Review: Vanished by Elizabeth Heiter

Goodreads Summary:

Sometimes the past can haunt you...

Eighteen years ago, FBI profiler Evelyn Baine s best friend, Cassie Byers, disappeared, the third in a series of unsolved abductions. Only a macabre nursery rhyme was left at the scene, a nursery rhyme that claimed Evelyn was also an intended victim. Now, after all these years of silence, another girl has gone missing in South Carolina, and the Nursery Rhyme Killer is taking credit. But is Cassie s abductor really back, or is there a copycat at work?

Sometimes the past is best forgotten...

Evelyn has waited eighteen years for a chance to investigate, but when she returns to Rose Bay, she finds a dark side to the seemingly idyllic town. As the place erupts in violence and the kidnapper strikes again, Evelyn knows this is her last chance. If she doesn t figure out what happened to Cassie eighteen years ago, it may be Evelyn s turn to vanish without a trace.

Publication Date: December 30, 2014

At first, Vanished felt like a very formulaic novel—not necessarily a bad thing, but just not a book that would stick out in my head after reading. However, the author threw in some plot twists that elevated the suspense novel and made me eager to check out more in the series.

From the beginning chapter, I really felt myself get invested in the story of the Nursery Rhyme Killer and Evelyn’s connection to the decades old case. I liked the shifts from past to present, especially being inside the head of the suspect. Evelyn’s return to her old hometown was also an interesting part of the plot.

The author kept me guessing and I didn’t see the end coming. Once the big reveal is made, I could see some of the small clues left along the way. The pace was quick and I never felt like the book dragged. My only complaint would be for a little more romance. The novel wasn’t as steamy as I would’ve liked it to be. However, I’d still recommend the book. Vanished is the second book featuring Evelyn, but can be read as a standalone.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

Review: The Kill List by Nichole Christoff

Summary:

As a top private eye turned security specialist, Jamie Sinclair has worked hard to put her broken marriage behind her. But when her lying, cheating ex-husband, army colonel Tim Thorp, calls with the news that his three-year-old daughter has been kidnapped, he begs Jamie to come find her. For the sake of the child, Jamie knows she can’t refuse. Now, despite the past, she’ll do everything in her power to bring little Brooke Thorp home alive.

Soon Jamie is back at Fort Leeds—the army base in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens where she grew up, the only child of a two-star general—chasing down leads and forging an uneasy alliance with the stern military police commander and the exacting FBI agent working Brooke’s case. But because Jamie’s father is now a U.S. senator, her recent run-in with a disturbed stalker is all over the news, and when she starts receiving gruesome threats echoing the stalker’s last words, she can’t shake the feeling that her investigation may be about more than a missing girl—and that someone very powerful is hiding something very significant . . . and very sinister.

Publication Date: December 2, 2014

The Kill List was a great romantic suspense novel. The tension was spot on in the book and I finished the book in less than a day because I was so caught up in the kidnapping plot.

Jamie was a great lead character. I thought she’d grate on me at first because the author made it seem like every male character fell madly in love with her at first sight. But once the romance became more focused, I got more into the relationship part of the book.

I did like that Jamie was a strong and smart female lead. She has her issues and I thought her perceived flaws gave her a much-needed softness. Her relationships with her dad and ex-husband also made her a sympathetic lead.

Reading about Jamie’s race to save a little girl’s life made the book a very intense read. I thought the twists thrown in during the final chapters of the book elevated the thriller for me. I always love when an author can keep me guessing. This is the first book I’ve read by the author, but it definitely won’t be the last.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

Review: The Broken by Shelley Coriell

Goodreads Summary:

He took her life, but left her alive.

Three years ago, reporter Kate Johnson was the first victim—and only survivor—of the Broadcast Butcher. Scarred both physically and psychologically by the brutal serial killer, Kate lives life on the run, knowing that one day, he will find her and finish what he started.

In the pursuit of justice, you sometimes have to step outside the law.

Agent Hayden Reed spends his life chasing monsters. The only way to stay sane is to detach, but the second the Broadcast Butcher case crosses his desk, Hayden knows this is the case that might just cost him his soul. To catch this vicious murderer before he strikes again, Hayden must find Kate and earn her trust. For it's her darkest secrets that hold the key to stopping this madman once and for all . .

Publication Date: April 29, 2014

Sometimes I’m just in the mood for a good romantic suspense read and it was the reason I couldn’t wait to start The Broken. The book grabbed me from the beginning and I felt the suspense was really well done.

The Broadcast Butcher is the serial killer at the center of the novel and he was super scary. The chapters told from his POV gave me the heebie jeebies and I definitely don’t recommend reading this book before bed. Kate is one of his victims that got away while Agent Reed is determined to stop the killer.

Agent Hayden Reed was a great protag and I liked how dedicated he was to solving the case. I also found his past intriguing and I enjoyed how the author gave us tidbits along the way to slowly reveal his complicated romantic history. I liked Kate’s feistiness and her relationship as a caregiver to a disabled vet named Smokey Joe. When Kate and Hayden meet, I could feel the chemistry instantly. I did enjoy the angst of whether the characters would be able to get over their issues and get together.

The book is light on the romance and more about discovering the identity of the killer before the murderer closes in on Kate. I figured out some of the mystery early on, but there were still a few twists thrown in to keep me invested. The final third was full of a lot of action that kept me reading until I finished the book.

The Broken is a great romantic whodunit that I’d highly recommend to readers of the genre. The book is the start of a series but it looks like the next book features a new mystery and characters.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!