Girl, Reformed

Ella Dark #20

by Blake Pierce

FBI Agent Ella Dark has studied serial killers from the time she could read, devastated by the murder of her own father, and has gained an encyclopedic knowledge of murderers. But when a woman is found dead in an odd wooden contraption, Ella realizes she must decode its significance if she has any chance of catching what is clearly a new serial killer….

FBI Agent Ella Dark, 29, is given her big chance to achieve her life’s to join the Behavioral Crimes Unit. Ella’s hidden obsession of gaining an encyclopedic knowledge of serial killers has led to her being singled out for her brilliant mind, and invited to join the big leagues.But this time Ella finds herself in a cat and mouse chase with no way out, and she must wonder if she is hunting—or the one who is hunted….A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the ELLA DARK series is a riveting mystery, packed with suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Thriller

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2024

About the author

Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seven books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); and of the new KERI LOCKE mystery series.

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Reviews

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book The plot it was good. My issue is they changed the narrator after 19 books this narrator mispronounces a lot of the words it seems like she uses a computerized voice at times the narrator laughs during the book and the editing is awful because you can actually hear her laugh and then get right back into the book with all these different distractions it was so hard for me to stay committed and to stay rooted to the plot of what was going on.

[Kari Robbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This didn’t seem like the same author write this one. The relationship with Ella and Luca was weirdly full of puns… the audiobook version of this was absolutely horrible. I’ve listened to AI read books before, but this was awful. There was no distinction between characters and lots of weird random noises would happen as she was reading… just some strange choices here. I love Ella and hope the next one picks back up!

[Heather Emerson-Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time with this one. The crimes took place in Dover, DE and it was obvious the author has never been there and didn't do her research. It was also narrated by AI and was horrible!!!! Many words were mispronounced and there were numerous glitches.

[Heather Hayward · Rating 1 out of 5]

This series is going downhill. Had I realized this was going to be one of those book series that never ends, I would have never started it in the first place.

I have always struggled with liking Ella as a character. I feel her lack of emotional maturity doesn’t match her intellect and the fact that she a a dang FBI agent. This whole waffling on if/when to share information or feelings with your partner thing is so old 20 books in. “I want to tell Mia all of this stuff… but I won’t because I don’t want to burden her”. It makes me roll my eyes every time.

Is it me or does it feel like these books use a weird template or something? For a while in this book there were just endless paragraphs with rudimentary descriptions for things that were intended to color us a picture for the scene, but instead sounded like a middle school paper. If I had to read Luca described as a puppy one more time, I was going to carve my eyes out with a spoon. Maybe my more recent choice of books are just better writing?

I also noticed that the writer seems to not have a clear voice/identity between Ella and Mia. I feel like they are becoming one person. Ella has always been one that would have thoughts/ideas/feelings that SHOULD be communicated, but wouldn’t…. Then would run off and do something stupid because she didn’t want to “burden” anyone… only to make the situation 1000000x worse. Mia is not this person, but somehow she was written in this way (less dramatically) when it came Martin.

Lastly, the editor was sleeping on the job this book. I may not pay a lot of these books, but I pay for a book that doesn’t have multiple spelling and grammar errors riddled through it. I have one more book I already bought. If this next one isn’t significantly improved… I’m calling it quits, cute puppy Luca or not.

[Alanah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This audiobook is a joke. The worst I’ve ever listened to. I really hope AI is not going to take over audiobooks because this robot couldn’t even correctly pronounce “friend.” There were also random noises and laughs in the background. The audiobook editing was horrific.

Beyond that, the book also felt very much written by AI. I’ve read 19 of the Ella Dark books so I know her pretty well. There is no way she would ever refer to Mia Ripley as “that bitch.” It all felt very wrong.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to it and the new narrator was horrible. Lots of mispronounced words and this odd squawking. very poor editing of the audio book. It really took away from the story. I don’t know if I will listen to her books again.

[Kaleb Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can't even finish the series after this one. It isn't worth my time.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bring back the old audio book reader. The AI reading was terrible and disserviced the book.

[Maria Ines Alvarez · Rating 1 out of 5]

seriously, who wrote this?

Ella and Luca yeah I hope that's not a forever thing

Amanda I miss you as the narrator!😭

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girl, Reformed - a review by Rosemary Kenny.

FBI Special Agent Ella Dark of the BCU, has a falling-out with her partner Agent Mia Ripley, over a continuing series of murders.
As a result Ella's assigned a rookie agent, Luca Hawkins, to investigate another case and the pair get some unexpected leads at an S&M club.

Blake Pierce's outstanding characters and plotline are second to none and as always you're guaranteed to be gripped firmly by the imagination throughout, as the duo draw ever closer to the truth and race to a grande dénouement that you won't have seen coming.
Meanwhile Mia's story teases the next in this excellent series of psychological thrillers.
Read it now, but turn off the phone and close the curtains first... it's completely unputdownable!

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one started with a bang as Ella had a thought click in her head, one that had long reaching effects. I was glad that she shared it with Ripley, but Ripley did not react well to it. I hated how then Ripley went about looking into things, but didn't have Ella there to help her and to lean on her. The big part at the end when Ripley finally has her confrontation, ended up flizzing out, like a flat soda. I wanted more, wanted a why, instead it was nothing.

Ella ended up working a case with a newbie, Luca. They seemed to work well together, even had a kiss at the end, but something is off there. Luca almost seems too good to be true. I guess we'll have to wait to see what happens here.

[Anya Reeds · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook Review: After 19 books, they changed the narrator to a terrible synthesized AI. I associated Amanda Goettl’s voice with Ella at this point, so any change would be disappointing. This book was SO hard to listen to, I had to speed it up and skip seemingly unimportant chapters to get the gist of what was going on, but I couldn’t give it my full attention. The AI mispronounces random words, and it’s not even consistent, except for when it incorrectly pronounces the FBI director’s name every single time. A lot of sentences are “spoken” in the wrong tone for the context, and pauses are awkward. There is also random glitchy sounding noises that are very eerie. This has ruined the audiobooks for me. After years of listening.

[Debbie Joyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ella knows who has been killing the people around her and Mia but is afraid to tell Mia because the truth will hurt Mia. Ella meets Luca, the new rookie, thinking she can tell him but gets a frantic call from Mia. Ella tries to tell Mia the truth but they are interrupted by a call from Director Edis about a new case. Mia tells Ella to leave because she doesn't believe what Ella told her. Luca goes with Ella to Dover to help find a killer. What a great read with a great ending. Definitely can't wait for the next book!

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girl, Reformed is fast-paced, well-written, with a plot that throws the main characters and their readers to past issues, but the present case Ella is dealing with with a new partner is strange and an example of a vicious and deranged mind. Ripley is left behind searching her own demons and it provides with a great cliffhanger for the next book. Great entertainment, one of the best books in the series!
I thank Ms. Pierce for this ARC.

[Alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I normally enjoy the audio reads on these books but I could not get past chapter 1. The mispronunciations and robotic voice of "Gabriella - Synthesized Voice" was too much to listen too. Shame because these are really easy reads and nice for driving in the car. I will not be reading any more audio books by AI.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series because they’re quick, easy reads. Good for poolside relaxation, or to read a bit during a lunch break or after work to destress.

The twist with Martin was pretty good- I enjoy it when they delve more into Mia’s character and her relationship with Ella. The new arc with Luca seems a bit forced and tacked on at the end, but time will tell how that plays out.

[Erin Everett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly enjoy this series. However, the writing style doesn’t match some of the larger words used at times. There are many incorrect words or punctuation. It’s sad when a great series is hindered by poor writing,

[Vicki Gilbertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story line busy and interesting, just had a hard time getting over the spelling errors

[Faith Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay but not as good as others

[Alicia V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a fan of the person reading. I know it said synthesized so maybe that’s why it seemed almost AI read. Otherwise still love the story lines and stories.

[Brittany Finn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to it audio and the narrator was awful and robotic

[Brenda Nation · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reformed

Ok. That's an ending where I'm immediately going to start book 21 so want Ella and Mia to get back to friends and working together. Very good writing. Loved it.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

Good book but had some grammatical errors. I love his twists and turns. On to book 21. Need to finish this series.

[Venessa Johnstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

They get better as you go along...

[Renee Koeune · Rating 4 out of 5]

New narrator. Seemed a little better than the last few

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

hate the synthesized voice! author is now totally over using adjectives and expressions!!

[Emily H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankful they changed the narrator in the audiobook!

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please find an editor

Wow. So many typos and errors. I like the characters, so I keep reading, but this is getting ridiculous. It's like you published your rough draft.