Is the Coast Guard the Red-Headed Stepchild of the Military?

I know where I was the day I learned about the Coast Guard, although I don’t actually know how old I was.  Dad was driving me to school along Olivas Park Drive.  Just after we passed the Olivas Adobe, whatever he was saying clicked.  Something about having an honorable discharge… from the Coast Guard. As far as I knew to that point, we had four branches of military, but if what Dad was saying was what I thought he said… We had five?  Really?

You know, to this day, I hear people talking about the military… and rarely do I ever hear the Coast Guard mentioned.

Of course, when Dani Pettrey’s book, The Killing Tide became available for review, I was ready just because of her name and that gorgeous cover.  When I learned that the book was the first in the series about the Coast Guard, well… I had to request a copy, didn’t I?

And when my mom read it and said, “Yeah.  That one was good,” I couldn’t wait to read it.  I had one question in mind…

Note: links are likely affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Is the Coast Guard the Redheaded Stepchild of the Military?

You’d think so with the way it’s often overlooked in books about our military forces, but Dani Pettrey plunges us into a whirlwind of a story featuring both Coast Guard heroes and a dedicated journalist who wields words instead of weapons to keep our country safe. Am I connected with this series?  Will I be reading all the books?  Oh yeah.

Still, I have mixed emotions about this particular book.  It wasn’t the home-run I expected.

Why?  Well…

The Good, the Bad, and the Confusing on The Killing Tide.

The good:

I’ve never read anything by Danni Pettrey before, but man can this woman write.  Seriously, she kept me on the edge of my seat even in parts that weren’t… amazing.  She knows suspense, she knows mystery, and she’s not afraid to write real characters that do real amazing and stupid things.

The settings were stellar; the pacing, off the charts.  By the time I got just a few chapters in, I knew.  This was a series I’d follow all the way through.

That said… there’s…

The bad:

This will sound contradictory, but Pettrey wrote some seriously compelling bad guys.  I LOVED hating her bad guys.  I mean, isn’t that one of the benefits of fiction?  It’s not a sin to hate someone who doesn’t exist?  Catharsis, baby!  But then bad guy turns… stupid?  I mean, at the end of the book, all the brilliant bad guy-ness is just conveniently inadequate to the task.  Or, anyway, that’s how it seemed to me.  It felt that rather than the good guys out-smarting the bad guys, the bad guys just got tired and lazy.  How convenient.  As much as I hate saying that, it’s true. Like I said to start off, she wrote COMPELLING BAD GUYS.  I just wished they’d stayed compelling.  It would have meant the “good guy triumph,” had some real teeth to it instead of, “Oh, how convenient. We won.”  That’s how it felt.  🙁

But then there was Gabby.  What did Finn see in her?  What are we supposed to see in her?  Because, frankly, until the very end, there’s almost nothing to like about her. She claims to care about her family and not want them hurt, but then she seriously makes every possible decision she can to ensure they are put in danger.  Her job matters more than the people she claims to love most–and that began before the story began.  You know, back when she dumped Finn for a job.

Look, I don’t mind unlikeable characters.  However, I need a reason for them to be unlikeable, and I really need a reason to change my opinion.  Unfortunately, I just wasn’t given one.  In this book. Maybe throughout the series, that’ll change.  I really hope so.

The confusing:

I was confused in chapter two.  Right off the bat.  We have heroine showing up and… who are all these people?  What connection to the story?  Why do I care about–wait, what just happened?

Mostly, it had to do with lots of people showing up all at once and no idea who they were for pages upon pages.

Seriously, though. If that was all I saw, I might have ignored it.  I mean, it happens.  And sometimes, you just need to get your cast on the page and let them introduce themselves as it fits.  I get that.

However, because of her personality, I’m still confused about what Finn saw in her.  I want to love them together.  I just… don’t.

That said, I am not sorry I requested and received a free review copy, and I am definitely planning to read the rest of the series. I’m just certain it’s going to be great.  As far as this book goes, I enjoyed most of the story.  It’s better than most suspense out there, and I recommend it for readers who love suspense, enjoy military suspense, and like complex characters who don’t fit perfect little boxes.  Danni Pettrey’s The Killing Tide will keep readers glued to the page to find out what comes next, and isn’t that the best part of suspense?

The Killing Tide is on tour with Celebrate Lit

About the Book

Book:  The Killing Tide

Author: Dani Pettrey

Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense

Release Date: August 2019

When one Coast Guard officer is found dead and another goes missing, Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Finn Walker faces his most dangerous crime yet. His only clues are what little evidence remains aboard the dead officer’s boat, and the direction the clues point to will test Finn and the Guard to their limits.

When investigative reporter–and Finn’s boss’s sister–Gabby Rowley arrives, her unrelenting questions complicate an already volatile situation. Now that she’s back, the tug on Finn’s heart is strong, but with the risks she’s taking for her next big story, he fears she might not live through it.

Thrown together by the heinous crime, Finn and Gabby can’t ignore the sparks or judgments flying between them. But will they be able to see past their preconceptions long enough to track down an elusive killer, or will they become his next mark?

About the Author

Praised by New York Times best-selling author Dee Henderson as “a name to look for in romantic suspense,” Dani Pettrey has sold more than half a million copies of her novels to readers eagerly awaiting the next release. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance.

Her novels stand out for their “wicked pace, snappy dialogue, and likable characters” (Publishers Weekly), “gripping storyline[s],” (RT Book Reviews), and “sizzling undercurrent of romance” (USA Today).

She researches murder and mayhem from her home in Maryland. For more information visit www.danipettrey.com

More from Dani

Pettrey kicks off her new Coastal Guardians series with an intense blend of suspense, love, and faith. The Killing Tide features romance that’s as thrilling as the action, and faithful characters integrated seamlessly into a complex web of crime.

— Kate Campos BookList

The Killing Tide is the first book in my Coastal Guardian series. My husband was Navy, so why am I writing about the Coast Guard? Because I think their mission to keep our waters and our country safe should be highlighted more. Before I started writing The Killing Tide, I’ll admit I knew little about the Coast Guard. I had a friend in high school who joined the Guard right after graduation, but that’s about the depth of my experience with them. Then, my husband and I watched a movie called The Finest Hour.

If you haven’t seen it, I highly urge you to. It’s the true story of one of the most dangerous and daring rescue attempts in Coast Guard history. Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernie Webber takes a small team to rescue the crew of the Pendleton T2 oil tanker, which split in half off the coast of Cape Cod during a brutal nor’easter in 1952.

I won’t ruin the ending for you, but let’s just say it’s a wonderful testament to courage in adversity. After watching it, I knew I had to write a series about the Coast Guard. I began researching and came across the Coast Guard Investigative Service and my interest was highly peaked. After talking with Coast Guardsmen, both newly in the service and those long retired, I began to see the story weaving together like a movie in my mind. I hope you enjoy reading the CGIS Wilmington teams’ adventures, cases and…of course, romances.

Blog Stops

Through the Fire Blogs, June 17

Back Porch Reads, June 17

Losing the Busyness, June 17

Older & Smarter?, June 18

Genesis 5020, June 18

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 19

Worthy2Read, June 19

For Him and My Family, June 20

deb’s Book Review, June 20

Inklings and notions, June 20

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 21

Texas Book-aholic, June 21

Pause for Tales, June 21

Betti Mace, June 22

Read Review Rejoice, June 22

Spoken from the Heart, June 22

KarenSueHadley, June 23

Ashley’s Bookshelf, June 23

The Christian Fiction Girl, June 24

Life of Literature, June 24

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, June 24

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 25

Blossoms and Blessings, June 25

A Good Book and cup of Tea, June 25

Emily Yager, June 26

Splashes of Joy, June 26

Just the Write Escape, June 27

Blogging With Carol, June 27

Moments, June 27

Stories By Gina, June 28

Cathe Swanson, June 28

Daysong Reflections, June 28

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 29

Mary Hake, June 29

Lights in a Dark World, June 29

With a Joyful Noise, June 30

Inside the Wong Mind, June 30

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dani is giving away the grand prize package of a Kindle, $20 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of The Crushing Depths!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/fcce/the-killing-tide-celebration-tour-giveaway