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beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second book I have read in this series. I like Max. She can hold her own. This is a really good thing as it pretty much was Max that was the main focal character in this story. She held it all together and did a good job of putting all the clues together and solving the case of what happened to her mother.
As I stated, I have only read two books in this series. It was nice to get to know more about Max and her relationship with her grandmother and her mother. I think it did play a part in shaping her to become the woman she is today as well as help her to choose the profession she is in due to her mother leaving her as a little girl.
The only real downside I had with this book is that I felt like there was not a lot of intensity that came into play. In regards, to the storyline, it was pretty much just evenly toned. No, up or down. Yet, I do like this author's writing style. I do want to visit with Max again with reading other books in this series.
As I stated, I have only read two books in this series. It was nice to get to know more about Max and her relationship with her grandmother and her mother. I think it did play a part in shaping her to become the woman she is today as well as help her to choose the profession she is in due to her mother leaving her as a little girl.
The only real downside I had with this book is that I felt like there was not a lot of intensity that came into play. In regards, to the storyline, it was pretty much just evenly toned. No, up or down. Yet, I do like this author's writing style. I do want to visit with Max again with reading other books in this series.
laughlinesandliterature's review against another edition
4.0
This was out of left field for me. Obviously the last book set up where this was going, and I had figured out pretty early on the big secret that was clearly being hidden and obfuscated. That being said, I still really enjoyed it. I'm more worried about the next installments of the series, one of the draws is that Max travels around and so the settings change from book to book. I can't see how that would work anytime soon. Also, I'm a little disappointed in the romance. Not that I don't like it, because I do but I was hoping we'd get more of single fierce Max. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
adorabooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Ending seemed rushed. Some plot points were strange, but it was a nice quick read.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
The fifth installment in Allison Brennan's Max Revere series, Abandoned is an intriguing mystery about a cold case that is has haunted Max for nearly twenty-two years. This latest release can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend the previous novels in the series.
Investigative reporter Max Revere is taking time off from her cable show in order to concentrate on the cold case that she has never been able to crack: the inexplicable disappearance of her mother, Martha Revere. When Max was nine years old, Martha left her daughter with her grandparents and took off for parts unknown with her boyfriend, Jimmy Truman. Over the next six years, Max received a handful of postcards from Martha, but after her sixteenth birthday, she never heard from her mother again. With new information that puts Martha in a seaside town in Virginia around the time she stopped mailing postcards, Max makes finding out the truth about what happened to Martha a priority.
Max is rather tenacious as she tries to retrace Martha's footsteps. She is quite methodical as she questions anyone who has even the slightest connection to the case. She is very thorough as she researches the time period when Martha was known to be in town. Max tries to temper her usual blunt approach when she questions Jimmy's brother, Gabriel, but he rather forcefully shuts her down. After she discovers the FBI was looking into Jimmy, she teams up with FBI Agent Ryan Maguire to try to find out what happened to Martha and Jimmy who has vanished as well.
Unbeknownst to Max, her investigation is going to turn her life upside down. She has no idea what Jimmy and Martha were mixed up in, but readers get a front seat to their activities through a series of enlightening flashbacks. Max's quest for answers sets in motion an unstoppable chain of events that will ultimately put Max and several other people in grave danger.
Abandoned is an evenly paced mystery with an interesting storyline and a cast of memorable characters. Max slowly but surely pieces together much of her missing mother's life but will she find out for sure what happened to Martha? With stunning twists and shocking revelations, Allison Brennan brings the novel to an edge of the seat, dramatic conclusion. This newest addition is sure to be a hit with old and new fans of the Max Revere series.
Investigative reporter Max Revere is taking time off from her cable show in order to concentrate on the cold case that she has never been able to crack: the inexplicable disappearance of her mother, Martha Revere. When Max was nine years old, Martha left her daughter with her grandparents and took off for parts unknown with her boyfriend, Jimmy Truman. Over the next six years, Max received a handful of postcards from Martha, but after her sixteenth birthday, she never heard from her mother again. With new information that puts Martha in a seaside town in Virginia around the time she stopped mailing postcards, Max makes finding out the truth about what happened to Martha a priority.
Max is rather tenacious as she tries to retrace Martha's footsteps. She is quite methodical as she questions anyone who has even the slightest connection to the case. She is very thorough as she researches the time period when Martha was known to be in town. Max tries to temper her usual blunt approach when she questions Jimmy's brother, Gabriel, but he rather forcefully shuts her down. After she discovers the FBI was looking into Jimmy, she teams up with FBI Agent Ryan Maguire to try to find out what happened to Martha and Jimmy who has vanished as well.
Unbeknownst to Max, her investigation is going to turn her life upside down. She has no idea what Jimmy and Martha were mixed up in, but readers get a front seat to their activities through a series of enlightening flashbacks. Max's quest for answers sets in motion an unstoppable chain of events that will ultimately put Max and several other people in grave danger.
Abandoned is an evenly paced mystery with an interesting storyline and a cast of memorable characters. Max slowly but surely pieces together much of her missing mother's life but will she find out for sure what happened to Martha? With stunning twists and shocking revelations, Allison Brennan brings the novel to an edge of the seat, dramatic conclusion. This newest addition is sure to be a hit with old and new fans of the Max Revere series.
nikkihrose's review against another edition
5.0
While the fifth book of the Maxine Revere / Maximum Exposure series, this book holds its own without needing the others to stand before it. Brennan manages to develop her characters, suspend readers on the edges of their seats, and create a masterful plot that cannot be predicted from the beginning. Definitely a murder mystery novel, Abandoned also manages to weave together family drama, hidden secrets, and an unexpected love story that not even the characters expect to develop. Max Revere, an investigative reporter, manages to distance herself from an ongoing and personal cold case in order to find answers about her long, lost mother — answers that everyone else tells her don’t exist and that she should just stop looking for. Never someone to back down from a challenge, Max travels to a the town her mother disappeared in sixteen years ago, and turns the entire town upside down until she manages to shake out a truth she didn’t even know existed.
cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
4.0
Cold case investigative reporter Maxine Revere was nine years old when her mother Martha left her in the care of her grandmother and left town with her boyfriend. Twenty-two years later, Max puts her job on hold to use her resources to investigate her own case and find out what really happened to her presumed-dead mother.
I have enjoyed all of the prior books in this series and wasn't sure I'd like this one as well since Max isn't doing a show but instead investigating a case for her own knowledge. However, I really enjoyed it and Max still has plenty of investigating to do to try to better understand her mother and find out if she really was murdered. Most of the book is from Max's point of view, but there are some scenes taking place in the past from the point of view of Martha. Flashbacks like this can sometimes be distracting, but seeing the past through Martha's eyes were insightful and made the book more interesting.
Max is a strong character used to taking care of herself and this book makes it clear she had to learn to do so at a young age and makes her even more likable. She never gives up when helping others and this time, she was able to help herself, too, in getting more information about her complicated mother. The book is fast-paced and I was surprised by the unexpected developments in Max's personal life that come about during the investigation. I look forward to seeing how things progress in future books. On a side note, I don't read the author's Lucy Kincaid series, but those who do will be happy with the cameos that PI Sean Rogan and Forensic Psychiatrist Dillon Kincaid play in the book.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
I have enjoyed all of the prior books in this series and wasn't sure I'd like this one as well since Max isn't doing a show but instead investigating a case for her own knowledge. However, I really enjoyed it and Max still has plenty of investigating to do to try to better understand her mother and find out if she really was murdered. Most of the book is from Max's point of view, but there are some scenes taking place in the past from the point of view of Martha. Flashbacks like this can sometimes be distracting, but seeing the past through Martha's eyes were insightful and made the book more interesting.
Max is a strong character used to taking care of herself and this book makes it clear she had to learn to do so at a young age and makes her even more likable. She never gives up when helping others and this time, she was able to help herself, too, in getting more information about her complicated mother. The book is fast-paced and I was surprised by the unexpected developments in Max's personal life that come about during the investigation. I look forward to seeing how things progress in future books. On a side note, I don't read the author's Lucy Kincaid series, but those who do will be happy with the cameos that PI Sean Rogan and Forensic Psychiatrist Dillon Kincaid play in the book.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
kle105's review against another edition
5.0
This has to be my favorite one in this series. I love that Max finally gets to find out about her Mother, even when it was really hard to learn the truth. I think having the backstory and history of this series was important as you can feel how important and determined Max is to finally discover the truth.
I liked the addition of Ryan the FBI agent also investigating some missing artwork and end up in the middle of Max's investigation. I like that their chemistry wasn't instant and they sparred quite a bit at the beginning.
How long do I have to wait for the next book????
I liked the addition of Ryan the FBI agent also investigating some missing artwork and end up in the middle of Max's investigation. I like that their chemistry wasn't instant and they sparred quite a bit at the beginning.
How long do I have to wait for the next book????
janislynne78's review against another edition
4.0
This was the first book I've ever read by this author, and I enjoyed it. I dislike that I didn't realize that it was #5 in the series, but by the time I realized it, I was too invested in the story to quit. I really liked the protagonist, Max Revere, and plan to read the other books in the series. Just a good mystery/thriller type book.
colls's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up at the airport because my eReader wouldn't turn on or hold a charge. It said nothing on the cover or inside the first couple pages about it being part of a series, so I took a chance. Good thing I'm not a gambler because this is fifth in a series. :/
It felt a bit like we were supposed to know who Max was and about her past cases, so by the time I confirmed it was #5 I wasn't surprised. Overall it was engaging enough for a flight, but my annoyance at the way publishers leave off series info on paperbacks in hopes people like me will purchase it anyway has soured me on the entire thing. Will purchase a stack of magazines instead next time my eReader decides to die on a trip.
It felt a bit like we were supposed to know who Max was and about her past cases, so by the time I confirmed it was #5 I wasn't surprised. Overall it was engaging enough for a flight, but my annoyance at the way publishers leave off series info on paperbacks in hopes people like me will purchase it anyway has soured me on the entire thing. Will purchase a stack of magazines instead next time my eReader decides to die on a trip.