After finishing the Tracers series and a short segue into the Wolfe Security series, I had a moment where I thought about switching to something else, but I just couldn’t bring myself to look for something else to read so I decided to stick with something I knew would be good and that is basically any book by Laura Griffin! I picked up this standalone book and was eager to dive back into another murder mystery that I knew would be solid and well researched.
All of Laura Griffin’s books can be read as standalone book, even in the series even with a few appearances of other fringe characters from other books. Everything is bluring together now but I feel like this book might have Fiona Glass in it and she was in the Wolfe Security Series and the Tracer books as well as having her own series. I love getting to explore characters with in Griffin’s various worlds. It makes it feel connected and realistic like these people and events could be happening in real life.
Griffin does such a great job creating realistic plots, stories, and characters. All of her research and vast knowledge of police procedures, law, and forensics is staggering and I am always in awe of her ability to write so knowledgeably about so many different topics. This book had a little bit of everything and definitely had a more modern plot and had an interesting take on attorney client privilege.
Summary
When they face the most baffling missing person’s case of their careers, a fiercely ambitious lawyer and a homicide detective have no one to turn to for help except each other, from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.
Up-and-coming attorney Leigh Larson fights for victims of sexual extortion, harassment, and online abuse. She is not afraid to go after the sleaziest targets to get payback for her clients. Leigh is laser-focused on her career–to the exclusion of everything else–until a seemingly routine case and a determined cop turn her world upside down.
Austin homicide detective Brandon Reynolds is no stranger to midnight callouts. But when he gets summoned to an abandoned car on a desolate road, he quickly realizes he’s dealing with an unusual crime scene. A pool of blood in the nearby woods suggests a brutal homicide. But where is the victim? The vehicle is registered to twenty-six-year-old Vanessa Adams. Searching the car, all Brandon finds is a smear of blood and a business card for Leigh Larson, attorney-at-law.
Vanessa had hired Leigh just before her disappearance, but Leigh has no leads on who could have wanted her dead. Faced with bewildering evidence and shocking twists, Leigh and Brandon must work against the clock to chase down a ruthless criminal who is out for vengeance. (summary from Goodreads)
Review
This book features a revenge porn story line and I thought that was really compelling and interesting. In recent years revenge porn has been in the headlines and a topic of conversation in the workplace for a lot of women. With cell phones and the internet, everyone is a photographer and we have video cameras that can be hidden and us being recorded in our most private moments without even realizing it. I think a lot of younger professional women will relate to this topic in the book. If not victims themselves, they likely will know someone who has been impacted by revenge porn so I thought this storyline felt a lot more modern. I also liked that Leigh’s character was really relatable and open with her clients. She came across as trustworthy and confident which made her relatable for me.
Like Leigh, Brandon is a stand up relatable guy. He is hardworking, honest, and trying to investigate a possible murder/missing persons but Leigh is in his way. Vanessa (the person in question) is her client and she is bound to protect her legal interests. Leigh and Brandon have to find a way to work together on this case and do what is right for Vanessa. It was an interesting case from a legal standpoint and it did keep me reading because the mystery was twisty and had the added modern storyline. But something about Leigh and Brandon together just didn’t excite me. I liked them independent of each other but together they were just ok for me.
I would have liked to have seen more trust and corroboration between Leigh and Brandon in the book, I always felt like they were at odds more times than not and it just didn’t work for me as well as some of Girffin’s other romances have. But I did like the story and the mystery itself was well written and I liked the added layer of Leigh being the attorney for the missing woman. It added a layer of complexity that I wasn’t expecting so overall I liked this one just fine and was glad. that I read it. It kept me entertained and Griffin always does such a fantastic job at illustrating the dangers women face everyday. I am always thinking about personal safety now thanks to all her books!
Book Info and Rating
Paperback, 336 pages
Published September 28th 2021 by Berkley Books
ISBN 0593197364 (ISBN13: 9780593197363)
Review copy provided by personal collection. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: romantic suspense, thriller, mystery
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