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Sunday, October 3, 2021

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.












40 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, this story sounds really good. Me and animals, your review tugged the heartstrings when I read about Lucy. Our cats are Ricky and Lucy. I need to check out this author.

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    1. And Lucy, the dog in this one, is so personable and sweet. She definitely adds to the book. :)

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  2. Dog as major character: what could be better?!

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    1. Right? I liked Mason and Jess better because they loved this dog so much.

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  3. New author to me, and this sounds like a book I would enjoy!

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    1. It's a great read! And there's a sequel, too. :)

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  4. Any story with a dog at its center is bound to have lots of heart. I'm not familiar with this author but the story sounds very appealing.

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    1. I've read a few other books by this author; he writes good mysteries. But this one is by far my favorite.

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  5. Deceotion Cove sounds great! I've never read this author but all three of these look compelling actually.

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    1. I recommend reading this one first just because it's so good. But I like Laukkanen's Stevens and Windemere series, too. And The Wild was a suspenseful survival story around a group of teens out in the wilderness. I liked that one, too.

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  6. Deception Cove sounds good. Books where an animal is getting threatened are a hit or miss for me but it sounds interesting.

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    1. I was very glad that threats were all that happened to Lucy in this one. Jess and Mason get to her in time.

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  7. I hope he is able to save Lucy! This sounds good. I am glad you enjoyed this one, Lark.

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    1. It was a very fun read. (And Lucy totally gets saved.)

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  8. Love the sound of this, Lark. Is the setting in Washington State as beautiful as it looks on the cover?

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    1. Washington is a very beautiful state. And the setting plays a very important role in this book. :)

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  9. This sounds really good! I love the cover.

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    1. It's a great cover, and very fitting for this book.

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  10. Saving a dog is really good plot point! We have two here and they run our lives. I'm rooting for Lucy.

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    1. It made me like Mason so much more because he was so determined to save Lucy. :)

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  11. I love a book with a dog in it! Especially a working dog. Great review!

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    1. Dogs are so great, aren't they? Lucy, Mason and Jess are the reasons I loved this one so much.

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  12. Oh comparing this to Peter Ash gets my interest! That deputy needs to be put down! Leave the dog alone! I'm off to look this one up. :)

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    1. It was easy to hate that deputy just for what he was planning on doing to Lucy.

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  13. I love the sound of this one. I'm rooting for Lucy! I'm always drawn to books with dogs in them.

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    1. I'm drawn to books with dogs, too. And Lucy is so cute and personable in this book. She's one of the reasons I liked this book so much. :)

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  14. I remember Ethan reviewing this one and now seeing your review has put it back on my radar. I'll be checking my library for it. It sounds like one I would enjoy!

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    1. It's a good one. I hope your library has a copy. :)

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  15. Sounds good...I've not read this author before, so definitely going to take a look at it.

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    1. I've read three books by Laukkanen now and I've liked all three even though they've all been very different from one another. He's become a favorite author. :)

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  16. Sounds like a good one! Just can't resist a story with a dog as a character. :)

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  17. I'm so happy that you enjoyed this one as much as I did, and I'm adding The Drifter to my TBR now! Any plans to read the sequel? I haven't gotten my hands on it just yet, but hope to read it soon.

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    1. I do want to read the sequel, hopefully next month. Fingers crossed it's as good as this one. :)

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  18. This sounds like a great read. Love that it has so much action and suspense and I'm already sitting here like OMG, I hope Lucy makes out okay!

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    1. She and the two main characters are very easy to like and root for.

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  19. I have this author's first book but I haven't read it yet. I would like to read this one too. It sounds really good.

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  20. Oh this sounds really good. I've not read this author before but have been wondering about his books.

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