South of Nowhere

In Minerva Koenig's South of Nowhere, the second installment in the Julia Kalas mystery series, this story would take you on a wild ride and on a potential hot seat of political discussion. Former criminal Julia Kalas wanted to start a new life and her own business, when she left the Witness Protection Program as a free woman. When private investigator John Maines required her assistance for a missing person case, little did she know what she would find close to the border of Mexico. And what she discovered was a dead body at her doorstep and a missing link that might be connected to the former psychologist who tried to kill her. After they discovere the mistaken identity of their missing person, Julia and her lover Hector went on a trial to come after them. Before they knew it, Maines ended up shot and their perp took off. While he recovers in the hospital, Maines forces her hand to take over the case and look for clues that has a political connection to the recently deceased body. While she underwent some mental issues of her own and trying to connect to her own mother, Julia runs into some unsavory people to connect the dots and pieces the puzzle together to learn who had planted the dead body on her doorstep right under her nose and to find out why in the end.

This was a great introduction to the Julia Kalas mystery series. I liked that Julia has a Native American origin as a central character. I did care about her plight to have a fresh start and deal with some issues of her own. I did find Hector a charmer and a bit suspicious of his behavior. I did like the dual locations of Texas and Mexico breath-taking near the borderline and pretty satisfying for the scenic settings. This fast-paced thriller will make you buckle your seatbelt for a bumpy ride to enter into a twisted storyline with non-stop action, drama, suspense and plenty of mystery every step of the way.

Will you be heading South of Nowhere or steady your course today?