Below the Bones by Kendra Elliot [Review]

Below the Bones (Widow's Island #5) by Kendra Elliot
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited 
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: November 6, 2020

Widow's Island
1. Close to the Bone
2. A Bone to Pick
3. Whisper of Bones
4. Bred in the Bone
5. Below the Bones - Kindle
6. A Broken Bone
7. Buried Bones
8. The Lost Bones
9. Bone Deep
10. The Wrong Bones

Kendra Elliot
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Former FBI special agent Cate Wilde is a new bakery and bookstore owner—and retirement is now complete with a doctor boyfriend. Although she struggles with PTSD, the sweet life she’s living is a far cry from the gruesome work she left behind six months ago.

But when skeletal remains turn up on Widow’s Island—and the MO of the killer is too familiar to Cate—the dream comes to an abrupt end. What if the case she solved eight years ago isn’t as closed as she thought? Her hometown needs her, and despite her mental health and her boyfriend’s protests, she has no choice but to return to her dangerous past life.

Soon Cate is in a desperate race to stop a cold-blooded murderer from killing again, once and for all…only this time, she’ll have so much more to lose.

Thoughts on Below the Bones: Cate has settled into her new life back on Widow's Island, but she still hasn't *quite* given up her special agent job with the FBI. By that, I mean, she's still holding onto a few last threads and when a body shows up that has striking similarities to an old case, she gets pulled back into special agenting.

Which is both good and bad. While she relishes the challenge and wants to do everything she can to help victims, she's still mentally not quite where she needs to be to get back into that line of work full time. Cate being Cate, however, she does step in to help.

On the upside, this case helps put the past to rest. In more ways than one. Cate sees that as much as she might miss some aspects of her old job, she's not the same woman she was before. Her PTSD could cause her to freeze at the wrong moment and put others' lives in danger. Delving into an old case and bringing a victim closure (even if it's after the fact) is an added plus. You know, along with getting a bad guy off the streets so they can't kill again.

I'm enjoying these books. Cate's found her place back on Widow's Island and with the people there. She has solid support (family, friends, and her honey-bunny), but that doesn't mean she can turn her back on someone who needs her help. GOOD STUFF.