Raise your hand if you have turned on Law and Order SVU while folding laundry in the morning on a Saturday, only to look up and find it’s 10:00 pm and you literally have no idea where the time went? I love binge watching Law and Order SVU. If I start an episode though (even if I’ve seen it already!) I’m done for and nothing gets done except a binge session of my favorite on screen detectives. I think one of the things that really appeals to me about LO SVU is the hints of personal life of the detectives and the fast paced twisted mystery. Reading Griffin’s books is like binge watching LO SVU!
Griffin’s books all have that glimpse into the personal lives of the characters while still having the focus on the mystery. This mystery is extremely complex and dark. I was fully creeped out and couldn’t WAIT to read it at every opportunity! I loved the mystery so much. I had no idea where it was going but I was fully on board with it. Female readers—-I was so creeped out that I was checking my locks and making sure no one was following me every time I went to the grocery store! LOL. I was so invested in this one for that reason alone—-its relatability for female readers. This book was every woman worst nightmare—-some one slipping you a date rape drug, peeping in your windows, following you home. Yeah I checked my door A LOT!
I will say the romance in this one sort of took a back seat which was surprising. In the previous book we meet Troy who is kind of billed as this man whore in the first book, so in this book I was surprised at how quickly his character fell for Elaina. I expected a bit more romance in this one but then at the same time, I found that the mystery was so complex and had so many layers that I was really focused on that and didn’t care if the romance was more scant in this one.
Summary
Elaina McCord Wants to Find a Killer.
But He’s Already Found Her.
Elaina McCord’s dream of being an FBI profiler is threatened by her very first case – investigating a string of murders near a Texas beach resort. The victims, all young women, were drugged and brutally murdered, their bodies abandoned in desolate marshland. Elaina’s hunch – met with disbelief by local police – is that these are only the latest offerings from a serial killer who has been perfecting his art for years, growing bolder and more cunning with each strike.
True-crime writer Troy Stockton has a reputation as an irresistible playboy who gets his story at any cost. He’s the last person Elaina should trust, let alone be attracted to. But right now Troy, along with the elite team of forensics experts known as the Tracers, is her only ally in a case that’s turning dangerously personal. A killer is reaching out to Elaina, taunting her, letting her know how ruthless he is and how close he’s getting. Now it’s not just her career that’s in jeopardy – it’s her life. (summary from Goodreads)
Review
Based on the brief meeting with Troy in the first book, I thought Troy would be way more of a ladies man in this one. I don’t know, I was just surprised that he wasn’t more smooth and charming in this book because in the first book that was very much his character—the charming man whore. In this one he was much more studious if that makes sense. He didn’t seem as cavalier but more thoughtful and more the writer he is supposed to be than the ladies man he is alluded to in the earlier book. But that was find I enjoyed his character and thought him and Elaina had some good chemistry. But as I mentioned already the focus of this one is really the mystery and what a mystery it was!
This book had a twisty and really complex mystery. I had no idea how this one was going to turn out and where the clues were going. It’s like you know they are important but yet it’s hard to see a connection. I LOVED that about this book. I was fully engaged in the mystery much more than the romance. Griffin has such an extensive knowledge of science, police procedures, and forensics as well as a oct of other random info that made this mystery come together. This is why I love reading her books. It’s not like she really follows a script or formula in her mysteries. I always feel like I am reading a fresh new mystery and cannot wait to see how it unfolds.
I am so hooked on this series right now, some of the DNA an forensic things are a little dated but that doesn’t impact the story in the least. I absolutely love this series as well as all of Griffin’s other books and can’t wait to see what the future books hold. The covers are all kind of unassuming and boring. To be honest I would probably walk right by these covers in the story and not pick these books up—-that’s precisely why you can’t judge a book by it’s cover because inside might be an incredible story that you don’t want to miss—-like this one!
Book Info and Rating
Format
384 pages, Mass Market PaperbackPublished
June 29, 2010 by Pocket Books RomanceISBN
9781439152959 (ISBN10: 1439152950)
Review copy provided by, personal collection. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: romantic suspense, mystery
The Lit Bitch 