My review of Killing Time by K. Dawn Byrd (releases in August 2010)

About the book:

Mindy McLaurin, thinks it's the end of the world when she's incarcerated on trumped-up embezzlement charges. While in jail, she investigates the death of an inmate who allegedly died of an overdose. Mindy suspects foul play when her cellmate dies and she learns that both women had ingested the same drug. Mindy trusts no one, including Drew Stone, the handsome counselor she can’t stop thinking about. She faces many challenges, including constant interrogation by the Major and emotional abuse from the other inmates. Upon release, someone is stalking her and framing her for the murder. Can she prove to Counselor Stone that she’s innocent of all charges before she loses him forever?

My review:

One of the things I like about Byrd's writing is you never know what to expect next. I never seem to be able to figure out the stuff ahead of time and honestly, when I do find out who did what, it makes sense, I just didn't see it coming. I've read books where the big "surprise" at the end doesn't add up or doesn't work, so that always irritates me. Byrd doesn't do that. And when it comes to twists and turns I get dizzy reading her books. Not in a bad way, but in a way that keeps me reading. I hate a dull story.

Killing Time has a unique plot and starts out in a jail setting. Having gone to numerous jails and prisons from minimum to maximum security back when I worked for CPS, I can honestly say that this author has the feel of the setting nailed. There are a lot of details that are necessary for a reader to feel incarcerated while reading, and honestly, I wanted out of there as much, if not more, than Mindy.

As far as crooked employees go, I know someone who worked at a jail and the stories she could tell...oy! I won't repeat them, but suffice to say that this story backs some of that stuff up. The hero and heroine were a nice surprise, too. I wasn't sure if that was going to work, but the author makes a convincing case for their need to be together and brought up some great issues like motivation for dating someone and not to do it just to "save" someone from a bad life, or out of pity. That's a good message.

Last, loved that Chinese Crested "minor character" and it's adorable personality. Yeah, that pooch was a cutie. I know they look sort of bald and ugly in reality, but I really developed a thing for bald Zippy. Kind of made me want to go out and get one myself, but I reminded myself that I already have enough pets. Oh, and I think this title is perfect for the book (not to mention creative and catchy.)

Killing Time was published by Desert Breeze and releases in August 2010.