Reviews

This one starts off slow and I struggled to keep interested as Lauren King, intrepid entertainment writer for the Daily Sentinel bumbled about in the opening chapters. She traded barbs with the cold and professional Catherine Ayers and I thought this would be another down-on-her-luck country girl falls for glamorous former Bureau Chief romance novel. Cue the make out, break up, make up of a traditional romance.

Wow, was I wrong. Once these two reporters sniffed out something amiss in a room full of celebrities and Nevada hookers the story took off and I was drawn into the investigation. I was impressed with the author’s ability to build depth and tension into what initially seems like just an odd set of circumstances. It was a pleasure to watch the growing relationship between the two women as they dug through the clues and used any and all contacts to ferret out the truth. The witty dialogue was a nice balance to the increasing danger levels they faced. Their quirky collection of friends added another level of fun and complexity to the novel.

Best of both worlds, we get to enjoy a slow burn relationship along with a first rate investigative story that rivals anything the big name mainstream authors are marketing. Well done.

4.5 stars

ARC received from publisher via NetGalley for review.

wordsandfiction's review against another edition

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5.0

This is my fifth book by Lee Winter (!), and she leaves me speechless every time. "The Red Files" is really impressive because so many layers of this story and characters drive the story forward. I am genuinely amazed at how she keeps pulling stories like this out of her sleeve. How the hell did she come up with this story? I don't know. All I know is that Lee Winter has become one of my favourite authors. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the great moments you've given me.

"My problem" after finishing her books is always that I refer to each one as my "favourite" until I read her next book. I can only conclude that I have simply come not only to appreciate but to love all of her works.

This book is a mystery that unravels little by little. Just when I thought I could predict the ending, I got a surprise or two. Two great main characters, complete opposites, accompany the mystery novel: Lauren King and Catherine Ayers. Lauren comes from the Midwest, is down-to-earth and approachable. Catherine called the "Caustic Queen" is aloof, cold, and unpredictable. Her callous attitude kept their relationship on its toes, and so did the book's plot.

I loved it as the clues unfolded, and I had to put the pieces of the puzzle together. And I am indescribably and irrevocably in love with Catherine Ayers. She is the queen of all ice queens - forever captured in my heart. I read someone describing her as "larger than life". And, yes, she really is. I will definitely pick up this book and all of Lee Winter's other books again soon.

***
Find more reviews on my blog WordsAndFiction.

shadvlin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

ANGST, YEARNING AND JEALOUSY THIS BOOK GAVE ME EVERYTHING

eiverlit's review against another edition

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5.0

Okay, I don't even know where to frickin begin! This is the second book I've read from Lee Winter and thank God it was just as spectacular and as wholesome as the first book I've read from her. Seriously, she has this way of keeping you up ALL NIGHT reading until you're almost halfway through the story. And it frustrates me to no end!--in a good way.

Anyway, we got Lauren, who's an ambitious and determined journalist, and Catherine, who's also a journalist with an icy cold character, opposing to the former. I really liked their dynamic together. It was kinda bit like an enemies-to-lovers trope since they have this sort of love/hate relationship going on between them which I definitely LOVED!

Also, Winter's writing is just *ULTIMATE CHEF'S KISS* because I hung on every single word as I read paragraph through paragraph. Her way of portraying mundane scenes didn't bore me out at all fr. And the characters are just filled with "character" if you know what I mean. And to top that, I was a bit bummed out I only finished this in less than two days (probably even less than a day sans the eating and sleeping) because right when I read the first chapter, I couldn't dare to put my phone down! IT WAS JUST THAT GOOD THAT I ALMOST CRIED! So yes, I think won't be able to sleep tonight that much because of what had transpired reading this wonderful book. It would probably take me days to recover from this post-reading sadness but I will certainly recuperate once I get to read the short sequel of this book, because like I said, I couldn't get enough of it and I want to fill this empty void inside of me with Lauren and Catherine's love ;(

emmaconroy's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

tyrostone's review against another edition

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2.0

I started off entertained by the mystery aspect of this book, but this story came up short in a lot of ways for me. Most importantly, the software/security plot points were so not factual it made me hurt - huge pet peeve for someone who works in tech. Also, the romance felt built via surging moments which just doesn't seem realistic to me.

Overall, meh?

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