Hunting Ava

by Kiki Swinson

In an unforgettable portrait of Southern scheming, greed, and brutality a high-end criminal turned suburban mom in hiding must fight against the dangerous fallout from her corrupt past and escape an calculated enemy hell-bent on revenge.

She was once the best luxury car thief in the game. But Ava Frost paid a high price when her children were stolen. Forced to confront her ruthless ex-boss, Nick, she uncovered his devious silent partner in the her seemingly loving, seemingly wealthy husband, Kevin. Now Ava is making a new life with her children several states away from her former suburban life. She's also struggling to help her young son heal from their traumatic ordeal. So, when her soon-to-be ex-husband pressures her to return his part of the ransom, Ava pushes back . . . hard.

Along with a secret life insurance policy Kevin took out on her, Ava soon realizes she's worth way more to him dead than alive. And when she learns he's set Nick's vengeful sister and her murderous gangster husband on her trail, she must go up against an overwhelming enemy who will never stop hunting her—or her kids . . .

Fighting may be your last move . . .
Now with the odds against her and time running out, Ava must marshal all her resources and formidable skills to defend everything she's fought to save. But when one last dangerous twist causes her plans to irrevocably crash-and-burn, she'll battle tooth and claw to put her pursuers on the run—straight into a trap so treacherous even she may have no chance to survive . . .

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

Kiki Swinson was born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia. She discovered her flair for writing after completing her first novel, Mad Shambles, while serving a five-year sentence at a federal prison.
After being released in December 1996, Kiki later went on to self-publish Mad Shambles. Her passion for writing didn't stop there. Writing feverishly into the wee hours of the night, she completed her second novel, Wifey, which was published by Melodrama Publishing. After the success of Wifey, Kiki penned the sequels I'm Still Wifey and Life After Wifey, as well as The Candy Shop and A Sticky Situation.

Reviews

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiki definitely started this story with all gas and no brakes! It was a lot to unpack within the first 10 minutes of the story and the craziness only intensified. These were some very confusing characters, meaning I love them half the time and was rooting for them, & other times they made me mad with their decision-making. Kevin and Ava’s wild story took many twist and turns before the ultimate showdown! I am seriously hoping for a third boo after Amber Alert and now Hunting Ava, because this ending left me speechless. Thank you Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Publication 🗓️ : 09.30.25

[Charlotte]

All I can say is "Ava was really stupid."

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak writing and an unresolved story ending…

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. This book was awful. At 41% I DNF. First off, the book opens and tells of her children being kidnapped but nothing up to thr 41% mark even details any specifics. I thought I this was a part 2 of a series maybe …but nope. Then I re-read the beginning to see if I missed anything. Nope. Very early on, they tell about a young child who kills someone with a gun and it’s treated normal and not elaborated on at all. Also the dialogue was so juvenile and ridiculous. I honestly couldn’t bear to read another page.

[Whitney Daniell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy Hunting Ava, but the plot stretched believability too far. Ava is supposedly a skilled former car thief, yet her actions—and the actions of nearly everyone around her—don’t reflect any real-world logic. Dialogue does all the heavy lifting, with little character development or internal depth. The pacing is fast, and the stakes are high, but without context or grounding, the story reads more like urban fantasy than crime fiction. Too many characters, too many loose ends, and too little realism made it tough for me to stay invested. That said, Kiki Swinson knows her audience and has built an impressive catalogue. This one just wasn’t for me.

Read my full review here: https://whitneydaniell.com/2025/08/03...

[Jacknthebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just start off by saying that KiKi Swinson was one of my favorite authors. The Wifey series will always be top tier. This book did not disappoint. Ava was keeping secrets from her soon to be ex-husband, and the ish hit the fan when her son revealed the secret. Kevin was pissed to the max and made some demands that Ava was not going to meet. This led to Kevin making a phone call that, in the end, I'm sure he regretted. The betrayal in this book had me on the edge of my seat. The lengths people will go through to get what they think is rightfully theirs blew my mind. I was expecting Ava to be more prepared and cautious when everything happened, but she wasn't. Her new friend came in clutch, and so did her nanny. That ending, though, whewww. I can't wait to see what happens next.

[_dulcekk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was an adventure from start to finish. Kevin’s deceitfulness was tough to watch…his reckless actions, fueled by jealousy and greed, showed little concern for his children. Ava, on the other hand, chose to run from her problems instead of facing them, particularly when it came to her son and the traumatic incident, he was a part of. The book really highlights how unresolved issues from the past can resurface and create chaos in the present. The ending left me with unanswered questions, and I truly hope there will be a part two.
Thank you #NetGalley for the e-ARC.

[Keesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pacing of Hunting Ava is good, I enjoy a fast paced book that starts on the one. And it definitely served up the messy! Though I enjoyed the messy, I found myself so irritated by the adults in this book that I was frustrated. I actively prayed for Kevin's downfall and wanted to shake Ava. Not sure if I'm curious enough to read book two. Because there has to be a book two.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

[Maresha Braswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow wow wow this was intense! The whole time I was yelling at Ava for her poor decisions and the ending!! I just know there will be another book coming. I really wanted her to stop being so bullheaded and get her son the help he needed. Her husband really got on my nerves and Ty talked way too much!

[Jade Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 This book was intense from start to finish. I like the outcome, but not the ending 😒.. looking forward to more.

[Jean Moy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book. I hated the writing style and the ending had zero closure. I almost didn’t finish about a third of the way through and skimmed the rest just to see what happened.

[Raoul Jerome · Rating 1 out of 5]

It never really ended. Too many things up in the air. No idea what happened to the children.

[Andala · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a who trying to blame who during a divorce after a woman moves to another state with her two young kids.