My Thoughts KILL TO KEEP by Elena Taylor

 

KILL TO KEEP by Elena Taylor July 6 - August 14, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

A female sheriff races against time to solve a murder at a carnival that puts her whole town at risk. Thrilling, romantic, and full of suspense! Sheriff Bet Rivers' inspection of the carnival grounds should have been routine. Murder is certainly the last thing on anyone's mind. Then comes the sound of a gunshot. And a dead body with no signs of trauma, no witnesses and no obvious motive for the killing. But solving the unexplained death is only part of the challenge. Bet is still grappling with her on-off relationship with town owner Rob Collier, while dealing with her feelings about her late father, the beloved town sheriff she had to replace. As Bet launches her homicide investigation, she soon discovers the carnival is a place of whispers, rumours, resentments and lie after lie. And as the stakes build, it quickly becomes clear that protecting a deadly secret is something that someone is willing to kill to keep. Fans of Julia Keller and Sheena Kamal will love this riveting suspense. Book Details: Genre: Police Procedural, Rural Crime Fiction Published by: Severn House Publication Date: July 7, 2026 Number of Pages: 279 ISBN: 9781448317400 (ISBN10: 1448317401) Series: Sheriff Bet Rivers Mystery Series  Shortlinks:   Author Links: Website https://pictbooks.tours/ka9qu Amazon Author https://pictbooks.tours/4pqqb Goodreads https://pictbooks.tours/jnN99 BookBub https://pictbooks.tours/frUri @elenataylorauthor Instagram https://pictbooks.tours/IgYKG @ElenaTaylorAuthor Twitter https://pictbooks.tours/DYlt9 @Elena_TaylorAut Facebook https://pictbooks.tours/FMtlI @elenataylorauthor BlueSky https://pictbooks.tours/YVtBiDKt ‪@elenataylorauthor.bsky.social‬ YouTube https://pictbooks.tours/ryFhpsmu @ElenaHartwellAuthor Blog https://pictbooks.tours/0DC2IC56 Book Links: KILL TO KEEP Amazon - https://pictbooks.tours/5Ot2IDlE Kindle - https://pictbooks.tours/HLvCvGgg BN - https://pictbooks.tours/VbfNaydD BookShop.org - https://pictbooks.tours/wHNWQ0Cl Goodreads - https://pictbooks.tours/lR9UGYsy BookBub - https://pictbooks.tours/P0YwfJGv Publisher - https://pictbooks.tours/p3c42XFL Series Links: Sheriff Bet Rivers Mystery Series Series - Amazon https://pictbooks.tours/ljqhi Series - Goodreads https://pictbooks.tours/bsgOx Book Links: All We Buried Amazon - https://pictbooks.tours/zzuoO Kindle - https://pictbooks.tours/JRSQ5 BN - https://pictbooks.tours/OFauv BookShop.org - https://pictbooks.tours/ZC8Or Goodreads - https://pictbooks.tours/VXM6N BookBub - https://pictbooks.tours/THaLSdLq Crooked Lane - https://pictbooks.tours/d5PSm Book Links: A Cold, Cold World Amazon - https://pictbooks.tours/XQwAH Kindle - https://pictbooks.tours/ByMKBQNg BN - https://pictbooks.tours/JiNxc BookShop.org - https://pictbooks.tours/WzNqP Goodreads - https://pictbooks.tours/YYMaa BookBub - https://pictbooks.tours/FI8lGmg6 Severn House - https://pictbooks.tours/sTLu3 Tour Links PICT Tour Page https://pictbooks.tours/SWADOdGf PICT Tour Giveaway https://pictbooks.tours/E6AxdgOJ PICT Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4eJIRHFuuY PICT Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGVUb-aQ2Zk Publisher Severn House Instagram @severnhouseimprint Threads @severnhouseimprint Facebook @severnhouse TikTok @severnhouse Bluesky @severnhouse.bsky.social Book Trailer: Here's the code to add the YouTube Trailer to your post   <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oGVUb-aQ2Zk?si=Mp6vdaaCYpjyC4fN" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> Author Bio: Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to fiction. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, written under Elena Hartwell, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo. She is also the author of the standalone suspense novel, The Haunting of Emily Grace. With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, Elena returns to her dramatic roots and brings readers much more serious and atmospheric novels. Located in Washington State, Elena produces tense and suspenseful investigations for a lone sheriff in an isolated community. Her favorite place to be is at Paradise, the property she and her hubby own south of Spokane, Washington. They live with their equines, dogs, and cats.  Catch Up With Elena Taylor: ElenaTaylorAuthor.com www.TheMysteryOfWriting.com Amazon Author Profile Goodreads BookBub - @elenataylorauthor Instagram - @ElenaTaylorAuthor BlueSky - ‪@elenataylorauthor.bsky.social‬ X - @Elena_TaylorAut Facebook - @elenataylorauthor YouTube - @ElenaHartwellAuthor

MY THOUGHTS 

I love reading anything from Elena Taylor, so I couldn't wait to dive into Kill to Keep. Once again, she delivered a story that completely pulled me in.

One of my favorite things about this book is the characters. They feel like real people with strengths, flaws, and plenty of emotional depth. I found myself genuinely invested in what they were going through, and I loved watching their relationships evolve as the story unfolded. The main character is especially compelling, balancing determination with vulnerability in a way that made it easy to connect with her.

The pacing kept me turning the pages, but what stayed with me most was how much I cared about the people in the story. It's one of those mysteries where you're invested not just in what happens, but in who it happens to.

If you enjoy character-driven mysteries with memorable people, strong emotional depth, and plenty of suspense, Kill to Keep is definitely worth picking up. As always, Elena Taylor reminded me why she's an automatic-read author for me.

I received a copy of this book, and all opinions are my own.

Giveaway: This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Elena Taylor. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited. The giveaway is for:    1 - $25 Amazon.com Gift Card https://pictbooks.tours/E6AxdgOJ