This was an engaging, fast-paced thriller that had spent too long on my TBR mountain. Written in 2005, I believe that this was Brennan's first published book.

Rowan Smith is a former FBI agent turned best-selling author. She's in Malibu overseeing the movie adaptation of one of her books. Things begin to go wrong when a young woman is murdered in the exact same way as a woman in her first book. Even the name of the person matches the character. And worst of all, a copy of her book is found at the scene.

Rowan is being pressured by both her former FBI mentor and the producer of the film to hire a bodyguard. She chooses Michael Flynn who is a former police detective turned private investigator. Michael works with his computer expert sister Tess and former Delta Force and DEA agent brother John.

When murders mimicking murders in her other books are committed, Rowan, the FBI, the local police, and Michael's company are all looking through her old cases to see who could hold such an inconceivable grudge against her. Rowan is forced to look back into her own violent past to find someone who could possibly know what is needed. But only Rowan and her brother Peter survived alive and sane. Her father is in a hospital for the insane and is in a comatose state.

When Michael was murdered - which was certainly not in any of her books. Rowan and John who have fallen in love are more determined than ever to solve the mystery of who killed Michael and who wants Rowan dead after tormenting her enough.

Though I figured out who the villain was rather soon in the story, I still found the story exciting and engaging. It was filled with interesting characters who were well-developed and intriguing. ( )

1 Former FBI Agent Turned Crime Novelist with a Traumatic Past and a Martyr Complex
1 Copycat Serial Killer Stalker Intent on Making her Fictional Crime Scenes Reality
2 Bodyguard Brothers with a Serious Case of Hornypants for Their Charge
1 Sequel Bait FBI Agent with No Discernible Purpose Other than to Set Up the Next Book
1 Protective Custody of Dubious Legality ( )

The Prey
4 Stars

A solid and entertaining thriller, however, the plot is extremely predictable and as such the story lacks originality.

Rowan is a prickly character. There are aspects of her personality that one cannot help admiring such as her mental strength and fortitude. Nevertheless, she has a tendency to break down emotionally, and while this makes it easier to sympathize with her, it also undermines her characterization as a strong willed and resilient heroine.

The romance is one of the highlights of the book. The hero, John, is a no nonsense, ex-DEA agent with his own personal baggage and an uncanny ability to see under all of Rowan's external subterfuge. Their attraction is immediate, but they must struggle through several obstacles before they can learn to trust and love each other.

My one caveat about the romance is that the hint of a love triangle is superfluous and only adds unnecessary angst that detracts from the suspense story. Moreover, the resolution to this plot point is so obvious it might as well leap off the pages. Other predictable elements include the killer's identity, which can be guessed at very early on, and some of the other twists and turns, such as a certain character's escape and another's abduction as well as the location of the killer's lair.

That said, the rest of the serial killer plot is engrossing, particularly the gradual revelation of Rowan's traumatic past and the killer's motivation. The murderer is one of those truly evil villains that make your skin crawl and the ultimate denouement is well-paced and satisfying.

Overall, The Prey is an admirable debut novel and I will definitely be continuing with the series. ( )

She became an FBI agent to stop the murderers in the world but she couldn't stop the murders that took place in her dreams. Everyday she saw her mother, her older sisters and her 4 year old sister, bloody and dead by the hand of a family member. She thought she was strong enough to deal with it but a similar murder she walked through sent her to turn in her shield. Her catalyst was writing novels where justice and the good guys always won. Now someone wants to put a stop to that. Someone knows her secrets and is using characters from her novels to torment her. It's only a matter of time before she becomes the prey. An excellent book. Will keep you turning the pages and reading"just one more chapter." ( )

3 stars, but just barely. Too long, too much romance, sex-scenes (how many, 3?) boring, to long, and too plain.
A few nice twists, but most I could see coming - the one I did not see coming, at 55% was a nice change for once, and for that the 3d star is warranted.
But the ending was as expected. As I had been reading a few books/series by her out of order, I cannot be entirely sure, but I think, the earlier books , was published 2005, have not enough suspense and too much romance.
This would have been better without the main characters thinking too much about it, and shortened about 30% (cut, I mean).
In the end, this not the page-turner I expected and I had a hard time finishing it. No recommendation.

As I do not have bought the other 2 books in the series yet, I will read something entirely different.
Maybe finish some of the books I started and paused.
( )