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(A Messenger Novel) by Eileen RendahlWhen a delivery leads to a dead man, Melina's cop boyfriend, Ted Goodnight, starts grilling her about her latest job. But Melina doesn't know who sent the package or what was in it. That's not the way she works. What she does know—and Ted doesn't—is that this isn't the first time this has happened…
There are two men who have bitten the dust after a delivery from Melina. As she tries to put together the pieces of this puzzle, she discovers that the two victims share common friends, common unexplained absences and a common crime. Now, dark forces from the local community have been unleashed, drawing Melina into the web of a powerful woman, her voodoo and her vengeance…
Let me just put it out there that voodoo freaks me out. I'm not sure what it is except that it seems more real for some reason. Which is why I completely love it in my books—it adds to the creepy factor. In this book, it's all about putting the voodoo on someone.
DEAD ON DELIVERY is the second in the Messenger series and the main character, Melina's finally hitting her stride. She's figured out what it is to be a Messenger and how to fit it into her life, she's taken on a young Messenger-in-training, and she's got herself a nice boyfriend. So why can't she just do her job and not stick her nose into things that aren't her concern?
Well, it could be that guys are dropping dead shortly after she gives them a package. And, because she's duty-bound to deliver the packages, she feels duty-bound to figure out what's killing them. It could also be that she's a suspect and she wants to clear her name. Personally, I think she's just nosey and isn't completely satisfied with just dumping a package with someone, especially when bad things happen to them.
Poor Ted, Melina's cop boyfriend. He tries to understand Melina but he really wants to play the manly protector and she frustrates him at every turn by denying him the chance. She keeps him in the dark, despite his best efforts. The connection and interactions between them are…strange. Melina's not good at relationships (this one with Ted is her first adult relationship ever) and seems to be pushing him away. He's hanging in there, putting up with her odd life and strange acquaintances but unless she changes, at least, opens up a bit more and shares both feelings and her life with him, I don't see him sticking around for too much longer. Although, they are pretty hot in the bedroom…Many guys will stay for that. For a little while, anyway.
Melina's a strong character with a ton of flaws, flaws that she's working on. I truly dislike "perfect" characters, the ones who never learn from their mistakes and the ones who can't see when they're totally messing up. Melina's the type who will learn from what goes wrong in her life but she's not so great about asking people for help, which lands her in even more trouble (Don't you love when the author tortures her characters like that? Yep, me, too.).
DEAD ON DELIVERY delivers the action (Sorry, I couldn't help it. Bad puns rock.) and mystery but falls a bit short when it comes to the romance aspect. Not that I was expecting Melina and Ted to go hot and heavy every other page but a bit more romance and relationship development would have been good. Melina's an interesting character with a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing what shows up on Melina's doorstep in the next Messenger installment.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
This book is available from Berkley Trade. You can buy it here
or here in e-format.
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