#crimethrillers – Rosepoint Publishing

Iron Lake: Cork O’Connor Book 1 by William Kent Krueger #AudiobookReview #TBT

Book Blurb:

Anthony Award-winning author William Kent Krueger crafts this riveting tale about a small Minnesota town’s ex-sheriff who is having trouble retiring his badge. Cork O’Connor loses his job after being blamed for a tragedy on the local Anishinaabe Indian reservation. But he must set aside his personal demons when a young boy goes missing on the same day a judge commits suicide—and no one but O’Connor suspects foul play.

My Review:

Cork O’Connor is complicated and conflicted, so much going on in his life following the loss of his job as sheriff, his marriage, and the separation of his kids. Now to add fuel to the fire, a judge is found, said to have committed suicide and a young newspaper boy goes missing the same day. His mother calls Cork for help.

The judge was the last stop the boy was known to have made and to boot, the main proponent of Cork’s recall.

Boy, howdy, nothing like just heaping on the problems, huh? Cork may no longer be sheriff and is not welcome in the investigation, but couldn’t help but notice an inconsistency or two with the pronouncement of suicide. He’s pretty sure it wasn’t.

Cork wears his emotions on his sleeve right now and he’s more than a little concerned regarding the whereabouts of the boy.

It’s Minnesota.

It’s winter!

I can easily get lost in the atmospheric descriptions of the area and the people. Rugged even in good weather, the search is not easy. Lucky he has the support of the nearby tribe of the Anishinaabe. I enjoy the way the author taps into the local native lore.

The characters are well-developed and complex. Cork, a former Chicago cop has his dreams of an idyllic rural family village disintegrate before his eyes. He and his wife grow apart and he is reduced to scraping by. Being estranged from his wife, he begins to see another woman. There are twists and turns, taps into the local’s secrets.

Of course, there are technical issues, not the least of which is that he has no authority to investigate anything and we end up with a high body count—which I’m not always thrilled about. Still, I enjoy his writing style and following The River We Remember that I loved, I went looking for another book and found this series—all nineteen of them. Thought I’d start with the first. A good start.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Private Investigator Mysteries, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Recorded Books
ASIN: B003NGXOQ0
Listening Length: 11 hrs 57 mins
Narrator: David Chandler
Publication Date: May 21, 2010
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Iron Lake [Amazon]

The Author: Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He currently makes his living as a full-time author. He’s been married for over 40 years to a marvelous woman who is a retired attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves.

Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last five novels were all New York Times bestsellers.

“Ordinary Grace,” his stand-alone novel published in 2013, received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published in that year. “Manitou Canyon,” number fifteen in his Cork O’Connor series, was released in September 2016.

Visit his website at http://www.williamkentkrueger.com.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/williamkentkrueger
Twitter: WmKentKrueger

#ThrowbackThursday - spring

Down Range by Taylor Moore – #AudiobookReview – #ThrowbackThursday

Garrett Kohl #1

Book Blurb:

In this action-packed debut thriller for fans of C. J. Box and Jack Carr, DEA agent Garrett Kohl fights to protect his home on the Texas High Plains when a vicious criminal enterprise comes after his family.

As a decorated undercover DEA special agent, Garrett Kohl has traveled the world – and fought in most of it – but it’s the High Plains of northwest Texas he calls home and dreams of returning to one day. Kohl is in the middle of an assignment in Afghanistan when his commander orders him back to Texas on a short mission expected to take a week at most. But Kohl is unsettled to discover that he’s moving from one kind of war to another.

The once-peaceful ranching community he loves is under attack by a band of criminals who have infiltrated law enforcement and corrupted local businesses, and are now terrorizing Kohl’s own family. Hoping to prevent bloodshed, Kohl tries to resolve matters peacefully. But when the group strikes first, he has no choice but to go on the attack.

Unfortunately for the crew of criminals, Garrett Kohl, besides being an elite undercover officer for the DEA, is a battle-hardened Green Beret who spent the better part of his career hunting terrorists. Although outnumbered and outgunned, Kohl knows the wild and forsaken Llano Estacado region of Texas better than anyone. And like so many trespassers before them, these murderers will find out the hard way that the only thing tougher than this land is the people who call it home.

My Review:

Alright! This book is supposed to appeal to fans of C J Box and I’ve read-listened to CJ and enjoyed his books. But no, I’m not sure you can compare it to C J Box. This author has a writing style all his own and engaging characters with a somewhat more charismatic appeal.

Down Range is the first in a new series but for a debut, it makes quite a wallop. Action thriller from the beginning with a scene in which former Green Beret undercover DEA Special Agent Garret Kohl discovers he is witnessing a massacre in Afghanistan. Totally unexpected is a ten-year-old boy, Asadi, running for his life out of the village with no chance to escape. Kohl steps in and manages to save the boy but runs the risk of getting himself in serious trouble for blowing his cover and the investigation.

It’s determined both will be sent home and Agent Kohl is now charged with keeping the boy alive as the only possible witness.

I loved the road trip to his dad’s ranch in the Panhandle of Texas. Descriptions of the area border on poetic prose and there are fascinating histories gracefully interwoven with tender moments of bonding between the boy and Kohl.

Kohl’s irascible dad seems to take a paternal interest in Asadi and it isn’t long before Asadi is relaxing into the dream of America, the land, the wide open spaces, food, and the animals. Asadi particularly loves the horses and quickly determines a favorite.

Unfortunately, Texas takes a dark turn in the second half of the book when they bump up against the local narcotics trade. Of course, they don’t realize they are up against a former Green Beret who has seen his share of action and knows how to handle them. Sometimes though you feel sorry for poor Asadi caught in the middle who it seems to have jumped from the opium trade in Afghanistan to the local Texas drug trade.

I enjoyed the characters, loved Asadi and Kohl’s dad, his brother (an attorney) and a maybe romantic interest. It’s a well-plotted, fast-paced book that got the characters developed while keeping the action ball in the air which was non-stop.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts. This will be a fun series and this one quite the immersive narrative whether or not you think you don’t like contemporary Western fiction.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Western Fiction, Action Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Harper Audio
ASIN: B08S5N2JQD
Listening Length:
Narrator: Jeremy Arthur
Publication Date: August 03, 2021
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Down Range [Amazon]

The Author: Taylor Moore is a former CIA Intelligence Officer who worked in both analysis and operations and later consulted for the Department of Defense in Theater Security Cooperation, Force Protection, and Counternarcotics. He now lives in the Texas Panhandle with his wife and two children, where is a full-time author and screenwriter. You can learn more about Taylor and his series featuring Garrett Kohl at his website.

©V Williams

#ThrowbackThursday

Obey All Laws by Cindy Goyette – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

A Probation Case Files Mystery

Book Blurb:

When Phoenix probation officer Casey Carson goes to work, she expects naked people to answer doors, meth-addicted clients to hit on her, and angry judges to chew her out in court. After a routine home visit with a client, a Diablo gang member, goes horribly wrong, she knows she must watch her back. Even she must admit that a one-eyed, bad-ass, angry gangster and his crew gunning for her is a bit more than she was trained to handle.

Casey has even more reason to fear Diablo when her cousin Hope goes missing, and it looks like their handiwork. With women vanishing at an alarming rate in the area, police treat Hope’s disappearance as a priority. Still, Casey can’t sit on the sidelines, even with her ex-husband leading the investigation. After she receives information that proves her suspicions about Diablo right, the gang will do anything to keep her from sharing it with police, even if that means taking her on a one-way trip to the desert.

My Review:

Well, here is a new and fresh take on a crime thriller coming from the unique perspective of a probation officer. Casey Carson is a seasoned, savvy PO officer. She is also a main character you can identify with. She’s smart when it comes to her job—well—not always as every main character I’ve ever known tends to go off by themselves without backup. As a reader, you can yell at them all you want. They won’t hear you.

Still, the author has packed some very likable characters behind her engaging main character, including an ex-husband, Barry Betz, that you keep asking why the “ex”?

“Detective Barry Betz that is, got out and walked toward me, shaking his head.

He looked good.

Damn it.”

From the opening action-packed chapter through the sub-plot with Casey’s cousin, the fast-paced narrative doesn’t lag or resort to constant repeats. It doesn’t help when Hope’s sister Joy arrives to help find her sister—only to heap on additional problems.

I love the dry sense of humor from the first person POV and the twists and turns, but no, didn’t need a new heat-inducing sexy neighbor clouding the issue with the ex. I liked the ex. But the new neighbor adds tension, suspicion, and a little fun.

So, really, this is a debut novel? I love the unique aspect and info coming from that side of the law. Since we lived for a short time just outside of Phoenix, I was fairly familiar with the area—and the heat—and descriptions give it an atmospheric and comfortably recognizable quality.

A great start for a new series and one I’m looking forward to.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my own thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths, CrimeThrillers
Publisher: Level Best Books
ISBN-10: ‎1685125344
ISBN-13: ‎978-1685125349
ASIN: B0CQ17GQ8V
Print Length: 310 pages
Publication Date: January 9, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Cindy Goyette is a former probation officer who had a front row seat to the criminal justice system. Her experiences helped her create fiction that mirrors real life situations. Her mystery, OBEY ALL LAWS, is part of a series published in January of 2024 by Level Best Books. Cindy lives in Washington state with her husband and two Cocker Spaniels.

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh – #AudiobookReview – #TBT

Eddie Flynn Book 3

Book Blurb:

2019 Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year

The serial killer isn’t on trial. He’s on the jury.

It’s the murder trial of the century. And Joshua Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house – and to be sure the wrong man goes down for the crime. Because this time, the killer isn’t on trial. He’s on the jury.

But there’s someone on his tail. Former conman turned criminal-defense attorney Eddie Flynn doesn’t believe his movie-star client killed two people. He suspects the real killer is closer than they think – but who would guess just how close?

My Review:

Holy moly, how have I missed this author? I do enjoy legal thrillers, but this dual POV had me from the first page with two unique characters that kept me absolutely super-glued to the page. Alternate POVs between protagonist and antagonist. Not really anything new with that ploy—it was the characters; honed, crafted, molded into street-wise attorney and brilliant despot.

Eddie Flynn is the conman turned lawyer and he’s been asked to help defend one of the biggest names in the movie business on trial for murdering both his wife and her associate. Eddie is pretty sure that Robert Solomon didn’t do it. One thing Eddie is good at with his experience on the other side—people—and their “tells.” Bobbie is innocent.

Joshua Kane meanwhile has set in motion another of his well-crafted dramas. He loves it, the planning, the plotting, the manipulation—like marionettes on a string.

While the POV alternates chapters, the reader is soon embroiled in the diabolical cunning of the clever and cruel Kane and the push-back of Flynn. He may be a step behind but not for long. Flynn is great for leading the reader on his investigation in descriptive show, not tell, and we get an inkling of the mind that thinks out of the box with cunning reasoning and deductive power.

Kane has maneuvered his way bit by deadly bit to be part of the jury pool. The tension rises quickly as you realize how he will handle any further impediments to his succession into the box.

There are twists, gasps with totally unexpected turns and the already fast pace ramps up the urgency. Loved the courtroom drama, the behind-the-scenes action, and the blood pressure-spiking conclusion. More than a legal procedural, crime thriller, courtroom drama, it’s a heart-pounding ride through the mind of a one-of-a-kind character.

Coming in without reading the first two or three? So did I. But it made no difference. I had no problem following along other than now I’ll want to go back and play catch up.

Adam Sims does an outstanding job of capturing those opposing voices and making them real. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Legal Thrillers, Crime Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B07MTKTS23
Listening Length: 11 hrs 23 mins
Narrator: Adam Sims
Publication Date: August 13, 2019
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Thirteen [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

The Author: Steve Cavanagh is a critically acclaimed, Sunday Times best-selling author of the Eddie Flynn series which has sold a million copies in the UK. His third novel, The Liar, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the year 2018. Thirteen won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime novel of the year 2019. FIFTY FIFTY was a Richard and Judy Book club choice, and the BBC Between The Covers book club choice. All of his novels have been nominated for major awards. His last four novels have all been Sunday Times Bestsellers.

The Eddie Flynn series can be read in any order, but the list in full in order of publication is as follows:

The Defence
The Cross (ebook exclusive novella)
The Plea
The Liar
Thirteen
Fifty Fifty
The Devil’s Advocate
The Accomplice
Standalone books – Twisted.

Find out more at http://www.stevecavanaghauthor.com or follow Steve on Twitter @SteveCavanagh_

The Narrator: Adam Sims trained at LAMDA. An award-winning and experienced stage actor, his credits include the West Yorkshire/Leeds Playhouse, the RSC, Royal Exchange Manchester and London’s West End. His screen credits include Band of Brothers and Lost in Space. As well as many recordings for BBC Radio, his voice-over credits are extensive and include computer games, animation, podcasts, television narration and corporates. He has recorded hundreds of audiobooks; titles ranging from Henry James, Edgar Allan Poe and Nathanial Hawthorne, to Haruki Murakami, Patricia Highsmith, Dennis Lehane, and Steve Cavanagh. He won the 2017 APA/Audible Audiobook Narrator of the Year for Flowers for Algernon.

#ThrowbackThursday

The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

An Alex Delaware Novel

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis confront a baffling, vicious double homicide that leads them to long-buried secrets worth killing for in the riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling “master of suspense” (Los Angeles Times).

LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis sees it all the time: Reinvention’s a way of life in a city fueled by fantasy. But try as you might to erase the person you once were, there are those who will never forget the past . . . and who can still find you.

A pool boy enters a secluded Bel Air property and discovers two bodies floating in the bright blue water: Gio Aggiunta, the playboy heir to an Italian shoe empire, and a gorgeous, even wealthier neighbor named Meagin March. A married neighbor.

An illicit affair stoking rage is a perfect motive. But a “double” in this neighborhood of gated estates isn’t something you see every day. The house is untouched. No forced entry, no forensic evidence. The case has “that feeling,” and when that happens, Milo turns to his friend, the brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware.

As Milo and Alex investigate both victims, they discover two troubled pasts. And as they dig deeper, Meagin March’s very identity begins to blur. Who was this glamorous but conflicted woman? Did her past catch up to her? Or did Gio’s family connections create a threat spanning two continents?

Chasing down the answers leads Alex and Milo on an exploration of L.A.’s darkest side as they contend with one of the most shocking cases of their careers and learn that that some secrets are best left buried in the past.

My Review:

Okay, my turn for an Alex Delaware series novel by Jonathan Kellerman (the CE can’t have them all), one of my favorite series and authors. There have been almost forty installments but as numerous as that sounds, each is fresh (could be read as a standalone) and I never get tired of his descriptive writing style.

There are actually two threads in this one, a minor thread about an adopted juvenile whose parents decide they no longer want him. (Knife to the heart!) The major plot involves a double homicide. Alex is a child psychologist but is frequently pulled into an investigation by his homicide detective buddy, Milo Sturgis, as is this one after they discover the death of two persons poolside in the LA area.

Dr. Delaware is exceptionally observant and his training makes him uniquely qualified to get into the scene, postulate how and in what order the crime might have gone down. The lady in question is older and married (not necessarily to the young male found in proximity), extremely rich through her marriage. He is likewise embarrassingly rich, the young son of an Italian shoe empire.

No question there are negative feelings for both victims at the beginning of the book. Spoiled rich kid—mysterious lady, hidden past. Hmmm. So, who was the target? The collateral damage?

Obviously a layered investigation, more so on Alex’s side, that begins with the process of elimination and a lot of hours and manpower spent in mindless scouring of everything from phone calls to birth records.

[Side bar: Of course, Alex has green eyes—surprise!—so does another character along with the explanation that only two percent of the world’s population have them. Them and the CE! (It always frosted me that I never got my mother’s beautiful blue eyes. So what would be the odds that my son would have the CE’s green eyes? Despite my m-i-l declaring it would be impossible—apparently not.)]

As Alex and Milo progress through interviews, the sentiment gradually begins to sway just a tad to neutral and by the end of the book strongly sympathetic to both victims. Gees, can a person ever catch a break?

As always, I enjoy the aesthetics and atmosphere of the LA area and surrounds, and the characters, both main and support are well-developed, engaging, and magnetic. Of course, Alex and Milo spark off each other, the perfect antithesis and their dynamic works. The child custody case might be heartbreaking, but the conclusion is a positive one—a win when you need it. Now, the painting of the Ghost Orchid…

These installments always leave me anticipating the next one, but gotta say, I really enjoyed this one a lot! The CE last read City of the Dead and I The Wedding Guest but this one wins the five stars. Recommended—a don’t miss!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Ghost Suspense, Ghost Mysteries, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ASIN: B0C4JBJBFG
Print Length: 304 pages
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jonathan Kellerman was born in New York City in 1949 and grew up in Los Angeles. He helped work his way through UCLA as an editorial cartoonist, columnist, editor and freelance musician. As a senior, at the age of 22, he won a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for fiction.

Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.

IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan’s former students, continues to break ground.

Jonathan’s first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.

In 1985, Jonathan’s first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children. [Goodreads]

#TuesdayBookBlog

Closure by Garrett Addison – #BookReview – #vigilantejustice

A page-turner psychological revenge crime thriller mystery

Book Blurb:

It’s hard to move on when vengeance takes over.

Bestselling author and clinical psychologist James Malter immediately attracts police suspicion when his terminally ill patients suddenly begin suiciding and harming others. His guilt seems even more likely when the seemingly innocent victims are found to be related to his sister’s acquitted killer many years earlier. With mounting casualties and a shadow threatening to derail his past and sully his career, Malter’s quest to uncover the truth will pit his longstanding belief in ‘moving on’ against his long-suppressed want for revenge.

His Review:

Regrettably, the police did not catch this despot in time. He spent a lifetime killing people in the most gruesome manner. The detective who finally outed him had found his sister’s body horribly mutilated with evidence of her horrendous execution. Pleads to let her die were ignored as the criminal reveled in his ability to make his victims writhe and suffer.

Finally captured, he is lying on his deathbed confronting his captor and some of the relatives of his victims. Oh yes, he was apologizing, but the deceased were given absolutely no mercy! How could anyone be so depraved as to subject other human beings to such cruelties?

This writer is very talented! He illuminated the subject with surgical precision and graphic detail. His writing would have garnered a five-star rating from me except that his topic was appalling! Writing with such illuminating clarity about a sadistic serial killer is, in my opinion, an unfortunate misuse of his talent. 3.5 stars – CE Williams

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book provided by the author. Unfortunately, this kind of subject is not for me.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Vigilante Justice, Vigilante Justice Thrillers, Crime Thrillers
ASIN: B0C3YNC8BJ
Print Length: 233 pages
Publication Date: August 29, 2023
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-AU | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Garrett Addison is an Australian revenge author keen to bring something different to people’s reading. Forget your formulaic storylines and cliched characters, Garrett wants to sucker you in to something light, readable, enjoyable and ultimately help you discover (or rediscover) the joy of being totally immersed in a book.

Web: https://garrettaddison.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GarrettAddison
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettaddisonauthor

Out of Nowhere by Sandra Brown – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

At a Texas county fair, amidst carousels and a bustling midway, children’s book author Elle Portman is enjoying a rare night out with her favorite cowboy: her two-year-old son, Charlie. But just as they’re about to head home, the unthinkable happens: a shooter opens fire into the crowd, causing widespread panic to erupt all around them.

Also caught in the melee was corporate consultant Calder Hudson. Arrogant, self-centered, and high off his latest career win, he’s frustrated and confused when he wakes up in the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery on his arm. The doctor tells him that he was lucky—that as far as gunshot wounds go, he pulled through remarkably well. Others weren’t so lucky, which instills in Calder a furious determination to get justice . . . a goal shared by Elle.

Their chance encounter at the police station leads to a surprising and inexplicable gravitation to one another, but even as the attraction grows, Elle and Calder can’t help but wonder if the unimaginable tragedy that brought them together is too painful and too complicated to sustain—especially while the shooter remains at large.

My Review:

Not like I haven’t read Sandra Brown before or was aware she’d throw in an unanticipated romance to mess up a good story, but somehow it just didn’t work at all for me in this book.

A random mass shooting at a county fair throws together Elle Portman and Calder Hudson. Elle has taken her two-year-old with her to the fair along with bestie, Glenda. When the shooting starts and the stampede begins, Elle loses hold of her son’s stroller. Calder, who sees the stroller tries to grab it and ends with devastating results.

Here’s where I have the first problem. Calder is a rich, arrogant narcissist. He is living with an ambitious TV reporter who is his narcissistic equal. I disliked both of these characters and thought Glenda was absolutely correct in her assessment of him. After a couple chance meetings, Calder turns macho protector, dictating her next movements.

For her part, Elle lost a son. A two-year-old. I couldn’t seem to get past that as the romance first blossomed then turned up the heat. She seems more than happy to be told what to do, be the object of hot pursuit, and become accommodating.

The police think they have the shooter, then they don’t, and Elle and Calder join forces to ferret out the culprit. But they keep getting distracted by the hormones shooting between them and the sex scenes get to be a bit much. Her loss and his injuries are a blink and they move on.

There are a number of twists and a big one at the conclusion. You gotta give it to the author for throwing another good zinger at the end. In the meantime, I wasn’t a fan of either main character and Glenda was a bit too good to be true, but then, that was another of those little twists. Overall, not wholly thrilled. I liked it (for the fast pace, well-plotted storyline), but I’m not in love.

I read and reviewed Overkill on June 15 of this year and had a few problems with it even though I enjoyed the unexpected twist at the end. This one just bogged down on the romance and for me a let down of what could have been more of a suspense thriller.

I downloaded a copy of this book from my local library that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers, Romantic Suspense, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ASIN: B0BP2HW59K
Print Length: 417 pages
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE (2013), LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011), and the critically acclaimed RAINWATER (2010).

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-three languages.

Brown recently was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.