Scan barcode
jonetta's review
4.0
Brooke Porter, Delphi Center crime scene investigator, is called to work a brutal murder that on the surface seems to yield few clues. However, she’s known for her doggedness and tenacity at a crime scene and sees some critical things here, providing valuable leads for Sean Byrne, one of the detectives assigned to the case. He’s intrigued not only with her skills, though, causing some discomfort for them both.
Sean was gravely wounded in the last story and is back after months of rehab. It affected him profoundly and he’s taken stock of his life in a good way. Brooke is not long out of a troubling relationship and definitely not interested in beginning a new one so there’s that. Both are really good at what they do and they’re taxed with this case that’s a puzzler. It’s primarily a procedural, which I prefer, and following the clues had me turning the pages. There’s other drama in the background involving Brooke that felt like more of a distraction than an important element of the story. And, Brooke’s intensity had her crossing lines throughout the investigation, sometimes creating more issues and some TSTL moments.
I liked this story primarily for the forensic elements and procedurals. The romance actually worked well, too. However, a lot of Brooke’s actions were more like the unrealistic CSI television series where the techs served the roles of detectives and that didn’t work for me (FYI, I liked the show). This series has always felt authentic and it didn’t in this story. It was interesting but more cliched than I’ve come to expect. Still good storytelling, just weakened by these issues.
Sean was gravely wounded in the last story and is back after months of rehab. It affected him profoundly and he’s taken stock of his life in a good way. Brooke is not long out of a troubling relationship and definitely not interested in beginning a new one so there’s that. Both are really good at what they do and they’re taxed with this case that’s a puzzler. It’s primarily a procedural, which I prefer, and following the clues had me turning the pages. There’s other drama in the background involving Brooke that felt like more of a distraction than an important element of the story. And, Brooke’s intensity had her crossing lines throughout the investigation, sometimes creating more issues and some TSTL moments.
I liked this story primarily for the forensic elements and procedurals. The romance actually worked well, too. However, a lot of Brooke’s actions were more like the unrealistic CSI television series where the techs served the roles of detectives and that didn’t work for me (FYI, I liked the show). This series has always felt authentic and it didn’t in this story. It was interesting but more cliched than I’ve come to expect. Still good storytelling, just weakened by these issues.
bananatricky's review
4.0
Three and a half stars. I wanted to give this book three stars but I was comparing this to Laura's other books, compared to the genre she is still streets ahead of the others.
Brooke Porter is a crime scene investigator with the Delphi Centre, incredibly dedicated she is almost OCD in her attention to detail and commitment to catching the guilty. She is brought to a crime scene where a young woman was brutally murdered just outside her front door. Immediately Brooke senses that there is something 'off' about the scene which leads her to discover that there may have been a witness.
Sean Byrne is a homicide detective. After being shot recently he has had a 'come to Jesus' moment and realised that his life was fairly meaningless and he could have died without ever making a real connection or creating a legacy. He's attracted to Brooke, he finds her intriguing and wants to know her better.
I haven't read the previous Tracers book so I don't know the backstory with Sean and Brooke (if there is any). While I enjoyed the investigative aspects of this novel I felt that the romance overtook the plot about halfway/ two-thirds of the way through and I lost interest a bit. The Brooke, the OCD investigator decides that she will ignore protocol and the rules of evidence and just investigate on her own. Whilst describing her as TSTL might be harsh she definitely has those tendencies.
I have reviewed another series that Laura has started and commented that it felt as though she was being pushed into a direction that she wasn't comfortable with and sadly I feel as though the same is happening with Tracers. This is a series of romantic suspense/ thriller romances. There are scary psycho serial killers everywhere and geeky women who investigate. This started that way and I was L.O.V.I.N.G. it, then, as I said, just after half way through it felt like I was reading one sex scene after another and the investigation was shunted into the background. In the end, I didn't feel the murderer was all that exciting and I had serious doubts about the detective skills that identified the murderer.
If you haven't read any of the Tracers novels before you will find this enjoyable and educational (who knew that about children's fingerprints?) but IMHO lovers of Laura Griffin's novels will find this a little disappointing. Please dial back the sex/ romance and up the mystery quality in the next one Laura.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Brooke Porter is a crime scene investigator with the Delphi Centre, incredibly dedicated she is almost OCD in her attention to detail and commitment to catching the guilty. She is brought to a crime scene where a young woman was brutally murdered just outside her front door. Immediately Brooke senses that there is something 'off' about the scene which leads her to discover that there may have been a witness.
Sean Byrne is a homicide detective. After being shot recently he has had a 'come to Jesus' moment and realised that his life was fairly meaningless and he could have died without ever making a real connection or creating a legacy. He's attracted to Brooke, he finds her intriguing and wants to know her better.
I haven't read the previous Tracers book so I don't know the backstory with Sean and Brooke (if there is any). While I enjoyed the investigative aspects of this novel I felt that the romance overtook the plot about halfway/ two-thirds of the way through and I lost interest a bit. The Brooke, the OCD investigator decides that she will ignore protocol and the rules of evidence and just investigate on her own. Whilst describing her as TSTL might be harsh she definitely has those tendencies.
I have reviewed another series that Laura has started and commented that it felt as though she was being pushed into a direction that she wasn't comfortable with and sadly I feel as though the same is happening with Tracers. This is a series of romantic suspense/ thriller romances. There are scary psycho serial killers everywhere and geeky women who investigate. This started that way and I was L.O.V.I.N.G. it, then, as I said, just after half way through it felt like I was reading one sex scene after another and the investigation was shunted into the background. In the end, I didn't feel the murderer was all that exciting and I had serious doubts about the detective skills that identified the murderer.
If you haven't read any of the Tracers novels before you will find this enjoyable and educational (who knew that about children's fingerprints?) but IMHO lovers of Laura Griffin's novels will find this a little disappointing. Please dial back the sex/ romance and up the mystery quality in the next one Laura.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
undertowsoul's review
4.0
Do you like suspense? Steamy romance? Then you'll probably like this. This is the first I've read of the author and while I'm a big suspense fan, I'm not so much of a romance novel fan. The good part is that this doesn't read much like a romance novel, it reads more like a suspense. While there was a bit too much of the romantic side of things for my taste, I did still enjoy the read and would definitely recommend it to fans who enjoy both genres. The one thing I would forewarn you of (besides the steamy scenes I've already alluded to) is that this book is hard to put down so set aside the time to read it cover to cover.
I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
mustlovemustypages's review
4.0
This book was on par with the others in the Tracers series, although I would have liked a little nore development of the the secondary characters and the side plots. Looking forward to more, as well as Griffin's new series coming out in 2018!
jefrang's review
3.0
Solid 3.5 for me. I'm still enjoying the heck out of this series but Brooke was so boneheaded and single-tracked in this I couldn't hardly handle it. I admired her too but so much of this book was like
Sean: Brooke, dont do the thing, it's dangerous.
Brooke: I'm going to do the thing even though I am in no way trained to do the thing safely
The thing: is dangerous for Brooke/and or other people. Pointless action ensues.
But. The storyline was good and the supporting cast rounded things out nicely and I spent a few evenings and a whole plain ride reading it over other fun activities so it did the job well. Will definitely carry on with some of the other Tracers novels in my tbr.
Sean: Brooke, dont do the thing, it's dangerous.
Brooke: I'm going to do the thing even though I am in no way trained to do the thing safely
The thing: is dangerous for Brooke/and or other people. Pointless action ensues.
But. The storyline was good and the supporting cast rounded things out nicely and I spent a few evenings and a whole plain ride reading it over other fun activities so it did the job well. Will definitely carry on with some of the other Tracers novels in my tbr.
pgchuis's review
5.0
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
Between requesting and receiving the galley of this novel, I read instalments 1-11 of the Tracers series - they are quick reads. This latest in the series features Brooke, a crime scene investigator, and Sean, a police detective, both of whom we met in previous instalments. Brooke and Sean are called to the scene when Samantha is found with her throat slit and Brooke quickly determines that a child witnessed the murder.
As Tracers novels go (and I enjoyed them all), this was one of my favourites. The fact that Brooke and Sean have known one another for some months meant that their speedily developed romance did not seem too fast, and they were very sweet together. The mystery was interesting and the perpetrator logical and intellectually believable. Brooke (as this series always plays out) had to insert herself into the investigation in a way that put her in danger (so that Sean could rescue her), but this was done in a reasoned fashion - I believed in her concern for Cameron. There were cameo appearances from past heroes/heroines of this series - I note that the police department now seems to go to the Delphi Centre as its first port of call.
A thoroughly enjoyable instalment - nothing startlingly different from the formula of the rest of the series, but, if it ain't broke...
Between requesting and receiving the galley of this novel, I read instalments 1-11 of the Tracers series - they are quick reads. This latest in the series features Brooke, a crime scene investigator, and Sean, a police detective, both of whom we met in previous instalments. Brooke and Sean are called to the scene when Samantha is found with her throat slit and Brooke quickly determines that a child witnessed the murder.
As Tracers novels go (and I enjoyed them all), this was one of my favourites. The fact that Brooke and Sean have known one another for some months meant that their speedily developed romance did not seem too fast, and they were very sweet together. The mystery was interesting and the perpetrator logical and intellectually believable. Brooke (as this series always plays out) had to insert herself into the investigation in a way that put her in danger (so that Sean could rescue her), but this was done in a reasoned fashion - I believed in her concern for Cameron. There were cameo appearances from past heroes/heroines of this series - I note that the police department now seems to go to the Delphi Centre as its first port of call.
A thoroughly enjoyable instalment - nothing startlingly different from the formula of the rest of the series, but, if it ain't broke...
audreylee's review
2.0
One of the story lines was decent, the other was not developed enough to make it worthwhile.