Blast from the Past by Lauren Carr

This was the 2nd book I read by Lauren Carr and just like the last book, I wasn't disappointed! This book left you sitting at the end of your chair on its hinges as you were flipping the pages, trying to go faster and yet, not wanting the book to end! Ms. Carr was amazing and generous enough to send me a signed copy of this book that I will proudly display on my bookshelf!

Blast from the Past is the next installment in a series of Mac Faraday mysteries. It all started one night when Kendra Douglas, who just left from closing up at the Campus library, witnesses a murder while she was walking to her car.

Fast Forward 12 years - Mac, a retired homicide detective, and his love interest, Archie Monday, are once again in the middle of a mob-filled crime scene. One day as Archie is driving Gnarly (her crime-busting canine German shephard) to the groomers for his grooming, she notices a police car following her, and becomes immediately suspicious since she is aware of the local police procedures (having lived in the area for some time). Out of instinct, she reaches for her pink gun and shoots the mobsters posing as police officers. At this moment, news of Archie's true identity gets out. Mac is finally told the truth: that Archie (Kendra Douglas) has been in the witness protection program under the watchfall eye of U.S. Marshall, Randi Finnegan. Shortly after this shooting, Randi and David O'Callaghan, Spencer's police chief, discover that the leak in the news of Kendra's whereabouts was a secretary at the Marshall office. After arriving on-site to confront the secretary, they get involved in a shootout and find the secretary brutally murdered.  Following in the line of murders, the owner of a B&B is found dead at the bottom of her steps, while a shoot out at a local coffee shop happens, ending with one more shooting at another local restaurant. Mac and everyone else now involved are kept busy with hit men, mobsters, and people who aren't who they appear.

Getting to the bottom of these murders is what's on everyone's mind right now: trying to decide if some are connected, motives behind the shootings, and are all people that are meant to be protected, really the ones you should be protecting? Even though the long last of characters might be a bit much at first, the transitioning from story to story, and from character to character is really planned out very well!

I must say, I truly enjoyed reading this book! I found myself waking up slightly early for work just to finish a couple chapters! Not only was this book captivating, I found myself laughing at Gnarly, the ever so lovable and rambunctious German Shephard! I look forward to reading the next book by Lauren Carr!