetings, whispered secrets, and sources being hunted. Olivia, James, Kate, Valerie, Derek and more seem to be tied up in foul play.
Just as scandal is befalling Olivia, having just lost her best friend and now her lover, she becomes entangled in Kate’s web. Meanwhile Valerie is trapped between a booze ridden, abusive husband and her role as mole to a local reporter. Kate seems to stand at the center of it all, the puppet master, dark, daring, and manipulative. “Lethal Loyalty” leaves readers with questions as we hunger for more. And Desch gives us just enough of the backstory to set us up for a pulse pounding sequel.
With an indisputable ability to weave characters, tangled in love and deceit, sprinkled with manipulative motives, Desch’s “Lethal Loyalty” is an engrossing read, promising a suspenseful sequel to follow.
Author MM Desch leaves readers grasping to determine who is on the right side of it all as the water pipeline project quickly comes to fruition, and life changing amount of money sit ready to fund it. Everyone seems to have their own separate agenda, a bit dirty in their intentions, leaving us wondering who can truly be trusted. Rushed meetings, whispered secrets, and sources being hunted. Olivia, James, Kate, Valerie, Derek and more seem to be tied up in foul play.
Just as scandal is befalling Olivia, having just lost her best friend and now her lover, she becomes entangled in Kate’s web. Meanwhile Valerie is trapped between a booze ridden, abusive husband and her role as mole to a local reporter. Kate seems to stand at the center of it all, the puppet master, dark, daring, and manipulative. “Lethal Loyalty” leaves readers with questions as we hunger for more. And Desch gives us just enough of the backstory to set us up for a pulse pounding sequel.
With an indisputable ability to weave characters, tangled in love and deceit, sprinkled with manipulative motives, Desch’s “Lethal Loyalty” is an engrossing read, promising a suspenseful sequel to follow.
September 4, 2026
How far would you go for the person you love? And what happens when loyalty starts looking a lot like obsession?
Lethal Loyalty is a short, dark psychological thriller about love, manipulation, betrayal, and the terrifying consequences of misplaced trust.
Olivia Hahn finds herself caught between the life she has always wanted and the increasingly dangerous demands being placed on her. What starts with love and loyalty quickly spirals into secrets, corruption, threats, and murder.
What I enjoyed most was the psychological side of the story. Olivia’s choices are messy, questionable, and increasingly difficult to defend, but that made her journey more interesting to me. I liked watching the pressure build and seeing how one decision could lead to another until there was no easy way out.
The relationship dynamics were also a strong point. Nobody feels completely innocent, and the constant uncertainty over who is manipulating whom kept me invested. The themes of obsession and loyalty worked particularly well because the story shows how easily love can be twisted into something dangerous.
My one drawback was the pacing. Because this is a novella, some of the developments felt a little rushed, and I occasionally wanted more time with the characters and their motivations. I think a longer format could have made some of the emotional beats hit even harder.
Still, this was a twisty, unsettling read with plenty of betrayal and morally grey decisions. The ending leaves you with plenty to think about, and I’m curious to see where the wider Portland Murders series goes from here.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers where love, loyalty and obsession blur together, this one is worth adding to your TBR. 🖤
Lethal Loyalty is a short, dark psychological thriller about love, manipulation, betrayal, and the terrifying consequences of misplaced trust.
Olivia Hahn finds herself caught between the life she has always wanted and the increasingly dangerous demands being placed on her. What starts with love and loyalty quickly spirals into secrets, corruption, threats, and murder.
What I enjoyed most was the psychological side of the story. Olivia’s choices are messy, questionable, and increasingly difficult to defend, but that made her journey more interesting to me. I liked watching the pressure build and seeing how one decision could lead to another until there was no easy way out.
The relationship dynamics were also a strong point. Nobody feels completely innocent, and the constant uncertainty over who is manipulating whom kept me invested. The themes of obsession and loyalty worked particularly well because the story shows how easily love can be twisted into something dangerous.
My one drawback was the pacing. Because this is a novella, some of the developments felt a little rushed, and I occasionally wanted more time with the characters and their motivations. I think a longer format could have made some of the emotional beats hit even harder.
Still, this was a twisty, unsettling read with plenty of betrayal and morally grey decisions. The ending leaves you with plenty to think about, and I’m curious to see where the wider Portland Murders series goes from here.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers where love, loyalty and obsession blur together, this one is worth adding to your TBR. 🖤
March 31, 2026
Lethal Loyalty: The Portland Murders by M.M. Desch is a tightly paced crime thriller that delivers intrigue and tension in a compact, engaging format. Despite its shorter length, the novel builds a strong sense of suspense, drawing readers into a web of loyalty, deception, and hidden motives.
Desch crafts a narrative that keeps the stakes high, with a focus on the complexities of trust and betrayal. The pacing remains sharp throughout, making it an ideal read for those who enjoy fast moving mysteries without sacrificing intensity.
A solid addition for fans of crime fiction looking for a quick yet gripping story filled with twists and psychological tension.
Desch crafts a narrative that keeps the stakes high, with a focus on the complexities of trust and betrayal. The pacing remains sharp throughout, making it an ideal read for those who enjoy fast moving mysteries without sacrificing intensity.
A solid addition for fans of crime fiction looking for a quick yet gripping story filled with twists and psychological tension.
September 4, 2026
Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a fast paced twisty and manipulative mystery/thriller. Had me hooked from the beginning and left me wanting more. I will definitely be picking up the next book soon. Thank you so much to the author for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review. #lethalloyalty #portlandmurders #mmdesch
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews