Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Long Shadow
SERIES: Hamarsson and Dempsey #2
AUTHOR: Elle Keaton
NARRATOR: Michael Dean
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 7 hours, 11 minutes
RELEASE DATE: August 3, 2020
BLURB:
Niall’s never known anything but betrayal. All Mat wants is Niall’s heart. What will it take for him to coax Niall in from the cold?
Mat’s connection with Niall is tenuous; one step forward, two steps back. Since that night on the beach Niall’s been avoiding Mat like a bad case of the flu – which, ironically, most of his deputies have come down with. What will it take for Niall to truly believe Mat wants him for who he is?
Mat’s overworked, Niall’s unnerved, and then things really go sideways.
Will a killer destroy everything before Niall realizes they are stronger together than apart?
Long Shadow is a dual POV about a broody introvert and a somewhat patient sheriff. Mat’s going to have to prove to Niall he’s the man for him. The Hamarsson and Dempsey series follows the same couple as they find their way to their happily ever after.
REVIEW:
I few months ago I listened to the first book in this series and absolutely loved it. Since then I’ve been eagerly waiting for Long Shadow to be released so I could spend more time with Mat and Niall. This book is a continuation of the first book so I wouldn’t recommend reading or listening to them out of order. But I do recommend both of them. I listened to this book in one go. Nothing existed for me outside the book for the hours I spent listening to it and I didn’t want it to end.
No one can argue that Mat doesn’t have his hands full trying to prevent and solve crimes on the island. In the first book there was the devastating fire that burned Niall’s home to the ground. They thought they caught, in a manner of speaking, the one responsible for it, but someone is still setting fires around the island and Mat is desperately trying to figure out who and why. He’s also trying to figure out some suspect and possible criminal behaviour from a colleague. All of this while juggling his new relationship with Niall.
Niall for his part isn’t idle, he’s dealing with the aftermath of his family home burning down and moving back to his home town. He might have left his detective life behind him when he moved back to the island, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t notice suspicious behaviours around town. Things that he feels obligated to investigate. The majority of this book deals with the mysteries and how they are all connected. I love mysteries, and I love procedurals so this is never a problem for me. And these mysteries were compelling and kept me interested and I kept moving the pieces around to make them fit.
Unlike the first book, we have an actual romance between Mat and Niall this time around. Tentative at first but then things really heat up between them. They both have issues, so the relationship isn’t without some hick-ups, but that’s also why it’s believable, make them believable. They fit together and they are both what the other needed to move forward.
The narration Michael Dean was great, I love listening to his deep voice and he takes you to Piedras Island. The voices he had for Niall and Mat were great and fit their personalities really well. It also makes it easy to follow conversations and keeping track of different characters. I really enjoyed the interactions with Mat’s niece, she was sweet and it was nice to see everyone melt around her.
I’ve had such a great time and I hope this won’t be the last book in the series. I’m just not ready to say goodbye to these guys.
RATING: 
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