Near You (Montana Series #2) – Mary Burton

The second entry in this series continues the relationships of the players in “Burn You Twice.” If interested, you should read this series in order. My opinion remains the same. The plot and characters are fine. The writing is irritating. In Near You, there is a pattern of fires that emerges during an arson investigation that again seems to lead to Elijah, who was previously convicted of an arson that could have killed Joan and Ann. There is a side story in both these books about a college one-night stand between Elijah and Ann. Joan, now moved to Montana from Philadelphia, has reconnected with her college boyfriend, Gideon, who is also a police chief. Ann, separated for some time from her former husband, needs to sell their former home and Elijah and Ann remain entangled in the past since she testified against him at his trial. Again, I’d find this book a four star entry if Mary Burton spent more time rewriting with an ear for what she is saying. I bought two of these books at one time and the first one had similar issues. It would be so easy to make this book four stars with a lot more discipline and red ink.