Two things I love about this series: it’s set in Texas and they can each be read as standalones. While each of the books is linked through certain characters, the stories are all completely different and it’s not necessary to read the previous books to get to know our main characters. However, it is fun to see how characters change throughout the stories. While book 1 was set in Austin, both Midnight Dunes #3 and Flight #2 are set in Lost Beach, Texas, which is a coastal town. Making the second two books great beach mystery reads.

Book #3 in the Texas Murder Files follows Detective Owen Breda and Macey Burns. While Detective Breda is working to find a local missing girl, Macey has just arrived on the island to create a new tourism commercial for the town. They cross paths immediately when Macey gets a flat tire arriving on the island. As the two work to solve the mystery, their budding relationship feels organic and genuine.

Griffin does a great job of balancing the mystery/investigation with the romance in these books. Sometimes these romance mysteries, focus too little on the mystery, that it’s more a side story. Griffin makes sure to keep the mystery center stage and actually enhances the suspense with her lead character’s interaction.

This was a fast and enjoyable read for me. Can’t wait for more in the series.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | ★★★★

Midnight Dunes comes out May 24, 2022! Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

Check out my review for the rest of the series below

Hidden (Texas murder files #1) | Review

Flight (texas Murder Files #2) | Review

Deep Tide (texas Murder Files #3) | Review