Review: Stone Cold Heart (Tracers 13) by Laura Griffin

I finally made it to the last book in this length series. I don’t know that I am ready for this series. to end yet—-but it appears to be the end at least for the foreseeable future. I personally feel like there are more stories in this series as there are some reoccurring characters in the books that I think could have interesting stories to tell—-the one I am thinking of inparticular is Ben. He’s been a long standing character in the books and I would love to see him have his own book. Same with Ric Santos’s brother.

Who knows maybe there will be other books in this series in the future but considering this book was written in 2019 and author Laura Griffin has since written a number of other books and side series, I feel like this one could be over at least for now. Obviously I am a big fan of this series as I have been reading it for the last couple of months now and haven’t really taken much of a break. I promised myself I would switch to something else after I was done with this book.

Spoiler—-I didn’t. I picked up MORE Laura Griffin books. For whatever reason, I am so invested in her books and I think it’s because I haven’t been disappointed yet! Her mysteries are so wonderfully complex and interesting not to mention the romance that is subtly woven in really makes for quick reads for me. If you haven’t read her books yet just jump right in! Each can be read as a standalone so hope around if you want!

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Special Feature: Muffin But The Truth (A Bakeshop Mystery #16) by Ellie Alexander

Ellie Alexander has written a number of cozy mysteries series, her most well known being this one. Clearly it’s popular as it currently has 16 books in the series! I have skipped around in this series without too much trouble and I have also read some of Alexander’s other book series and really enjoyed her mix of classic Oregon towns and interesting characters—-not to mention the food!

Alexander is from Oregon and this particular series is set in Ashland. I live in Oregon so naturally I am partial to any book set in the PacNW. Ashland is a fun town and they have an annual Shakespeare Festival there as well so I love that Alexander incorporates this into her books. I can personally attest that these books authentically portray Oregon and the charm of some of our quirky towns which is one of the reasons I love her books because she really shows our lovely state in all its glory.

Whenever I read one of her books, I always know I am going to get a well written and fun mystery as well as a few good recipes or two! The Bakeshop Mysteries are so fun and I have loved reading them over the years, even reading them out of order they all can read like stand alone books. If you haven’t read this series yet maybe this is your sign to pick it up and give it a shot! I don’t think you will be disappointed. I can’t wait to review this latest novel a little later in the spring! It’s out now though so don’t miss it!

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Review: Touch of Red (Tracers #12) by Laura Griffin

In this book, we meet Detective Sean Byrne. Well that’s not quite accurate, we met Sean in a couple of other books prior to this one and he is always portrayed as the cocky devils advocate. At least that’s how I read him. I wasn’t really a fan of him in previous books but at the same time I was intrigued a bit by his character so when I saw he was getting his own story I was excited to reconnect with him and see what he was like as the hero.

Brooke was also in a couple of other books but we barely get a glimpse of her beyond just a passing nod. Not in the way we see series favorites like Mia, Alex, or Kelsey. So I was excited to read and get to know Brooke as well as Sean plus the summery promised a shocking carnage of a crime scene and the macabre in me was like—-do tell me more.

This book really reminded me of an episode of Law and Order SVU, especially with the way things wrapped up. In this book we get to know the ADA (Rachel) a bit, not necessarily as a main or even secondary character but this book clearly has an ‘order’ part to it in a way that many of the other books do not. In the other books its about forensic evidence helping solve the crime and the police investigating. In this book we have that but we also have the added layer of how to secure a warrant etc. That’s what made this book stand out for me.

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Review: At Close Range (Tracers #11) by Laura Griffin

Throughout this series the stand out hero for me has been Derek from a few books back, as for stand out story, all of them have been so complex and interesting that it’s hard to pick a favorite. The last couple of books in the series have been a but disappointing in the romance category so I wasn’t really sure about picking this one up. I recalled Scott from a couple of books back but he didn’t really stand out to me as a swoon worthy hero.

I briefly skimmed the summary of this one mostly just looking for who the main characters were because I already know that Griffin’s mysteries never disappoint so knowing that I don’t really need to read the summary. So when I started this one I was like oh ok it’s featuring Scott and Daniele (Dani) as the principal characters—cool—and more or less went in blind.

When the book opens, I was instantly hooked on the mystery (as per usual), it features a double homicide that leaves two lovers dead in a local park. Dani is taking the lead of this case and it’s her very first so the pressure to perform and solve the crime is intense. Especially with the interesting twists the case quickly takes. Griffin does such an outstanding job at drawing readers in and leaving them eager for more about the case, victims, and of course the detectives and investigators that do all the leg work. But what grabbed me unexpectedly was the intriguing chemistry between Dani and Scott.

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Review: Deep Dark (Tracers #10) by Laura Griffin

Laura Griffin really has a way of getting under your skin. Her mysteries always leave me more aware of cars following me, my cyber security, being on alert for terrorists, and of course watching out for stalkers who might tamper with my home security. She has such a great way of tapping into the very real fears that women live with—make sure you have a peephole, always check the inside of your car, have a home security system, keep your hedged trimmed etc. This book left me chilled to the bone even if I didn’t understand half of what was going on.

This book takes a much more techy turn. Up until now this series has been more about police procedures and DNA evidence but now Griffin has taken a new approach and moved into the world of cyberspace. As always I am amazed by the amount of detail and research that Griffin puts into each one of her books but this one really dove into the world hacking and frankly I was lost but I still loved the mystery and couldn’t put it down.

Every time I pick up one of her books, I am blown away by all the little details right down to the jargon. But she rarely makes readers feel overwhelmed or confused by the evidence or the police procedures. I will say this is the exception. I am not a hacker and I don’t know a lot of computer security but that is a huge theme in this book, but I think that Griffin did a good job dummying it down for readers who aren’t as familiar with technology as others.

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