Nerd Girl Loves Books

I really enjoyed this mystery/thriller focusing on a detective agency. This is the second book in the series but can be read as a stand alone. I haven’t read book 1, but there was enough reference to what happened in that book that I didn’t feel lost. Matt and Steve are the two detectives in the agency. Matt was a police office but took over the agency after the death of his father. As this book begins, the duo hire an office manager, Carol, who is highly qualified. It’s implied that she worked for a highly placed person in the British government, but the author is coy about giving the reader more information. I’m sure Carol’s history will come into play in future books. Or at least, I hope it does.

Matt and Steve are asked to look into a burglary by a divorced mother with two young children. Video is found of the burglars, but the mother claims she doesn’t recognize them, when in fact she knows one of them is the son of a prominent gangster. The woman posts a vague threat to the father of the boy on Facebook, and soon after is found dead. Other strange occurrences in the neighborhood lead Matt and Steve, along with Matt’s girlfriend Karen, an investigator with the police department, to wonder just what is behind everything. To add more problems for everyone to deal with, a woman from Matt’s father’s past shows up claiming she and her father were a serious couple.

I really enjoyed this book. It has private detectives, police investigators, a smart and capable office manager, a cast of dodgy characters and plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. I really liked Matt and Steve. They are smart, honest, and believe in working hard for their clients. I love Carol – who I think has more skills than she’s revealed – and every time she discovers a promising lead, I thought “You go, Carol!” I also liked Karen, who is a tough, but fair, investigator who knows what she’s doing and skillfully leads her team so they get results.

This is an engrossing mystery that will keep you guessing. It’s a quick and easy read (at only 282 pages) that you can easily read in an afternoon. It’s currently available on Kindle Unlimited, so definitely check it out.

I was provided a complimentary e-copy of this book by NetGalley and Boldwood Books. All opinions are my own.

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This fast-paced mystery/thriller is set in and around Bath, England and focuses on ex-DCI Luke Sackville. He starts a new job expecting it to be a soft, boring corporate job. Especially when his supervisor tells him instead of being the head of security, he is now the head of a new department investigating internal employees. His team is comprised of misfits and rejects from other departments, but Luke’s instincts and skills brings out the best of this oddball squad and they meld into a competent team.

It’s an exciting psychological contemporary thriller about a retired NFL quarterback and his wife and children.

The book alternates POVs between five characters, providing the reader with a well-rounded view of all the moving parts of the story. Danielle believes she has the perfect life with her successful husband and twins. But when her husband becomes distant, disappearing for days without contact, she starts to suspect he’s having an affair. She never dreamed the truth would be so horrific and unimaginable. I liked Danielle and the author did a great job depicting her struggle to love and trust her husband, but to also not just turn a blind eye to issues she notices. She loves her life and doesn’t want to believe that they’re something so wrong that would destroy everything she’s known.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a quick and easy read, with short chapters that suck you in and make you want to keep reading late into the night. The author does a great job of weaving seemingly disconnected storylines into one central story that has a satisfying ending.