Book Review: Silenced in the Surf by Kate Dyer-Seeley (Pacific Northwest Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good mystery and strong characters

Cons: Some pacing issues; Meg’s grandma

The Bottom Line:

More outdoor murder

With Meg swept up in the case

Overall, it’s good

You’ll Surf Through This Book

In my mind, I’m a great athlete.  The reality is that some of the sports I would love to try freak me out when the time comes.  I don’t want to go too fast.  I don’t want to be too high.  It’s one reason I can identify with Meg, the main character in Kate Dyer-Seeley’s Pacific Northwest series.

You see, Meg works at Northwest Extreme magazine, based in Portland, Oregon, despite having little outdoor experience herself.  Still, she is trying these new sports as she covers them.  Silenced in the Surf, the third in the series, finds her covering a windsurfing event on the Hood River.

As part of her press pass, she is given the opportunity to get out on the river early one morning and try windsurfing.  Given her background as a swimmer, Meg thinks this is one sport she should be able to do.  However, the strong winds are more than she bargained for, and soon she is being blown down the river.  When she gets things under control, she finds a body floating nearby.

The body is that of surfer Justin Cruise, the star of the windsurfing circuit.  However, he’s also a very nasty person, as Meg has witnessed firsthand in just the day she’s been there.  Her interviews give her an opportunity to talk to those who knew Justin best.  Can she piece together who killed him and why?

Those who have been reading this series know that there is an ongoing story in this series concerning Meg’s father.  We are teased with just a bit more information on that in this book.  I hope we start getting more answers on it soon.

As far as the main mystery goes, it’s very strong.  There are some wonderful suspects, and I didn’t know for sure who had done it until Meg figured it out.  The pacing was off overall, but the clues and twists kept me entertained.

Meg is out of town again for this book, but her friends Jill and Matt are along for the ride.  Heck, even her grandma shows up for the book.  I find that I have a love/hate relationship with her grandma, mainly because of her New Age beliefs.  She’s a fun character when she’s not promoting that.  When she does start spouting that, it can slow things down.  Still, this is a minor thing because it’s easy to skim past those scenes.  The new characters we meet along the way are just as strong as the series regulars, and I found them all compelling suspects.

We get some tips and very brief travel guide at the end, so if you are interested in trying windsurfing or traveling to the Hood River, be sure to check that out.

While there are some flaws, Silenced in the Surf is overall a very fun book.  If you want to add some outdoor adventure to your reading, be sure to check it out.

Here are the rest of the Pacific Northwest Mysteries in order.