First Degree Mudder by Kate E. Dyer-Seeley is the fourth book in the “Pacific Northwest” mystery series. Publisher: Kensington, November 2016

When a mud marathon champion bites the dust, Meg Reed has to go the distance to make sure a killer comes clean . . .

Back home in Portland, Oregon, Meg is ready to take her career as an outdoor writer for Extreme magazine to the next level. Lesser journalists sling mud—Meg plans to run through it. To train hard for Mud, Sweat & Beers, an extreme 5K mud run, she’s signed on with the Mind Over Mudder team, run by ten-time mud marathon champ—and former drill sergeant—Billy the Tank. But when Meg finds her tenacious trainer dead in the locker room, she has a sinking feeling someone may have been pushed too far. Digging through the hidden secrets at Mind Over Mudder is a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it. Meg will have to tread carefully, though—or she may soon be running for her life . . .

I love books where location is key to the overall telling of the story. In Meg’s latest adventure, she becomes involved in another murder investigation when her trainer is murdered. The author does a great job in setting this mystery up where it is anyone’s guess as to who is the killer among the suspect pool where plenty of clues, red herrings and well-placed twists and turns in this fast-paced drama edged towards the killer’s identity. I like how all the scenes came together where the narrative put me in the middle of all the action. Meg is one determined heroine and her search for her father’s murderer constantly plays throughout this series and I suspect we will soon find out who it is. Boasting a wonderful cast, clever dialogue with Portland serving as the backdrop, this is a great addition to this fabulous series.