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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Desolation Canyon by P. J. Tracy
LAPD Homicide Detective Maggie Nolan is still struggling with the death of her brother. Without the support of her family, she finds the grief to be overwhelming. On one of her days off, she goes out for drinks with a colleague at the Hotel Bel Air Bar. A colleague, a colleague she knows she shouldn't be attracted to. While walking the grounds, they find the body of a successful attorney. At first, it seems like a straightforward case of misadventure, but this case is nothing it seems to be.
Will Maggie be able to find the truth without destroying herself and everyone she loves?
This was a very well-written novel. The descriptions were very graphic and made for a great understanding of the world around Maggie! The building of suspense will have everyone sitting at the end of their seats! Just a splendid book all the way around!
This book is like a roller coaster ride! Slow at the beginning to give you the structure! The speed builds you get into what is really going on and the action! At the end that sudden stop you get at the end of the ride and that rush you feel is the end of the book! The building climax to the end is great!
There's a lot of action twists and turns and it comes together perfectly at the end! You guys are going to love this book! Happy reading everyone!
This book is like a roller coaster ride! Slow at the beginning to give you the structure! The speed builds you get into what is really going on and the action! At the end that sudden stop you get at the end of the ride and that rush you feel is the end of the book! The building climax to the end is great! There's a lot of action twists and turns and it comes together perfectly at the end! You guys are going to love this book! Happy reading everyone!
This book is like a roller coaster ride! Slow in the beginning to give you the structure! The speed builds you get into what is really going on and the action! At the end that sudden stop you get at the end of the ride and that rush you feel is the end of the book! The building climax to the end is great! There's a lot of action twists and turns and it comes together perfectly at the end! You guys are going to love this book! Happy reading everyone!
LAPD Homicide Detective Maggie Nolan is still struggling with the death of her brother. Without the support of her family, she finds the grief to be overwhelming. On one of her days off, she goes out for drinks with a colleague at the Hotel Bel Air Bar. A colleague, a colleague she knows she shouldn't be attracted to. While walking the grounds, they find the body of a successful attorney. At first, it seems like a straightforward case of misadventure, but this case is nothing it seems to be.
Will Maggie be able to find the truth without destroying herself and everyone she loves?
This was a very well-written novel. The descriptions were very graphic and made for a great understanding of the world around Maggie! The building of suspense will have everyone sitting at the end of their seats! Just a splendid book all the way around!
This book is like a roller coaster ride! Slow at the beginning to give you the structure! The speed builds you get into what is really going on and the action! At the end that sudden stop you get at the end of the ride and that rush you feel is the end of the book! The building climax to the end is great!
There's a lot of action twists and turns and it comes together perfectly at the end! You guys are going to love this book! Happy reading everyone!
This book is like a roller coaster ride! Slow at the beginning to give you the structure! The speed builds you get into what is really going on and the action! At the end that sudden stop you get at the end of the ride and that rush you feel is the end of the book! The building climax to the end is great! There's a lot of action twists and turns and it comes together perfectly at the end! You guys are going to love this book! Happy reading everyone!
This book is like a roller coaster ride! Slow in the beginning to give you the structure! The speed builds you get into what is really going on and the action! At the end that sudden stop you get at the end of the ride and that rush you feel is the end of the book! The building climax to the end is great! There's a lot of action twists and turns and it comes together perfectly at the end! You guys are going to love this book! Happy reading everyone!
Each time I read a new PJ Tracy book I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I love it, because I keep thinking each one can’t possibly be better than the last! But they are each and every time. I like the plot, the characters, the twist in the addition of Remys family as well as the connection between Father Paul and the missing child case. It was exactly what I needed in a good mystery/thriller storyline and of course you cannot help but LOVE Sam Easton! I like Nolan, but I LOVE Sam, and I would love to see more and more development of both characters in each new story!
The second book in the Margaret Nolan series was fast paced and suspenseful. I liked that Sam, Remy and Crawford were big parts of this book. I look forward to the next book and seeing where these characters relationships go and what mystery they will tackle next. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.
★★★★
This second installment in the series finds Detective Maggie Nolan investigating the unusual death of a man found in Swan Lake, the pond at the exclusive Bel-Air hotel. Interestingly, it is Maggie herself who finds the body after finally deciding to have a cocktail with her homicide colleague, Remy Boudreau. The initial assumption is suicide but soon, it is revealed to be death by poisoning - and not just any poison.......nerve gas.
At the same time, Sam Easton (my favourite character from the first novel) is embroiled in a different mystery. Sam's friend Lenny, has helped Marielle and her daughter escape from a health retreat called Children of the Dessert. When they disappear from Lenny's boat and there are obvious signs of foul play, Sam and Lenny start out to try and find them.
P.J. Tracy again does a wonderful job of bringing together an interesting cast of characters who are all drawn, unknowingly at first, into the same complex mystery. Once again it is Tracy's ability to weave together numerous sub-plots in ways that are easy to follow but still complex enough to keep the reader engaged in trying to figure out how they all fit. Along with the mystery of the poisoned man and the missing/abducted mother and child, we find out that Remy has a long-lost sister that he has been trying to locate for years, Maggie's mother decides to work through her grief over the loss of Maggie's brother in Afghanistan by attending healing classes at the Children of the Dessert retreat (yikes!) and, an unsolved child abduction from years ago becomes relevant again.
What I enjoy about all of P.J. Tracy's books is her ability to bring together all of these characters and all of these sub-plots into an engaging mystery that effortlessly pulls you through the story.
I recommend to readers who like police procedurals with a slight twist in that the police work with civilians who have specialized skills that add value to the investigation.
This second installment in the series finds Detective Maggie Nolan investigating the unusual death of a man found in Swan Lake, the pond at the exclusive Bel-Air hotel. Interestingly, it is Maggie herself who finds the body after finally deciding to have a cocktail with her homicide colleague, Remy Boudreau. The initial assumption is suicide but soon, it is revealed to be death by poisoning - and not just any poison.......nerve gas.
At the same time, Sam Easton (my favourite character from the first novel) is embroiled in a different mystery. Sam's friend Lenny, has helped Marielle and her daughter escape from a health retreat called Children of the Dessert. When they disappear from Lenny's boat and there are obvious signs of foul play, Sam and Lenny start out to try and find them.
P.J. Tracy again does a wonderful job of bringing together an interesting cast of characters who are all drawn, unknowingly at first, into the same complex mystery. Once again it is Tracy's ability to weave together numerous sub-plots in ways that are easy to follow but still complex enough to keep the reader engaged in trying to figure out how they all fit. Along with the mystery of the poisoned man and the missing/abducted mother and child, we find out that Remy has a long-lost sister that he has been trying to locate for years, Maggie's mother decides to work through her grief over the loss of Maggie's brother in Afghanistan by attending healing classes at the Children of the Dessert retreat (yikes!) and, an unsolved child abduction from years ago becomes relevant again.
What I enjoy about all of P.J. Tracy's books is her ability to bring together all of these characters and all of these sub-plots into an engaging mystery that effortlessly pulls you through the story.
I recommend to readers who like police procedurals with a slight twist in that the police work with civilians who have specialized skills that add value to the investigation.
In Desolation Canyon, P. J. Tracy returns to L.A. and Detective Margaret Nolan in her follow up to the series debut, Deep into the Dark.
Part police-procedural and part thriller, this sequel’s success is in the return of Sam Easton’s character, the short, compelling chapters, the even pace, and the suspense created as the author moves to mesh the sub-plots.
I’ll admit to being lost many times as I struggled with a lack of context clues, and then really disappointed with the bad language. This, mixed with a plot featuring too many coincidences made for an unbelievable story line. Despite these challenges, this was still a good read.
The author miraculously and seamlessly ties together the three subplots. In one, Detective Nolan investigates the death of a successful lawyer found dead in Swan Lake on the grounds of Hotel Bel-Air. In another, Sam becomes involved in helping his friend, Lenny, rescue a woman and her daughter who’ve escaped from a cult only to find themselves in danger again. In the third plot, Maggie’s mom is seeking solace and healing at a retreat in Desolation Canyon and it worries her daughter once she discovers that her cases are linked. I wasn't sure if Tracy would be able to pull it off with so many characters, so many subplots, and so many unbelievable coincidences, but she did. That speaks to her writing ability.
Tracy creates an intense read involving mafia, child trafficking, murders, and a cult and keeps readers at bay with her twists.
I was gifted this advance copy by P.J. Tracy, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Part police-procedural and part thriller, this sequel’s success is in the return of Sam Easton’s character, the short, compelling chapters, the even pace, and the suspense created as the author moves to mesh the sub-plots.
I’ll admit to being lost many times as I struggled with a lack of context clues, and then really disappointed with the bad language. This, mixed with a plot featuring too many coincidences made for an unbelievable story line. Despite these challenges, this was still a good read.
The author miraculously and seamlessly ties together the three subplots. In one, Detective Nolan investigates the death of a successful lawyer found dead in Swan Lake on the grounds of Hotel Bel-Air. In another, Sam becomes involved in helping his friend, Lenny, rescue a woman and her daughter who’ve escaped from a cult only to find themselves in danger again. In the third plot, Maggie’s mom is seeking solace and healing at a retreat in Desolation Canyon and it worries her daughter once she discovers that her cases are linked. I wasn't sure if Tracy would be able to pull it off with so many characters, so many subplots, and so many unbelievable coincidences, but she did. That speaks to her writing ability.
Tracy creates an intense read involving mafia, child trafficking, murders, and a cult and keeps readers at bay with her twists.
I was gifted this advance copy by P.J. Tracy, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
I love this series. Cannot wait for the next.
Though I found out I had missed the last two Monkeewrench books so I have those to look forward to in the meantime!
Though I found out I had missed the last two Monkeewrench books so I have those to look forward to in the meantime!
3.5
VERY slow start but a good finish. Quite a few characters to keep track of. It seemed like the “main” character was not really the only or most interesting main character.
VERY slow start but a good finish. Quite a few characters to keep track of. It seemed like the “main” character was not really the only or most interesting main character.
3 stars
The second instalment featuring LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan. This time around we have a bit of everything going on. Russian criminals, hidden identities, kidnappers and, of course, murders.
The case gets close to home when family members of both Margret and Sam are in real danger being to close to the criminal mind and hands.
I felt like the narrator took away something from this book. More than once I felt like not finishing the book because I didn't enjoy her voice and my mind kept drifting apart making it hard to concentrate on the story.
A nice mystery book with some good action.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this book!
The second instalment featuring LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan. This time around we have a bit of everything going on. Russian criminals, hidden identities, kidnappers and, of course, murders.
The case gets close to home when family members of both Margret and Sam are in real danger being to close to the criminal mind and hands.
I felt like the narrator took away something from this book. More than once I felt like not finishing the book because I didn't enjoy her voice and my mind kept drifting apart making it hard to concentrate on the story.
A nice mystery book with some good action.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this book!