Good Morning, Killer

Ana Grey #2

by April Smith

An electrifying new thriller that brings back the complex, strong-willed, often-maverick FBI agent—Ana Grey—whom we first met in the author’s stunning debut novel, North of Montana.

This time Special Agent Grey is working on a kidnapping case—a fifteen-year-old named Juliana has been abducted in Santa Monica. Grey’s counterpart in the Santa Monica Police Department is Detective Andrew Berringer. They’ve worked together before—and they’ve been more than just working together ever since.

It’s Ana’s job “to know the victim as if she were my own flesh and blood.” But when Juliana turns up—traumatized into a state of total and paralyzing terror—it becomes clear that Ana has gone too far: she is viewing her own life from the perspective of Juliana’s blasted emotional terrain. And in a moment of passion (Andrew has betrayed her) and panic (is it possible that he also means to harm her?) Ana points a gun at him and shoots.

Now she is both criminal investigator and criminal as she breaks her bail agreement to continue tracking the abductor, torn between her powerful emotional connection with Juliana and the fraying connection she has to her own common sense and to the truths she knows about Andrew—and about herself.

Psychologically acute and unstoppably suspenseful—Good Morning, Killer is a searing, addictive read.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Suspense, Thriller Suspense, Audiobook, Novels

368 pages, Hardcover

First published December 20, 2002

About the author

Here's the down and dirty: grew up in the Bronx, went to college in Boston, graduate school in California, back to Cambridge to write a first failed novel and learn how the world works by writing ad copy,west to Los Angeles in 1976 for a career writing and producing TV, until the writer's strike of 1988 when I wrote my first novel on spec, North of Montana. Two wonderful grown children and the best husband in the world, now of 34 years. Stable enough on the outside but take away swimming, writing, hiking, yakking with girlfriends, pet pooches, chocolate chip cookies (the gooey kind), British TV series and grapefruit Martinis -- well, don't.

Reviews

[Terry Cornell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another series where I started with the second book somehow. I noticed in the author's acknowledgements she thanks a Sheriff's Lt. I know--maybe he recommended it. It took a little while to get used to Smith's writing style and voice, but the plot was interesting, and took a diversion into the protagonists personal life. Some things seemed implausible, some plot twists telegraphed in advance, some hidden. I like the setting in Santa Monica and Westwood. Usually I'm a sucker for crime fiction based in my general area. I'll have to read the first book in the series one of these days.

[Staci Woodburn-Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read outside my normal genre for the Ana Grey books on the recommendation of a friend. After one, I was hooked. This is the note I sent him while on the second book:

I was reading while waiting for the bus this morning. When it pulled up, I got on without looking up. Still on the bus 45 minutes later, it's pouring rain and hail and no one can figure out how to close the roof hatch that I'm sitting under. Which is of course when I finally stopped reading and noticed that not only am I getting pelted, but I'm on the wrong bus, in the wrong part of town, and I'm late for work. But I'm laughing victoriously because it means that I get to read more while I dry off and wait for another bus to take me back. -- That, my friend, is the definition of a good read.

Highly recommend, bur warning: they're hard to put down so clear your schedule.

[Julie Ehlers · Rating 3 out of 5]

The long-awaited (by me, anyway) sequel to North of Montana. I remember that book as being more edgy and hard-boiled than most mysteries with female protagonists, and this novel definitely confirmed that. The depiction of the brutal crime and its victim was beautifully written without being exploitative, but I have to say this one was a bit too hard-boiled and edgy--it went over the top at the end. Still really good, and I plan to read the next book in the series.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 2nd in a series of the Ana Grey mysteries...a gritty thriller with a tough, no-nonsense female FBI agent as the protagonist...pretty dark & hard edged with little or no humor, even the black humor of law enforcement...I'll give the series one more shot as I plan to read the 1st

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Debated between a 3-4 stars for this book, We are going to see this author at Festival of Books in Tucson so wanted to read her. It was a fast paced interesting read. For a moment wondered if the conflict between two lovers who are also law enforcement would really escalate as it did in book but knowing and reading about police private lives leads mne to believe it certainly could. Found the characters interesting and the plot really kept my interest.

[Chris W Sears · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend the Ana Grey series. Go in with the right expectations: this is a character drama disguised as a procedural, and Ana Grey is one of the most compelling and realistic characters in any book I've read.

[Kari Bahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bummed to realize that this was number #2 in a series, but it did feel like a standalone, so that's okay, I guess! I grabbed this book a few years ago on our cruise, but was not able to finish it. I've been slowly trying to finish since then. I enjoyed the characters and liked the couple twists. Not a fan of the ending. Seemed a little abrupt and unfinished for my taste. Would read another book of April's again, though.

[Khanson919 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really enjoying this book until it took quite a detour in the plot. I liked Agent Ana Grey and how she was woking on Juliana's kidnapping and then, after her return, tracking her kidnapper. I was interested in the developing relationship between Juliana and Ana. Then the whole focus of the book switches to her relationship with Andrew, which never seemed like a good relationship from the start. The author completely lost me when after she shoots Andrew, he lies on the stand about the entire situation, and she finds out he is a bank robber she asks him to marry her! Completely out of left field and makes Ana look like a complete moron. Maybe in 2003 and when this book was written women acted that stupid, but that does not fly in 2021. If the author had just focused on the crime and the hunt for the serial rapist the book would have been so much better. I am done with this series. I have no interest in seeing what Ana Grey does next.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's some similarity between Ana Grey and Kathy Reichs's Tempe Brennan: both are very bright women who do some very, very stupid things. I find Grey more compelling at this point simply because I've read less of her, and Brennan has been around long enough to become a diluted brand. Grey's choices surprise me; Brennan's choices fall more into the "Don't go after the killer by yourself without police backup YET AGAIN!" variety.

I will say that the Brennan books are purer mystery novels, with a case that begins and ends over the course of the story even if the book is about Brennan herself. Both of the Grey books I've read so far feature a case that begins, but ends early in the story which is ultimately about Grey herself.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A renegade FBI agent. Sounds like a contradiction in terms, and in fact to me it suggested that agent Ana Grey should not be in that organization.

There are many fictional detectives who become obsessed with learning the truth, and will cross any number of barriers to get there. I don't' find that admirable or endearing. There are also many detectives who can't open up, are unable to trust. I do understand and can usually relate to this trait. In Ana we have both.

While searching for the man who abducted, viciously beat, and raped a fifteen-year-old girl, Ana crosses lines that may weaken the investigation, an investigation that she shares with Malibu detective Andrew Berringer. Ana and Andrew are having an affair. Ana tells herself that she is just in it for the sex yet she talks to Andrew about moving in together.

There are contradictions in Ana's character that I couldn't resolve in my head. She cares for Andrew but when he says he prefers to keep the house that holds so many family memories for him, she dismisses his concern because she prefers her own apartment. She is a level-headed investigator but goes off the rails when her thoughts lead her to accusations of infidelity against Andrew. She behaves in a dangerous, absurd manner that threatens the safety of others.

Yet inside she is caring about little Juliana, the rape victim. I couldn't put it together, particularly because the caring moments are so few. Instead of taking us inside a deep conversation with Juliana, Smith glosses over it and later says Ana had many conversations, without letting us into any of them. I suspected that Smith really did not know how to express that caring.

She did know how to express how a special nurse talks to a rape victim, and I appreciated the time she took with that (the acknowledgments indicate that she explored this topic with others).

Overall, I found Ana vindictive, reckless, and thoughtless, and I don't feel the need to read any more in this series.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a better book than the first one in the series, and it was good. In book two, FBI Special Agent Ana Grey gets the nod to work a kidnapping case. Fifteen-year-old Juliana Murphy is missing, and Grey teams up with her boyfriend, Andrew Berringer, a detective with a local police force, to find the girl. Juliana turns up so frequently raped and traumatized that initially, no one can get her story. Grey’s involvement becomes overly emotional, and soon she’s making decisions that could send her to prison.

The end of this is nothing short of masterful. It’s twisty and jolting, and I doubt you’ll figure it out any sooner than the author wants you to. This was an entertaining way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but it will entertain you equally well no matter what afternoon you choose to read it in.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

In some ways, I could give this five stars. I was unable to read during isolation in pandemic...& when I would try, Good Morning Killer was all I could manage. So, from an “I teach literature & the dialogue is outrageous & descriptions boilerplate & some lowkey racism/microaggressions floating about...” I stand by two stars. As far
as, “I needed something to read that was easy to turn the next page at a time when the world was on fire & the microaggressions were tolerable but not acceptable...” I have to say four stars. If you don’t mind a deadpan detective narration then you might say three stars. So this review is basically not very useful as the only review it does not embrace is a one star review.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sequel to North of Montana, FBI Ana Grey and Andy, a Santa Monica cop, are involved in a child kidnap and rape, recovery - as well as a personal feud which results in Ana shooting Andy and on trial for attempted murder.

This did not go where I expected. It was a bit strange especially when they confront each other.

Sad ending.

Not sure I liked it as well as the first one.

I own a copy.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fast-paced crime procedural but with a twist: the crime(s) really aren't the focus of the novel. This story digs into the private lives of the policeman and FBI agent who are looking for the bad guy. Once again, the author's language choices place this high above a run of the mill novel.

[Ashlee Weber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really hard to get into at first. I am not a crime book person either so that made it more difficult. However once Anna and Andrew and their fight it started getting good and I had an easier time reading the rest of the book.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ana Grey is psycho, self destructive and on a roll. It seems unlikely that the FBI would tolerate her behavior and her rogue detail but it all makes a great story with some unexpected outcomes. April Smith is killer - this one is as good as North of Montana.

[Chris R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll give April Smith this: she's not afraid of the dark and it's easy to get swept up in her books.
In this one, FBI agent Ana Grey is chasing a rapist and serial killer while, at the same time, watching her relationship unravel in ugly ways.
Definitely a page turner.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished stronger than the rest of the book but not very good. Have read her before and was disappointed

[Tolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tons of potential. . . . Follow through and making me like the main characters--not at all. I do think this author has it in her, I need to keep an eye on her.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good! First book I've read by her. Story was good and I like the way she writes.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not force myself to finish this. The dialogue was very strange and I just couldn't read anymore.

Abandoned at 50% (Part 2)

[Belynda Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started out slow, but the more you read it, the better it got! There was more than one crime solved in this story! Was really good at the end!

[Dries Van · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expensive read.

What a waste of time, lots of words that go nowhere, poor plot. Had to read to the end, simply to justify the money I wasted.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if it was interesting enough to continue on reading the next Ana Grey book.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2003. Top notch thriller writer but she only wrote 4, the last in 2011.

[Melva Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

April Smith writes a good suspense story. I knew the answer before the end but getting there was lots of fun. Ana Grey is a great character and definitely a strong woman.

[Michelle]

Couldn’t finish

[Tim Chancellor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent FBI procedural with several nice twists!

[Christine Ku · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt a little misled by the blurb and had to go back and read it again. My final verdict is that it does not intentionally mislead but isn’t what I expected it to be either. Basically, it diverges off the main case into the protagonist’s complicated love world half way and this might be in response to the new passion in character driven fiction but I personally am not buying it. Having said that, it does read okay, just not really my cup of tea.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 2.75

Way back in 1994, April Smith introduced a character by the name of Ana Grey in the acclaimed debut novel North of Montana. It's taken her almost 10 years, but Ana is back in Smith's latest work, Good Morning, Killer. She's still an FBI Special Agent, but her life has changed dramatically in the period between the 2 books. The "man" in the first book, Mike Donnato, has gotten married and moved to best friend status.

On the professional front, Ana does well, although sometimes her judgment is negatively impacted by her personal life. She's working in a sexual crimes unit and has all of the characteristics of a great agent. She is sensitive to the plight of the victims that she encounters and skilled at getting them to open up and trust her so that she can pursue the perpetrators. Her long experience has also provided her with the ability to profile the villains which leads to greater success in bringing them to justice. In the current case, a 15-year-old named Juliana Meyer-Murphy has disappeared; and her parents are frantic. Against all odds, Juliana returns home alive, but terribly brutalized. She has been raped and repeatedly strangled into unconsciousness. Ana's heart goes out to her, and she establishes a personal bond with Juliana. The suspect is identified early on, and Ana becomes consumed with him and his actions.

On the personal front, however, Ana is a mess. Ana is involved with a Santa Monica cop by the name of Andrew Berringer. Involved is too soft a word—obsessed is more like it. The contrast between her personal and professional lives is dramatically different and unbelievable. In a welcome (but as it turns out, unwelcome) twist, Andrew is assigned to Juliana's case representing the police. On the one hand, he is shown to be a man who establishes a bond with the victims with whom he deals. On the other, he is an arrogant lout who has anger issues. He often does things that undercut Ana's professional position, and she begins to wonder if she can trust him. In spite of that, she is totally subservient to him and will do anything to keep the relationship alive. She stalks him. For some reason, she feels he is her soulmate, a mirror of herself. If I looked in the mirror and that's what I saw, I'd run like hell.

When Ana finds Andrew involved with someone else, she totally loses it, chases him in her car at 100 miles an hour and threatens him and the other woman. Later, she goes to a cop bar and embarrasses him publicly. When he shows up at her apartment, tempers flair and an unthinkable thing happens which has huge aftereffects. As a result of the incident, Ana is removed from her position and looking at facing a trial. In spite of all that, she cannot give up the case, proceeds to talk down the suspect and rescue another potential victim. She cannot give up Andrew, either, even though he has all but put a knife in her back during his testimony about the incident in her apartment. The future turns out just as you might expect it would, with yet another implausible event centering on Andrew.

This is a strange book to try to analyze. On the one hand, it is extremely fast paced and is likely to be read in just a few sittings. Some of the writing is beautiful. And there is a certain appeal to the protagonist in her professional setting. When the narrative dealt with the case being investigated, it was unstoppable.

But unfortunately, the faults of the book bring it down like a tent in a tornado. The characterizations are wildly inconsistent. There is one character in this book who is such a caricature that you can almost hear her cackle every time she is on the page. It felt as if the characters changed completely from what they were at the beginning of the book. Ana's irrational attachment to Andrew irritates in every possible way.

After very much enjoying the first book in the series, I regret to say that I found Good Morning, Killer a grave disappointment. Not recommended.