Tag: Suspense

After finishing the sixth book in the series, I was fully ready for the next book to be all about Derek—and then I got this book. So it was a surprise that we meet Derek in one book and then to have the next book not be about him seemed a little shocking. But I was willing to go with it, who knows it could be that somehow we meet another character in this book that somehow ties in with Derek’s ultimate love story that will likely be the seventh book I guess.

With any long standing series, there are always some books that I like better than others. I think it’s inevitable that some books are simply just better for different reasons and I have to say that this book was not my favorite. While I might not have loved this one, I still am fully in love with this series. This series can certainly be read out of order but personally if I would not recommend starting with this one. For me it just didn’t read the same as the other books and part of that could be that I didn’t love the main character in this one (Maddie).

Just because one book fails to hit the mark though doesn’t mean that the whole series is a bust for me. I will say that I could be in the minority here as most people liked this one but for me it just didn’t live up to the expectations I have had with this series so far. Even still though, I love this series as a whole. It’s so well written, researched, and executed. If you love thrillers you do not want to miss this series, it’s just so wonderful but this book just left me a little meah by the end.

We were briefly introduced to Detective Allison Doyle in the last book and I really really liked her character. I was so excited to see that she was getting her own book and romance and quickly! Laura Griffin has a large fan following, especially in the thriller genre! What I love so much about Griffin is that she writes a very balanced romantic suspense story. It’s not too much romance but has enough romance and heat that readers will be fully invested in not only the mystery but also the characters romances.

Griffin’s books are always fast reads. I have been reading them super fast, I am averaging a day, two at most, to read each novel. And each book comes in at around 400 pages so clearly I am devouring them at record speed! There are some books I have read that are lengthy like this (400+ pages) and I struggle to get through them quickly but that is NOT the case with any of Griffin’s books. I find them to be fast reads that hold your attention and grip you right from the beginning.

In this book we have a bit of a May December romance meaning there is an age difference between the two of the main characters. This was sort of a new approach in the series as the other characters have up until this point been about the same age. I thought it would be a fun match between them though since Allison seems more mature than some of her other colleagues. Plus the love interest, Mark, sounded very intriguing and I was super excited to read more about him.

Don’t mind me binge reading this whole series just like I said I was NOT going to do. I thought I would read maybe one or two books in this series and then put it down. Sorry not sorry because as I am writing this I am currently halfway done through the tenth book! I have absolutely devoured these books and I have been loving them. Some more than others but overall this is a wonderful series! If you love fast paced thrillers with a romance then you do not want to miss these books!

One of the things that I really love about this series is the variety of mystery that you get. I have read a lot of big time crime books/series like the Kay Scarpetta books and often those books always feature a deranged serial killer. But this series really hits on a lot of various crimes. Sometimes you might get a deranged serial killer, while other times you might get a government conspiracy or terrorist cell. I love the variety and complexity of the cases, it keeps things interesting and fresh. Plus the amount of research that goes into just one of these books has to be substantial.

Griffin writes with such knowledge of police procedures, military protocols, and forensic science. She is truly a marvel and must spend so much time researching her topics but it is really fascinating and keeps the series fresh, exciting, and authentic! Every time I open one of Griffin’s books I never know what the main crime will be but I know it’s going to be well written and researched! This series can absolutely be read out of order so grab a book and dive in, you will NOT be disappointed!