Red Fish, Dead Fish (Fish Out of Water #2) by Amy Lane

A second action packed novel of Ellery and Jackson - what a treat! Yeah it was full of angst and a guy (Jackson) who can't for the life (and almost death) of him stay out of trouble, harm's way or even sickness. Jackson is the kind of guy everyone falls for, it's just so easy, he is so sweet and caring. He is just a great guy, what's not to love? and yet, the one who steals my heart is Ellery, maybe because it's so difficult for him. He cares for Jackson so much, he wants him to be happy and well, and he is willing to do everything for him. He accept Jackson as he is, he doesn't try to change him, though he does his best to stir him into a less harmful life (works reasonably well, but somehow only in those small instances). 

Before I get to my summary I have a few things to say - First, if you haven't read the first one - "Fish out of Water" - do yourself a favor and read it. It's AWESOME. Action packed, full of angst with a stray cat who doesn't know how to be domesticated (and I'm not talking about Billy Bob the ACTUAL cat). It's funny, it's endearing, it's sad and very dangerous to too many of our favorite characters. It's also quite necessary if you want to understand half of what's happening in this one.. 



But that's not the only "warning" I'm about to issue.. You see, I didn't know what I'm about to reveal to you.. there are actually 4 short stories which takes place between this book and the previous one. They were posted in blogs before Amy started writing this one. Two out of the four are of Sonny and Ace, characters from the novel "Racing For the Sun" (which I'll be delving into RIGHT NOW). So when you grab your book, go into the table of contents and jump into "Accompanying Stories" before you go back to the beginning. It won't give you the WHOLE picture, after reading them I realize there is MUCH more to be revealed either in the next novel or / and in their own book, but it can help out when these two are mentioned. 

Back to my review! We left off the previous book with Kaden a free man (after being accused of murder) and Owen (the real killer) on the loose. No one cares about Owen, it was enough for the police the guy they DID catch. So it's up to Jackson and Ellery to find Owen before he can kill more innocent men and women. Owen feels a strange connection to Jackson so he decides to catch his attention by killing two people from his past. That's a mind-fuck Jackson CLEARLY doesn't need, but in the end it's what helps him catch Owen even if he pays dearly for it along the way. 

It's nice to say that though the police isn't overly helpful, there are decent police officers who help them out as best as they can. I think it's a turning point for Jackson, seeing the police at his side, believing in him even if it takes time. He had enough of corrupt cops and I'm happy that it's not a theme that continues throughout the series, and we are moving into a different field in the next one (through "the guy that got away this time" which is hopefully not saying enough ;) the ending is pretty clear on who the next target is going to be and he seems a LOT more dangerous than what they dealt with before).

I loved seeing Jackson and Ellery truly building a relationship together. It's clear to Ellery that's what he wants and he works hard to keep Jackson, make sure he understand he isn't running away or throwing him to the side, but also not pressuring too much not to scare him. Jackson on the other hand is battling his emotions toward Ellery. He isn't sure what he has to offer in this relationship and he feels like running whenever a hardship occurs even if deep down inside all he wants is to have Ellery at his side. It was somehow heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. 

I loved getting more of Jade and Mike but also Ellery's mother. I hope we'll get more of our regular cops, especially Sean. I'm really happy with how this series is turning out to be. If I had a clear day I KNOW I would have read this one in one gulp.  Hope we won't have to wait too long for the next one :) 

So you get it - I LOVE this new series, and I can't wait for more, but first, I'm going to get acquainted with Ace and Sonny (from "Racing For the Sun")! 

Rating: ★★★★★

E-Book Edition

352 pages

Read on: 13-16 Aug 2017

ABOUT THIS SERIES

 

Fish out of Water is Romantic Suspense series by Amy Lane. The series focuses on PI Jackson Rivers and Defense attorney Ellery Cramer. Jackson is a former cop. After almost getting killed because of corrupt cops he leaves the Police to work as a PI in an attorney at law company a close friend of his works for. There he meets Ellery who SEEMS like a rod is stuck up his ass, but once they work together they each discover in one another something quite special. The series progresses not only on their growing friendship and relationship but also on the crimes they solve (or try to solve) together.

*** In the 2nd installments we get a visit from Sonny and Ace, a couple from a stand alone novel by Amy  - "Racing For the Sun". In the 3rd installment we get introduced to a new couple Lee Burton and Ernie Caulfield, as a crossover from that book, with the 4th installment being all about them as the front couple. I have an issue with both Sonny and Ernie being a MC in a romance novel. I ranted enough about it in my review of "A Few Good Fish" which is why I won't read "Hiding the Moon".

Hopefully Amy returns to herself for a wonderful 5th installment as I've enjoyed the first two and am hopeful for this series to continue to be what it was in the beginning.

Books:
1. Fish out of Water (Published 29 July 2016) ★★★★½
2. Red Fish, Dead Fish (Published 4 August 2017) ★★★★★
3. A Few Good Fish (Published 28 August 2018) ★★
4. Hiding the Moon (Published 23 October 2018) ***
5. Fish on a Bicycle (Published 15 October 2019)