Breakneck

Kitt Lundgren #2

by Erica Spindler

A remorseless killer. A string of innocent, clean-cut victims. Detectives M.C. Riggio and Kitt Lundgren must race against a cold-blooded predator who moves at breakneck speed in this heart-pounding thriller from New York Times bestselling author Erica Spindler.

Hot on the heels of their last case, partners Mary Catherine (M.C.) Riggio and Kitt Lundgren, detectives in the police department's Violent Crimes Bureau in industrial, blue-collar Rockford, Illinois, are called out to a college student’s apartment where a young man with no criminal record, not even a noise complaint from his neighbors, appears to have been murdered in his sleep.

The trail seems cold, until another victim turns up, and then another… each one striking closer to home for M.C. The growing list of seemingly emotionless kills leaves M.C. and Kitt little to follow—like the first victim, all the targets are young adults, kid-next-door types who’ve never taken a step outside the law. Meanwhile, the case starts to take its toll on M.C.’s personal life, setting her on edge with her partner and putting their hard-earned friendship in jeopardy. As M.C. and Kitt hunt a faceless killer, they are led deep into the cyberuniverse, where no one is who he seems and you never know who's watching. At the heart of this mesmerizing thriller is the relationship between two headstrong women as they struggle to balance their dual roles, to learn to trust, and to walk the fine line between upholding the law—and taking it into their own hands.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Detective

Audio CD

First published January 8, 2008

About the author

A New York Times and International bestselling author, Erica Spindler's skill for crafting engrossing plots and compelling characters has earned both critical praise and legions of fans. Her stories have been lauded as “thrill-packed page turners, white- knuckle rides and edge-of-your-seat whodunits.”

Erica loves meeting and interacting with her fans, both in person and online. She has a wicked sense of humor, an optimistic spirit and loves coffee, chocolate and red wine, not necessarily in that order.

In 2002 her novel Bone Cold won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence. A Romance Writers of America Honor Roll member, she received a Kiss of Death Award for her novels Forbidden Fruit and Dead Run and was a four-time RITA® Award finalist. In 1999 Publishers Weekly awarded the audio version of her novel Shocking Pink a Listen Up Award, naming it one of the best audio mystery books of 1998.

Erica lives just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a crime book with a high body count then this one is for you! They seem to drop like flies - there is a very busy little murderer out there and it is almost impossible to guess who it is!

It is a shame that Erica Spindler only wrote two books in this series. I rather like Kitt Lundgren especially now she has got her act together. This time it is Mary Catherine's turn to have a very close acquaintance with deaths of people close to her. I have to say that in the real world there is no way her boss would have let her anywhere near the case, but it made for a very good story!

This is a clever book with a lot of well informed police work, excitement and tension, and a major twist in the story. The ending is dramatic and satisfying in turn. A very worthwhile read.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I thought this book was going to be a kind of sucky book - way too much love flowing between all the characters, then all of a sudden "wham" I didn't seen that coming. Talk about a lot of emotions running through this book, so very sad at times, and at other times makes one very angry.

The main characters seemed to have pulled their claws back - for a while. Then the big question arises - who do you trust? and shouldn't you be able to trust your partner? No? Maybe? No?

Loved this book - don't want to give anything away - so read it yourself and find out!

2 thumbs up and 5 stars - great read.

Onto the novella "Storm Season" by 3 really good authors - J.T. Ellison, Alex Kava,and Erica Spindler!

[CD {Boulder Blvd} · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up...

Although the plot showed a lot of potential, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the first book in the series. The growth of the relationship between Kitt and MC added a great deal to the first book. In this book, MC goes off the deep end fracturing her relationship with Kitt and pulling the story down with her. It was like every time she had to do the right thing and include Kitt, she chose the wrong option. She came off as selfish and stupid and grew very tired of her.

I also found it hard to believe that MC was allowed to be a part of the investigation as two of the people killed early on were her fiancé and her cousin. Not to mention a person of interest was also part of her family. It just wasn't realistic. Plus the murderer was pretty obvious early on.

Mmm....maybe I should have rounded down?

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read two Erica Spindler novels, Watch Me Die and Copycat. Both were decent thrillers that sucked you in. Breakneck, the sequel to Copycat, is simply awful. Let me list the ways:

1. Not sure who the protagonist. In the first one, its Kitt Lundgren. In the second on, MC gets a lot of page time to herself and it seems the story is from her perspective, but Kitt is there a lot. The shifting perspectives gets really old.

2. Forced conflict: The first book has plenty of conflict with Kitt and MC, Kitt and her ex, the Sleeping Angel Killer, MC and her boss, etc.

Breakneck has no real conflict of its own, so instead it tries to create it with failed results. First Kitt threatens Sal to let MC on the case, but soon after they are fine. Then Joe and Kitt fight, but then they are okay 5 pages later. MC and Kitt fight, but are okay yet again. Every time the author tries to add dramatic conflict, it solves itself a few pages later and it might as well not have been there at all.

3. Zoe, the most irritating one dimensional character of all time

4. Saw the twist coming a mile away, and it ended exactly like Copycat and Watch Me Die. Protagonist gets captured by killer, miraculously escapes by chance

Not one of her stronger entries, Breakneck is full of cliches and has nothing on Copycat. I will have to wary with future Erica Spindler novels.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Martin was a part time college student and major computer hacker. He didn’t really have any friends and he rarely left the house, so why was he murdered?

Detective Mary Catherine”M.C.” Riggio and her partner, Detective Kitt Lundgren are back again. It seems in their latest case that someone is making it personal for M.C.

First M.C’s fiancé, Daniel Gallo, is found shot in the head and then her cousin, Tommy is found also shot in the head in his home. Who would want to kill Daniel and Tommy? At first the circumstance seems like Daniel was a victim of the wrong place, wrong time scenario but upon further investigation it seems that M.C. didn’t really have a clue about who the real Daniel was. Before M.C. has a chance to wrap her mind about her fiancé, more college students have been murdered.

M.C. and Kitt discover that all of the victims were key players in a mass cyber ring. M.C. and Kitt are joined by Jonathan Smith with the FBI. Soon all three of them find themselves caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a killer known as Breakneck.

M.C and Kitt are two of my favorite detectives. So glad to visit with them again. I thought M.C. brought a good range of depth to her character with all the different emotions, she experienced from joy, sorrow, anger, and revenge. Kitt is the best partner anyone could every have. She always has M.C.’s back. Author, Erica Spindler serves up one hot, steamy plate of suspense, intrigue, and a heart-pounding good time in her latest novel, Breakneck. I read this whole book in one sitting. I was glued to my sit till the very end. The ending I might add was great. It was a surprise ending for me. I did not expect the curve-ball that got thrown to me.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since Erica Spindler began her writing career I've never missed a novel yet, have never been disappointed by anything she has written to date, and "Breakneck" is no different.

Spindler has an uncanny ability to pen the most hair-raising, nail-biting and sit-on-the-edge of your seat stories! Her propsenity for creating characters and situations in a suspensful and thrilling story is what makes her so popular. You are pulled into the book from the first chapter.

Detective M.C. Riggio and her partner Kitt Lundgren are pinned to the wall and in a battle to find a cold-blooded killer who moves at breakneck speed and always seems to be one-step ahead of Riggio and Lundgren. After being called out to the small apartment of a young man who appears to have been murdered in his sleep, M.C. and Kitt learn the murdered man was a saint with no prior arrests, convictions or complaints and can't figure why or who would kill someone like him. Thinking they are going to be left with an unsolved case, more and more young victims begin to show up murdered all over the city. With each additional kill, M.C. and Kitt realize these dead bodies are remarkably getting closer and closer to home for M.C., and they discover a link to the internet where they don't know who is watching.

This whole case is becoming too much for M.C. and begins to affect her working relationship with her partner Lundgren and even her own personal life. Who is this faceless, emotionless and brazen killer and can M.C. and Kitt find out before it's too late for one of them?

This isn't a book to pass up and is brimming with well-developed characters, lots of action, thrills and just when you think you have the murderer figured out, you turn the page to find out you're wrong. This story has a real twist!!

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Kitt and M.C.!!!

[Yvette Fontaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4 1/2 stars, very close to 5. Stayed up late so I could finish reading. Good, page-turner.

[Sylvia Morhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you again Erica! Every page was exciting to turn. And again kept me guessing right to the end.

[Elvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never using the free wi-fi hotspots ever again. :)

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

"A remorseless killer. A string of innocent, clean-cut victims. Detectives M.C. Riggio and Kitt Lundgren must race against a cold-blooded predator who moves at breakneck speed in this heart-pounding thriller from New York Times bestselling author Erica Spindler.

Hot on the heels of their last case, partners Mary Catherine (M.C.) Riggio and Kitt Lundgren, detectives in the police department's Violent Crimes Bureau in industrial, blue-collar Rockford, Illinois, are called out to a college student’s apartment where a young man with no criminal record, not even a noise complaint from his neighbors, appears to have been murdered in his sleep.

The trail seems cold, until another victim turns up, and then another… each one striking closer to home for M.C. The growing list of seemingly emotionless kills leaves M.C. and Kitt little to follow—like the first victim, all the targets are young adults, kid-next-door types who’ve never taken a step outside the law. Meanwhile, the case starts to take its toll on M.C.’s personal life, setting her on edge with her partner and putting their hard-earned friendship in jeopardy. As M.C. and Kitt hunt a faceless killer, they are led deep into the cyberuniverse, where no one is who he seems and you never know who's watching. At the heart of this mesmerizing thriller is the relationship between two headstrong women as they struggle to balance their dual roles, to learn to trust, and to walk the fine line between upholding the law—and taking it into their own hands." (From Amazon)

A great sequel to Copycat. I love Kitt and M.C. is a perfect partner for her. A fabulous suspense thriller.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced thriller breaks up in the middle...., January 8, 2009

This review is from: Breakneck (Hardcover)

This novel in the series featuring detective partners MC Riggio and Kitt Lundgren starts out with the murder of 20-year old computer hacker Matt Martin. The setting is Rockford, Illinois in January -- it's cold there and the case heats up as the body count rises. That was where the book started to devolve from really good to not so good for me. One after another, more people close to MC are killed. The motivation for these killings was quite hollow and with all that personal grief and MC's reaction to it floating around, it was hard to develop any kind of concern or care for the characters and the plot. The partners have their typical doubts of each other and still don't seem to realize that they need to work together. It all seemed so contrived somehow and the whole reason for all these murders wasn't really that interesting or compelling. I'd like to be able to say that the thriller was thrilling, but toward the end I just wanted to finish it. The parallel stories of MC and Kitt's romances, their families, and their personal lives -- that usually make the books more interesting -- didn't work this time. I do believe the major issue was the sheer number of deaths and the relationship of who was killed to the characters. It defied credulity to the point where I lost interest.

I am a fan of Spindler, and I've liked most of her books, but this one ended up actually being just "ho hum" and I'd advise that if you must read it, you borrow it.

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, I get that this is fiction but I wasn't quite prepared for fantasy fiction. Eight homicide victims and the protagonist is engaged to one and related to two and she's allowed to participate in the investigation? I mean, even if she wasn't prostrate with grief, being related to 2.5 of the victims certainly would cloud her judgment and objectivity and hinder the investigation and all her superior said was (paraphrasing here) keep an eye on her and it's your butt in a sling to her partner? Wow. It would have been far more believable if she was put on leave and she investigated on her own.

And a psychologist breaking privacy laws because who cares about HIPAA if he saves a life? And she involves her family in the investigation?
It wasn't the worst book I've read but it's the stuff like that ruins books for me.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. The book focused primarily on M.C. and the unfortunate instances that popped up for her but I was glad to get glimpses into what happened with Kit. I hope the author continues with the series.

[Roxann Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erica Spindler never disappoints. LOVED LOVED LOVED this book....I enjoyed everything about it. A definite must read if you love suspense thrillers.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5 Stars.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book by Erica Spindler - I never see what’s coming!! Definitely worth a read.

[Ron Royden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt like a "popcorn film" in book form. Popcorn book? The story was kind of silly, some moments I'd even say were just plain goofy; which I feel was not the intent in this murder-mystery novel. Moments that were supposed to shake the reader to the core more often caused mild amusement. The killer is wholly obvious from the paragraph he is introduced to the point that the big reveal has no emotional impact. I think the thing that causes this story to feel the most unserious is how quickly the main characters go from life-altering trauma to silly quipping from page to page. But; the longer I've had to reflect on my experience with this book, the more I've realized I had a lot of fun reading it and that cannot be understated. If I take out the boring part of my brain that tries to judge subjective topics in an objective manner, it is impossible not to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good thriller. The cyber-theft ring was interesting and at least in my reading world, it hasn't been overdone. The killer was interesting and perfectly cold-hearted. Although some people were turned off by the short chapters, I thought it was different and worked ok. I like M.C. best of the two main characters and I think Kitt is okay. I felt horrible watching as the murder victims start to fall, and M.C. knows some of them. I agree with what other reviewers have said about police procedure. I am NOT involved in any aspect of law enforcement but I knew that there was no way some of that would have unfolded that way...but I can see that Spindler had to do things the way she did or her story wouldn't work. I thought this book was very entertaining and I only realized who the killer was a few moments before they did. However much I praise this book, I do acknowledge that this book wasn't nearly as good as Spindler's earlier works. "Forbidden Fruit", "Shocking Pink", "Cause For Alarm" and "Fortune" were just amazing. Those are the books I most recommend that you go and grab

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

When several seemingly unconnected young adults start to die in the same way, M.C. and Kitt must race against the killer to find the motive and protect more people from dying, but can they do it before the killer gets to them first?

Another fantastic installment from Erica Spindler, Breakneck follows on from the equally fantastic Copycat, but can be read independently. Apart from having to sleep, I couldn't put it down! It kept me gripped from the very first page, right up until the very last. I loved the way this book played on the more modern fears of the internet and it's dangers of not knowing who is behind a screenname. Along with the main story plot of the murders, there's also the lives of the two female detectives weaved into the story, you really feel like you get to know them as people and what drives them to do what they do. I would definitely recommend this to Spindler fans or to people who enjoy a good mystery thriller. She's one of my favourite authors and I can't wait to get my hands on another of her books. Enjoyable every time!

[Jennifer C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Catherine and Kitt are partners on the police force. So many people close to M.C. are being murdered. Kitt is having issues with her husband and is excited to try working things out with him on a vacation to Mexico. When people start dying around MC, Kitt decides to put her trip on hold. Her husband, Joe, understands this but just thinks that it's never going to work between the two of them. Kitt is very low throughout most of the book and is trying to divide her time between work and home. She even contemplates quitting her job after this case is solved. The book really kept my attention for the most part, but there wasn't really anything to figure out. All of the clues that are actually used to solve the case are given very late in the book and no time is given for the reader to really put any of it together. That's why I liked it, but didn't love it. I kind of thought I knew who was doing it, only because it was the only person who didn't really fit with the story or make sense with his actions. But other than that, it was an OK story with a HEA.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. Other than figuring out who the baddie was early on, it was interesting to watch the detectives narrow it down and nail his ass. I really like both Mary Catherine and Kitt, the two detectives. They are real and have real lives and real issues to contend with while performing the hellacious job of murder cop. I honestly don't know how cops do it day after day. After reading this book, I'm not sure I want to even think about hitmen and murder for a good while. Well written, the plot and hints are strung out just enough to keep you interested and wondering who and why.

[Jennifer (INnerSANITY) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breakneck - a good solid novel featuring all my faves: murder.. Mystery.. Suspense.. Twists.. And a quick paced read filled with great character development!! And something new for me that I haven't really read about.. Cybercrime!
The only complaint I had was that M.C kept lying and hiding info from her partner!!! Shame on you!!!
But stuff happens.. And I felt better about her in the end.. ☺️
Yep!! Another great read!!

[Ginger Weirich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cracker: A computer hacker. When a ring of “crackers” hits the wrong account, people begin dying. Detective Lundgren and her sidekick get taken on a merry chase of misdirection, and when the real culprit is revealed, well... This is another “new” author for me, and I found her storytelling very engaging. I will watch for more from this author. 5 stars.

[Matty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great detective mystery by Erica Spindler. I doubt that I realized it when I bought this, but it was the second book featuring M.C. and Kitt (the first being Copycat). Hopefully there will be more to come. There were a lot of twists that I didn't see coming and it was very fast paced and really kept my interest.

[Sylwia Oliver · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Erica's books, but where she comes from with those false names like KItt and MC as main characters. It just keeps bugging me. Copycat was great, fresh and I still cringed each time I read "MC Riggio"... anyway there is so many dead bodies and I am ashamed to say, knew who killer was, from the moment he appeared. Still enjoyable read, but not much suspense for my liking

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again another "can't put down book"! Great mystery which I thoroughly enjoy. The main characters are carried over from previous books. So there is a continuing of the story line but that does not get in the way of 'mystery'.

[Nitasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book is a novel and is AWOSME!!! Its about a police officer named M.C. Riggo. Her wedding was in commin and her fiance was shot. Then her cuz, Tommy was shot. SHe didnt know that this is a case in which her cousin was a cyber hacker.......

[Vicki Tyley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointing. Of all the Erica Spindler books I’ve read, this is probably the one I’ve enjoyed the least. The first part of the book seemed to focus more on the protagonist's upcoming nuptials than the crime, which is most unlike Spindler.