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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
I love Laurel and Huck! I especially love Huck’s desire to be left alone but still is a Fish and Wildlife agent that saves lives. In this novel, most of Laurel’s team are elsewhere, so Huck and Laurel must rely more on Fish and Wildlife as opposed to FBI. I still don’t understand Abigail and her motives. Fortunately, Abigail isn’t much at the forefront of this novel. She’s there, obviously, but there is so much more.
To be clear, this is not a standalone novel. This is a series that must be read in order, or readers will be lost. There were only a couple of items in book 4 that bothered me. One person didn’t die, and something specific in the ending. But that ending! Whew. It went a little too quick for my liking, so I sincerely hope that book 5 carries the last bit with some more drag time.
Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
To be clear, this is not a standalone novel. This is a series that must be read in order, or readers will be lost. There were only a couple of items in book 4 that bothered me. One person didn’t die, and something specific in the ending. But that ending! Whew. It went a little too quick for my liking, so I sincerely hope that book 5 carries the last bit with some more drag time.
Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The killings hit too close to home for a gifted profiler
Laurel Snow is highly intelligent and competent in many other ways, and those talents have made her an extremely successful FBI Special Agent. She is particularly adept in analyzing patterns and behaviors, but is not equally good at reading facial expressions and similar cues and has always found social interactions a bit….complex. Since returning to the Pacific Northwest town where she grew up, Genesis Valley, she has started a Violent Crime Unit based there and has also found herself (much to her surprise) in a serious romantic relationship with Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers. She would actually be quite happy if it weren’t for the fact that Zeke Caine, the sociopath who raped her mother years earlier (which resulted in Laurel’s birth), has returned to the area to continue his charismatic preaching and her equally frightening half-sister Abigail is also living in the vicinity (and is eager to forge a relationship with Laurel). The always logical and pragmatic Laurel wants nothing more than to convict both Zeke and Abigail of at least some of the crimes of which each is guilty, but a new series of killings presents itself and she and her team must focus their efforts on that. Worse still, each victim seems to have some sort of connection to Huck; he is forced to recuse himself from the case and may end up the top suspect. As more of her team and Huck’s are sidelined by vacations, family emergencies and more, Laurel is increasingly isolated….and that may be just what the killer intends.
In this, the fourth in the series, Laurel Snow continues to be an intriguing character, possessing an incredible intellect and working at the top of her field. But at the same time she has always felt at a remove from her peers and as she and Huck move into a new aspect of their relationship Laurel is less than secure about the likelihood of success there. The juxtaposition of her amoral but equally brilliant sister and the sociopath whom she refuses to call her father results in interpersonal relationships which are definitely stressing her out. With a true crime podcasting ex-girlfriend of Huck’s hovering nearby, looking for her next big story and always happy to make trouble for Huck and Laurel, a member of Zeke’s church who swears he is psychic, and the ever present fear that Zeke means harm to Laurel and her mother Deidre, hunting a serial killer may not be the most challenging item confronting Laurel. A briskly paced plot with its share of twists and turns, an assortment of potential villains, and a core group of characters whose lives are firmly interwoven, result in an engaging thriller sure to appeal to readers of Kat Martin, Jayne Ann Krentz and Kay Hooper in addition to those who have read the earlier installments in the series. My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Zebra for allowing me early access to this latest Laurel Snow adventure.
Laurel Snow is highly intelligent and competent in many other ways, and those talents have made her an extremely successful FBI Special Agent. She is particularly adept in analyzing patterns and behaviors, but is not equally good at reading facial expressions and similar cues and has always found social interactions a bit….complex. Since returning to the Pacific Northwest town where she grew up, Genesis Valley, she has started a Violent Crime Unit based there and has also found herself (much to her surprise) in a serious romantic relationship with Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers. She would actually be quite happy if it weren’t for the fact that Zeke Caine, the sociopath who raped her mother years earlier (which resulted in Laurel’s birth), has returned to the area to continue his charismatic preaching and her equally frightening half-sister Abigail is also living in the vicinity (and is eager to forge a relationship with Laurel). The always logical and pragmatic Laurel wants nothing more than to convict both Zeke and Abigail of at least some of the crimes of which each is guilty, but a new series of killings presents itself and she and her team must focus their efforts on that. Worse still, each victim seems to have some sort of connection to Huck; he is forced to recuse himself from the case and may end up the top suspect. As more of her team and Huck’s are sidelined by vacations, family emergencies and more, Laurel is increasingly isolated….and that may be just what the killer intends.
In this, the fourth in the series, Laurel Snow continues to be an intriguing character, possessing an incredible intellect and working at the top of her field. But at the same time she has always felt at a remove from her peers and as she and Huck move into a new aspect of their relationship Laurel is less than secure about the likelihood of success there. The juxtaposition of her amoral but equally brilliant sister and the sociopath whom she refuses to call her father results in interpersonal relationships which are definitely stressing her out. With a true crime podcasting ex-girlfriend of Huck’s hovering nearby, looking for her next big story and always happy to make trouble for Huck and Laurel, a member of Zeke’s church who swears he is psychic, and the ever present fear that Zeke means harm to Laurel and her mother Deidre, hunting a serial killer may not be the most challenging item confronting Laurel. A briskly paced plot with its share of twists and turns, an assortment of potential villains, and a core group of characters whose lives are firmly interwoven, result in an engaging thriller sure to appeal to readers of Kat Martin, Jayne Ann Krentz and Kay Hooper in addition to those who have read the earlier installments in the series. My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Zebra for allowing me early access to this latest Laurel Snow adventure.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
No
Laurel and Huck are facing a new challenge and a gruesome trail of murder.
SAIC Laurel Snow may be a child prodigy and the smartest person in the room but even she can't guarantee the safety of those around her when a serial killer escapes. Jason Abbot has a bee in his bonnet over accomplished women and Laurel is the one who put him away.
Huck has his own problems when one of the victims found has a close link to him. Then the others that follow also have a tenuous link to him - who is trying to set up Huck as the fall guy?
I love the way that Huck and Laurel just get each other. There is no miscommunication of drama with these two. They have adult conversations and talk through problems that crop up. They have a few hurdles to overcome however and they will need to make some big decisions soon. Laurel should be dry and emotionless but her overactive brain and logic actually make her quite empathetic.. She may need clarification on a couple of things but she isn't some emotionless robot. Huck is the perfect partner for her. Patient, protective but willing to stand beside her instead of in front of her when she needs to take charge.
Laurel's mum is the only true family she has. Abigail is still the most morally grey sibling ever and I'd certainly never want to have anything to do with her. The narcissism is strong with that one and she just loves to meddle. And Zeke - well that man just makes my skin crawl - he is such a sleaze!
There are lots of twists and turns and layers of subterfuge by all the suspects. I must say that the Podcaster really needs taken down a peg or two - she has major cojones that one!
I look forward to the next adventure.
SAIC Laurel Snow may be a child prodigy and the smartest person in the room but even she can't guarantee the safety of those around her when a serial killer escapes. Jason Abbot has a bee in his bonnet over accomplished women and Laurel is the one who put him away.
Huck has his own problems when one of the victims found has a close link to him. Then the others that follow also have a tenuous link to him - who is trying to set up Huck as the fall guy?
I love the way that Huck and Laurel just get each other. There is no miscommunication of drama with these two. They have adult conversations and talk through problems that crop up. They have a few hurdles to overcome however and they will need to make some big decisions soon. Laurel should be dry and emotionless but her overactive brain and logic actually make her quite empathetic.. She may need clarification on a couple of things but she isn't some emotionless robot. Huck is the perfect partner for her. Patient, protective but willing to stand beside her instead of in front of her when she needs to take charge.
Laurel's mum is the only true family she has. Abigail is still the most morally grey sibling ever and I'd certainly never want to have anything to do with her. The narcissism is strong with that one and she just loves to meddle. And Zeke - well that man just makes my skin crawl - he is such a sleaze!
There are lots of twists and turns and layers of subterfuge by all the suspects. I must say that the Podcaster really needs taken down a peg or two - she has major cojones that one!
I look forward to the next adventure.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Unputdownable suspense! With the fourth book in her Laurel Snow thriller series, Zanetti continues to bring characters and heinous crimes to life on the pages and I loved every single minute of it! I'm not sure if this will truly be the last of these characters that we will see or not, but things were tied up neatly enough just in case, but I sure hope to see more of them in the future. Laurel and Huck are just the best! Great characters, intense suspense with a diabolical twist and heartfelt relationships being made along the way.
I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that enjoys a strong female lead character who fights crime and invests herself into every victim she sets out to get justice for. Great plots and good follow through in each book.