The Drop: Karne and Lundin (Subtle Deceptions, Book 4) by Elle Keaton; Narrated by Christian Leatherman

The series is gripping from start to finish—if you’re looking for a well-crafted plot, you’ve come to the right place.


From the blurb:

Curiosity might just kill Gabriel Karne after all.

It’s only Monday morning and Gabriel Karne is already knee-deep in murder.

Roy Wilson, a Westfort pastor with a murky past, turns up dead. Was the man a bad guy turned good? Or was he, as Gabe and Elton suspect, still deeply embroiled in the illegal underbelly of Twana County?

Meanwhile, the unsolved murder of Calvin Perkins continues to nag at Casey Lundin. The unlikable man's killer remains at large, and the acting sheriff has no suspects or even a clue to move on. Casey vows to do his best to bring Calvin some sort of justice. Not even Calvin Perkins deserves to be executed and dumped into an unmarked grave.

As it turns out it may be curiosity that kills Casey, and Gabriel can’t rush to his rescue.

It will be fine, everything will be fine.

The Drop is book 4 in the Subtle Deceptions series. It is the final installment in grifter Gabriel Karne's pursuit of nearly legal happiness among the denizens of Heartstone and features: small-town mystery, amateur sleuthing, true love, found family, and a great deal of snark.


Lesetiger's review:

“The Drop” marks the end of the *Subtle Deceptions* series, unfortunately. It’s a real pity, because I loved the series. I recommend reading the books in order so you can understand the connections
and get the big picture.

The author’s writing style is wonderful as always, and the story was entertaining, suspenseful, and had me hooked from the very beginning. No wonder—a lot has happened, and you won’t believe it, but Gabe stumbles upon another dead body, even though his friend Casey told him not to do it. The tension builds quickly and seems to rise with every chapter as another body turns up, his friend Casey doesn’t come home that night, and he becomes the target of a dangerous family that’s hunting him. At the same time, some things from his past are dragged into the light, and this family history also offers plenty of suspense and surprises.

The story’s focus is clearly on the plot, and it’s really good—entertaining and so gripping that I listened to the audiobook almost in one sitting.

I really loved how you can feel the deep love that binds Gabe and Casey, even though steamy scenes play a rather minor role. It was great to witness the development of their relationship from their first meeting to the present—it’s described in an authentic and believable way. There are also some very interesting and endearing supporting characters.

If you’re into a well-crafted plot with plenty of suspense, action, and drama—and you also enjoy emotion and humor—I highly recommend this series.

The narrator, Christian Leatherman, did an outstanding job. I like his comfortable storytelling pace and his pleasant voice. He conveyed the emotions convincingly and chose voices for all the characters that suited them perfectly. Bravo—it was an absolute pleasure to listen to this audiobook!


The Drop: Karne and Lundin is currently available as an audiobook, e-book and paperback, and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription