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Claire Layton expects the usual busy Saturday night at Harvest Bistro to be killer on her stilletto shod feet. She never imagines there’d be an actual murderer on the loose at her restaurant in rural Dry Creek, Nebraska. But when she discovers a customer dead in a dumpster, the killer demands she find the victim’s phone and flash drive or face fatal consequences.
Reviewed by Brenda C. for Readers Favorite
It's the end of another busy Saturday night at the Harvest Bistro, the restaurant that Claire Layton owns in her tiny hometown, Dry Creek, Nebraska. While taking out the trash, Claire is totally shocked to find a dead body in her dumpster, and what's worse, she recognizes the girl as someone who ate at the restaurant earlier in the evening. Claire calls the recently elected police chief, who also happens to be her brother, Hank. After the police arrive, Claire gets a call from someone demanding the murder victim's cell phone and flash drive and threatens her family if she doesn't come up with it. Jake Warrick, from Absolute Security, comes to Dry Creek, having been hired by the victim's family to keep an eye on the investigation. The victim's father wants the flash drive and phone and wants Jake to get it any way he has to; he uses threats against Jake's sick father to try and get him to comply. Jake soon realizes the killer is after Claire and decides to protect her. While a relationship is the last thing that Jake or Claire want, sparks fly whenever they are together. Can they guard their hearts while trying to stay alive?
What a fantastic kick off for this exciting new series! I really enjoyed the mystery that surrounded this one, but must say that the electricity between Jake and Claire had me wondering if I might start seeing smoke rise from my Kindle! I found Claire's character quite enjoyable; she was full of spunk and didn't care to jump into the middle of things. Having grown up in a family with three brothers it was easy to see why she was a bit tough, but vulnerable as well. I liked that we got her background story early on, allowing us to easily understand why she was guarding her heart. The small town flavor for this story allows us to connect with Claire's family as well. Her mother seemed to be quite the character, and the banter that often went on between the siblings was funny, to say the least. I always enjoy when an author takes the time to include a dog in the story, and Claire's mixed breed dog, Onion, was easy to imagine.
I would caution that if reading sex scenes isn't your thing, then you might not enjoy this one; but I found it a very entertaining read, and the cliff hanger that the author leaves us with at the ending, definitely makes me want to take another trip to Dry Creek!
Up a Dry Creek captured my attention from the get go! When Claire finds a dead body in her garbage can, she becomes the target of a madman. Jake is brought in by the young girl's family to investigate the murder and is instantly attracted to Claire. While fighting their attraction in order to find the person that killed the young woman, they soon realize that their sexual chemistry is more than either one can handle. As the investigation heats up, so do the feelings between Claire and Jake. We soon learn that all is not well with the family that hired Jake and we are thrown into suspense filled drama.
If I had not heard it from the author's own mouth, I would never have guessed this was Avery Flynn's very first novel. Her writing technique is very reminiscent of Lora Leigh, Lori Foster and Nora Roberts; who are three of my favorite authors.
Ms. Flynn knows exactly how to write a female lead; she knows that they can be vulnerable, yet fierce at the same time. She knows that not all women need an alpha male to solidify her as a person. Claire Layton is a tough as nails, smart-mouthed woman that I would definitely call my friend!!! Jake Warrick is the epitome of an alpha male, yet he knows when he has met his match in a woman.
I loved the ending of this book and can not wait to see what happens next in The Dry Creek Series!
Claire Layton owns Harvest Bistro in Dry Creek, Nebraska. Her restaurant is highly popular because of evenings like the Full Moon Special which includes a 7-course dinner. But her tension-filled evening is about to ramp up quite a bit on her nerves. For at the end of the evening, as she is carrying the putrid garbage out to the dumpster bin, she sees a single arm sticking up from the garbage. Yes, she discovers a dead young woman who has been viciously murdered. Within minutes, she's got the local police, really her brother Hank, and a hunk of a guy named Jake Warrick, who says he's an investigator there to make the police do their job correctly. He's a sight to behold to Claire; and while she's put off by his sassy attitude, that same demeanor and his gorgeous body are hitting her like an electric current! But her hope of it all coming to a peaceful conclusion comes to an end with a threatening phone call and a demand for her silence. Jake and Claire hit it off in one way but there's quite a bit of verbal sparring happening that's right on the line between sexual teasing and mocking. Who is the murderer and can Jake and Claire get past their mistrust to solve the crime committed against this rich young woman? Why is the murdered woman's father such an angry, demanding man and what is the real reason he is so adamant that Jake find certain items connected to the dead gal? Secrets thread through the past of Claire, Jake, the murdered girl, and her family. The steamy sex happening fairly quickly and the gradually revealed motives behind this crime rivet the reader to the pages, reading and flipping at an outrageous rate, just as the outrageous relationship titillates and wavers in a consistent cycle of unremitting passion. Up A Dry Creek is hot romantic fiction with a mystery to solve that keeps one solidly engaged to the very last page. Nicely done, Avery Flynn!
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Overview
Claire Layton expects the usual busy Saturday night at Harvest Bistro to be killer on her stilletto shod feet. She never imagines there’d be an actual murderer on the loose at her restaurant in rural Dry Creek, Nebraska. But when she discovers a customer dead in a dumpster, the killer demands she find the victim’s phone and flash drive or face fatal consequences.