Review: Aftershock by Judy Melinek and TJ Mitchell

Aftershock

by Judy Melinek and TJ Mitchell 

Publisher: Hanover Square Press

Pages: 304

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When an earthquake strikes San Francisco, forensics expert Jessie Teska faces her biggest threat yet in this explosive new mystery from the New York Times bestselling duo.

There’s a body crushed under a load of pipes on a San Francisco construction site, and medical examiner Dr. Jessie Teska is on call. So it’s her job to figure out who it is—and her headache when the autopsy reveals that the death is a homicide staged as an accident.

Jessie is hot on the murderer’s trail, then an earthquake sends her and her whole city reeling. When the dust clears, her case has fallen apart and an innocent man is being framed. Jessie knows she’s the only one who can prove it, and she races to piece together the truth—before it gets buried and brings her down in the rubble.

With Melinek and Mitchell’s trademark blend of propulsive prose, deft plotting and mordant humor, this rollicking new installment in the Jessie Teska Mystery series will shake you up and leave you rattled. 

Kritters Thoughts:  The second in a series and while each book had a mystery contained there was major character development from book to book, so I suggest going back to book one and starting there!

Jessie Teska is a deputy chief medical examiner in San Francisco and she is on a construction site where a dead body may not be what it may seem - still dead, just maybe not a construction accident.  While she is just the medical examiner, Teska doesn't have much faith in the detectives to do the real digging, so she goes and does her own and then an earthquake happens!  

I loved this book and am hoping for many more in this series.  I find it so unique to see an investigation through the ME's perspective because of the clues she receives from reviewing the dead body and although she isn't really supposed to be investigating, she also feels like a naive investigator who shouldn't be pursuing the truth.  

The final outcome of this book was satisfying, but I am really hoping for more books from Teska's point of view!

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2020 Challenge: 138 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Harlequin.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.