I completely binge read all of Laura Griffin’s books late last year into 2023. I fell in love with her fast paced thrillers that also contained some romance to keep things interesting. Needless to say I had this one on my radar for months before it came out. I loved the other books in the series and was excited to see which characters from previous books would get their own story in this one. These books do not need to be read in order but you will see a few familiar characters making appearances thought out the series.
For example, this book features Layla Breda who owns a coffee shop in town and has two brothers who are also cops. The bothers have had their own stories in the series and we have met Layla in passing in other books, but there is nothing from the other books that would impact a new readers experience if they are new to this series. Griffin does an amazing job introducing new stories and bringing in new and old characters without spoiling any parts of other books. If you are a new reader and are worried about grabbing this book and being lost—have no fear you will be perfectly fine jumping around.
One of the things I love most about Griffin’s books is that you never know what you are going to get. Sometimes you might get a serial killer mystery, other times it might be organized crime, while others might include a military coverup. I always feel like I am getting something new and refreshing. I love the excitement that a new Griffin book brings and this one was no different!
Summary
With two brothers on the police force, Leyla Breda is well aware of the rising crime in her small beach town, but she never expected it to show up on her doorstep. When Leyla finds one of her employees murdered in the alley behind her coffee shop, she’s deeply shaken, and as a new law enforcement officer in town begins to circle her place of business, her instincts only sharpen.
Sean Moran is on an undercover assignment. The seaside community of Lost Beach may look like a picturesque postcard, but his team suspects it’s a point of intersection for several crime syndicates that the FBI has been investigating for years. Even so, when the brash and beautiful Leyla Breda starts bossing him around, he’s immediately intrigued. He knows her brothers want him to back off, but every time he sees her, he feels more of a spark.
Leyla’s connections in the local community and Sean’s skills allow them to go deeper into the case together than they would be able to go alone. But when a single crime spirals into something much darker, Sean’s carefully planned mission takes a deadly turn. (summary from Goodreads)
Review
To be honest, this wasn’t my favorite in the series. It wasn’t bad by any means, I still loved the twisty mystery and suspense. But when compared to some of the others in this series, it just wasn’t as strong. I think what did it for me was the chemistry between Sean and Layla. I didn’t quite get the same spark and. chemistry that I had from other books by Griffin. I felt more lust from Sean than any genuine feeling so I think that was a little disappointing. The mystery also didn’t pick up as much steam and momentum as some of the others until later on. Some of the other books in this series were really suspenseful (as are some of her other books in the Tracers series etc) and the main characters just had more chemistry but overall I liked the book and thought it satisfied my need for a solid and suspenseful mystery.
I feel like Griffin is one of those, can’t go wrong with authors. I never hesitate to pick up any of her books even if some are inevitably better than others. When you have been writing books for as long as Griffin has, some books will always be better than others but overall, I think all of her books are well researched, suspenseful, twisty, interesting and include a sexy romance. I love how she balances the romance with the mystery, neither distracts from the other. In this book I liked Sean and thought he was a sexy main character and I liked how he and Layla came together but I had a hard time feeling like their relationship was more than lust if that makes sense. Layla wasn’t my favorite main female character either. She seemed a little too ‘on the fence’ about Sean for my liking.
This mystery kept me guessing and once the suspense picked up, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see how it all came together. One thing is for sure, I never feel bored with Griffin’s books. This book while maybe not as dark and twisty as some, was still good and I think it would be a great beach read and the mystery was suspenseful enough to keep me reading and interested. The books always feel like the move fast and I could easily finish one in a day. If you haven’t discovered Griffin yet you absolutely need to. I am a big big big fan and I cannot wait to see what her next book will be!
Book Info and Rating
Format 352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published April 25, 2023 by Berkley
ISBN 9780593546710 (ISBN10: 0593546717)
Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: romantic suspense
The Lit Bitch 