Book Review: Killer Swell

Reviewed By: Gina Metz - RAM

Killer Swell     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Jeff Shelby
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Private Investigator
Series: Noah Braddock Mysteries
ARC; Dutton; 2005; 245 pps.

Killer Swell is the debut novel of Jeff Shelby featuring surfer and PI, Noah Braddock. Marilyn Crier contacts Noah to find her missing daughter, Kate, who has been gone about a week. However this case becomes an emotional roller coaster for Noah as Kate was his high school sweetheart and first love who he had not seen in over a decade. Kate broke things off with him right before going to college by saying her parents would not pay for college if she continued seeing him and she had made her choice.

The Criers are a very wealthy family and Noah had never fit in, being from a poor home with an alcoholic mother and a father he never knew that disappeared. Now Noah is all grown up, sort of, and still a surfer and a private investigator. Noah is helped in his investigation into Kate’s disappearance by his lifelong friend and surfer buddy, Carter. Carter is quite the colorful character himself.

Noah finds Kate in the trunk of a car dead. The more he investigates the more he finds out that Kate turned out to be an entirely different person than he could have ever imagined. His cop, ex-girlfriend, Liz, who is also investigating Kate’s murder, is not much help and attempts to stop his investigation.

I thoroughly enjoyed Killer Swell and the cast of characters. This was a great page turner and quick read. I loved Noah and Carter and hope to see future installments in the Noah Braddock series.

Gina Metz - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Gina Metz - RAM