Release Day Review: Red Fish, Dead Fish by Amy Lane (Giveaway)

Title: Red Fish, Dead Fish
Series: Fish Out of Water: Book Two
Author: Amy Lane
Release Date: August 4, 2017
Category: Suspense, Mystery
Pages: 330

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They must work together to stop a psychopath—and save each other.

Two months ago Jackson Rivers got shot while trying to save Ellery Cramer’s life. Not only is Jackson still suffering from his wounds, the triggerman remains at large—and the body count is mounting.

Jackson and Ellery have been trying to track down Tim Owens since Jackson got out of the hospital, but Owens’s time as a member of the department makes the DA reluctant to turn over any stones. When Owens starts going after people Jackson knows, Ellery’s instincts hit red alert. Hurt in a scuffle with drug-dealing squatters and trying damned hard not to grieve for a childhood spent in hell, Jackson is weak and vulnerable when Owens strikes.

Jackson gets away, but the fallout from the encounter might kill him. It’s not doing Ellery any favors either. When a police detective is abducted—and Jackson and Ellery hold the key to finding her—Ellery finds out exactly what he’s made of. He’s not the corporate shark who believes in winning at all costs; he’s the frightened lover trying to keep the man he cares for from self-destructing in his own valor.

5 Stars!

Oh, how I love my boys Jackson and Ellery!

So we basically join the story where the previous one left off, so I wouldn't consider this a standalone book. Jackson is recovering and starting to get restless wanting to get back to work. He and Ellery are still searching for Owens (the psychotic serial killer former cop) but, of course, it's on their own since the authorities are ignoring their warnings that Owens is actively killing.

Unfortunately for Jackson, he tends to attract trouble and danger. He's constantly thrown in the crosshairs of a killer, drug dealers and pimps. Ellery is constantly worrying for Jackson's safety while hoping that Jackson won't end their relationship before it can truly start (out of fears and insecurities).

This story is not only fun but there are a few really intense moments that had me taking some deep breaths. We get action, humor and romance. Some scenes are harder to read and we get to delve more into who this serial killer is, violence and deviance on full display. I had moments of fear for Jackson and then for Ellery and truthfully, it's a miracle they both survived this story.

Luckily the boys survived, mostly intact and are able to solidify their relationship even more which was great. They are a pretty good team in and out of bed and I loved how they were when they were together. Not to mention when they had others around them as well. They really feed off of each other and while there is quite a bit of snarky exchanges and sarcasm there is also a good amount of sweet sincerity and tender moments to round it all out.

I am happy that we were able to get closure with Owens but it seems things are bigger than they originally thought. So now we have the setup for another book to follow and I can't wait to find out more. I'll be waiting for Book 3.

I would happily recommend this series. It's well done and engaging and honestly, it's Amy Lane, what more can I say?!

***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Red Fish, Dead Fish is Book 2 in Amy Lane's Fish Out of Water series. This book is a continuation of the story and the MC's introduced in the first book, so I absolutely believe you need to read these in the appropriate order! The first book, Fish Out of Water, introduced us to Jackson and Ellery. This was no easy, quick overnight, happily ever after story. In fact, there was never an I love you in the first book. Jackson is a self-proclaimed tom cat, and thinks he can't be tamed. Of course, Ellery proved differently when he had Jackson's tom cat Billy Bob neutered. Tom cats can become loving lap cats with persistence and Ellery certainly has plenty of that. Ellery knows Jackson, he knows how his mind works and has to be a step or two ahead of him to keep their relationship going. Though no I love you's have been said, only a man in love would work as hard as Ellery does to keep Jackson from bolting at the smallest provocation. And though Jackson claims to be a tom cat, since being with Ellery, he's stopped sleeping with anyone who offers.

As shown in the first book, Jackson and Ellery (and Jade) are an amazing team, and are able to take all the clues and put them together. Unfortunately, they've put these clues together on serial killer Tim Owens and the police and DA aren't listening, leaving Jackson and Ellery to hunt down a serial killer. They are running down leads and working cases, but then people Jackson cares about are targeted, upping the pace of the case. And if you read Fish Out of Water, you'll know Jackson is also like a cat in having nine lives, though that number is running out as he survives everything he goes through. Jackson faces new personal struggles in this story, and Ellery, doing what he does best, continues to hold Jackson up, support him, keep him going, and loving him unconditionally. Even at the toughest moments, Ellery continues to prove to Jackson that he can be counted on, something Jackson desperately needs outside of his self-made family.

The hunt for the serial killer is not easy, and there are a lot of disturbing pieces that go with it, including drug use and rape. These are difficult topics for any book, but I think the author does a great job of not letting this be an overwhelming, heavy topic in this story. You know it's there, but for the most part, you aren't reading about the rape and killing.

As much as I love the main characters in this story, there are also a lot of strong secondary characters that I love. Jackson's self made family of Mike, Jake, Kaden and his family is always going to be a huge part of Jackson's life and they bring so much to the story. We continue to see more of Jackson's childhood which sucked until Jade and Kaden's mom brought him into their family. And I absolutely love Ellery's mom, Lucy Satan. She is a snob, wealthy, pure lawyer but man, she is just fantastic! Despite her being all business, she absolutely loves Ellery, Jackson and even Jackson's family. She is a great support to all of them!

This is a fast paced story! Once I started reading, I did not want to put the book down! I highly, highly, highly recommend you read this series! The author does such a fantastic job with this story. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

Rating: 5 stars!!!

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