Into the Fire

Save Your Breath by Melinda Leigh is Book 6 in the Morgan Dane Series.

Morgan Dane is the lawyer/investigator at Sharp Investigations along with Lincoln Sharp, former detective in the Scarlet Falls Police Department and owner of Sharp Investigations, and his partner/ private investigator (and Morgan's fiance) Lance Kruger, also a former cop. 

The unexpected case the three of them fall into is the sudden disappearance of Olivia Cruz, journalist/reporter and Lincoln's girlfriend. Lincoln spoke with her on the phone not long before she was kidnapped in the early morning hours. There is little to go on until a grizzled woman whose son is imprisoned for the murder of his wife visits Morgan to see if what she recently learned from Ms. Cruz could somehow work to her son's advantage. She gives Morgan next to nothing to work with and Morgan turns her down giving her the name and number of a criminal appeals attorney. 

The three scurry to discover what Olivia was working on and why she visited the woman. Lance is able to find a couple of inquiries she made regarding overlooked – either intentionally or not – evidence snafus of two incarcerated felons, both convicted of murder. One of them has a brother, living in an isolated residence, who Lincoln and Lance attempt to interview gaining little information other than the brother is holding back something. Lance and Morgan also interview Olivia's literary agent and editor who have been waiting on Olivia's manuscript for her new crime book.

The search for Olivia becomes threatening and the time it's taking to gain any information to help them only proves to terrify Lincoln that she might already be dead. Meanwhile, a crazy death occurs, Morgan's nanny (Gianna) is hospitalized in dire need of a kidney, and Morgan thinks her soon-scheduled wedding to Lance should be postponed due to the pall over the missing Olivia and the very ill Gianna. Lance is saddened by the decision but agrees. 

As their focus swings to other avenues when Lance's agoraphobic computer genius mother gives them new background information, the three of them take a different look for Olivia which proves to be far more dangerous than anything or anyone they've faced so far.

Melinda Leigh writes a satisfying, building intensive mystery that keeps the reader guessing and on edge along with her well-done characters. I wouldn't really call it "romantic suspense" although the romantic relationship between Lance and Morgan is very real, but the emphasis is clearly on the suspenseful mystery and the important relationship between the three parts of Sharp Investigations and between Lincoln and Olivia in Save Your Breath. The title becomes significant toward the end of the story.

One of my favorite scenes in this story is at the graveyard with Lance and Morgan's three daughters (by her husband killed in Iraq). 

Some profanity. 

Lord, I pray your continued blessing on Melinda's life. May she know the One who loves her most and meets her needs. Please supply more meaningful stories just for her to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.