One Last Kill

Author: Robert Dugoni

Series: Tracy Crosswhite #10

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Another Tracy Crosswhite edition that is sure to leave readers satisfied and yearning for more Tracy action!

Tracy Crosswhite oversees the cold case division for the Seattle Police department and has just been tasked with reopening the Route 99 serial killer case. It’s been three decades since the killer of thirteen women stopped killing and left no further clues. Now, Tracy is in charge of bringing closure to the families after all these years. With so many cases to investigate, she asks for help and gets it in the form of the former task force leader, her nemesis, Captain Johnny Nolasco. The two have always had a tense relationship and being forced to work together on the case he couldn’t solve makes Tracy an even deeper thorn in Nolasco’s side. As they start to investigate, a new body shows up with the same MO as the previous thirteen. Tracy and Nolasco must work together to find and stop Seattle’s old threat before he takes more lives.

This is the tenth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series and each time I enjoy seeing what case Tracy is going to have to solve and how the rest of the characters will be involved. The first book in the series is still my absolute favorite, not sure if any will ever top it. This book was fun though because we got to see a fun dynamic between Tracy and her captain who has always had it out for her. Having them work together on a case that has haunted him for years was a brilliant writing move by Dugoni. For me, Dugoni is one of the very best suspense thriller writers I have read, I know when I pick up one of his books I am going to enjoy the entire story.

Fans of the Crosswhite series will enjoy the back and forth banter between the two detectives and how they go about solving this cold case. I would highly recommend reading this series in order to get the most out of it. I will absolutely be reading as many Tracy Crosswhite stories as Dugoni will write. Job well done.

One Final Target

Author: Janice Cantore

Publisher: Tyndale

Release Date: February 13, 2023

Another fantastic romantic suspense by Janice Cantore that proves why she is one of my favorite authors!

Long Beach sergeant Jodie King takes her team to serve a warrant in San Bernardino when things go horribly wrong, and she loses her entire team in the raid. Losing her team leaves her with major guilt and grief causing her to leave the force. When she recovers, she makes her way back to the site of where it all happened and is almost killed when a sniper takes a shot at her. Detective Sam Gresham can save Jodie when he arrives seconds before the shot is fired and gets her to safety. Sam is returning to the force after recovering from his own accident and is thrown right into it as Jodie becomes the target and he must determine who is after her and why.

I have always loved the way Janice Cantore writes, her years in law enforcement gave her the expertise to write characters and plots that are believable and will make readers fly through the pages. I never find myself rolling my eyes at ridiculous plot points or characters in a Janice Cantore book, which is great. I would like to say that I figured out the twist early on, I thought I had but then when it was revealed I smiled at how it all turned out. The twist was great, and I loved how it all came together in the end, all the loose ends were tied up and I was satisfied with the story. I highly recommend this book to fans of romantic suspense and if you haven’t read a Janice Cantore book yet, you are missing out.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Shadows at Dusk

Author: Elizabeth Goddard

Series: Missing in Alaska #2

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 17, 2023

The second book in the Missing in Alaska Series is better than the first and left me aching for more! Goddard at her best!

Trevor West wants nothing more than to discover what happened to his sister who went missing while in Alaska more than a year ago. He makes his way from Montana to Alaska to continue the search that has gone cold. The only clues he must follow are a few pictures. When he arrives in Alaska, he receives help from Police Chief Autumn Long who tells him to reach out to bush pilot Carrie James to find the places in the pictures he has. Carrie is trying to work through the loss of her friend when Trevor arrives and asks for her help. She agrees to help him find what happened to his sister if he will help her find out what happened to her friend. The closer they get to answers for both, the more danger they find themselves in and their hope of making it out of Alaska alive diminishes.

Elizabeth Goddard is one of the top Christian Romantic Suspense authors for a reason, her storytelling keeps getting better and better. The setting of Shadows at Dusk is cold but inviting for readers. I loved the rugged terrain and the way it brought the main characters together as they searched for answers to what happened to their loved ones. Trevor was a big hit for me in the way he searched for answers and wasn’t going to take no for an answer. This book is a good clean read that fans of Christian romantic suspense will not want to miss. Even though this is the second in the series it can be read without having picked up the first in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Havoc

Author: Ronie Kendig

Series: A Breed Apart Legacy #1

Publisher: Sunrise Publishing

Release Date: October 17, 2023

Ronie Kendig has blown it away with Havoc! She quickly pulls readers into the story with strong characters, both with two legs and four.

Crew Gatlin loved his time in the Army working with MWD, military working dogs, and training the stray, Havoc to be an MWD also. That is until a landmine cost him a leg and the rest of his time in the military. After rehab, he takes a job with A Breed Apart, which helps reunite him with Havoc who he thought he would never see again. Their first assignment for the company is to work as a K-9 team on a television drama. Crew wants nothing to do with the show or those involved in it, but he takes the assignment and is quickly taken in by the main stuntwoman for the show, Vienna Foxcroft. Foxcroft has a history in entertainment with her mom being a famous movie star and her father involved in politics. She has wanted to be involved in acting but not the star, so her past with MMA gives her the opportunity to do just that. When she gets her first look at Crew and Havoc, she immediately knows her life is about to get complicated. As the cast and crew head overseas for part of the shoot, things get intense when they come under attack and Crew and Havoc are put the test to try and save the woman he has just met but is already head over heels for.

Ronie Kendig has written another fantastic military thriller. I read this one without realizing it went along with a previous serious and have now added that series to my to-be-read pile. I immediately fell in love with both Crew and Havoc the second they came on the page. The connection Crew had with his four-legged friend pulled at the heartstrings and even though Havoc is a dog, the way he is written made me fall in love with him too. Ronie Kendig is a fantastic author in writing books that are very deep and full of authentic writing. Her love for military working dogs is well known and the way she writes these animals into the story makes it easy for the writer to forget they are reading about a four-legged hero and not a human. The story is a super fast read, I couldn’t put it down until I finished, and I was left thinking about the story long after the last page. I recommend this book to those that love action, suspense and a great touch of romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Counter Attack

Author: Patricia Bradley

Series: Pear River #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: May 16, 2023

One of Patricia Bradley’s best books yet and a great start to her newest series!

Alexis Stone moves back to be with her grandparents in Tennessee after being wounded trying to catch the Queen’s Gambit Killer. She is only there a short time when her grandfather asks her to become the interim sheriff while he recovers from heart surgery. The Queen’s Gambit killer follows Alexis to Pearl Springs, and she is going to have to fight harder than ever in order to stop him. She has help from Nathan Landry, her high school sweetheart she hasn’t seen in years. Together they must work to stop the killer and see if the feelings they once had for each other are still there.

This book was very good but also predictable, I was able to figure out the twist long before it was revealed. So many romantic suspense books are the same, still enjoyable but predictable. Patricia Bradley is great at writing clean romantic suspense that many will enjoy. This series started out great and I enjoyed the interactions between Alexis and Nathan even if their romance was a little rushed. The small-town Tennessee setting was great and when the serial killer followed her it did bring the story up another notch. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a clean well written romantic suspense.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Countdown

Author: Lynette Eason

Series: Extreme Measures #4

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: August 1, 2023

The final book in the Extreme Measures series gives readers a fantastic ending to a fun and explosive series!

Raina Price has been working as a flight paramedic as she tries to run from her past. She changed her name and left everyone she loved to try and keep them safe. She had spent time in juvie and met several friends who she now works with and would do anything to help her. Raina loves to help people but is always looking over her shoulder for the stalker that almost took her life. US Marshal Vincent Corelli ends up helping Raina through a strange turn of events and quickly falls for her and promises to do anything and everything he can to keep her safe. She tells him about her past and together they work to solve the mystery of who is after her and stop them from hurting anyone else.

The Extreme Measures series from Lynette Eason is one of her very best, the writing is superb and the way the characters find themselves in danger and work through it will suck readers in. The suspense and danger the characters found themselves in was top notch, the romance aspect flowed beautifully, and I felt completely connected with the characters and what they were going through. I often find myself bored with romantic suspense and the way the stories can all end up the same, but Lynette Eason is an exception to this because her writing is so well done and the way she puts these characters in situations that make the reader care for them but also finds the reader on the edge of their seat is amazing. This was a fantastic edition to the series, and I am sad to see it come to an end. I recommend this to readers of romantic suspense, even though it is the fourth in the series it could be read as a standalone.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Cold Pursuit

Author: Nancy Mehl

Series: Ryland & St. Clair #1

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: July 11, 2023

A great romantic suspense that is clean, action packed, and as chilling as it is thrilling!

River Ryland can’t get over the case that went wrong and left her with PTSD. After leaving the FBI, she moves to be near her mother who has dementia and her partner, Tony, comes with her to open a private investigation firm. The local sheriff sends them a grieving mother who wants answers for what happened to her son who disappeared years ago. River and Tony know they have to help this mother find closure even with the case being cold. The more they investigate the case, the more danger they find themselves in with a murderer not wanting anyone to find out their secrets.

Nancy Mehl starts her new series off with a bang! This series is looking to be a great one if the next follow the path of this one. River was a great main character, the dynamic she had with her mother really hit me and made me feel for her. She dealt with so much and had to be strong for her mother and now the new client they are trying to help. Seeing her vulnerable with her mother really made her a better character and I loved the way that aspect of the story was written. This book follows the same formula as most romantic suspense stories but still a very enjoyable read. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy clean romantic suspense reads.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Alligator Alley

Author: Mike Lawson

Series: A Joe DeMarco Thriller #16

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press

Release Date: February 7, 2023

A thriller very different than most I have read recently with some dark humor and fun twists that readers will love!

Joe DeMarco is a problem solver and when a young woman working in the Inspector General’s office is found murdered in the Florida Everglades Joe is called in to help. He gets help from one of his favorites, Emma, a retired spy with all the connections they could need to solve the murder in Alligator Alley. It doesn’t take them long to come up with suspects but what they aren’t prepared for is the suspects are FBI agents. With each new clue, they find themselves in the middle of a dark and twisted scheme that goes deeper than they could have expected.

I picked this one up after seeing it recommended by one of my favorite authors hoping to find a new series to enjoy. I’m not going to say I didn’t enjoy it, but I don’t know if I will be getting anymore of the series. The characters were good, not great; the suspense better than expected, the outcome interesting but not enough to continue on with the series. If you are looking for a quick easy read without much thinking this is a good one to pick up. If you are wanting a deep series that you can have characters that grow and change and really go deeper and will keep you thinking, this didn’t do it for me. I enjoyed what I read but not enough to recommend highly to others.

Blind Trust

Author: Natalie Walters

Series: The SNAP Agency #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: April 11, 2023

A fast-paced, suspense filled conclusion to a great series.

Lyla Fox has worked at the SNAP Agency for a long time and is known to be a bit impulsive. Her impulsive nature causes her to go full throttle when a man she put away starts sending her threats. To stay safe and stop the threats, Lyla must accept help from Nicolas Garcia. She and Nicolas have a history and her lack of concern for her safety is an issue for Nicolas, making the case even harder for both of them.

Natalie Walters does a fantastic job of wrapping up the SNAP Agency series with a bang! I loved reading about Lyla and Nicolas after getting snippets of them in the first books. All the characters in this series are great and the way they all come together to help each other made me care for each of them. The romantic tension between these two characters was spot on; I felt for them from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to see them have a happy ending.

One of the best aspects of this book was the pacing, not once did I feel bored with the storyline or find myself not wanting to continue with the story. The danger that Lyla found herself in put me on edge, but she never played the victim or waited around for someone to come and rescue her, she stayed strong and that made me love her even more. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy romantic suspense and have enjoyed the first two books in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Out of the Ashes

Author: Kara Thomas

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: May 1, 2023

Out of the Ashes is the epitome of a slow-burn suspense thriller! So much tension drives this story, giving readers a great book!

When Samantha Newsom was only thirteen years old, her family was murdered, and the only thing left of her home was ashes. The investigation into what happened to he family was not handled well and when she returns over twenty years later she is quickly pulled back into all the tragedy she tried to leave behind. Rumors surface that Samantha’s baby sister may still be alive surface, along with other secrets, leading Travis Mecham to investigate the case. The little town Samantha grew up in is no longer a safe place; with every secret she uncovers, the danger increases and this time she might not make it out alive!

Out of the Ashes was a true slow burn thriller that was a quick read and very enjoyable. The only downfall I would say is it’s not very memorable, after reading it and leaving it for a awhile I don’t have much that I remember about the story other than it being a good quick read. For some though that is a good thing, a quick enjoyable read that doesn’t take a lot of mental energy. The characters were enjoyable to read about, and just when I thought I knew who the killer was, there was another twist and turn. For readers that enjoy a good thriller, this is one not to be missed!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.