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Romantic Suspense #13
No One Left to Tell
New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose returns to the gritty world of Baltimore’s cops and prosecutors with a tale of danger and desire that will leave you breathless…
A car crashes in front of rookie PI Paige Holden’s home. And suddenly, she finds one of her pro bono clients dying in her arms—from a gunshot wound. With her last breath, the woman whispers cryptic words into her ear and hands her a blood-smeared flash drive.
Five years ago, State’s Attorney Grayson Smith put a murderer behind bars. But when Paige Holden shares the flash drive with him, its contents cast doubts on the conviction—and lead him and Paige into a world of blackmail, dark secrets, and a decades-long string of murders. An investigation they’ll survive only by trusting each other—and the truth.
A car crashes in front of rookie PI Paige Holden’s home. And suddenly, she finds one of her pro bono clients dying in her arms—from a gunshot wound. With her last breath, the woman whispers cryptic words into her ear and hands her a blood-smeared flash drive.
Five years ago, State’s Attorney Grayson Smith put a murderer behind bars. But when Paige Holden shares the flash drive with him, its contents cast doubts on the conviction—and lead him and Paige into a world of blackmail, dark secrets, and a decades-long string of murders. An investigation they’ll survive only by trusting each other—and the truth.
518 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 5, 2012
628 people are currently reading
4189 people want to read
About the author
Karen Rose
75 books5,513 followersOFFICIAL WEBSITE:
www.karenrosebooks.com
Internationally bestselling, RITA-award winning, author Karen Rose was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She met her husband, Martin, on a blind date when they were seventeen and after they both graduated from the University of Maryland, (Karen with a degree in Chemical Engineering) they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen worked as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, earning two patents, but as Karen says, “scenes were roiling in my head and I couldn't concentrate on my job so I started writing them down. I started out writing for fun, and soon found I was hooked.”
Her debut suspense novel, DON'T TELL, was released in July, 2003. Since then, she has published fifteen more novels and two novellas. Her seventeenth novel, ALONE IN THE DARK, will be released in 2016.
Karen's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, London's Sunday Times, and Germany's der Spiegel (#1), and the Irish Times, as well as lists in South Africa (#1) and Australia!
Her novels, I'M WATCHING YOU and SILENT SCREAM, received the Romance Writers of America's RITA award for Best Romantic Suspense for 2005 and 2011. Five of her other books have been RITA finalists. To date, her books have been translated into twenty-four languages.
A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of more than twenty years, her two daughters, two dogs, and a cat.
www.karenrosebooks.com
Internationally bestselling, RITA-award winning, author Karen Rose was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She met her husband, Martin, on a blind date when they were seventeen and after they both graduated from the University of Maryland, (Karen with a degree in Chemical Engineering) they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen worked as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, earning two patents, but as Karen says, “scenes were roiling in my head and I couldn't concentrate on my job so I started writing them down. I started out writing for fun, and soon found I was hooked.”
Her debut suspense novel, DON'T TELL, was released in July, 2003. Since then, she has published fifteen more novels and two novellas. Her seventeenth novel, ALONE IN THE DARK, will be released in 2016.
Karen's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, London's Sunday Times, and Germany's der Spiegel (#1), and the Irish Times, as well as lists in South Africa (#1) and Australia!
Her novels, I'M WATCHING YOU and SILENT SCREAM, received the Romance Writers of America's RITA award for Best Romantic Suspense for 2005 and 2011. Five of her other books have been RITA finalists. To date, her books have been translated into twenty-four languages.
A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of more than twenty years, her two daughters, two dogs, and a cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 555 reviews
November 23, 2019
No One Left to Tell by Karen Rose
Thriller and romantic suspense from the Baltimore series. Can be read as a standalone.
PI Page Holden meets and works with state attorney Grayson Smith to uncover evidence of a murder. Twists and turn abound in this story. High death count but some surprising wins in the end.
Intriguing, intricate, and gripping. A great read.
I listened to the audio version.
Thriller and romantic suspense from the Baltimore series. Can be read as a standalone.
PI Page Holden meets and works with state attorney Grayson Smith to uncover evidence of a murder. Twists and turn abound in this story. High death count but some surprising wins in the end.
Intriguing, intricate, and gripping. A great read.
I listened to the audio version.
June 25, 2012
4 stars – Romantic Suspense
Karen Rose is one of my favorite, go-to authors for a masterful romantic thriller and one of the best when it comes to chilling suspense and creepy killers. Her storylines are always intricate, gripping, and taut, and this is certainly no exception, with a complex plot that deals with wrongful imprisonment, conspiracy, murder, intrigue, and political machinations.
Grayson and Paige are interesting, well-developed characters, and I really enjoyed their romance. Grayson is a protective hero and let’s just say that he puts his commanding presence and courtroom eloquence to good use in the bedroom...and on a kitchen table. Whew!
This is the second book I’ve read recently where the heroine owned a protection dog companion (the other being The Witness by Nora Roberts) and it definitely added an interesting layer to the story, as did the heroine’s status as a third dan black belt.
It’s a bit confusing at times with a large cast of characters to keep track of, but everything eventually makes sense and all the questions and loose ends are explained and wrapped up rather nicely, at least for the suspense part. I was left somewhat unsatisfied with the romance aspect since there wasn’t an exchanged “I love you” between the H/h or a definitive HEA. With 500+ pages, I was really hoping she’d spare a little room for that!
No One Left to Tell is not my favorite by this author, but still an intense, elaborate, and thrilling romantic suspense read.
Karen Rose is one of my favorite, go-to authors for a masterful romantic thriller and one of the best when it comes to chilling suspense and creepy killers. Her storylines are always intricate, gripping, and taut, and this is certainly no exception, with a complex plot that deals with wrongful imprisonment, conspiracy, murder, intrigue, and political machinations.
Grayson and Paige are interesting, well-developed characters, and I really enjoyed their romance. Grayson is a protective hero and let’s just say that he puts his commanding presence and courtroom eloquence to good use in the bedroom...and on a kitchen table. Whew!
This is the second book I’ve read recently where the heroine owned a protection dog companion (the other being The Witness by Nora Roberts) and it definitely added an interesting layer to the story, as did the heroine’s status as a third dan black belt.
It’s a bit confusing at times with a large cast of characters to keep track of, but everything eventually makes sense and all the questions and loose ends are explained and wrapped up rather nicely, at least for the suspense part. I was left somewhat unsatisfied with the romance aspect since there wasn’t an exchanged “I love you” between the H/h or a definitive HEA. With 500+ pages, I was really hoping she’d spare a little room for that!
No One Left to Tell is not my favorite by this author, but still an intense, elaborate, and thrilling romantic suspense read.
March 2, 2017
Paige Holden is now a PI in training, partnering with Clay Maynard after her move from Minneapolis to Baltimore. When her pro bono client almost crashes into her, Paige runs to her bullet-riddled car and hears her dying words before a sniper's bullet finishes her off. Unfortunately, it's all captured on video and when Assistant State Attorney Grayson Smith sees Paige in action, he's inexplicably drawn to her. Maybe it's karma as Paige's client was the wife of the man Grayson put behind bars. Now it seems that he may have imprisoned an innocent man.
The action starts within the first few pages and never lets up. It doesn't take very long to get that this is a complicated case with many tentacles. Grayson and Paige are paired rather quickly and when they become targets, that situation becomes rather permanent. Her investigative skills made the story even more interesting and Grayson was no slouch himself. And, Paige's pet Rottweiler, named Peabody, was a wonderful addition to the mix.
Both Grayson and Paige's backstories were heartbreaking and chilling. I wish, however, that we'd experienced Paige's, which occurred sometime between this book and the last. It was revealed in increments but I would have preferred to read it in real time.
There's a steep body count in this book and after awhile, I became numb to it all. This conspiracy was a thorny one with money, politics and cops threaded throughout. It was tough to figure out who to trust and motives but it did start to come together. I enjoyed it despite the bloodiness of it all and Grayson and Paige were wonderfully crafted characters. This continues to be one of my favorite series that manages to interweave past characters into the present in seriously meaningful ways.
The action starts within the first few pages and never lets up. It doesn't take very long to get that this is a complicated case with many tentacles. Grayson and Paige are paired rather quickly and when they become targets, that situation becomes rather permanent. Her investigative skills made the story even more interesting and Grayson was no slouch himself. And, Paige's pet Rottweiler, named Peabody, was a wonderful addition to the mix.
Both Grayson and Paige's backstories were heartbreaking and chilling. I wish, however, that we'd experienced Paige's, which occurred sometime between this book and the last. It was revealed in increments but I would have preferred to read it in real time.
There's a steep body count in this book and after awhile, I became numb to it all. This conspiracy was a thorny one with money, politics and cops threaded throughout. It was tough to figure out who to trust and motives but it did start to come together. I enjoyed it despite the bloodiness of it all and Grayson and Paige were wonderfully crafted characters. This continues to be one of my favorite series that manages to interweave past characters into the present in seriously meaningful ways.
February 3, 2016
Okay so I find this book cute and entertaining, but I think I'm just a little bit confused because there are so many names mentioned in this book and maybe because I'm itching to finish this to read Joseph and Daphne's story which is the next one...
February 8, 2012
Oh dear. Maybe this was one of those books that you either get or don't. Sure if I actually cared about any of the characters I might have something better to say about this novel.
The novel begins clumisily, with our heroine receiving a phone call from her business partner to fill out her back-story ("Hey lady just calling to talk about the past few significant events of your life") The putziness continues as our main lady Paige can't work out whether she is a black-belt, knife and gun toting bad-ass or a simpering idiot who only needs to get laid to feel better. Her counterpart Grayson keeps his personality in his muscles, although apparently he has a dark secret that could ruin everything (or at least stop him getting laid) I struggled to suspend my disbelief as you'd have to be literarily impaired not to understand they were destined for each other.
The sinister plot fails to hold interest, I found myself becoming more attached to Silas, a decent cop manipulated into breaking bad, but got barely the amount of page-time the sex-scenes did.
To be fair the rompy pompy scenes are the best writing in the piece. Has this author heard of pacing? suspense? how about cutting your terrible novel in half to at least reduce the pain of having to read through the whole thing.
Yes maybe the only reason I bothered finishing this that writing a vicious review without honestly getting through the whole thing seemed immoral somehow. Then again the 10 bucks got paid either way so whatever.
The novel begins clumisily, with our heroine receiving a phone call from her business partner to fill out her back-story ("Hey lady just calling to talk about the past few significant events of your life") The putziness continues as our main lady Paige can't work out whether she is a black-belt, knife and gun toting bad-ass or a simpering idiot who only needs to get laid to feel better. Her counterpart Grayson keeps his personality in his muscles, although apparently he has a dark secret that could ruin everything (or at least stop him getting laid) I struggled to suspend my disbelief as you'd have to be literarily impaired not to understand they were destined for each other.
The sinister plot fails to hold interest, I found myself becoming more attached to Silas, a decent cop manipulated into breaking bad, but got barely the amount of page-time the sex-scenes did.
To be fair the rompy pompy scenes are the best writing in the piece. Has this author heard of pacing? suspense? how about cutting your terrible novel in half to at least reduce the pain of having to read through the whole thing.
Yes maybe the only reason I bothered finishing this that writing a vicious review without honestly getting through the whole thing seemed immoral somehow. Then again the 10 bucks got paid either way so whatever.
July 23, 2017
Paige Holden moved to Baltimore to escape a personal tragedy . She works at a PI agency with Clay Maynard and takes a pro bono case where the family insists that the convicted murderer is innocent . Soon after the murderer's wife is shot in front of her but gives Paige evidence of her husband's innocence before her death.Paige decides to take to information to the State Attorneys office Grayson Smith who though suspicious decides to take another look at the evidence.But things start heating up when another attempt is made at Paige's life and somebody would do anything to stop the investigation.
This is a great romantic suspense book by Karen Rose.Lots of well developed characters and different storylines that come together at the end. An enjoyable read but maybe a few chapters too long
This is a great romantic suspense book by Karen Rose.Lots of well developed characters and different storylines that come together at the end. An enjoyable read but maybe a few chapters too long
May 4, 2017
I haven't read a book by this author before so wanted to check her out. This book was available from the library on audio. I was enjoying the story fairly well and listened for several hours then had the sense it should be wrapping up soon. When I looked at my ipod it said I was on part 10 of 24! And that is where it went to hell. The author just kept throwing characters into the stew pot and more tangled up plot twists. Why would you do that? Longer is not better if there is not depth and substance to hold it together.
Anyway. I wasn't satisfied on my quest to find another RS author to love. I might try one of the early books to see if they were more solid in the beginning.
Anyway. I wasn't satisfied on my quest to find another RS author to love. I might try one of the early books to see if they were more solid in the beginning.
August 30, 2017
4.25 stars!
Gosh! Too many bodies to count but my shock is getting less and less.
The mysteries is awesome and the villains really are a bunch of evils!!
For this type of story, the romance is very good too, what more can I ask?
Officially I'm Ms. Rose's newest fan now!:)
But perhaps I need a break from this series a little bit, work hadn't done, home is a mess and I just put ready meals in the oven for a quick dinner!! Urgh!!!
Yeah, that's me 😬
Gosh! Too many bodies to count but my shock is getting less and less.
The mysteries is awesome and the villains really are a bunch of evils!!
For this type of story, the romance is very good too, what more can I ask?
Officially I'm Ms. Rose's newest fan now!:)
But perhaps I need a break from this series a little bit, work hadn't done, home is a mess and I just put ready meals in the oven for a quick dinner!! Urgh!!!
Yeah, that's me 😬
June 14, 2012
Story Rating 5 Stars
Character Rating 5 Stars
Romance Rating 5 Stars
Heat Level 3.5 Stars
Overall Rating 5 Stars
This book totally ROCKED ME! It grabbed me right from the start and never let me go. There were so many twists and turns and bad guy's that there was never a dull moment.
I really LOVED both the H&h. They were both extremely smart, brave, courageous and all around fantastic characters. I could easily see why they were attracted to either other from the very first and were glad that they did not just jump into bed with each other right away. OK, so it was just a day or two after they met that they had at each other and let me tell you, it was HOT! I like my book's on the hot side as you may already know. I don't remember any of the other book's I've read by Karen Rose being this hot so I was pleasantly surprised to find the hotter love scenes in this book.
Like I said, there were so many bad guy's, they were coming out of the woodwork. People were getting killed left and right. The plot was very interesting and had a lot of key people. At the end when the bad guy's started to fall you were still wondering who is the master of all this? When you find out and read how it unfolds and what happens in the end is very satisfying.
I'm hoping that 2 secondary characters from this book's will get their story next. These two have some serious chemistry and I'd love for them to get their story too.
Character Rating 5 Stars
Romance Rating 5 Stars
Heat Level 3.5 Stars
Overall Rating 5 Stars
This book totally ROCKED ME! It grabbed me right from the start and never let me go. There were so many twists and turns and bad guy's that there was never a dull moment.
I really LOVED both the H&h. They were both extremely smart, brave, courageous and all around fantastic characters. I could easily see why they were attracted to either other from the very first and were glad that they did not just jump into bed with each other right away. OK, so it was just a day or two after they met that they had at each other and let me tell you, it was HOT! I like my book's on the hot side as you may already know. I don't remember any of the other book's I've read by Karen Rose being this hot so I was pleasantly surprised to find the hotter love scenes in this book.
Like I said, there were so many bad guy's, they were coming out of the woodwork. People were getting killed left and right. The plot was very interesting and had a lot of key people. At the end when the bad guy's started to fall you were still wondering who is the master of all this? When you find out and read how it unfolds and what happens in the end is very satisfying.
I'm hoping that 2 secondary characters from this book's will get their story next. These two have some serious chemistry and I'd love for them to get their story too.
May 20, 2020
Wonderful read Ms. Rose! Now as many books as you have put out, they always feel fresh and new. I am kicking myself for not reading this book sooner, because the sparks between Paige and Grayson was off the charts. I just kept telling myself that I wasn’t in the mood for a book with high body count…and you must admit you are famous for that. But this book felt more like a romance then a suspense with romance. Loved P and G as a couple and the loved scenes….wowza…you certainly picked that up a notch….or three. Funny thing was, by the end of the book, I think this is your highest body count ever…but it sure didn’t feel like it. The mystery was extremely good and I couldn't put it down for that, as well as the romance. I am looking forward to Joe and Clay’s books and will certainly not be waiting to read those. If you haven’t read a Karen Rose, this is certainly a book to read. There is mention of other couples from other books, but I think this book will stand alone just fine.
February 27, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and the very complex plot. Loved Paige and Grayson (H/h) as they both had so many positive characteristics. They were so easy to like and read about.
This book just adds to the list for why I love reading books by Karen Rose. She is definitely one of my favorite authors!
More review to come...
This book just adds to the list for why I love reading books by Karen Rose. She is definitely one of my favorite authors!
More review to come...
August 11, 2012
You will absolutely love this book if you like long, complicated stories with an endless cast of characters and a barely there romance arc between characters who have the hots for each other, though you can't quite figure out why. Toward the end of the book (p. 452 out of 524), one of the characters helpfully summarizes the story: "Serial child molesters, murderers, case fixers, a cop gone bad, his kidnapped child, and a mastermind eliminating anyone who gets close to the truth. Makes my head spin."
The back-of-the-cover blurb was compelling, but ultimately I didn't find the premise all that interesting, but I was never annoyed enough to put the book down for good, just not drawn into it. Because I read it in a desultory fashion over a couple of weeks (while whining "How much farther? Are we there yet?") I lost track and interest in the scores of characters: her friends, his extended family, his cop/attorney buddies, the many bad guys and their families, etc. If I had read faster, it would not have been such a chore. Karen actually is amazing with handling so many characters; in the hands of a less competent writer it would have been impossible to read without a chart of character relationships.
The conflict between the hero and heroine is very clearly explained, but it doesn't serve to drive the plot, so the romantic element seems more of a dutiful add-on.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the stilted dialogue and narrative. It sounded as though someone had written it in careful, precise English, with syntax that most people do not use in actual speech. I found myself revising the text in my mind as I was reading.
So here are some examples:
"I'd be more worried about a murder charge, were I you," Grayson said. (p. 251).
"That's between my office and Rex. Of course, should he choose to share it with you, that's his business" (Grayson again, p. 253).
Narrative in heroine's point-of-view: "Someone was safe who otherwise wouldn't be. That was what she needed to hold on to when the mocking voice intruded. The faces of the victims she had kept safe were what she needed to remember when she woke from the nightmare" (p. 5)
Then there's a little (unintentional?) sub-theme of identity that goes on too long:
"Silas had admired her more than once. Of course he wasn't that kind of man, even if she'd been that kind of woman" (p. 285).
Three paragraphs later: "That's the kind of man the prosecutor was" (p. 285).
"No. That's not who she was. Is. He'd tried to hurt me, but my.... She could have called the cops, but...." (p. 313).
"What mattered was the man you'd become" (p. 315).
Oh, one other nit: My favorite character was Peabody, the rottweiler guard dog, but alas all he does is growl and, toward the end, bite. (And why isn't the heroine quicker to teach him who to treat as a "friend"?) The hero rents a suite of rooms in the Peabody Hotel. Now, that just seems sloppy. To be fair, that's the only time I noticed sloppy names; most of the time the characters and places are given unique names that are easily distinguishable from each other.
So, again, I want to make it very clear that this is a competently written book, and I'm sure there are readers who will love it. It just didn't engage me.
The back-of-the-cover blurb was compelling, but ultimately I didn't find the premise all that interesting, but I was never annoyed enough to put the book down for good, just not drawn into it. Because I read it in a desultory fashion over a couple of weeks (while whining "How much farther? Are we there yet?") I lost track and interest in the scores of characters: her friends, his extended family, his cop/attorney buddies, the many bad guys and their families, etc. If I had read faster, it would not have been such a chore. Karen actually is amazing with handling so many characters; in the hands of a less competent writer it would have been impossible to read without a chart of character relationships.
The conflict between the hero and heroine is very clearly explained, but it doesn't serve to drive the plot, so the romantic element seems more of a dutiful add-on.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the stilted dialogue and narrative. It sounded as though someone had written it in careful, precise English, with syntax that most people do not use in actual speech. I found myself revising the text in my mind as I was reading.
So here are some examples:
"I'd be more worried about a murder charge, were I you," Grayson said. (p. 251).
"That's between my office and Rex. Of course, should he choose to share it with you, that's his business" (Grayson again, p. 253).
Narrative in heroine's point-of-view: "Someone was safe who otherwise wouldn't be. That was what she needed to hold on to when the mocking voice intruded. The faces of the victims she had kept safe were what she needed to remember when she woke from the nightmare" (p. 5)
Then there's a little (unintentional?) sub-theme of identity that goes on too long:
"Silas had admired her more than once. Of course he wasn't that kind of man, even if she'd been that kind of woman" (p. 285).
Three paragraphs later: "That's the kind of man the prosecutor was" (p. 285).
"No. That's not who she was. Is. He'd tried to hurt me, but my.... She could have called the cops, but...." (p. 313).
"What mattered was the man you'd become" (p. 315).
Oh, one other nit: My favorite character was Peabody, the rottweiler guard dog, but alas all he does is growl and, toward the end, bite. (And why isn't the heroine quicker to teach him who to treat as a "friend"?) The hero rents a suite of rooms in the Peabody Hotel. Now, that just seems sloppy. To be fair, that's the only time I noticed sloppy names; most of the time the characters and places are given unique names that are easily distinguishable from each other.
So, again, I want to make it very clear that this is a competently written book, and I'm sure there are readers who will love it. It just didn't engage me.
December 19, 2020
Too many people dying to keep track of, but otherwise an excellent read!
April 22, 2019
I love Karen Rose. She's an awesome writer and this book is set in and around Baltimore which is fun for me as I have lived in Maryland for most of my life. I love the chemistry between the MCs and look forward to reading more of this series in the future.
February 27, 2017
Awesome, as always. The suspense is heart stopping and the pace is pulse pounding. I know a lot of readers don't like the instalove thing, but it really does work in this book. This is about a 70%-30% Suspense-Romance ratio. The romance is there and the respect that the hero and heroine have for each other leaps off the page, that they are smoken hot in bed doesn't hurt either. Great chemistry between them. That Karen Rose is the supreme goddess of romantic-suspense is a fact. She writes loving families and strong bonds between friends, which can be missing from a lot of books in this genre.
Paige Holden suffered a tragedy last year and was being smothered by her friends. She uproots herself and moves to Baltimore for a fresh start and a new career as a PI. The wife of a convicted murderer comes to her pleading his innocence and that she can get new evidence to prove it. Elena dies in Paige's arms after passing her the evidence and suddenly Paige is in the crosshairs of an assassin. Tampered evidence, planted evidence, police corruption and payoffs. Nasty business and Paige in in way over her head. She approaches ASA Grayson Smith and he saves her from an attacker and the sparks fly.
Grayson Smith is an honest prosecutor and when he finds out that he sent a man to prison on tainted evidence, he is determined to get to the bottom of it and see that justice is done, if he can stay alive long enough to figure it all out. What he and Paige uncover is a twisted web that goes back many years and touches a very wealthy family. Secrets are revealed, even Grayson's.
Paige Holden suffered a tragedy last year and was being smothered by her friends. She uproots herself and moves to Baltimore for a fresh start and a new career as a PI. The wife of a convicted murderer comes to her pleading his innocence and that she can get new evidence to prove it. Elena dies in Paige's arms after passing her the evidence and suddenly Paige is in the crosshairs of an assassin. Tampered evidence, planted evidence, police corruption and payoffs. Nasty business and Paige in in way over her head. She approaches ASA Grayson Smith and he saves her from an attacker and the sparks fly.
Grayson Smith is an honest prosecutor and when he finds out that he sent a man to prison on tainted evidence, he is determined to get to the bottom of it and see that justice is done, if he can stay alive long enough to figure it all out. What he and Paige uncover is a twisted web that goes back many years and touches a very wealthy family. Secrets are revealed, even Grayson's.
September 24, 2021
No One Left to Tell
3.5 Stars
When a car crashes right in front of her, newly minted PI, Paige Holden, becomes ensnared in a vicious web of lies and deceit revolving around the wrongful conviction of an innocent man. Together with Assistant State's Attorney, Grayson Smith, Paige uncovers a decades-old crime and the people who would kill to keep their secrets.
An action-packed suspense plot and an enjoyable romance, but the book is overly long with unnecessary repetition and recapping of events.
The conspiracy style investigation is intricate with many complex twists and turns. Although the outcome is relatively predictable, Rose still manages to keep the reader engaged mainly due to her excellent characterization. Silas, the reluctant assassin, is especially compelling and one cannot help but sympathize with his predicament despite his immoral actions.
Paige and Grayson are likable both as a couple and as individuals. Their backstories are very intriguing and add an extra layer of nuance to their personalities. While their chemistry is wonderful, it is never really clear what they see in each other beyond physical attraction.
There is a huge cast of characters and it is not always easy to keep track of the various friends and foes. Moreover, there are too many scenes that reiterate plot points and conversations along the way. These could have been removed to make the book shorter and more cohesive.
Overall, a solid installment in the series and the hints at stories to come are very appealing.
3.5 Stars
When a car crashes right in front of her, newly minted PI, Paige Holden, becomes ensnared in a vicious web of lies and deceit revolving around the wrongful conviction of an innocent man. Together with Assistant State's Attorney, Grayson Smith, Paige uncovers a decades-old crime and the people who would kill to keep their secrets.
An action-packed suspense plot and an enjoyable romance, but the book is overly long with unnecessary repetition and recapping of events.
The conspiracy style investigation is intricate with many complex twists and turns. Although the outcome is relatively predictable, Rose still manages to keep the reader engaged mainly due to her excellent characterization. Silas, the reluctant assassin, is especially compelling and one cannot help but sympathize with his predicament despite his immoral actions.
Paige and Grayson are likable both as a couple and as individuals. Their backstories are very intriguing and add an extra layer of nuance to their personalities. While their chemistry is wonderful, it is never really clear what they see in each other beyond physical attraction.
There is a huge cast of characters and it is not always easy to keep track of the various friends and foes. Moreover, there are too many scenes that reiterate plot points and conversations along the way. These could have been removed to make the book shorter and more cohesive.
Overall, a solid installment in the series and the hints at stories to come are very appealing.
December 12, 2015
Private Investigator Paige Holden is shaken when she finds her pro bono client, Elena Munoz, dying in her arms from a gunshot wound. Elena gives Paige a flash drive and tells her the cops were chasing her before she dies. Not sure who she can trust, Paige takes the information to State's Attorney Grayson Smith, the man who put Elena's husband behind bars for murder. As Paige and Grayson view the data, it becomes clear that evidence in the Ramon Munoz case was manufactured and an innocent man may be behind bars. But someone doesn't want this information to come to light. Someone is determined to stop Paige and Grayson from proving their case.
This is another very good romantic suspense story from Karen Rose. This book has an intricate plot with lots of twists and turns. I thought it was a little over the top with so many attempts on Paige and Grayson's lives in a 48 hour period. I also thought there were a few too many villains in this one, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it.
We met Paige in a previous book in the series. I really didn't remember her, but I liked her immediately. I also liked Grayson who wasn't afraid to look into Ramon's conviction and say that he made a mistake. There are many characters in this book, some we've met before. I particularly liked Grayson's family and hope we see more of them. I also want to see more of Stevie and Clay. My rating: 4 Stars.
This is another very good romantic suspense story from Karen Rose. This book has an intricate plot with lots of twists and turns. I thought it was a little over the top with so many attempts on Paige and Grayson's lives in a 48 hour period. I also thought there were a few too many villains in this one, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it.
We met Paige in a previous book in the series. I really didn't remember her, but I liked her immediately. I also liked Grayson who wasn't afraid to look into Ramon's conviction and say that he made a mistake. There are many characters in this book, some we've met before. I particularly liked Grayson's family and hope we see more of them. I also want to see more of Stevie and Clay. My rating: 4 Stars.
February 12, 2017
Complex story with a large cast of characters; very long.
If you've read this author before, you know what to expect. I did like many of the characters' interactions. The bad guy(s) -- not much sympathy here.
If you've read this author before, you know what to expect. I did like many of the characters' interactions. The bad guy(s) -- not much sympathy here.
August 26, 2021
PI Paige Holden’s and State’s Attorney Grayson Smith's story carry us into a world of blackmail, dark secrets, and a decades-long string of murders. This story was fast-paced, gripping and disturbing.
A teaser video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNL22...
A teaser video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNL22...
June 8, 2012
4.5 stars
Another great addition to Rose's collection of high-octane romantic suspense! I like the fact that she's adding a bit more romance among the pages of dark, gritty and psycho suspense!
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW
Another great addition to Rose's collection of high-octane romantic suspense! I like the fact that she's adding a bit more romance among the pages of dark, gritty and psycho suspense!
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW
February 24, 2018
Rose's writing is really good and I love it, however this story didn't really caught my interest. First 200 pages was really boring and I really wasn't digging this book, but after it got interesting and the book started to get a bit faster. Romance part of the book was good, a bit naive but good and sexy. Thriller part was slow and boring and meh. Those first 200 pages really ruined the book for me, even tho other 300 were really good and I loved them. Also, I found the first book way better than this one which is why this one is getting only three stars.
February 26, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful thriller
March 19, 2022
Can't really write up a review just yet. (Look for my Fresh Meat coming up on www.CrimnalElement.com) Suffice it to say that I loved this book. Lots of action, insanely high body count, and perfectly matched hero and heroine with plenty of sexytimes. Only downside was that it ended.
March 25, 2020
Sesuai dgn cerita di sinopsisnya, saya akan meneruskan dgn review ini. Cerita yg dikisahkan oleh author ini sangat runut dan super detail. Walau agak lamban plot ceritanya, tetapi sangat mengasyikkan krn kita jadi berteka-teki siapakah si pembunuh.
Kasusnya sungguh ruwet dan sangat mempesona saya. Ibarat membuka bungkus kado, saya harus pelan-pelan mengupasnya supaya tidak melewatkan detail-detail penyelidikan Paige dan Grayson ini. Walau berlapis-lapis (ini akan kamu ketahui di akhir cerita), namun gak rugi deh utk dibaca walau bukunya lumayan tebal.
Karakter Paige sungguh keren. Dia punya trauma tapi dia gak terpuruk. Dia gigih dan bahu-membahu dgn Grayson. Walaupun relationship mereka cenderung insta-love, saya bisa maafkan krn hubungan mereka gak cheesy. Grayson juga punya masa lalu suram dan sempat membayangi karier dan dirinya. Untunglah Grayson adalah tipikal hero yg berintegritas, tidak tunduk pada ancaman yg akan mengakhiri kariernya.
Selama membaca novel ini, kita dibawa dlm penyelidikan ala Paige dan Grayson, yg sebenarnya sangat sederhana metodenya utk membongkar suatu konspirasi yg luar biasa. Hanya butuh ketelitian yg super seperti yg dilakukan Paige, dan voila... kau akan mendapatkan bukti-bukti yg mencurigakan.
Boleh dibilang author sudah menutup dgn rapi dan rapat semua plothole nya di akhir cerita. Saya memang terkejut. Bukan krn siapa pembunuhnya, tetapi betapa scandalous-nya, betapa konspiratif-nya, dan betapa edannya kejahatan itu berlangsung bertahun-tahun. Sekali lagi kita diajarkan, don't judge the book by the cover. Seseorang yg terlihat mulia dan terhormat, belum tentu di dalamnya juga sama, dan dalam novel ini terbukti sangat busuk. Melihat betapa bejatnya perbuatan si pelaku, dgn mudahnya dia selama ini terhindar dari dosa-dosanya bikin saya marah tapi gak bisa ngomong. Kejahatan yg direncanakan, kelainan yg gak diobati bisa berakhir dgn runyam, apalagi dibubuhi pula dgn kekuasaan.
Kasusnya sungguh ruwet dan sangat mempesona saya. Ibarat membuka bungkus kado, saya harus pelan-pelan mengupasnya supaya tidak melewatkan detail-detail penyelidikan Paige dan Grayson ini. Walau berlapis-lapis (ini akan kamu ketahui di akhir cerita), namun gak rugi deh utk dibaca walau bukunya lumayan tebal.
Karakter Paige sungguh keren. Dia punya trauma tapi dia gak terpuruk. Dia gigih dan bahu-membahu dgn Grayson. Walaupun relationship mereka cenderung insta-love, saya bisa maafkan krn hubungan mereka gak cheesy. Grayson juga punya masa lalu suram dan sempat membayangi karier dan dirinya. Untunglah Grayson adalah tipikal hero yg berintegritas, tidak tunduk pada ancaman yg akan mengakhiri kariernya.
Selama membaca novel ini, kita dibawa dlm penyelidikan ala Paige dan Grayson, yg sebenarnya sangat sederhana metodenya utk membongkar suatu konspirasi yg luar biasa. Hanya butuh ketelitian yg super seperti yg dilakukan Paige, dan voila... kau akan mendapatkan bukti-bukti yg mencurigakan.
Boleh dibilang author sudah menutup dgn rapi dan rapat semua plothole nya di akhir cerita. Saya memang terkejut. Bukan krn siapa pembunuhnya, tetapi betapa scandalous-nya, betapa konspiratif-nya, dan betapa edannya kejahatan itu berlangsung bertahun-tahun. Sekali lagi kita diajarkan, don't judge the book by the cover. Seseorang yg terlihat mulia dan terhormat, belum tentu di dalamnya juga sama, dan dalam novel ini terbukti sangat busuk. Melihat betapa bejatnya perbuatan si pelaku, dgn mudahnya dia selama ini terhindar dari dosa-dosanya bikin saya marah tapi gak bisa ngomong. Kejahatan yg direncanakan, kelainan yg gak diobati bisa berakhir dgn runyam, apalagi dibubuhi pula dgn kekuasaan.
September 24, 2013
REVIEW OF EBOOK & AUDIO; SEPT 23, 2013: MISSION ABORTED
Narrator: Marguerite Gavin
While my review, generally, hasn't changed from my previous one below, my audio experience has not been as positive. This has been true for the Vartanian series in audio as well. I couldn't get through the first book of that either (Die For Me) but at least I finished Gavin's You Belong to Me, even if I didn't her style.
Gavin was much better here, the second installment in the Baltimore series. No distracting accents (they're fine in a Southern-based story like many of Sandra Brown's books) but here, in Baltimore, even when Lucy is supposed to have Southern roots (somewhere), Gavin's accent was annoying rather than charming.
Then there was this part where Adele's dog is sick and the vet says he's been poisoned. Adele is horrified and tells the vet her dog ate the chocolates that were meant for her and she freaks because the poison is obviously meant for her. Um, doesn't she - and more importantly, the vet - know that dogs get ill eating chocolates?
Anyway, this reread was tiring and seemed to go on forever and the narrator made it worse. My conclusion: no Karen Rose for me for at least a year.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW OF 2012 PAPERBACK:
This latest from Rose is more to my liking:) Ms Rose put the romance back into her murder thrillers in this one so I got what I like in my RS - a good balance of romance and suspense. In this case, 50/50; Those who prefer more focus on romance would likely disagree, though. For me, though, NOLtT is still very much a murder mystery and the MCs are totally focused on resolving the issues that have arisen following the death of Elena, Ramon's wife. Elena had been trying to get her husband's case re-opened based on the new evidence she obtained but her death unleashes a chain of events that keep Paige Holden and Grayson Smith busy right up to the last page.
Unlike the previous books, I found I was able to follow the plot, complex though it is, as all Ms Rose's books have been. There are also a lot of secondary characters and seemingly unconnected side stories, all characteristic of the author. Fortunately, I wasn't lost in the crowd this time and could easily follow every thread.
Both MCs are likeable even though Grayson isn't my fav Karen Rose hero. That's still Aidan Reagan from
and, strangely enough, David Hunter, whose book, Silent Scream only got 2 stars from me.
One thing that stuck in my mind as I read was that the plot must be more complicated than what had registered in my mind but in the end, it wasn't. It just felt that way because it's very intense, as all KR books are and about 3/4 of the book takes place in just 2-3 days. It was this that pulled me out of the story several times so I can't help but wish Ms Rose would stop that. Every time the dateline showed I was still on the same day, or just one day after, I had to stop and check just to make sure only 24 hours had lapsed or that less than 48 hours had gone by and I'd be incredulous when I wasn't mistaken. This was the only unreal and disruptive part but only if you allow the dates to affect you. If you can ignore the datelines, then the way the story progresses is natural, even if Grayson and Paige fall in love almost instantly. 'Almost' because both are leery of their instant attraction and their defenses go up immediately. 'Instantly' because hey - after three days they are talking about 'forever'.
The heroine turns out to be stronger than the hero here but I wouldn't see this as a negative mark on Grayson. He's got a pretty tortured past and perfectly understandable when he gets a bit of a brain freeze after being slapped with the events as they unfold. It is Paige who, despite knowing him for only three days, is able to get him centered and back in form.
The last quarter of the book sped up and was unputdownable even if the villain/villains aren't exactly hard to figure out. As with most murder mysteries, the fun for me is in how the good guys catch the bad guys rather than whodunit so it doesn't bother me when the perps are obvious.
Despite enjoying NOLtT, I can't give it 5 stars because I always feel heeavy and oppressed reading one of these books. I did give You Can't Hide and
5 stars but if I were to read the latter again, I doubt if I would still give it a 5. I can only take KR in small doses - six months apart at least and definitely running off after each book to something fluffy to dispel the heaviness that's ever-present throughout the book.
Narrator: Marguerite Gavin
While my review, generally, hasn't changed from my previous one below, my audio experience has not been as positive. This has been true for the Vartanian series in audio as well. I couldn't get through the first book of that either (Die For Me) but at least I finished Gavin's You Belong to Me, even if I didn't her style.
Gavin was much better here, the second installment in the Baltimore series. No distracting accents (they're fine in a Southern-based story like many of Sandra Brown's books) but here, in Baltimore, even when Lucy is supposed to have Southern roots (somewhere), Gavin's accent was annoying rather than charming.
Then there was this part where Adele's dog is sick and the vet says he's been poisoned. Adele is horrified and tells the vet her dog ate the chocolates that were meant for her and she freaks because the poison is obviously meant for her. Um, doesn't she - and more importantly, the vet - know that dogs get ill eating chocolates?
Anyway, this reread was tiring and seemed to go on forever and the narrator made it worse. My conclusion: no Karen Rose for me for at least a year.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW OF 2012 PAPERBACK:
This latest from Rose is more to my liking:) Ms Rose put the romance back into her murder thrillers in this one so I got what I like in my RS - a good balance of romance and suspense. In this case, 50/50; Those who prefer more focus on romance would likely disagree, though. For me, though, NOLtT is still very much a murder mystery and the MCs are totally focused on resolving the issues that have arisen following the death of Elena, Ramon's wife. Elena had been trying to get her husband's case re-opened based on the new evidence she obtained but her death unleashes a chain of events that keep Paige Holden and Grayson Smith busy right up to the last page.
Unlike the previous books, I found I was able to follow the plot, complex though it is, as all Ms Rose's books have been. There are also a lot of secondary characters and seemingly unconnected side stories, all characteristic of the author. Fortunately, I wasn't lost in the crowd this time and could easily follow every thread.
Both MCs are likeable even though Grayson isn't my fav Karen Rose hero. That's still Aidan Reagan from
and, strangely enough, David Hunter, whose book, Silent Scream only got 2 stars from me.One thing that stuck in my mind as I read was that the plot must be more complicated than what had registered in my mind but in the end, it wasn't. It just felt that way because it's very intense, as all KR books are and about 3/4 of the book takes place in just 2-3 days. It was this that pulled me out of the story several times so I can't help but wish Ms Rose would stop that. Every time the dateline showed I was still on the same day, or just one day after, I had to stop and check just to make sure only 24 hours had lapsed or that less than 48 hours had gone by and I'd be incredulous when I wasn't mistaken. This was the only unreal and disruptive part but only if you allow the dates to affect you. If you can ignore the datelines, then the way the story progresses is natural, even if Grayson and Paige fall in love almost instantly. 'Almost' because both are leery of their instant attraction and their defenses go up immediately. 'Instantly' because hey - after three days they are talking about 'forever'.
The heroine turns out to be stronger than the hero here but I wouldn't see this as a negative mark on Grayson. He's got a pretty tortured past and perfectly understandable when he gets a bit of a brain freeze after being slapped with the events as they unfold. It is Paige who, despite knowing him for only three days, is able to get him centered and back in form.
The last quarter of the book sped up and was unputdownable even if the villain/villains aren't exactly hard to figure out. As with most murder mysteries, the fun for me is in how the good guys catch the bad guys rather than whodunit so it doesn't bother me when the perps are obvious.
Despite enjoying NOLtT, I can't give it 5 stars because I always feel heeavy and oppressed reading one of these books. I did give You Can't Hide and
5 stars but if I were to read the latter again, I doubt if I would still give it a 5. I can only take KR in small doses - six months apart at least and definitely running off after each book to something fluffy to dispel the heaviness that's ever-present throughout the book.
July 3, 2012
Rating: 4.5/5
I don't know how Karen Rose does it. She's one of the most masterful suspense writers I've read.
Series Note:
All of Rose's books connect in one way or another. They all exist in the same universe. This is the 13th book, but I think it stands well enough on its own to be able to read as a standalone.
Summary:
Needing to get away from a recent tragedy in her life, Paige Holden moves to Baltimore and starts learning to become a P.I. She takes on a pro bono case, helping a family prove that their loved one was not guilty of the murder he was convicted of. But just when new evidence comes to life, the woman who hired Paige is murdered right in front of Paige. It becomes obvious that perhaps the man really is innocent.
So Paige seeks out the prosecutor who convicted him, hoping his need for the truth will help him get past perhaps convicting an innocent man. Grayson Smith is at first wary, but as the bodies start piling up and secrets are revealed, he knows something is going on. He teams up with Paige to find the truth, never expecting the answers they find. And someone doesn't want them to find those answers. Paige and Grayson must fend for their lives, all the while fighting a growing attraction for each other.
Review:
Karen Rose's books never fail to amaze me. She really knows how to tell an intricate suspense plot that leaves the readers enthralled and on the edge of their seats.
The plot of this book is so finely interwoven with many strings going several different ways. It's the kind of plot that would be really easy for the author to get a bit lost or the readers to end up confused, but Rose tells it perfectly. Everything makes sense and ties together in such a way that you just have to shake you head at how wonderfully the story is crafted.
And the intensity of the story keeps you on the edge of your seat. I don't think there's a single moment in the book where the intensity lets up. It's a constant barrage of new facts, new directions, action and mystery. I was completely sucked into the story, trying to figure out how all the clues fit together, what would happen and who did what. It really kept me into the book and had me wanting to keep reading.
I can't say it's my favorite book or plot of Rose's, though. I've read others of hers that plots I enjoyed better, but this was still a great read.
The romance was pretty well done, too. Rose leans more to the suspense side of romantic suspense, but there's still a good romance in this story. I enjoyed both Paige and Grayson. They were likable characters who'd overcome tragedy to move on with their lives. And the chemistry between them was great. I could really feel the connection between them.
I also enjoyed the supporting cast. We get to revisit Lucy and J.D. from You Belong to Me, along with Clay, Stevie and Thorne. And meet some great new characters like Grayson brother, Joseph, his associate, Daphne, and some others. Intriguing characters, all of them, and I look forward to reading more about them in future books.
Was the book perfect? No. I had a couple quibbles. One being that there are a massive amount of characters in the book, good guys and bad guys. It got hard to keep track of who was who, who did what, etc. A character roster would have been helpful.
Second, the entire book takes place over like 3-4 days. And there's a lot of stuff going on in that short time period. It made things seem a bit unrealistic for me. It just too much for too short a time.
And lastly, because of the short timeline of the book, the romance doesn't entirely feel solid at the end. I mean, you know they'll stick together because that's the way romantic suspense works, but it lacked that HEA feeling at the end. Which is also partially attributed to the lack of a calm scene between Paige and Grayson at the end. I just would have liked a last scene between them that wasn't so fraught with plot tension.
But none of those three things had a great impact on my liking of the book. Altogether, they only knocked 0.5 off my rating. So they weren't huge things.
The book was just too good not to like it, whatever little issues it had. I haven't read a Karen Rose book that I didn't love in one way or another. I'm just disappointed we have to wait a whole year for the next book!
I don't know how Karen Rose does it. She's one of the most masterful suspense writers I've read.
Series Note:
All of Rose's books connect in one way or another. They all exist in the same universe. This is the 13th book, but I think it stands well enough on its own to be able to read as a standalone.
Summary:
Needing to get away from a recent tragedy in her life, Paige Holden moves to Baltimore and starts learning to become a P.I. She takes on a pro bono case, helping a family prove that their loved one was not guilty of the murder he was convicted of. But just when new evidence comes to life, the woman who hired Paige is murdered right in front of Paige. It becomes obvious that perhaps the man really is innocent.
So Paige seeks out the prosecutor who convicted him, hoping his need for the truth will help him get past perhaps convicting an innocent man. Grayson Smith is at first wary, but as the bodies start piling up and secrets are revealed, he knows something is going on. He teams up with Paige to find the truth, never expecting the answers they find. And someone doesn't want them to find those answers. Paige and Grayson must fend for their lives, all the while fighting a growing attraction for each other.
Review:
Karen Rose's books never fail to amaze me. She really knows how to tell an intricate suspense plot that leaves the readers enthralled and on the edge of their seats.
The plot of this book is so finely interwoven with many strings going several different ways. It's the kind of plot that would be really easy for the author to get a bit lost or the readers to end up confused, but Rose tells it perfectly. Everything makes sense and ties together in such a way that you just have to shake you head at how wonderfully the story is crafted.
And the intensity of the story keeps you on the edge of your seat. I don't think there's a single moment in the book where the intensity lets up. It's a constant barrage of new facts, new directions, action and mystery. I was completely sucked into the story, trying to figure out how all the clues fit together, what would happen and who did what. It really kept me into the book and had me wanting to keep reading.
I can't say it's my favorite book or plot of Rose's, though. I've read others of hers that plots I enjoyed better, but this was still a great read.
The romance was pretty well done, too. Rose leans more to the suspense side of romantic suspense, but there's still a good romance in this story. I enjoyed both Paige and Grayson. They were likable characters who'd overcome tragedy to move on with their lives. And the chemistry between them was great. I could really feel the connection between them.
I also enjoyed the supporting cast. We get to revisit Lucy and J.D. from You Belong to Me, along with Clay, Stevie and Thorne. And meet some great new characters like Grayson brother, Joseph, his associate, Daphne, and some others. Intriguing characters, all of them, and I look forward to reading more about them in future books.
Was the book perfect? No. I had a couple quibbles. One being that there are a massive amount of characters in the book, good guys and bad guys. It got hard to keep track of who was who, who did what, etc. A character roster would have been helpful.
Second, the entire book takes place over like 3-4 days. And there's a lot of stuff going on in that short time period. It made things seem a bit unrealistic for me. It just too much for too short a time.
And lastly, because of the short timeline of the book, the romance doesn't entirely feel solid at the end. I mean, you know they'll stick together because that's the way romantic suspense works, but it lacked that HEA feeling at the end. Which is also partially attributed to the lack of a calm scene between Paige and Grayson at the end. I just would have liked a last scene between them that wasn't so fraught with plot tension.
But none of those three things had a great impact on my liking of the book. Altogether, they only knocked 0.5 off my rating. So they weren't huge things.
The book was just too good not to like it, whatever little issues it had. I haven't read a Karen Rose book that I didn't love in one way or another. I'm just disappointed we have to wait a whole year for the next book!
June 5, 2024
Okay I loooooved this one. I loved their chemistry, and the mystery had me on edge. I did NOT get the twists.
December 18, 2012
I love this book! Read her previous book "You belong to me" back to back and I love how she links the characters together. This was one complex case that has so many excitement, twists and characters that I felt as though I was watching a tv series. Great book!
December 26, 2024
Baltimore, Maryland, USA; 5 days in April, early 21st century.
Trainee private investigator Paige Holden has fled from traumatic events in Minneapolis and is trying to rebuild her life and confidence, helped in some way by her Rottweiler protection dog, Peabody.
Paige has recently taken on a pro-bono case for the Munoz family who are caretakers in her apartment building. Maria's son Ramon has spent five years in prison for a murder they claim he did not commit - and when Ramon's wife is shot dead in front of Paige, having just told her that she has evidence to exonerate her husband, Paige is immediately placed in mortal danger.
Paige ends up working the case with Assistant District Attorney Grayson Smith, who prosecuted Ramon initially but is now beginning to wonder about whether the case against him was fabricated. As Paige and Grayson start to delve deeply into the case, the body toll rises as someone is clearly intent on leaving no witnesses who may cast doubt on the original conviction - and that includes the two investigators themselves, who soon find themselves being targeted. Meanwhile, despite both having dark secrets in their pasts, Paige and Grayson find themselves strongly drawn to each other.....
Another excellent romantic crime drama from the pen of Karen Rose who is always reliable for a gripping and twisted storyline, mixed in with some hot physical attraction. A great story with some inevitable unexpected twists in the tale just as you think you know who the culprit is! - 9/10.
Trainee private investigator Paige Holden has fled from traumatic events in Minneapolis and is trying to rebuild her life and confidence, helped in some way by her Rottweiler protection dog, Peabody.
Paige has recently taken on a pro-bono case for the Munoz family who are caretakers in her apartment building. Maria's son Ramon has spent five years in prison for a murder they claim he did not commit - and when Ramon's wife is shot dead in front of Paige, having just told her that she has evidence to exonerate her husband, Paige is immediately placed in mortal danger.
Paige ends up working the case with Assistant District Attorney Grayson Smith, who prosecuted Ramon initially but is now beginning to wonder about whether the case against him was fabricated. As Paige and Grayson start to delve deeply into the case, the body toll rises as someone is clearly intent on leaving no witnesses who may cast doubt on the original conviction - and that includes the two investigators themselves, who soon find themselves being targeted. Meanwhile, despite both having dark secrets in their pasts, Paige and Grayson find themselves strongly drawn to each other.....
Another excellent romantic crime drama from the pen of Karen Rose who is always reliable for a gripping and twisted storyline, mixed in with some hot physical attraction. A great story with some inevitable unexpected twists in the tale just as you think you know who the culprit is! - 9/10.
April 3, 2018
I'm honestly not really sure what to think of this book... I'll admit that it was mostly pretty exciting, even though it could've been a lot shorter if passages that didn't contribute to the story at all had been cut out. Either way, I do have various issues with it. I'll try to keep my criticism short, though!
The first thing that annoyed me was the abundance of unnecessary characters and PoVs. In the first few pages the reader is introduced to multiple PoV-characters, many of whose names are not revealed until much, much later, and I could not help but get really confused. By then I already felt like not all of these PoVs were really useful and even if the author wanted to have each of them, she could've introduced them gradually and not all at once. After having finished this book I can confirm that e.g. Adele's PoV was totally unnecessary. It was actually really confusing and in combination with all of the others it left me unable to determine what was important and what was not. I realize that in a thriller it is crucial to give the reader false leads etc., but those should be well constructed and make proper sense. I find that just confusing the heck out of the reader so they don't know what's going on is quite a bad tactic. And not only were there PoVs that should've been left out. There were also various characters whose purpose in the book I did not see (e.g. Zoe, Morton) and a number of sub-plots that lead absolutely nowhere (e.g. Holly, the self-defence-center in general, Stevie and Clay). I'd say that I'm guessing some of them might be picked up again in later books but unless one reads the whole series this is absolutely useless and the reader could've been spared the extra pages. Well... in fact, at first I was ready to forgive Rose for introducing so many characters so quickly because I was convinced that one ought to know at least Paige (if not Clay as well) from earlier books in the series and that it was just me not knowing them because "No One Left to Tell" is the first novel by Karen Rose I've read. This would've also been an excuse for the annoying innuendos concerning Paige's past that are treated as a big mystery in front of other characters but that the reader is somehow expected to know of. But I found out that Paige was only a minor character in one of the previous novels in the series and that none of the readers could've really known her, which means that my criticism is definitely valid.
What also bothered me were the extremely weird relationships between male and female characters. I'll just start with Paige and Grayson. The both of them meet and then everything develops SO quickly! She, Paige, hasn't had sex in eighteen months, which she's pretty proud of keeps mentioning, and also has severe trust issues because she's been sexually assaulted and nearly killed in the process. He, Grayson, doesn't do relationships because of his traumatising past that he'd never tell anyone about (Let me just say: He treats it as a huge secret but literally so many people seem to know. Finding out pretty much everything there is to know about it takes Paige less than ten minutes (though the way she gets the information is absolutely illogical and could actually never have worked) but even though it's that easy he's still surprised that people know.). Fast forward to two days after they first met: They've had sex on multiple occasions and trusted each other with their deepest, darkest secrets. They act as if they're in a relationship but don't ever really talk about it. She's even already been introduced to half is family. Oh, and they're both not hesitant to die for each other. Yeah, that's very realistic. I also dislike how much Grayson objectifies Paige. He is obviously impressed by her wit and skills but the first thing the narrator mentions every time that guy looks at her is her amazing body. He also cannot seem to control himself when it comes to wanting her and he finds himself hard in a matter of seconds even if she does basically nothing to cause this. He's in his late thirties, not teens, d*mn! He also keeps pushing her to let him kiss her and sleep with her and the only reason this is kind of okay in this story is because she wants all of this as well. However, she keeps decilining and telling him why she doesn't want to (she's basically very torn and confusing), which makes his attempts to convince her seem even more pushy and inappropriate. His brother, by the way, objectifies women in a similar way. I mean, neither of them seems like someone who would not stop if a woman asked them to do so. But they'd likely do anything to make sure she doesn't say no. Moreover, the relationship between Adele and her husband is f*cked up beyond belief and a similar thing applies to the "relationship" between Stevie and Clay. Something is seriously wrong with this author's definition of good and healthy relationships and I'd suggest she do some research on this topic before writing another romance novel.
One tiny thing that I actually liked (and, yes, I do realize this won't help a lot) is this book's cover. I don't even know why but I really think it's pretty! I'll just ignore the litte phrase above the title ("If one more woman should "accidentally" fall, there'll be no more women and... NO ONE LEFT TO TELL") because it simply doesn't make sense (no one falls and even if falling is only a euphemism for dying in general, none of these deaths are masked as accidents). But, yeah, at least it will look pretty sitting on my book shelf.
What actually went really well in this is the crime itself. There were some parts of it that really didn't make sense and I'm mostly annoyed because a great deal of these could've been fixed by just thinking about them for a bit. The novel ought to have been shortened by a good 100 or 150 pages and one should've spend a bit more time planning the crime. But I'll give the author credit for the general idea. Moreover, it really was rather thrilling, even though it lacked any kind of climax. All of this combined with an okay style of writing makes a rating of 2/5 stars. I don't regret reading this book but I'll most likely not pick up another of Karen Rose's novels.
The first thing that annoyed me was the abundance of unnecessary characters and PoVs. In the first few pages the reader is introduced to multiple PoV-characters, many of whose names are not revealed until much, much later, and I could not help but get really confused. By then I already felt like not all of these PoVs were really useful and even if the author wanted to have each of them, she could've introduced them gradually and not all at once. After having finished this book I can confirm that e.g. Adele's PoV was totally unnecessary. It was actually really confusing and in combination with all of the others it left me unable to determine what was important and what was not. I realize that in a thriller it is crucial to give the reader false leads etc., but those should be well constructed and make proper sense. I find that just confusing the heck out of the reader so they don't know what's going on is quite a bad tactic. And not only were there PoVs that should've been left out. There were also various characters whose purpose in the book I did not see (e.g. Zoe, Morton) and a number of sub-plots that lead absolutely nowhere (e.g. Holly, the self-defence-center in general, Stevie and Clay). I'd say that I'm guessing some of them might be picked up again in later books but unless one reads the whole series this is absolutely useless and the reader could've been spared the extra pages. Well... in fact, at first I was ready to forgive Rose for introducing so many characters so quickly because I was convinced that one ought to know at least Paige (if not Clay as well) from earlier books in the series and that it was just me not knowing them because "No One Left to Tell" is the first novel by Karen Rose I've read. This would've also been an excuse for the annoying innuendos concerning Paige's past that are treated as a big mystery in front of other characters but that the reader is somehow expected to know of. But I found out that Paige was only a minor character in one of the previous novels in the series and that none of the readers could've really known her, which means that my criticism is definitely valid.
What also bothered me were the extremely weird relationships between male and female characters. I'll just start with Paige and Grayson. The both of them meet and then everything develops SO quickly! She, Paige, hasn't had sex in eighteen months, which she's pretty proud of keeps mentioning, and also has severe trust issues because she's been sexually assaulted and nearly killed in the process. He, Grayson, doesn't do relationships because of his traumatising past that he'd never tell anyone about (Let me just say: He treats it as a huge secret but literally so many people seem to know. Finding out pretty much everything there is to know about it takes Paige less than ten minutes (though the way she gets the information is absolutely illogical and could actually never have worked) but even though it's that easy he's still surprised that people know.). Fast forward to two days after they first met: They've had sex on multiple occasions and trusted each other with their deepest, darkest secrets. They act as if they're in a relationship but don't ever really talk about it. She's even already been introduced to half is family. Oh, and they're both not hesitant to die for each other. Yeah, that's very realistic. I also dislike how much Grayson objectifies Paige. He is obviously impressed by her wit and skills but the first thing the narrator mentions every time that guy looks at her is her amazing body. He also cannot seem to control himself when it comes to wanting her and he finds himself hard in a matter of seconds even if she does basically nothing to cause this. He's in his late thirties, not teens, d*mn! He also keeps pushing her to let him kiss her and sleep with her and the only reason this is kind of okay in this story is because she wants all of this as well. However, she keeps decilining and telling him why she doesn't want to (she's basically very torn and confusing), which makes his attempts to convince her seem even more pushy and inappropriate. His brother, by the way, objectifies women in a similar way. I mean, neither of them seems like someone who would not stop if a woman asked them to do so. But they'd likely do anything to make sure she doesn't say no. Moreover, the relationship between Adele and her husband is f*cked up beyond belief and a similar thing applies to the "relationship" between Stevie and Clay. Something is seriously wrong with this author's definition of good and healthy relationships and I'd suggest she do some research on this topic before writing another romance novel.
One tiny thing that I actually liked (and, yes, I do realize this won't help a lot) is this book's cover. I don't even know why but I really think it's pretty! I'll just ignore the litte phrase above the title ("If one more woman should "accidentally" fall, there'll be no more women and... NO ONE LEFT TO TELL") because it simply doesn't make sense (no one falls and even if falling is only a euphemism for dying in general, none of these deaths are masked as accidents). But, yeah, at least it will look pretty sitting on my book shelf.
What actually went really well in this is the crime itself. There were some parts of it that really didn't make sense and I'm mostly annoyed because a great deal of these could've been fixed by just thinking about them for a bit. The novel ought to have been shortened by a good 100 or 150 pages and one should've spend a bit more time planning the crime. But I'll give the author credit for the general idea. Moreover, it really was rather thrilling, even though it lacked any kind of climax. All of this combined with an okay style of writing makes a rating of 2/5 stars. I don't regret reading this book but I'll most likely not pick up another of Karen Rose's novels.
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