Tag: investigation

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#BookReview: Don’t Say A Word by Allison Brennan

Solid Second Stage. The easiest way to describe this series, for those who haven’t read the first book, is to imagine the TV show Blue Bloods… but instead the family is Hispanic and lives in Phoenix. If you’re even vaguely familiar with that show (and to be clear, I’ve never watched a single episode of it, just seen several ads and a few clips over the years), that gives you a reasonably solid idea of what to expect in general with this series.

In this installment in particular, we get what appears at first glance to be just an accidental overdose… except, well, it comes to the Angelharts’ attention and Margot in particular smells a rat.

Over the course of 400+ pages, Brennan never really lets the story drag at all. There is enough mystery and danger here to carry the tension, and enough familial interaction to give the tale depth, heart, and even a touch of humor at times.

This noted, the 21 Jump Street (both movie and, at least according to my understanding – the show came out when I was still a young kid – the show) parallels are so obvious here in this particular mystery that Brennan actively leans into them, openly having her characters talk about the show at a point or two.

Overall this really is a solid second outing for these characters, and it will be interesting to see what Brennan comes up with for them next.

Very much recommended.

This review of Don’t Say A Word by Allison Brennan was originally written on September 15, 2025.

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#BookReview: The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia

Solid Book Three Is So Different From Others In Series That It Can Serve As An Introduction. This book is very different than most third books in a series in that it is *so very different* from the first two that if two of the main characters didn’t also appear in the prior books, you would almost say these books weren’t in the same universe at all.

And yet, the book still absolutely works – and even works as a way of a more “real world” type introduction to these characters before you dive into the more paranormal-ish realism of the prior two books. Apparently several other Advance Review Copy readers didn’t realize this was Book 3 of the series – a series I’ve been reading since the beginning, though with on average 200 ish books read between reading installments of this series, even as I’ve read them all as Advance Review Copies myself – and they all claim that this book works well as a standalone, so there’s that perspective as well. 🙂

Overall, even with the toned down paranormal aspects here – and perhaps *because of* the toned-down paranormal aspects here, Mejia has crafted a particularly compelling missing person/ found family thriller that doesn’t bend your mind the way the prior two books do… but perhaps makes your pulse pound that much harder because of it. Particularly through one sequence late in the text, my own heart was racing enough that I actually glanced at my smart watch to make sure I was actually fine and didn’t need to call 911. Seriously.

In the end, truly a creative and compelling third book in the series that leaves open the possibility for more books without explicitly setting anything up, it will be interesting to see where Mejia chooses to go from here.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia was originally written on September 15, 2025.

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#BookReview: Now And Then by Kay Bratt

A Living Example Of “If It Sells”. This is yet another solid entry into this now long-ish series, but again one that you really need to read at minimum the book immediately prior to it, as some of the situations we find ourselves in within these pages were set up in that prior book. (And if I remember correctly, I said the same thing about *that* book…) Best advice… if you are new to this series, just start at the beginning. If you like that one, know that the entire series (to date, at minimum) is very much like it in overall style and tone, so if you like that one… congratulations, you’ve now got 12 more books (and counting, but we’ll get to that) to read!

Long time fans… well, it is already official on the book trackers: Book 14 is in fact coming, and is in fact set up in *this* book. (So the next review will *also* note “well, some of the things here were set up there…” 😉 )

And that gets to the title of the review, which I do want to briefly discuss here. This is a series that Bratt outright said she only intended to go for a few books or so. I don’t remember the exact number, but it was around half or less of what we now have. Then at least once and maybe twice, she also noted she was thinking of ending the series. But damn it, the books keep selling, and Bratt has a lot of very good uses for the money, including her growing family (her youngest daughter being about to give her a new grandbaby any day now as I write this review) and her long time animal rescue work.

I for one am in no way complaining, as this series in particular *just works*. The crimes are all too real, mostly because they’re all based on actual, real world crimes that Bratt has heard of and fictionalized. The family at the heart of the series is all too real, particularly for its region, and is in a near perfect sweet spot such that it is relatable for nearly everyone. The romance is that softly understated nature that works so comfortably, the cursing is rare if ever, the “spice” is about as hot as a warm glass of milk (sorry, carolina reaper lovers), and even the parts where you begin to go “did she *really* have to add *that* in” work out to be pretty evenly balanced. *Everyone* has flaws, and most everyone are just trying to live their lives as best they can. This isn’t Mayberry… but it could easily be a slightly more real, 2020s era facsimile. And hell, sometimes we need Mayberry. I’ve long said I would prefer Sheriff Andy to Judge Dredd any day. 😉

Very much recommended.

This review of Now And Then by Kay Bratt was originally written on July 24, 2025.

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#BookReview: A World Of Hurt by Mindy Mejia

Fast Paced Action Thriller Featuring Atypical Hero – Yet Set During “Real”-World Collapse. Straight up: This would have *easily* been a 5* book for me had it been set in literally any period of human history *other than* 2020 – 2022… unfortunately, where it as actually set. Kara is awesome as a non-straight (it is never made clear in *this* text exactly what her sexuality is, though it may have been clarified in the preceding book, To Catch A Storm, which I read 20 months and 300+ books ago) badass with a certain condition that Mejia works with well to show its uses and detriments. Max is excellent as the more by-the-book cop just trying to do his best to do his job and get back to his wife and son, particularly during the period the book is set in. Together (and separately), they’re going to find themselves in some pretty cool to watch action sequences that would get most of us real dead, real fast in real life. But ultimately, that is exactly what you’re coming into a book like this for – escapist action of a near cinematic quality, and other than the time period this is set in (which, to Mejia’s both benefit and detriment, she *does* show all too realistically and all too well), this book *is* that very action first with solid backstory and drama kind of tale that is generally so pleasing to read.

So for those of you who can withstand a book set entirely within the COVID lockdown period… this is one of the best books I’ve seen written telling a story within that period. But for those of us who – for whatever reason – *don’t* want to read a story set in that period… unfortunately you’re going to miss out on a truly fun, kick ass book unless you can overcome that particular mental objection.

Very much recommended.

This review of A World Of Hurt by Mindy Mejia was originally written on August 19, 2024.

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#BookReview: Follow Her Down by Victoria Helen Stone

Moving Thriller Set Against Family Trauma. There are times when you find a thriller tale that has genuine heart, when a book that is supposedly intended to make your heart beat faster also manages to make the room quite dusty at times. This is one of those tales.

There is quite a bit to unpack about this story, but to reveal the things that truly make it as powerful as it is could delve too far into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that the setup itself is done well – we are many years after a massive trauma for a family and even their small community, and the trauma reverberates to this day in many different ways. Stone manages to craft a story that is pitch perfect thriller – more bodies are piling up *now*, and it seems they may be connected to the original trauma, at least if some people are to be believed. It is the way she goes about executing this story, exploring the various internal dynamics within our main character and the larger dynamics within her family and community, that give this book its heart and its soul.

Overall a strong tale, though perhaps not *so* atypical as to be heads and shoulders standing above others of its form and genre. Still, for those that enjoy this type of tale – or even those open to exploring if they like this type of tale – this is certainly a strong entry within the space, and a worthy read indeed.

Very much recommended.

This review of Follow Her Down by Victoria Helen Stone was originally written on June 5, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Innocent Angels by Alison Belsham

Another (Mostly) Solid Entry In Series. This was a solid entry in the series for the most part, though perhaps it did have a touch of pacing issues. And yet I’ve struggled for nearly a week now to come up with words to put “on paper” about my experience with the book. Perhaps that is more on me though, as I really do think I’m reaching the limits of my own “hyper reading” abilities as new/ more pressing interests and needs come to bear in my life.

The book itself was intriguing in so many ways. The manner of murder, the placement, the investigation… and the personal, for the team. Specifically, I actually particularly enjoyed how an injury Lexi suffers at the beginning of the tale is worked throughout this story and isn’t just some random detail to make her “more relatable” – although it certainly does, to anyone who has ever trained for and ran a half marathon themselves. (Though to be clear, I managed to run 2 of them – separated by several months – completely injury free, back in my own running days. But getting injured during training or racing is actually a very common thing that I simply managed to be lucky enough to avoid.)

There were enough callbacks to the earlier books here to link it in series without being a spoilerfest for those books, so readers new to the series actually *could* enter it here – but I still recommend going back to Book 1 and entering the series there. On the other end, there wasn’t any real sense of continuation *needed* by the reader, so while I hope this series continues, it also wouldn’t feel incomplete if it ended as a trilogy. Still, here’s hoping we get many more books here, as I really do like the writing style and characterizations.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Innocent Angels by Alison Belsham was originally written on November 15, 2023.

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#BookReview: The Girl’s Last Cry by Alison Belsham

Pulse Pounding Criminal Innovation. This is the book that cements the Lexi Bennett series as must read, as it starts off feeling a touch like a disaster flick – everything is normal-ish, except that someone has jumped from a tall building seemingly intentionally. Then the deeper into the story we get, we find an almost Kilgrave level villain (though to be clear – just a human, no superpowers)… and this is where the story *really* takes off, becoming ever more inventive, ever more cat and mouse almost perfect spy thriller type… except that this is a police procedural where murders are being investigated. The ending sequences are some of the most inventive and innovative of all, going particularly dark even. As in, I’m not sure even Preston and Child get *this* dark and twisted, even with Diogenese Pendergast. Which is high praise in that particular arena, because if you like that particular style… you *know* how good Preston and Child are there. Belsham here *may* have truly bested them. Seriously.

Ultimately, this is one of those tales that you’re going to need and light and funny comedy to bring back your mental balance from, and for those that struggle with suicidal ideation… perhaps not the book for you until you deal with those issues. Still, very much recommended.

This review of The Girl’s Last Cry by Alison Belsham was originally written on June 30, 2023.

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#BookReview: And Then There Was You by Nancy Naigle

Slow Burn Hallmarkie Southern Romance. This is another of those books that almost seems destined for the small screen on the Hallmark Channel or one of its newer competitors. But here, the romance is *very* slow burn, taking nearly all of this books 350 or so pages to finally get the couple together – and even then, they barely kiss, much less anything else. So this is definetly more for the “sweet” and/ or “clean” crowd than the crowd that wants damn near erotica level sex in the first chapter. (You know what I mean, and you know who you are.) Cursing is next to non-existent here, and may even be completely non-existent – I certainly don’t remember any. Prayers, church attendance, mentions of God and Jesus… those are far more plentiful – and just as accurate to the Southern small mountain town setting as the broken families, abuse, and alcoholism that are also discussed, but which take place long before this book and are only discussed – not shown “on screen”.

Indeed, the bulk of the tale is a woman being conned… and then trying to re-establish her life after very nearly everything other than her breath is taken from her. Here, the book truly shines as the reader feels quite viscerally everything our lead is going through, as well as just how much the investigator assigned to her case wants to solve it for her. Naigle uses this structure to first get our lead to the point of being willing to move – and then to show the small town that will serve as the basis for the rest of this series (more on that momentarily) as an outsider would see it, for all its wonders and faults.

Really the only thing quite obviously missing here is an obvious second book, as this is listed as “number one” in a new series. As the series name is the same as the town name, clearly the town itself will be central to this series, and thus its establishment here is quite solid indeed. There’s just no real obvious “oh, this is who we’re tracking in the next book” set up. Or maybe I just missed it?

Overall a solid tale of its type, one that some will absolutely adore and others will find… the nearest window to throw it out of. Still, for what it is, truly a good tale, well told. Very much recommended.

This review of And Then There Was You by Nancy Naigle was originally written on June 8, 2023.

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#BookReview: Little Ghosts by Gregg Dunnett

Chilling Thriller With A Unique Take On Ghosts. Straight up, know that this book is about a child murder – if you can’t handle that, this isn’t the book for you. For those of you still here, Dunnett does a solid job of showing the aftereffects of an unsolved child murder on the family the child leaves behind, before transitioning into a cat and mouse game to try to stop the killer before he strikes again. These elements of the story are well done, but have been done time and time and time again… and again and again and again. To the point that there is an entire genre of these types of tales, and this tale is on par with its genre mates – if you like the genre, you’re probably going to like this one, and vice versa.

What sets this book apart, really, is its take oh ghosts – how they present, what abilities they have, what they know, etc. And here, Dunnett really does a remarkable job of showing how his particular brand of ghosts could work within the overall story being told here. Overall a truly entertaining book with an intriguing take on ghosts. Very much recommended.

This review of Little Ghosts by Gregg Dunnett was originally written on May 9, 2023.

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#BookReview: Retribution by Robert McCaw

Propulsive And Explosive. This is one of those books where every challenge only leads to a more difficult challenge – and the challenges don’t start easy for our hardened and capable yet flawed hero. As the stakes rise ever higher, attacking everyone Koa Kane loves, can he save… anyone? Even himself? Well, this is an action book seemingly in the middle of an already successful series. So he’s going to save people, that’s what heroes do in these types of books. But McCaw grounds these books in a fair amount of realism as well, and therefore… well, some may die. Or may not. You’ll have to read the tale to see what happens. 😀 But that ending, setting up an explosive confrontation with a foe Kane thought conclusively dealt with… yeeah… I’m absolutely looking forward to seeing where McCaw takes this series next. Very much recommended.

This review of Retribution by Robert McCaw was originally written on January 1, 2023.