Unpunished

Unpunished by Lisa Black is a police procedural and the second book in a series featuring forensic investigator Maggie Gardiner and homicide detective Jack Renner.

This time Robert Davis, a copy editor at the Cleveland Herald, is found hanging off the railing above the print room during the nightly press run for the paper. At first it appears to be a suicide, but upon closer inspection it is clear that Davis was murdered. Maggie Gardier and Jack Renner are involved in the investigation. They have a wary truce and share a secret that could ruin both of them. The investigation includes a mass of information about the death keel of the print news industry today. Can the murderer be found before he or she strikes again?

My first advice is to show more read Lisa Black's That Darkness first. As the second in a series where I somehow missed the first book, That Darkness, I was missing some vital background information on the two characters. Although I could gather the gist of it, I actually wanted more information to help create a complete picture of the two characters. I know they were involved in a case where Maggie figured out Jack was a serial killer/vigilante who eliminated the bad guys who deserved to die. Maggie has a secret that she shares with him and the two have an uneasy truce/agreement. Very intriguing characters, but I had incomplete background information about the two.

Setting that aside, figuring out who did it was pretty darn easy in this case, but I think the book was more about these two characters and their uneasy alliance. There is also a plethora of information about the death of the newspaper industry. Black researched the facts and includes a bibliography of the books that helped her research. It was fun to see the case develop and the clues that are followed.

The writing is great. I enjoyed following the investigation and I like Maggie, but I wanted the full backstory. Sometimes you can read a mystery series out of order, sometimes you can't. You need to read this series in the order intended. I did enjoy it and was glued to the pages through the whole book.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Kensington Publishing. show less

Unpunished by Lisa Black
Gardiner & Renner #2

This police procedural has no romance but provides plenty of CSI detail while building the personalities of the main characters solving what proves to be multiple murders that revolve around the newspaper world.

I did not know this was the second in a series and might have benefited from reading the first book BUT was able to make heads and tails of this one anyway. I am not sure what the details of the relationship are between Jack and Maggie but there is plenty of tension between them and soul searching on Maggie’s part as they work the case together. In future books I can almost see them becoming close or at least closer as they figure out the dynamics of how their lives might be able to show more overlap and perhaps mesh into a more comfortable working relationship/friendship…maybe.

As for the murder mystery and figuring out who the murderer was – I figure it out fairly early on though I had no idea so many would die and for, in my opinion, so little cause. There was a great deal of information about the demise of print newspapers that I found especially interesting since I have discussed this issue recently with someone who believes in paper copies and is currently subscribing to more of them in hopes that she can help sustain them…at least for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC. This is my honest review.

4 Stars show less

4.5 stars

Lisa Black’s second installment in her Gardiner and Renner series is every bit as good as her initial one. I loved That Darkness, and Unpunished is a great addition to the series. Maggie Gardiner, a forensic expert, and Jack Renner, a homicide detective, are thrown together again when a series of bizarre murders occur at the Cleveland Herald. The two work to solve the murders while Maggie also struggles to come to terms with her knowledge that Jack operates as a hero vigilante ridding the city of criminals that have eluded punishment for their crimes. The two have reached an uneasy truce that is constantly threatened by a variety of outside factors.

The mystery in Unpunished was highly entertaining to me and is very relevant show more to today’s world. The Cleveland Herald is struggling to stay afloat as newspapers are dying a slow death. Black spent countless hours immersing herself in the newspaper business even touring one to accurately depict the ins and outs of that industry and the difficulties currently facing the newspaper world. She manages to relay very detailed information in an engaging and interesting manner so I learned a lot without feeling like it was hard to wade through the story. Black also addresses the age old issue created by new inventions - the loss of jobs (sometimes entire professions) in certain fields, but the creation of entirely new fields and jobs that are created as a result. I found her reminder helpful as I was bemoaning the projected loss of printed newspapers as I read Unpunished.

I really enjoyed reading this book and love the originality of the series. Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. show less

Who is killing the staff on the Herald and why. This is for Maggie Gardiner, a forensic expert, and policeman Jack Renner to determine. I hadn't read the previous book but I don't think it is necessary to do so.
In quite a few places the book bored me - the long explanations of the death of printed newspapers and their working. It would have been a lot tighter story without it and a definite three stars.
A NetGalley Book

Unpunished by Lisa Black is the second book in A Gardiner and Renner Thriller series. Maggie Gardiner is called out to the death of a copy editor at the Cleveland Herald. Robert Davis was found strung up from the printing tower platform. When the victim is brought down, it is obvious that Davis was murdered. Detective Jack Renner and his partner, Riley are assigned the case. Things are a little awkward between Maggie and Jack since Maggie discovered Jack’s secret (in That Darkness). Maggie collects the forensics while Jack starts questioning newspaper employees. Soon, though, a second victim is found strung up in his living room. Jerry Wilton, Director of Advertising, for the Cleveland Herald was also strangled. Unfortunately, the show more killer took things one step further with Wilton (it is gruesome). It looks like someone is targeting employees of the Herald. Then Stephanie Davis, Robert’s wife, is found murdered. What did she stumble across in her husband’s belongings? Whatever Stephanie had discovered about her husband, it got her killed. Will Maggie and Jack be able to find the killer before there is another casualty.

I had high hopes for Unpunished after reading That Darkness. I like Jack Renner and Maggie Gardiner. They have such potential as main characters. Unfortunately, Lisa Black did not bring them to life in Unpunished. Maggie did find out more about Jack in this book (which I liked). But, the relationship between Maggie and Jack did not have any spark. I found Unpunished to extremely slow paced. The author put in too many details about the newspaper industry. The book felt more like a monologue about how real newspapers are dying out and are being replaced by digital papers that focus on celebrity gossip (there was more, but I started skipping pages at this point). We also find out how newspapers are run and published (which makes for a very dull mystery novel). I give Unpunished 2 out of 5 stars. The book did not have any suspense, and the killer can be identified early in the story. The author did provide good clues (if you pay very close attention). Unpunished fell short of its potential. If you do read Unpunished, I recommend reading That Darkness first. It gives you necessary background details on the characters and the relationship between Jack and Maggie. show less

Unpunished is Lisa Black's second book about forensic expert Maggie Gardener and homicide detective Jack Renner. Although the plot here works as a standalone, I would suggest reading That Darkness first in order to fully understand Maggie and Jack's complicated relationship and their shared history.
This case starts off with the apparent suicide of a copy editor at the Cleveland Herald. But soon further deaths follow, all related to the Herald newspaper. Why would anybody target the staff of a struggling newspaper?
I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series. Maggie's character, in particular, is far better developed here. Jack's entertaining relationship with his cop partner, Riley, and his strained, ambivalent relationship show more with Maggie was fun to follow. The only thing that really slowed this down a little too much for me at times was the very detailed information regarding the decline of the print media industry. Ms. Black has obviously put a lot of research into this. I felt properly educated as to the processes of producing a newspaper and the sorry state of the print industry after reading this. Aside from that, this was a solid murder mystery. The vigilante theme is less prominent in this one than in the first book, but the ending leaves plenty of scope for an exciting third book in the future.
I look forward to it. show less

The second book in the Gardiner and Renner series. Maggie Gardiner is a forensic investigator with the Cleveland Police department. Jack Renner is a detective. Jack also is a serial killer, a vigilante killer who takes the law into his own hands when bad guys go unpunished. Maggie knows Jack's secret, but because he saved her life, they have an uneasy truce.

When a copy editor at the Cleveland Herald newspaper is killed, Maggie and Jack both become involved in the case. When more newspaper employees turn up dead, they realize they have another serial killer on their hands. But what is his motive?

I have read the first book in the series [b:That Darkness|26025628|That Darkness (Gardiner and Renner, #1)|Lisa show more Black|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438630732s/26025628.jpg|45949121] and really enjoyed it. This one was quite good too. The mystery is intriguing and not too easy to solve. There is much talk about the decline of newspapers in this country, as everything moves to a digital format. The newspapermen in the story love their jobs and are sad by the current state of things. The reader gets a real education on this topic.

It seems like there is going to be another book in the series, as there was talk by other detectives about the "vigilante" killer, who is really Jack. I hope this series continues, because I really like it. It is fun, and enjoyable, and the book held my interest the whole way through.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less