Dead End by Nancy Mehl {A Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts are 100% my own. 

When a body is discovered in a field in Iowa, the police uncover fourteen additional corpses ranging from 20 years old to recent. The remains point to a serial killer with an MO the authorities have seen before--Ed Oliphant, a man who has been in prison for over 20 years . . . and is Special Agent Kaely Quinn's father. After several failed interview attempts to discover if Ed has been training someone to be a copycat killer, the police turn to Kaely in St. Louis.

Kaely promised herself she would never step foot in her hometown or set eyes on her father again. She's always refused to confront her past, but if she wants to prevent any more deaths, she must come face-to-face with the man she's hated for years.
As more bodies are discovered, Kaely races against time and her own personal turmoil to uncover the killer. Will this most personal case yet cost Kaely her identity and perhaps even her life?

Nancy Mehl is the author of more than thirty books and a Christy Award and Carol Award finalist. She writes from her home in Missouri, where she lives with her husband, Norman, and their puggle, Watson. To learn more, visit www.nancymehl.com.

Dead End is book number three in the Kaely Quinn Profiler series by Nancy Mehl. While I believe this could be read as a standalone, I think it can best be enjoyed by reading the previous books as well. I found that while I enjoyed book two, I really did enjoy this story even more and I think that was in part because I had had the chance to get to know Kaely more in the previous book.

If you haven't been introduced to Kaely yet, you're in for a treat... I truly adore this character. She's flawed, without a doubt, but she's so unique that I cannot help but be drawn into her world. The stories are good, but it's the character that really makes it. In Dead End we get an even deeper look into her mind and her rather unique way of thinking things through, and I couldn't get enough. While I'm not certain if this is the final book in the series, it certainly feels as though it could be. While I will be sad to say goodbye to it if that is the case, I do feel like it came to a fantastic conclusion if it is.

The story is absolutely intriguing... so many twists and turns to keep you guessing. While I will say that I suspected fairly early on who the UNSUB was in general (as in not the specific name of the person, but who they were in relation to the other characters), it wasn't until just before the big reveal that I began suspecting the specific person. I had to keep reading to figure it all out!

There were a lot of great faith elements in this story too... with some beautiful messages of forgiveness and God's ability to heal us and protect us. I didn't find it to be in your face or preachy, but weaved beautifully into the story quite naturally as it would have been in these characters' lives.

Overall, this was a fantastic read. If you love Christian suspense, this series is definitely one to check out. I cannot wait to see what Nancy Mehl brings us next!