Jacob's Descent A Liv Bergen Mystery #6 by Sandra Brannan

Title:  Jacob's Descent

Author: Sandra Brannan

Published: March 29, 2016

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group River Grove Press

Pages: 255

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Review: ebook provided by NetGalley and publisher 

The sixth book in the Liv Bergen mystery series.
Liv has been forced to take a leave of absence from her job at the FBI following the tragic death of her love, Jack Linwood. She finds herself back home in Rapid City, South Dakota, far from her closest friend and colleague, Streeter Pierce, and her trusted dog, Beulah. Struggling with the risks and pressures of her career and the nostalgia of home, a heartbroken Liv questions whether or not she has made the right choices in life. As if that weren’t enough, she finds herself sitting in a bar, staring up into the faces of the bizarre wax heads of the infamous citizens of Deadwood—where her bullheaded sister Agatha has dragged her to drink off her pain.

When it seems Liv will at last be left alone to mourn in peace, a beloved friend of the Bergen family is beaten beyond recognition and left for dead. Liv is suddenly catapulted into the middle of an investigation of a hundred-year-old murder case and a dark and twisted, century-old family feud. Aided—and sometimes derailed—by her comical sisters, a police officer who doesn’t trust her, a cryptic research paper, and a frightening and formidable motorcycle gang member, Liv must discover who beat her friend nearly to death before the perpetrator returns to finish the job and time runs out.

I received this book via NetGalley to give an honest review.

If you have been reading in order then you remember what happened in the last book. Liv has been placed on leave to grieve and really think if she wants to stay with the FBI. Her family well mostly her sister wants her to be able to grieve and bury her head in a drink though we know that Liv will end up finding herself caught up in case. So it is no surprise when Liv is dragged into a family feud that has been going on for years and the crime that will follow will get her to work. Not only is Liv and the police looking at the crime that happened now they will also be looking into a crime that happened a hundred years ago. It is crime that someone wants to keep secret for their own personal reasons. 

We don't see Streeter much in this one but one of the characters in another book makes an appearance and I have to say I was surprised. I thought I knew what the huge excitement was when I was piecing everything together but I was once again taken for a total shock when I got to the end. I never thought to put two and two together. Way to go author for that in your face surprise. We still don't know if Liv is going to stay with the FBI or if she is going to go back to mining yet we see how she dealt with the grief of losing someone and it didn't pull her down. I can't wait to read book 7 there is so much I have to know!!! If you haven't started this series yet then I highly suggest you do! 

Sandra Brannan has created a heart-pounding mystery thriller series around Liv Bergen, a woman who embodies the spirit of South Dakota. Much like her character Liv Bergen, Brannan has spent her career in the mining business.
Working her way up from day laborer in the company her grandfather founded to a top executive in the family business wasn't easy, as Sandra often received threads from those opposed to mining. These life experiences gave her a first-person perspective into the high-stakes scenarios of which she writes.
In response to the overwhelming success of "In the Belly of Jonah" (2010), "Lot's Return to Sodom" (2011), "Widow's Might" (2012) and "Noah's Rainy Day" (2013), Brannan prioritizes her time first to the librarians and booksellers for nominating her to earn two ABA Indie Next List Notables, to book clubs and fans who have described Liv Bergen as the love child of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone and Lee Child's Jack Reacher, and to teachers for all the gratitude she has for their role in her success. Her books have landed on the Denver Post best-seller list and reached the top 10 for e-book mysteries and top 5 for women's mysteries. She celebrates the launch of the fifth book in the series, "Solomon's Whisper," in September 2014.
Named one of the top 25 most fabulous women by Black Hills Magazine, Brannan lives in her hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota, with her husband. Their budding family consists of four boys and three grandchildren.
2010 In The Belly of Jonah
2011 Lot's Return to Sodom
2012 Widow's Might
2013 Noah's Rainy Day

If you'd like to know when Sandra will be in your area for a signing, interview or speaking event, please check her website or email sandra@sandrabrannan.com for appearances or book clubs.