Linda S. Prather

This is the prequel to a series I was thinking of starting so thought I’d grab it to bring me up to speed. I’m so glad I did but probably not for the reason you think.

I am clearly in the minority according to the ratings but if you require even a shred of believability in your police procedurals, walk away.
This is a shortie that introduces DS Alex Fox. She’s part of a team hunting for a psychopathic killer who has horribly mutilated & murdered 10 women. The investigation has stalled show more when the news comes in another woman has been snatched…..Alex’s sister.

So I’m thinking this should be right up my alley. Um….no. I’ll list a few reasons below that may be dangerously close to spoiler territory so just a heads up.

First, the dialogue. It’s stiff & came across as written by non-Brits trying to fit in what they considered to be British vernacular. There’s a lot of “tut tut”, stiff upper lip stuff. When Alex learns of her sister’s abduction she threatens to track the killer down (uh….thought you are already on that) and “no one is going to effing stop me”. That’s not me cleaning up her potty mouth….that’s an actual quote. This despite the frequent use of “fuck” throughout the story.
Her colleague Bob stops just short of offering to make her tea but does repeatedly admonish her to “stay positive” because “negativity isn’t going to solve this case”. If Bob were my colleague, he’d be sporting a shiner.

With the many errors in police procedure, it’s no mystery why this guy is still on the loose. Only after Alex’s sister is snatched do they look at where the 10 victims were abducted from, where they were dumped & notice a pattern. I’m sorry…what? This is explained by a character saying “it’s an area we we haven’t really covered”. By the way, most of the women are spouses of cops. I’m thinking the rest of the force would be suitably motivated to have noticed this little nugget of info after finding TEN BODIES. And after stumbling across the latest crime scene, the first thing Alex does is completely contaminate it.

Then you have the bog standard DI who is arrogant, misogynist & perpetually dyspeptic because there are living, breathing women on his team. His dialogue is so OTT that it’s funny although I don’t think that’s what the authors were shooting for.

So yes, I’m grateful I picked this up. If I’d had to read a full length book, I might have become effing violent. show less

Catherine Mans is a psychic making a living as a consultant working with the police when needed and doing insurance jobs, mostly arson cases. The jobs pay the bills and the salary of her assistant/best friend Rosetta Tosallina and she lives a comfortable if lonely life. Until another psychic sets her up as a serial killer, taunts her psychically to ‘Find me.’ and proceeds to destroy everything she loves. Catherine has to find the killer before the killer finishes the job, but in tracking show more the killer she finds out things about her past she doesn’t remember. Strap yourself in, it’s going to be a high-speed chase.

A most excellent mystery! I was on the edge of my seat, metaphorically speaking since I was actually kicked back in my office chair with my feet propped up on my desk. The twisty turny plot progressed smoothly and quickly with no dilly dallying around. The characters were interesting and well-developed. I didn’t want to put it down and my peek factor was very high. However, like humans have told the Borg since they met, ‘Resistance is NOT futile!’ and I managed (just barely) to avoid peeking at the end to see who the killer was.

I love the fact the story concluded, but an opening was left for more to come. Bring it on! I’m ready!

*Red Adept provided a copy of this book for me to review. Please see disclaimer page on my blog. show less

I finally got the time to devote to reading Shadows of Doubt, as I knew once I picked it up I wouldn’t be able to put it down again. Like all Prather’s books, this one starts off crazy thriller fast and the action never stops. Just when I thought things were at a calm, something else would come along to cause a huge commotion once again.

All the regulars are back in this sequel with Jenna James. It was like opening up a book full of old friends to read about them once again. They are all show more so different with, the detail so rich that I want to believe they live somewhere in the real world and not just in Prather’s books. I could picture every scene, gasped with surprise, cringed when something bad happened, and even grinned like a fool when the bad guys got what they deserved. I was completely immersed in the world of Jenna James and her gang of do-gooders as they took on the evil bomber once again in this second book in the series.

This is absolutely a not to miss book. Read the first one if you haven’t read that yet as they are both fabulous. Prather’s books are not for the squeamish. She goes places other authors wouldn’t dare, taking chances, and it works out in a huge way. If you’re a fan of legal thrillers, this is one you need to get your hands on. show less

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, the first book in the Jenna James series, is a page turner that kept me glued to my Kindle for longer than my eyes could handle. Once the action took off, it never slowed down to a point I felt I could set it down and come back to it (though unfortunately I was forced to every once in a while- life does get in the way!). It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Linda Prather’s books and I have loved every one of them, but this is different than her others. show more It’s a legal thriller, even though it doesn’t have a lot of courtroom scenes. Starting with a murder, a corrupt judge, and a long line of unethical cover ups, Jenna goes after all of them, with the help of some loyal friends by her side. The action never stops and the story is one of the best I’ve read this year. Jenna James is a strong, likeable heroine and I can’t wait to read the next in the series. show less