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jonetta's review against another edition
4.0
San Marcos Detective Allison Doyle has fought her way into the homicide unit and is still trying to prove herself. She views it as a setback when FBI Profiler Mark Wolfe has to save her hide during a convenience store robbery but gets a leg up when he leverages her to get a local task force started to catch a serial killer they never saw in their midst.
The case was extremely interesting and taxing, using many areas of the Delphi Center's forensic teams. I found this aspect of the story fascinating, learning more about crime analyses and the related techniques.
I also liked Mark Wolfe and thought his characterization was on target. Someone having to daily explore the minds of the sickest individuals on earth and confront the carnage they wreak would have to be a bit damaged over time and he's not immune. He's wonderfully crafted and I just wish his salvation would have been through a stronger person than Allison Doyle. She's aggressive and tenacious, which are her strengths here, but also prone to childish and risky behaviors to prove her mettle. Her insights into Mark rang hollow and not because of her age difference. Allison just lacked depth. Consequently, their romance fell flat for me.
I enjoyed the forensic aspects of this story as well as the puzzling case. It's a tough one to sink into to and that's a good thing. I just wish Allison had shown up as a stronger character.
The case was extremely interesting and taxing, using many areas of the Delphi Center's forensic teams. I found this aspect of the story fascinating, learning more about crime analyses and the related techniques.
I also liked Mark Wolfe and thought his characterization was on target. Someone having to daily explore the minds of the sickest individuals on earth and confront the carnage they wreak would have to be a bit damaged over time and he's not immune. He's wonderfully crafted and I just wish his salvation would have been through a stronger person than Allison Doyle. She's aggressive and tenacious, which are her strengths here, but also prone to childish and risky behaviors to prove her mettle. Her insights into Mark rang hollow and not because of her age difference. Allison just lacked depth. Consequently, their romance fell flat for me.
I enjoyed the forensic aspects of this story as well as the puzzling case. It's a tough one to sink into to and that's a good thing. I just wish Allison had shown up as a stronger character.
bananatricky's review against another edition
3.0
FBI profiler Mark Wolfe thinks a murder in Texas may be linked to a serial killer he has been tracking for over 10 years.
Rookie Detective Allison Doyle is keen to progress and wants to learn from the FBI profiler, especially after he saves her in a grocery store robbery.
Mark is 16 years older than Allison, he has a failed marriage and he has the classic angst about being married to the job, no good at relationships, will only hurt her, yadda yadda. He also gets off (metaphorically) a bit on the fact that this young, beautiful woman hangs on his every word and is his only ally in the police force - the rest of the detectives think the woman's boyfriend killed her.
Soon, using the Delphi Centre Mark and Allison have linked a whole load more murders to this UNSUB and are desperately trying to track him down before he kills again - apparently he kills twice a year - on 30 October and 19 November.
I enjoyed this fast moving story which is focussed almost entirely on the investigation. We see nothing whatsoever of the killer until the end and only a little of one of the victims right at the start. My only gripe (as I mentioned in my update) was that this killer was apparently sooo clever at hiding his online identity that the FBI had not been able to trace his email account IN 10 YEARS. So, first why not, apparently the Delphi Centre could do it in a matter of days, and secondly if it were true surely that would narrow the suspects down to a small handful of people? And really how tech-savvie could someone be who hadn't been online in a decade? It also didn't gel (IMO) with what we saw of the killer's home at the end of the book.
Otherwise, I liked this and I liked Allison (despite the occasional TSTL actions), Wolfe reminded me of Max Bhagat from Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series - maybe its just the older, jaded FBI agent and the younger woman story.
Rookie Detective Allison Doyle is keen to progress and wants to learn from the FBI profiler, especially after he saves her in a grocery store robbery.
Mark is 16 years older than Allison, he has a failed marriage and he has the classic angst about being married to the job, no good at relationships, will only hurt her, yadda yadda. He also gets off (metaphorically) a bit on the fact that this young, beautiful woman hangs on his every word and is his only ally in the police force - the rest of the detectives think the woman's boyfriend killed her.
Soon, using the Delphi Centre Mark and Allison have linked a whole load more murders to this UNSUB and are desperately trying to track him down before he kills again - apparently he kills twice a year - on 30 October and 19 November.
I enjoyed this fast moving story which is focussed almost entirely on the investigation. We see nothing whatsoever of the killer until the end and only a little of one of the victims right at the start. My only gripe (as I mentioned in my update) was that this killer was apparently sooo clever at hiding his online identity that the FBI had not been able to trace his email account IN 10 YEARS. So, first why not, apparently the Delphi Centre could do it in a matter of days, and secondly if it were true surely that would narrow the suspects down to a small handful of people? And really how tech-savvie could someone be who hadn't been online in a decade? It also didn't gel (IMO) with what we saw of the killer's home at the end of the book.
Otherwise, I liked this and I liked Allison (despite the occasional TSTL actions), Wolfe reminded me of Max Bhagat from Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series - maybe its just the older, jaded FBI agent and the younger woman story.
melwasul's review against another edition
4.0
*4.5/5*
Encore un excellent tome dans cette série. Je me régale à chaque fois, je suis embarquée, je me pose des questions et je m'attache énormément à tous ces héros. Hâte de lire le prochain tome sur Kelsey.
Du vrai romantic suspense comme je l'aime.
Encore un excellent tome dans cette série. Je me régale à chaque fois, je suis embarquée, je me pose des questions et je m'attache énormément à tous ces héros. Hâte de lire le prochain tome sur Kelsey.
Du vrai romantic suspense comme je l'aime.
melbsreads's review against another edition
3.0
Look, it was pretty predictable. I knew pretty much from the second I picked it up that the plucky lady detective and the FBI agent who lives for the job were going to fall in love while solving a murder. Just like I knew pretty much from the second I picked it up that .
That said, it was fast paced and full of action, so I'll probably keep an eye out for other books in the series in the future.
Spoiler
the plucky lady detective was going to end up being taken by the murderer and that the FBI agent who lives for the job was going to save her at the last minuteThat said, it was fast paced and full of action, so I'll probably keep an eye out for other books in the series in the future.
labraden's review against another edition
4.0
Mark Wolfe is a forty something jaded FBI agent that handles cases involving serial killers and child predators. One case has consumed him for over a decade, a serial killer in California killing women on the same dates each year over a period of several years. Now he suspects that the killer has moved to Texas and is preying on women there. When he arrives, he meets Allison Doyle who at 27 has fast tracked her way into the Crimes Against Persons Detective Unit because of her work on the recent shootings at a local college campus.
The first half of this book is excellent. We learn more and more about the serial killer due to the efforts of the local detectives and the Tracers from the Delphi Center. There are lots of twists and turns that amp up the suspense as more evidence is added, narrowing the suspect pool. Mark and Allison are clearly very different characters, so it is clear that even though they are attracted to one another, there are good reasons why they can't be together. The last part of the book suffers from a cliched damsel in distress scenario and some of the important clues are left hanging or are quickly dismissed, devaluing the excellent mystery developed earlier in the book, but overall, this is a very good entry in the Tracers Series which seems to improve with each new entry.
The first half of this book is excellent. We learn more and more about the serial killer due to the efforts of the local detectives and the Tracers from the Delphi Center. There are lots of twists and turns that amp up the suspense as more evidence is added, narrowing the suspect pool. Mark and Allison are clearly very different characters, so it is clear that even though they are attracted to one another, there are good reasons why they can't be together. The last part of the book suffers from a cliched damsel in distress scenario and some of the important clues are left hanging or are quickly dismissed, devaluing the excellent mystery developed earlier in the book, but overall, this is a very good entry in the Tracers Series which seems to improve with each new entry.
toobendy's review against another edition
4.0
I would like the male romantic lead not to be old enough to be the females father but the thriller was good. I love the whole world built in this series, I like changing leads each story but still seeing the old ones.
bookadventurer's review against another edition
3.0
Stayed up too late to finish this one. Guess it hit the spot.
I have been enjoying Laura Griffin's romantic suspense novels for a little while, now. I've read a few, and none of them have knocked my socks off, but they're great escapism for devouring.
I really enjoyed the dynamics between the two protagonists. The suspense is suspenseful, so a success there, too. Overall, this was a page-turner. Hence, the staying up too late. I need to get back to The Goblin Emperor, I seem to be able to get to sleep after reading that one.
I have been enjoying Laura Griffin's romantic suspense novels for a little while, now. I've read a few, and none of them have knocked my socks off, but they're great escapism for devouring.
I really enjoyed the dynamics between the two protagonists. The suspense is suspenseful, so a success there, too. Overall, this was a page-turner. Hence, the staying up too late. I need to get back to The Goblin Emperor, I seem to be able to get to sleep after reading that one.
pgchuis's review against another edition
4.0
Allison, the police officer from book 4, and Mark, an FBI profiler, hunt a serial killer of young women. For once, neither lead is concealing things from the other and so this was more of a straight procedural. Interesting and exciting, although a 16 year age gap does seem significant to me...
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