Written in Blood (Otter Creek 3) by Rebecca Deel

Synopsis:

"Megan Cahill might soon be making the news instead of writing it.

Newspaper editor Megan Cahill loves red pens, clean prose, and fast cars. When a friend is murdered, Meg sets a trap to snare the killer. The bait? One steamed editor with a razor-sharp pen. Only one person stands in her way, a stubborn police detective.

Death is no stranger to Detective Rod Kelter. Two years ago, death stole his family and the press stole his privacy. To solve a murder, he must join forces with Megan Cahill, but someone wants the smart-mouthed editor dead. Megan and Rod race to unmask a murderer before he writes the final chapter of Meg's life--in blood."

About the Book:

Written in Blood is the third novel in the Otter Creek series. Following Megan Cahill and Detective Rod Kelter as they follow the tracks of a murderer who is now on the hunt for his next victim: Megan herself.

This book is probably one of my favourites thus far in the series. Since the characters have been present in the previous two novels of the series, they are already well developed and loved by the readers. The story continues the saga of the Cahill family and their friends, keeping the stories original and exciting. I rate the plot of this novel 7/10.

Initial Impression:

Seeing as this is the third in a series, I don't particularly have an initial impression of the characters involved. However, the story began with mystery, quickly followed by action which peaked my interest and provoked me to read further. I'd say my initial impression of Written in Blood was an overall good experience.

The Characters:

By now, we have met most characters present in this book. We know that we have definitely been introduced to our two protagonists: Meg Cahill and Rod Kelter. For this reason, let's just focus on those two characters.

Megan - Feisty and lovable, Megan Cahill is the last of the Cahill triplets. We finally get an insight to her life and her adventure, making for an exciting, action-packed story. I'd be lying if I said that Megan Cahill wasn't my favourite of the Cahill clan.

Rod - One of Otter Creek PD's finest, Rod is still grieving the loss of his family. Teamed with Meg to find out who killed her best friend, Rod receives excellent character development, providing us with another person to love in the series.

As always, Rebecca Deel develops her characters wonderfully, creating an every-growing town of people for us to fall in love with. I'd have to give the characters a 6/10.

The Writing:

Exciting, mysterious, and never calm, the writing of Rebecca Deel is a style that I will forever enjoy reading. Continuing on from Written in Blood's predecessors, the novel is written in the third person narrative, providing insight to many characters' emptions and thoughts throughout the story. It is an easy, relaxing read perfect for an evening by the fire, or out in the sunny weather. The writing receives an 8/10.

The Atmosphere:

As always, the atmosphere within the Otter Creek series is phenomenal! We can see how the town develops with the characters. At this point, I feel like Otter Creek is a real place and everyone in the novels are real people. I'd have to say well done to Rebecca Deel! My rating of the atmosphere is 7/10.

Logic:

Considering the novel follows another murder mystery, the logic of the story is reasonable, given that Kelter is a detective and Meg is a journalist. It makes sense that both of these jobs would thrust both characters into a murder investigation.

The romance aspect of this novel, in my opinion, also make the most logical sense out of all the novels thus far in the series. Our characters have known each other years and, it wouldn't be a case such as Serena and Ethan's should a romance spark.

My logical rating is 6/10.

Intrigue:

A murder that takes place in front of one of our protagonists is sure to peak the reader's intrigue, which is exactly what this novel does. Thanks to Meg's personal experience with the murder of her friend - due to her being present when it took place - our resulting intrigue is evident. Our protagonist has witnessed the murder of her best friend. What's going to happen? Is she in trouble? We're left with all of these questions, and random attacks throughout the novel as Meg and Rod hunt for the killer just makes us want to know more! The intrigue definitely has to be 7/10.

Enjoyment:

Written in Blood has been one of my favourite novels in the Otter Creek series thus far. The characters are realistic, the action is superb, and you just find yourself asking for more. It definitely takes a different approach to the previous novels in the story and is totally worth the read. My enjoyment was an 8/10 throughout.

Overall Rating:

Written in Blood is a great murder/mystery novel and I highly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it to readers who also enjoy these genres.

My overall rating of the novel is 7/10 and 4 stars!

Happy reading!