Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Bait and Switch: Karne and Lundin
SERIES: Subtle Deceptions#2
AUTHOR: Elle Keaton
PUBLISHER: Dirty Dog Press LLC
LENGTH: 256 Pages
RELEASE DATE: September 26, 2025
BLURB:
Gabriel Karne is back.
The plan?
Lie low on Heartstone Island and wait for the dumpster fire that is his past life to burn itself out. So far, so good. Until it isn’t.
Gabriel has avoided Ranger Man for days, made a few important repairs to his sailboat, and put a dent in the stack of dime-store mysteries Elton loaned him. Life is at least okay.
Eight days in and his strategy crumbles like a wet cookie.
His ex-partner-in-crime returns, but this time he is very dead. And wearing a baby blue tracksuit, which somehow makes his murder even worse.
Is his body a message from the crime family they mutually pissed off? Did Peter have connections to Heartstone? And if he didn’t, how the hell did he know he’d find Gabe there?
With yet another exceedingly ill-timed murder, Gabe’s luck is once again not the Good Kind. Then there’s his simmering attraction to Casey, which he’s actively sweeping underneath his mental throw rug. Lundin is definitely not Gabe’s type. He’s a walking-talking moral compass that never seems to cease pointing out everything he’s sure is wrong about Gabe. But damn, that man’s uniform fits him like a custom glove.
Adding to it all, snow is in the forecast, there’s a missing brush worker up the valley, and Calvin Perkins is still on the loose. Gabe’s not even going to think about the spiders.
Everything will be fine. FINE.
Bait and Switch is told in dual point of view, is book two in the Subtle Deceptions series and should be read in the order it was published.
REVIEW:
Gabe continues to be a grifter in hiding. However, the fates are not on his side when his ex turns up dead on a neighboring boat, which raises a slew of questions, and the local sheriff seems determined to pin the murder on Gabe. Meanwhile, Casey’s quiet life as a ranger is being seriously disturbed by more than missing people.
Bait and Switch is the second book in the Subtle Deceptions series, and oh my, what a delightful return it is. The plot thickens with murder, corrupt cops, plenty of secrets, and drama that I didn’t see coming. Is it still a slow burn – hell yes – but I was completely absorbed by the characters, setting, and story. Also, the pace and adrenaline increase as we approach the climax. I just had to recall that immortal line from the film George of the Jungle, ‘Don’t worry, folks, he can’t die, he’s the hero.’ Because, let’s face it – they’re in the next book.
The story is told in the third person from the viewpoints of Gabe and Casey. I was too immersed in the tale to notice technicalities, but nothing glared out at me. Having said that, there was one instance of my hated line ‘come for me’ – gahhhh. But I’ll forgive that since the rest was so good. Elle has a wonderful affinity for setting a scene and immersing the reader in it. When she describes a place, I can imagine myself there. Also, it’s little things, like telling the dog, ‘You don’t have time for the cat.’ Those are the things that make the difference between good and blooming marvelous. As with many of Elle Keaton’s books, there are a lot of family connections, which can get a bit confusing, but what family isn’t?
While Casey plays a significant role in this tale, Gabe remains at the forefront, with Elton being one of those awesome old-timers whose life experiences could be the subject of a book in their own right (cough, cough, hint, hint – ELLLLEEE). The use of Gabriel’s mother’s voice to impart nuggets of wisdom is used to good effect, and I love that Gabe is honest about being a former businessman of the shady kind.
I’ve already mentioned some of the contents that had me avidly turning the page, which just leaves me to raise my pom poms with a sqweeeeee at the crossovers. I might have grinned like a Cheshire cat when certain characters make a brief but memorable appearance, of which you’ll have to check out the Love Bytes tags to get more info.
Yep – loved it – bravo.
RATING: 
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