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Nan Vining Mysteries #3
The Deepest Cut: A Novel
Back from the dead. That’s how it feels for Nan Vining–a Pasadena homicide cop, a struggling single mother, and a woman determined to find the brutal madman who left her for dead a year ago. Now, in Dianne Emley’s brilliant new thriller, Nan Vining must face the truth: her attacker is still out there and he’s killed at least three other women.
She has given a name to her unknown assailant: T. B. Mann–The Bad Man. On the job, Nan breaks rules and steals evidence, building a case file based on the dead certainty that T. B. Mann is obsessed with women who wear uniforms or carry guns, that he hunts them and kills them, then adorns them with a pearl necklace.
At the crime scene of her official assignment, the murder of an ex-con in a clown suit, Nan spots a graffiti tag and is sure, against all reason, that T. B. Mann was there, too. But she is fearful to share her suspicions.
Further complicating matters is Nan’s developing relationship with Detective Jim Kissick. In the grip of her secret obsession, she knows that opening her heart means losing control.
Within this sprawling panorama T. B. Mann reemerges, bringing Nan to the sudden, horrifying realization that her killer has baited the perfect trap.
Smart and gut-wrenching, deeply felt and passionate, The Deepest Cut startles and astounds from the first page to the last.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
10 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Dianne Emley
22 books83 followersLos Angeles Times bestselling author Dianne Emley is a Los Angeles native, growing up in the multicultural Northeast side. She earned a B.A. and an MBA, both from UCLA and soldiered through a variety of day jobs, landing in business middle management. Early morning before she headed to the office, she wrote fiction. Her first book, Cold Call, a mystery about Iris Thorne, a sexy, single L.A. investment counselor in the "greed is good" late 1980s, was sold at auction to Pocket Books/Simon and Schuster and published in 1993. It was followed by four more in that series.
Dianne then took her writing in a new direction and began her series about Nan Vining—a haunted and driven homicide detective and single mom. The first in the series, The First Cut (2006), was a Los Angeles Times bestseller and hit #1 on Amazon. Currently, there are six books in the Nan Vining series.
The Night Visitor, a standalone paranormal mystery, was published in 2014.
Critics around the world have praised Dianne's books, which have been published in 20 countries and translated into six languages: "A gripping page-turner..." (Library Journal); "Expertly plotted... redolent with suspense and action..." (Florida Sun-Sentinel); "A superior piece of storytelling..." (Los Angeles Times); "Relentless suspense..." (Booklist).
Dianne lives in California where she writes full time and is a pretty good cook and a terrible golfer.
Dianne then took her writing in a new direction and began her series about Nan Vining—a haunted and driven homicide detective and single mom. The first in the series, The First Cut (2006), was a Los Angeles Times bestseller and hit #1 on Amazon. Currently, there are six books in the Nan Vining series.
The Night Visitor, a standalone paranormal mystery, was published in 2014.
Critics around the world have praised Dianne's books, which have been published in 20 countries and translated into six languages: "A gripping page-turner..." (Library Journal); "Expertly plotted... redolent with suspense and action..." (Florida Sun-Sentinel); "A superior piece of storytelling..." (Los Angeles Times); "Relentless suspense..." (Booklist).
Dianne lives in California where she writes full time and is a pretty good cook and a terrible golfer.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 19, 2015
I wish there were about 20 books already written in this series so I could just keep on reading! I love Nan Vining, female detective, and her partner Jim Kissick (also her love interest). We find out from the start that a couple of years ago Nan was ambushed and stabbed, left for dead. She actually flatlined for two minutes before being revived. Her attacker was never found. She has a daughter, Emily, and is divorced, her husband having left her for his hair stylist. The two of them are married. She, in the meantime got cozy with Kissick but broke things off.
When the story opens, she and Kissick have just gotten back together. They are called to the scene of a homicide and what looks to be a gangland style execution. However, there is a tag spray painted next to the body reading China Dog 187. The California Penal Code for murder is 187. Death to China Dog? They have no idea who it refers to, if anybody, or why their dead guy would be spray painting something like that. According to his gang tattoos, his gang affiliation had been with the Latin Kings. They weren't at war with any known Chinese gangs so what did the tag mean exactly. As Nan looks closely at the tag she realizes the writing is familiar. She's seen it before, written on a card her attacker sent her, along with a pearl necklace, when she'd been forced to shoot a rock star in a high profile case. When she suggests there's a connection between her case and the one they're currently investigating, her co-workers think she's crazy or overworked so she quickly drops it. Maybe she is seeing something that isn't there.
As Nan begins digging into the corpses' s background and known associations, she's called into her supervisor' s office. Kissick is there as well. It turns out they have a new lead on Nan' s attack so Kissick is going to look into it leaving Nan in charge of their current case.
One thing I've enjoyed about these books is that there are really two stories running simultaneously. Nan has a case to solve but lurking in the background is her own personal hell, made worse by the fact her attacker is still out there. And there are things Nan knows about him that she hasn't revealed to anyone, not even her lover. In spite of the fact she and Kissick love each other, she's put off telling him about the facts she's gathered on her own. Nor has she told him the things she did to obtain her information. She knows it's time to come clean but when she does finally tell him It could cost her not only her job but her relationship with him as well.
There's also Nan' s relationship with her daughter. Emily has been through a lot since her mom was attacked. She's gone through things no child her age should have to go through. Nan realizes she's been leaning too much on her daughter while trying to recover so for both their sakes she needs to find the man who tried to kill her, stop him from hurting anyone else, and give them both the closure they need in order to move on with their lives.
The author does a wonderful job of weaving the two stories together without getting her readers confused about what is going on. I like that Nan is both tough and vulnerable at the same time. She's a hard-nosed cop but also a woman who's been through a terrible ordeal and survived. She has the scars inside and out to prove it. Kissick is her partner and her lover and sometimes he has trouble separating the two. It makes for a lot of tension between them at times which keeps things interesting. While Nan would prefer to keep their private lives private, Kissick doesn't care who finds out they're involved.
This one certainly kept me turning the pages and there was a major twist at the end I didn't see coming. The author just gets better with every new book. Definitely worth reading!
When the story opens, she and Kissick have just gotten back together. They are called to the scene of a homicide and what looks to be a gangland style execution. However, there is a tag spray painted next to the body reading China Dog 187. The California Penal Code for murder is 187. Death to China Dog? They have no idea who it refers to, if anybody, or why their dead guy would be spray painting something like that. According to his gang tattoos, his gang affiliation had been with the Latin Kings. They weren't at war with any known Chinese gangs so what did the tag mean exactly. As Nan looks closely at the tag she realizes the writing is familiar. She's seen it before, written on a card her attacker sent her, along with a pearl necklace, when she'd been forced to shoot a rock star in a high profile case. When she suggests there's a connection between her case and the one they're currently investigating, her co-workers think she's crazy or overworked so she quickly drops it. Maybe she is seeing something that isn't there.
As Nan begins digging into the corpses' s background and known associations, she's called into her supervisor' s office. Kissick is there as well. It turns out they have a new lead on Nan' s attack so Kissick is going to look into it leaving Nan in charge of their current case.
One thing I've enjoyed about these books is that there are really two stories running simultaneously. Nan has a case to solve but lurking in the background is her own personal hell, made worse by the fact her attacker is still out there. And there are things Nan knows about him that she hasn't revealed to anyone, not even her lover. In spite of the fact she and Kissick love each other, she's put off telling him about the facts she's gathered on her own. Nor has she told him the things she did to obtain her information. She knows it's time to come clean but when she does finally tell him It could cost her not only her job but her relationship with him as well.
There's also Nan' s relationship with her daughter. Emily has been through a lot since her mom was attacked. She's gone through things no child her age should have to go through. Nan realizes she's been leaning too much on her daughter while trying to recover so for both their sakes she needs to find the man who tried to kill her, stop him from hurting anyone else, and give them both the closure they need in order to move on with their lives.
The author does a wonderful job of weaving the two stories together without getting her readers confused about what is going on. I like that Nan is both tough and vulnerable at the same time. She's a hard-nosed cop but also a woman who's been through a terrible ordeal and survived. She has the scars inside and out to prove it. Kissick is her partner and her lover and sometimes he has trouble separating the two. It makes for a lot of tension between them at times which keeps things interesting. While Nan would prefer to keep their private lives private, Kissick doesn't care who finds out they're involved.
This one certainly kept me turning the pages and there was a major twist at the end I didn't see coming. The author just gets better with every new book. Definitely worth reading!
January 10, 2013
I thought that the previous books in the series were good, but this installment was just silly. I didn't understand how Nan Vining, the main character, could be so insightful and dopey at the same time. Also, I felt that the author used tired metaphors and a uninspired writing style. I was impatient with the historical/touristy descriptions of the area, which seemed more expository and got in the way of the plot.
July 25, 2011
I read the first two Nan Vining books, "The First Cut" and "Cut to the Quick", both of which I thought were pretty good. However, I found the last book in the series not that great. This book continues with Nan and her partner/lover, Jim, trying to solve the mystery of the one who attacked Nan and left her for dead. I found this book to be a very slow read. Was disappointed in this book.
January 15, 2013
Finally finished this series. Good ending but do not like how overly descriptive she is.
July 13, 2018
There are three books in this series; I’ve gotten the “Finished” dates all mixed up.
November 12, 2018
Another Page Turner
Lots of twists and turns in this story
While not to give the plot away I am looking forward to reading her next adventure
Lots of twists and turns in this story
While not to give the plot away I am looking forward to reading her next adventure
Read
March 22, 2020good stories but they get gruesome
September 21, 2025
5-Word Review:
Crime thriller, strong female lead
Memorable Quotes
Crime thriller, strong female lead
Memorable Quotes
"There’s powerful magic in the world. Just because I can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there."
"We’re both warriors, but in different wars.”
"Working at a police station could be like high school, only with guns and badges."
"He would have enjoyed the paranoia the murder would have sent whipping through the park like a brushfire in love with the Santa Ana winds."
May 30, 2010
PROTAGONIST: Detective Nan Vining
SETTING: Pasadena, CA
SERIES: #3 of 3
RATING: 2.5 (which may fall if I think about it more!)
Nan Vining is a detective with the Pasadena, CA, police. She's been struggling for quite a while to put her life in order. Two years earlier, she was "killed" by a man who has yet to be found. Technically, Nan was dead for two minutes. Since then, she's been obsessed with finding her attacker, who she and her daughter have nicknamed T. B. Mann, short for The Bad Man. While investigating a gang incident, Nan finds a drawing that indicates that she may not have been T.B.'s only victim; there's a drawing showing three other women and the scenes depicting their murders.
Nan tries to convince her colleagues, including her partner and lover Jim Kissick, that T.B. is a serial killer. Although they understand her feelings about the man who killed her, they don't believe her theories. Of course, they don't have all the information that she has. Nan has surreptitiously stolen evidence from some of the other crimes. Her boss suspects that Nan is going off the deep end and assigns Kissick to the case, while Nan is relegated to investigating a gang murder.
Although Jim may officially own "her" case, Nan cannot help but continue her own investigation, even following in his footsteps to interview potential lead witnesses. There is the inevitable ultimate showdown with the killer; and what transpired during the final 50 pages of the book was so over the top and ridiculous that I became completely disgusted.
I found The Deepest Cut a difficult book to read and to like. I really did not care for the character of Nan. She was a person that used those that she loved in order to pursue her quest. Obviously, she had been very damaged by what happened to her and it's understandable that she might have developed some negative character traits as a result. If it meant lying and breaking the law to be able to conduct her personal investigation, well, that's just the way it goes. I couldn't imagine what Kissick saw in her.
In addition, Emley does not have a very polished writing style. Sentence structure was often awkward, and the book was rife with incorrect tense usage. I scratched my head about the inclusion of the ghost of a murdered police officer who tinkled her wind chimes to give her a message and a butterfly that clung to her that was supposed to mean another ghost following her.
I did find Emley's descriptions of Asian gang life to be very interesting. She included information about the lifestyle of the individual gang members that I hadn't know before. In reality, that was the only positive in the book for me. I did wonder if the first two books in this series depicted Nan before she had been attacked and if she were a more sympathetic character in those books. I won't be finding out.
SETTING: Pasadena, CA
SERIES: #3 of 3
RATING: 2.5 (which may fall if I think about it more!)
Nan Vining is a detective with the Pasadena, CA, police. She's been struggling for quite a while to put her life in order. Two years earlier, she was "killed" by a man who has yet to be found. Technically, Nan was dead for two minutes. Since then, she's been obsessed with finding her attacker, who she and her daughter have nicknamed T. B. Mann, short for The Bad Man. While investigating a gang incident, Nan finds a drawing that indicates that she may not have been T.B.'s only victim; there's a drawing showing three other women and the scenes depicting their murders.
Nan tries to convince her colleagues, including her partner and lover Jim Kissick, that T.B. is a serial killer. Although they understand her feelings about the man who killed her, they don't believe her theories. Of course, they don't have all the information that she has. Nan has surreptitiously stolen evidence from some of the other crimes. Her boss suspects that Nan is going off the deep end and assigns Kissick to the case, while Nan is relegated to investigating a gang murder.
Although Jim may officially own "her" case, Nan cannot help but continue her own investigation, even following in his footsteps to interview potential lead witnesses. There is the inevitable ultimate showdown with the killer; and what transpired during the final 50 pages of the book was so over the top and ridiculous that I became completely disgusted.
I found The Deepest Cut a difficult book to read and to like. I really did not care for the character of Nan. She was a person that used those that she loved in order to pursue her quest. Obviously, she had been very damaged by what happened to her and it's understandable that she might have developed some negative character traits as a result. If it meant lying and breaking the law to be able to conduct her personal investigation, well, that's just the way it goes. I couldn't imagine what Kissick saw in her.
In addition, Emley does not have a very polished writing style. Sentence structure was often awkward, and the book was rife with incorrect tense usage. I scratched my head about the inclusion of the ghost of a murdered police officer who tinkled her wind chimes to give her a message and a butterfly that clung to her that was supposed to mean another ghost following her.
I did find Emley's descriptions of Asian gang life to be very interesting. She included information about the lifestyle of the individual gang members that I hadn't know before. In reality, that was the only positive in the book for me. I did wonder if the first two books in this series depicted Nan before she had been attacked and if she were a more sympathetic character in those books. I won't be finding out.
July 20, 2010
This isn't the final installment of the series, but it does bring to an electrifying conclusion the story line running through the first three books that began when Pasadena homicide detective Nan Vining was very nearly knifed to death by an extremely twisted serial killer. Don't worry, this is not just another serial-killer story. The quality of the writing, the compelling characterization, the vivid portrayal of the Pasadena setting, the fast pace and unrelenting suspense, the psychological depth and subtlety, and the shocking, unexpected revelations in the final confrontation between Nan and the psychopathic killer make this an outstanding and most satisfying read.
December 8, 2010
This was really a silly book, so formulaic. The heroine, Nan, is a wounded detective that is hard edge and on a mission to find the psychopath who almost killed her. She calls him T.B. Mann (the bad man), and he is obsessed with women police officers who kill others in the line of duty. Nan’s partner Jim, is touch and tender as Nan is hard assed. It is preposterous that Nan would let her daughter be apart of the danger. There is some interesting background on the Chinese gangs in LA, and even though it is all predictable, I still liked the main characters and was glad that Emley didn’t spend too much story on a crazy story explaining the sociopath
April 5, 2009
The third book in the series. I think I would have liked it more if I had read the first two. It wasn't bad, but I didn't really connect or care about any of the characters, and the narrative jumped around and made it hard for me to follow since I didn't know the characters well. The ending also seemed abrupt to me, like, oh, it's page 350, better finish up now.
August 16, 2009
This was a book my Dad brought back from thriller fest. I read it even though I have not read the 2 books that Emley wrote before with the same characters. I did still enjoy it it, although I would have enjoyed it more as part of the series.
The ending of this one came out of no where and I liked that!
The ending of this one came out of no where and I liked that!
August 19, 2011
Not very compelling to me. I struggled to finish it. Again, I had a really hard time following or relating to much of the protagonist's motivations. Her reactions didn't ring true to me. The story line on LA gangs could have been interesting, but the author's take on it didn't make me want to keep reading.
September 9, 2012
OMG (and I never say OMG!) Emley knows how to terrify.
I don't want to tell you too much else! If you like police procedurals, however, this will go you one better, with a female protagonist who's got problems of her own.
Petrea Burchard
Camelot & Vine
I don't want to tell you too much else! If you like police procedurals, however, this will go you one better, with a female protagonist who's got problems of her own.
Petrea Burchard
Camelot & Vine
May 9, 2009
the conclusion - nan gets the man who almost murdered her - the three books should be read in order. written well but i still couldnt warm to nan. she definitely has her own code.
September 16, 2009
Good finale. An improvement on the second book of the series.
June 13, 2010
Fairly entertaining as far as murder/mystery books go. I would probably read another book by this author.
August 30, 2010
Writing choppy and stilted. A burden to read, even though I like Kissick (the boyfriend) and I wanted to find out who had attacked Nan from book 1.
June 3, 2012
Had no empathy for main Character - glad I read the last of the trilogy first !
Read
April 5, 2013The story went nowhere, slowly.
Read
November 5, 2013In my opinion this book was amazing! Had me in suspense the whole time. I never wanted to put it down.
April 7, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. It is fast paced and suspenseful.
February 19, 2016
I liked the bad guy in the story, but the rest of it and the rest of characters were pretty week.
August 17, 2015
Good story
Dianne emley is a good writer she uses beautiful descriptions of the people, places and things. Very good literature for adults
Dianne emley is a good writer she uses beautiful descriptions of the people, places and things. Very good literature for adults
September 19, 2009
Best of the trilogy. Very satisfying.
May 8, 2013
excellent ending thoroughly enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews