Deception Cove by Owen Laukkanen

 

Mason Burke has spent the last fifteen years in prison. The one good thing he did is rehabilitate and train a rescue dog named Lucy. Now he's out and he just wants to know if Lucy is okay. When he learns she's going to be put down because she bit a sheriff's deputy, he heads to Deception Cove, Washington, to try and save her.

Jess Winslow is a young widow and former marine suffering from PTSD. Lucy is her dog. When she's confronted by Deputy Kirby Harwood, who wants something her deceased husband apparently stole, Lucy defends her. Now Harwood has her dog and is threatening to have her killed if Jess doesn't find the thing he wants. But with Mason's help, Jess is determined to get Lucy back.

Ethan @ A Book a Week reviewed this book in August. He wrote that "Owen Laukkanen tells a stirring story of loyalty and redemption in the form of a page-turning thriller," and I couldn't agree more. This book is such a great read! In many ways it reminded me of The Drifter by Nicholas Petrie, another favorite book of mine. I loved Mason; he went to prison at 18 and is now trying to figure out how to be an adult and a good man on the outside. Jess is another great character. I loved how she and Mason team up to save their dog and fight the bad guys. Deception Cove has action and suspense. And lots of heart. It's compelling and well-written, and my favorite Owen Laukkanen novel so far. Thanks, Ethan, for recommending it!

Happy Reading!

Other Owen Laukkanen novels I've enjoyed:  The Watcher in the Wall and The Wild.