I read a lot and am still willing to try books by authors I haven’t heard of even though I've ended up with some really bad books that way in the past. A few years ago, I picked up No Way Out by Andrea Kane and really enjoyed it. I ended up picking up another of her books, Scent of Danger, which I also really enjoyed. It took a while, but I eventually got another of her books, Wrong Place, Wrong Time. The book had been in one of my many piles to read until just recently.

Sally Montgomery, a divorced older woman, decided to accept an invitation from Frederick Pierson to go away for the weekend. The two frequently went riding together and got along well. It seemed like Frederick was wanting to move their relationship forward. Sally still had some conflicted feelings about her ex husband. Things went horribly wrong when Frederick was murdered and Sally barely escaped the burning cabin. She felt that she was in danger and decided she needed to go into hiding.

Sally did take the time to call her ex husband, Pete Montgomery. He was a former cop and current private detective. He quickly started working to find the killer and keep Sally safe. One of their children, Devon, was pulled into the investigation even though she was a veterinarian. Her father wanted her to get close to James and Blake Pierson to try to find out what was going on in the Pierson family. It seemed like there was some kind of problem in the business empire and James was involved in competitive show jumping with hopes of going to the Olympics. Blake was also trying to figure out what happened and keep tabs on Devon. Things were complicated by the fact that there was a strong attraction between the two of them.

I felt that Wrong Place, Wrong Time started off slowly as first Sally and Frederick were introduced and then Devon and her brother. It was established that there was some conflict between Frederick and his father Edward and that Devon wasn’t really happy that her mother had gone away with Frederick since she still wanted her parents to get back together even though they had been divorced for fifteen years. All that came out before the murder and fire. After that, even more came out about potential issues in the Pierson family. A lot of things were shared and all that information did keep the pace moving slower, which will probably bother some readers. That could bore some readers. I really wasn’t bored by anything in the book, but I was less interested in certain aspects. It did seem like a bit too much had been crammed into the plot.

Monty and Devon’s investigation in who had killed Frederick was the main focus of Wrong Place, Wrong Time. I did think it made sense that Monty got involved since he and Sally still had a friendly relationship. He quickly learned a lot about the Pierson family and then pulled Devon into the investigation. That just didn’t make much sense to me since she was a vet and not a cop or any sort of investigator. He claimed that she had the instincts of a cop because she’d been able to help some people find missing pets. Looking for missing pets and looking for a killer are two entirely different things. It just seemed unbelievable that a former cop would pull someone with no training into such a serious investigation. Just being the child of a cop doesn’t give someone the right abilities and training to be able to successfully investigate a murder. Monty was putting her into a very dangerous situation and he wanted to use her to pump James and Blake for information. Monty even went so far as to tell Devon to go out on dates with both men to get information. I just didn’t like that aspect of the plot and felt that it was unrealistic.

The mystery about who killed Frederick was only mildly interesting, which did disappoint me. I had hoped for a more gripping mystery. It was set up that there was some conflict between Frederick and Edward, but that didn’t seem like strong motivation for his murder. As the book progressed, some other possible motivations were uncovered and Monty even discovered a few things that were unrelated to Frederick’s murder. I’m still not sure why one thing was even brought up since it really didn’t add much of anything to the book. I was only sort of surprised by one development and felt there really wasn’t any suspense in the book. Overall, certain aspects were very predictable. That will bother some readers. Anyone looking for a strong mystery with a lot of suspense will want to pick a different book.

Devon was told to get close to both James and Blake by her father so she could get information from both men for Monty’s investigation. It was very clear from the start that both men were interested in starting a more personal, sexual relationship with Devon. She did seem to be leading both men, especially James, on for a bit before she decided that she was wanted to have a relationship with Blake. I didn’t like that aspect of the book that much, especially how Monty kept pushing Devon to see both men. Then he got all over protective when he thought she was moving too fast with Blake. The relationship with Blake did develop very quickly. A few things just didn’t seem to right about that considering how things started. There were some sexual situations and sex scenes that weren’t overly descriptive.

It was established fairly early in Wrong Place, Wrong Time that family was very important to both the Pierson and Montgomery families. There were also conflicts in both families. With how close they were supposed to be, it seemed like certain things going on in the Pierson family wouldn’t have been so secret. Also, it was a bit of a contradiction to the close family that James and Blake really didn’t like each other and were basically always competing against each other. Neither of them had much that was nice to say about the other. The Montgomery family had stayed close even though Monty and Sally had been divorced for fifteen years. Devon kept thinking her parents would get back together even though she was critical of her dad at times. The relationship between Monty and Meredith, the youngest in the family, was strained. There didn’t seem to be much reason for that other than as an attempt to add some conflict. The family dynamics for both families did seem kind of off to me.

At first it seemed like Sally was going to be a main character, but after Frederick’s murder she basically disappeared from the book. She only turned up to make short calls to Monty to get updates on the investigation and let him know that she was fine in hiding. Really very little was shared about her. Not a lot was shared about Monty either even though he ended up with more to do. Lane and Meredith were just sort of around without much of anything to do. They didn’t contribute anything important for the most part. Meredith did become slightly more important later in the book.

Edward and James turned up a few times and were somewhat involved in what was going on. Edward had started the family company years before and determined to make sure it and his family were protected. He was also determined that James be a champion and make it to the Olympics. Edward had a heart condition, but he was still very controlling of what was going on in his family. Other members of the Pierson family were only briefly introduced or mentioned without being developed.

Devon and Blake ended up being the main characters. They were both trying to figure out exactly what the other knew and who had killed Frederick. They were both loyal to their families. They both did seem like nice people. Since she was a vet, certain things connected to her work were brought up. Time was taken to establish just how important her job was to her and then it was shoved to the background for most of the book. There were a few sort of scientific explanations that may not fully make sense to some readers.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time was entertaining overall but I do think it had some problems. The mystery could have been stronger and more suspenseful, which would have made things more interesting. I did enjoy the other books by Kane that I’ve read more. Her fans may enjoy this one.

Andrea Kane Book Reviews
No Way Out ~ Scent of Danger ~


Recommended: Yes