In a Flash

Frankie Johnson #3

by Lori Lacefield

Brutal hate crimes. A country seething with rage. Can a dedicated FBI agent weave together the truth before racial tensions explode?


North Carolina. Frankie Johnson finally has a chance at a normal life. With a new relationship giving her hope, the lead FBI profiler is jarred back to grim reality when a young Black activist’s homicide lands on her desk. And she’s shocked to open the file and discover that in modern America a man can still be hunted down and lynched.

Learning a white supremacist group could be behind it all, Frankie is desperate to keep the rising friction of the case from tarnishing her budding romance. But just as she and her team make headway, violence erupts with more innocent victims paying the fatal price.

Can she stop the vicious carnage before it consumes the nation?

In A Flash is the no-holds-barred third book in the FBI Local Profiler thriller series. If you like driven and appealing heroines, stories ripped from the headlines, and hard-hitting investigations, then you’ll love Lori Lacefield's relentless thrill ride.

Genres: Fiction

194 pages, Paperback

First published January 21, 2023

About the author

I write suspense thrillers, including the Frankie Johnson FBI Local Profiler Series, and the Women of Redemption Series. Each book in the FBI series features behavioral analysis and crime scene investigation as Frankie is called in to profile and hunt a brutal killer. If you like books by Lisa Gardner, Catherine Coulter, Meg Gardiner, Mike Omer, A.J. Rivers, or Alex Kava, you will like this series.

The Women of Redemption series is a theme-based series that focuses on flawed, but realistic, heroines who must face the consequences of their actions when their past circles back in unexpected ways. These women aren't perfect, but perfectly kick-ass when given a second chance. If you like books by L.T. Ryan, L.T. Vargus, John Grisham, John Ellsworth, or Victor Methos, you'll like this series.

I began my writing journey many, many years ago. S.E. Hinton and V.C. Andrews were early influences, followed by Stephen King and Mary Higgins Clark. I have far too many favorite authors today to make mention of them all, but John Grisham, Michael Connelly, and Dennis Lehane are high on the list. I love reading new authors as well as diverse voices.

I'm a lover of coffee, books, music, yoga, wine, travel, and most of all dogs. I currently live in Colorado with two senior Pomeranians and one feisty Papillion.

Reviews

[Kim Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book. I finished it in 2 days. This book is so much more than your standard FBI story.

The book starts off with Frankie Johnson, an FBI agent. Lori Lacefield then tells a story of truths and how lies can cause ruin and even death.

It was very well written, entertaining, and thought-provoking.
I am now off to read The Art of Obsession (the previous book).

Thank you, Lori, for introducing me to your amazing writing.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Emotional, gut wrenching, questions your belief in humanity wrapped in fiction with slivers of hope. As I read the first chapter I started tensing up. I wanted to be at the theaters so I could cover my eyes and not see what was coming. When I finished the first chapter I put the book down and tried to breathe. I am grateful the author knew this was horrific and started chapter 2 with some room to breathe. This had scenes from our past, from headlines and I fear in our future. Frankie, our FBI Profiler is of mixed race. Investigating a horrific hate crime and the link to white supremacist. Along with the investigation we see how this is affecting her personal life. This is a page turner with a jaw dropping twist I did not see coming. I own book 1 and book 2, they are in my TBR pile. When I was offered a chance at the arc I said yes. (I am addicted to alphabet suspense). This can be read as a stand alone with no problem. I think if I had read the previous I would have more appreciation for the deep strength of Frankie (our FBI) and the little nuances with her boss (no, not romantic). This book made me think, made me feel and kept me up long after I finished reading it. Thank you for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions! #inaflash #Frankiejohnson #lorilacefield #openbookmediallc #bookfunnel

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story begins with Lamar Beckett, started Demand Change NOW, an activist organization being kidnapped and eventually killed. The killing was done by an organization called the New Patriots a white supremacist group. Frankie is called to the scene where Lamar's body was found. The killing was similar to those that happened by the KKK. Evidence was scarce after the scene was canvassed.

As a result of the killing, a race war was in the offing between Black protestors and white supremacist.
A protest march was held later and this event brought a confrontation between the two groups. Many people were killed or injured and as a result a task force was created by the FBI and the police. One event in particular was troublesome and would wind up with other actions. The next event is really the one that was most devastating with multiple injuries and deaths.

The task force was able to narrow down who was responsible and also learned later that there was a mysterious leader who was causing this trouble.

Read how the task force was ultimately responsible and how the capture of the New Patriots was handled. In the end, you will have all of your questions answered.

[Randi Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This almost became a DNF for me. Some people think it is too political. I found it too realistic. It reflects things that are happening in this country today and draws heavily on the riots in Charlottesville VA in 2017. I personally haven't seen this much blatant racism since the sixties, and the white supremacist movement harkens back to the Nazis, a scary time in world history indeed. The book deals with the lynching by a group of white supremacists in North Carolina of a Black activist with aspirations like Martin Luther King for peaceful protest. The book demonstrates just how easy it would be to start a civil war by people with an agenda, including politicians, and just how far these people would be willing to go for their cause. The characters are realistic and believable. The writing made me feel like I was there. I like the FBI agent Frankie, a young woman of mixed heritage to whom this case is all too personal, but she puts her emotions aside and does her job. The twist at the end was a total shock to me. The book was a mix of emotions, thrilling and bit horrifying and it kept my attention to the end. I haven't read the other books in this series but I plan to remedy that soon. Thanks to the author for giving me a copy to review.

[Cathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book directly from the author as part of her advance reader team in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion.
This is the third book in the FBI Profiler series and I have not read the first two. I did not feel like I was missing anything from not having read the first two – except maybe some good stories.
Frankie is a profiler with the FBI and works in North Carolina. She is called out to the scene of a lynching. The body is of a man who had started an activist organization. There is little evidence at the scene but they soon discover that a white supremacist group was behind the crime.
Following this attack, a race war begins in the area around Charlotte with Frankie and her team right in the middle. As they race to find out who is behind these events, Frankie struggles to keep her emotions in check.
This is an intense read but very well done and the author keeps you guessing as to who is pulling the strings behind these acts.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lori Lacefield wrote a book that was very intense and a timely. She keeps you guessing about who was behind the deeds driving the story. I was pretty sure all the actions were not just the consequences of previous actions, but what was the underlying motivation? In the end it was a part of all my guesses; politically motivated, a push for radical change, opposing sides with strong emotions; but it was not totally any one of these. The ending was a surprise and sad but also hopeful. This book is a must read and I am feeling compelled to read more from this author.
I received a free copy of this book, but the opinions expressed are my own.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankie Johnson's job at the FBI as the coordinator for the NCAVC - National Center for the Advancement of Violent Crimes has been slow. Too slow. Dr. Lawarence Banks lives with Frankie now. When a church out in the country is burnt down to the ground, there was also a cross on the lawn burning and a black man found dead. He was tortured, whipped and hung. Someone in North Carolina is going back in history and in a horrible way. If the local police and FBI don't get this under control, a civil war could begin. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Linda DiMezza · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible! The first 2 books from the author were amazing. So I ordered the third. I really couldnot finish it to the end. I read for pleasure. I do not read to have an author's politics contained in a book or shoved down my throat. It is bad enough that we are inundated with these kinds of issues on a daily basis. I do not do that to anyone and I do not expect an author to do that. I will give this author another try if another book is available. But if the same thing occurs, just one more author on my do not read list.

[Antigone Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Race Wars

Frankie investigates the ugly world of supremicists, racists and violent activists. In the meantime she must struggle with her relationship with her surgeon lover and a potential pregnancy.

Pretty good read about violence, hatred and manipulation. Frankie is annoying and does not always use good judgment. Otherwise a decent story.

[Callie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little more of a slow read for me. I liked the message that played out in the book, and it brings a lot of real-life things into perspective, but it didn't keep me as engaged as a reader.

[Cheri Lynn Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was intense. Kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. She did her job and had us guessing from the get go. Great read!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Very entertaining book builds well on the previous novels. Did not see the twist coming. Unusual theme but tackled well. Highly recommend.

[Phil Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

The story lines of the 3 books was intense and fast reading. I recommend all 3 books. Well worth the time

[Vicki Gilbertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed, all of the others were fantastic. I got about 4 chapters in, put in the bag for Goodwill

[KristieReadsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lori’s attention to detail is amazing. This story has some tough topics that are heart wrenching and emotional but Lori handles them with care.

Frankie continues to put herself out there in order to find justice. Her intuition is usually correct and her teammates have learned to follow her lead. She is tough, resilient and determined.

Lori does an amazing job of twisting this story so you don’t know who the suspects are until the end…this one made me a little sad and I was shocked who “Oz” turned out to be.

I had to put this one down a couple of times because it is intense but defiantly worth the read. This can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the other books in the series to understand some of the other characters.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was ripped straight out of the headlines!
It’s fast paced with lots of twists and turns. It will keep you guessing to the end. Another good installment in this series.
Thanks to the author for the early copy

[Jackie Welcel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so scary because unfortunately at this time in our country it is easy to see these horrors happening again. There are awful white supremacist groups committing hate crimes against groups working for change in America. Frankie is a FBI Profiler working to find out who is really behind these events and how far are they planning to go. I just wanted to get to the end and see if they were able to stop the plans and prevent an all out second civil war. This was a very good book, I was given an ARC for a fair and honest review.