Μοναχικές Καρδιές

Jessica Shaw #4

by Lisa Gray, Νίκος Ιβραηνίας (Translator)

Μια υπόθεση αγνοούμενου προσώπου θα έπρεπε να ήταν απλή για την έμπειρη ιδιωτική ντετέκτιβ Τζέσικα Σο. Εξάλλου είναι πολύ καλή σε τέτοιου είδους έρευνες. Αλλά η συγκεκριμένη περίπτωση αποδεικνύεται κάθε άλλο παρά απλή.

Η Κριστίν Ράιαν ψάχνει απεγνωσμένα να βρει την παιδική της φίλη Βερόνικα Λόου. Η Βερόνικα εξαφανίστηκε πάνω από δεκαπέντε χρόνια πριν, λίγο καιρό αφότου απέκτησε παιδί με έναν θανατοποινίτη, τον διαβόητο σίριαλ κίλερ Τράβις Ντιν Φορντ. Όταν η μετέπειτα σύζυγος –και χήρα, πλέον– του Φορντ, Τζορντάνα, δολοφονείται με τον ίδιο τρόπο όπως τα θύματά του, η Κριστίν φοβάται πως η Βερόνικα και η κόρη της θα έχουν την ίδια τύχη. Αν, βέβαια, είναι ακόμα ζωντανές…

Ανακαλύπτοντας ότι η Βερόνικα, όπως και η Τζορντάνα, άλλωστε, ήταν μέλος της Λέσχης των Μοναχικών Καρδιών, μιας υπηρεσίας για γυναίκες που θέλουν να αλληλογραφούν με φυλακισμένους, η Τζέσικα συνειδητοποιεί ότι πρέπει να τη βρει πριν η Βερόνικα πέσει στα χέρια του δολοφόνου. Αλλά καθώς διερευνά τα στοιχεία, αρχίζει να αισθάνεται ότι κάποιος παρακολουθεί τις κινήσεις της. Ο Τράβις είναι νεκρός εδώ και χρόνια. Ποιος λοιπόν μπορεί να είναι αυτός που έχει βάλει στο στόχαστρό του τις Μοναχικές Καρδιές;

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

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lonely Hearts is the fourth book in the Jessica Shaw series about a young private investigator in Southern California who solves cold cases and crimes against women. I have read and enjoyed all of the previous instalments but each of them does work on their own as you get enough backstory. These are well-written easy to read mysteries with a prickly and flawed but smart and likeable heroine.

Jessica has settled temporarily in LA and is still working for Connor. When a middle-aged woman asks her to find her childhood friend, Veronica, who has been missing for twenty years, Jessica thinks it'll be a quick easy job. Then she learns that her case connects to a recent murder - both women had been in prison pen-pal relationships with an infamous serial killer. How can the ‘’valley strangler” be back when he was executed a decade ago?

This was a well-plotted and paced mystery with enough red herrings to stop the outcome being too obvious. Jessica has her own problems - including a crush on her boss, and an alcohol problem, but she doesn't wallow in self-pity and gets on with the job. The exploration of the very real phenomenon of women who choose to fall in love with convicts was interesting - but didn't provide many answers.
I liked the different POV chapters, including Jessica's straight arrow cop friend Pryce and his comic-relief partner Medina, and the flashback scenes that show us how Veronica’s story unfolded.

I recommend this series to those who like a strong female main character, without too much swearing, sex or violence, without getting into cosy territory. I look forward to reading more of Jessica's adventures. Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC, I am posting this honest review voluntarily. Lonely Hearts is published today.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christine Ryan has hired Private Investigator Jessica Shaw to find her childhood friend, Veronica Lowe. Veronica and her young daughter disappeared nearly two decades ago without a trace. Jessica knows this will not be an easy task; but the urgency is ramped up when it is discovered that Veronica's disappearance may tie to a current murder case that is in the news. Both Veronica and the current victim, Jordana Ford, were part of the Lonely Hearts Club...women who correspond with convicted prisoners. Both wrote to infamous serial killer Travis Dean Ford while he spent time on death row.

The fourth book in the Jessica Shaw series has many twists and turns. Like usual, part of the story is told in flashbacks. This allows us to get to know Veronica up till the point where she disappeared. I enjoyed this story and look forward to more books in this series. My rating: 4 Stars.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jessica Shaw is a private investigator in CA. It’s 1989 and a killer is on the loose and he always kills thin, young women with red hair. Christine comes along and hires Jessica to find her long lost friend who she hasn’t seen in many years. Many twists and turns throughout the story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

[Kori Potenzone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lonely Hearts, is book 4 in the Jessica Shaw series. I highly recommend starting at the beginning, not because each book can not be read as a standalone but they are all equally as juicy! I absolutely love Lisa Gray and her writing style.

The chapters flow into one another without interruption. The writing style is fluid and the character description is on point.

Lonely Hearts, is original to say the least. Who finds love on Death Row? As we all know, prison pen pals is a "thing" and I for one have heard some pretty bizarre stories in real life but this book just takes things to a whole other level.

Travis Dean Ford is a serial killer. Unfortunately, 15 years ago, Veronica fell in love with Travis Dean Ford after having a pen pal relationship with the serial killer. Veronica also had a daughter with Travis. Veronica and her daughter disappeared all those years ago.

Travis had a wife, Jordana but now Jordana just turned up murdered the same way as Travis' victims.

Jessica Shaw is a private investigator. If anyone can find Veronica, it will be Jessica. Christine Ryan has been searching for her childhood best friend for years and is afraid she will suffer the same fate as Jordana. Christine enlists the help of Jessica to help find Veronica and her daughter.

It comes to light that both Jordana and Veronica were part of a club called The Lonely Hearts. The Lonely Hearts is a pen pal service for people who want to write to prisoners.

As Jessica digs deeper, she feels like someone is watching her. But Who? Travis had died years ago.

Lonely Hearts is a real nail biter, I was up all night reading and then almost afraid to fall asleep. This is one of those thrillers that will stay with you long after concluding the book.

I highly recommend Lonely Hearts to all my fellow thriller lovers ! Due out November 9, 2021!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Galvenā varone Džesika Šova ir privātdetektīve, pie kuras pēc palīdzības vēršas kādas sievietes bērnības draudzene - abas gadu gaitā pazaudējušas kontaktus un pastāv iespēja, ka ar Veroniku noticis kas nelāgs: viņu pirms nāves saistījis romāns ar slavenu cietumnieku, kas pirms notiesāšanas nogalinājis piecpadsmit jaunas sievietes.

Lielisks trilleris! Maniakāls uz nāvi notiesāts slepkava, salda atriebība, pakaļdzīšanās, nelaimīga mīlestība un viss, kā pieklājas asa sižeta drāmā - bija ne tikai interesanti lasīt (t.i., klausīties, jo izvēlējos audio versiju), bet arī atrisinājums loģisks un ticams.

Šī ir ceturtā (un pagaidām pēdējā) četru grāmatu sērijā - pirmās neesmu lasījusi, bet tas ne brīdi netraucēja.

[_och_man_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sięgając po książkę opartą na tak intrygującym motywie (wyobrażacie sobie prowadzić korespondencję o charakterze romantycznym z osadzonymi?) oczekiwałam czegoś znacznie lepszego.
Niektóre dialogi i opisy przywodziły mi silnie (zbyt silnie) na myśl pierwsze literackie podrygi zaliczane na wczesnym etapie edukacji. Poza tym, konstrukcja całej historii sprawiła, że średnio usatysfakcjonowało mnie ostateczne rozwiązanie, które nie trudno było zwizualizować sobie na długo przed ostatnią kropką.
Szkoda.

[ThianeJansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance e-book version of this novel through Netgalley. My review is based only on my own reading. Thank you again for this book!

I had absolutely no expectations going into this book seeing this was the first book from this author I’ve ever read, and let me tell you…

It was brilliant. I engulfed this book in one sitting because the characters in this book is so intriguing and the plot absolutely consuming.

Following Private investigator Jessica Shaw as she unravels the mystery of a woman named Veronica who 15 years and counting is still missing after having a love child with a brutal serial killer on death row. Veronica met the notorious serial killer Travis Dean Ford via the Lonely Hearts prison pen pal group, and fell deadly in-love. As reality set in of the situation Veronica got herself in, she starts retracting herself, and hasn’t been seen ever since…
With Ford’s widow recently being killed the way he killed his victims, an old friend of Veronica hires Jessica Shaw to track Veronica and her daughter, before they share the same fate as anyone tied to Travis Ford. With both his former lovers being part of the Lonely hearts club, there seems to be a connection with the killings, but with Travis Ford executed for his crimes years back, the investigation might not seem as straight-forward as planned. As Jessica diggs deeper into this mystery, she can feel herself being watched. But by who?

Although this book is part of a series, it works perfect as a stand-alone. I haven’t read any of Gray’s books before this one but will definitely pick up one in the future! Her writing is fast paced, to the point, witty and with unexpected plot twists.

I mean this plot is to die for. Who finds love on death row? I’ve seen so many documentaries about these pen pal stories and I must say this book takes the cake! It was so gripping and kept me up all night. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves thriller mystery novels.

As a first time Gray reader, I am beyond impressed. Not only was this about a missing person case, it also delved in pop culture and how there is a phenomena of serial killers having fans, families and all the drama that come with it. How it affects those left behind and the spiraling the victims families have to go through. How love can be found in prison cells.

Extremely gripping, bone-chilling and one hell of a ride. Not at all predictable, and will have you biting your nails and covering your mouth in shock. A must read.

[Donna McEachran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Another new book that I hadn't realised was 4th in a series. Made little difference to me as there was enough background covered that this can be read as a standalone book.

A good book about a private investigator employed to find a friend who's been missing for over a decade. Lots of intrigue and different points of view throughout the story. Would recommend for crime/whodunit lovers!

[hania · Rating 4 out of 5]

nawet fajne i zakonczenie jak w trudnych sprawach

[Adrian Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a very long to-be-read list, especially in this genre, but there are some author's who's new releases automatically go directly to the top of that list. Lisa Grey is one of those authors. The Jessica Shaw series is getting better with each instalment. Although packed with intrigue and red herrings that keep you guessing till the end, they remain light, easy reads with quite short chapters. All the while, the backward and forward timeline adds a lot of depth to the plot. The hard-nosed character of the heroine investigator has plenty of meat on the bone, yet has enough humour about her to leave you feeling that you'd like her in real life. A thoroughly enjoyable read and a page-burner throughout.

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some time ago, I tried to read Thin Air, by this same author. I gave up on it because it had one of my most hated things - a road atlas-worthy description of someone driving, for no good reason (i.e., it added nothing to the story) - and because there were a multitude of UK Englishisms that threw one out of the story (hand brake, "that lot", etc.).

I am very happy I took another chance on Lisa Gray, because Lonely Hearts has none of that: it's a taut, well-told story about a serial killer, a missing woman, a dead wife, and relatives rightly pissed off at several books that seem to only be written to line the pockets of the author at their expense.

We start off in 1989, with underaged Devin Palmer waiting for her sister Erika. The plan: to have a couple of drinks, and then for Devin to stay the night at Erika's. Alas, Erika ghosts her sister and spends the night with her boyfriend. Also, alas, Devin - a slightly built redhead with fair skin - is offered a ride home with Travis Dean Ford, AKA the Valley Strangler, so named because he strangles slight, redheaded women who have fair skin with their own pantyhose.

We then go to Christine and Veronica, looking at a pamphlet for the Lonely Hearts Club, a way for people outside to write to people locked up in prison. Veronica writes to Travis Dean Ford, and eventually winds up in a "relationship", or as much as one can have with someone on death row.

Flash forward, and we're with Jessica, trawling through trash bags, hoping to find evidence of a man's infidelity. While she's doing this, Christen Ryan walks up to her, asking her to find an old friend, Veronica Lowe, and her daughter Mia - Travis Dean Ford's daughter, that he had with Veronica somehow.

Jessica takes the case, working it alone without much contact with Connor. It seems somewhere between book one, which I did not finish, and the end of book three, they apparently hooked up. But he's now seeing an exotic dancer, and Jessica is avoiding him.

It isn't easy to track down someone who willfully vanishes. But Christine gives Jessica quite a lot of information, including a couple of photos. Christine says it's very important to track Veronica down, because Ford's wife has been murdered in her own home. Struck on the head, then strangled with pantyhose. Interestingly, Detectives Pryce and Medina find they are not Jordana's: they were brought to the scene by the killer, deliberately. Copycat?

As we go along, bouncing between timelines and POVs, the mystery becomes ever deeper. Jessica continues to track Veronica, talks to the owner of TLHC business, her husband (who tells Jessica to stop looking for Veronica), several witnesses, trawls through newspaper archives and signs up for TLHC so she can get into the forum and research there, as well.

By now it's fairly clear that Veronica doesn't want to be found. We then get several chapters from Jordana interspersed, plugging her book at a bookstore, and feeling as if someone has been following her.

Meanwhile, Jessica helps out Pryce by providing what she's found, and she's now on the scent, which leads to another location entirely. It's just before the end that we get Jordana's last POV chapter, and then the end is rushing at us.

Although I figured out the killer fairly early, it was still a very good read, capturing not just the characters of Jessica and the people immediately around her, but also the families who suffered at the hand of Travis Dean Ford. One character - the father of one of the victims - complains bitterly to Pryce and Medina that they don't know the names of the 15 girls and women Ford killed. They only know Ford's name. I thought that an astute observation.

There are no laggy parts, and there isn't anything that rips the reader out of the world Gray has built. The plot is sensible, and no one does anything that is out of character. I'm glad I took the chance on the series again.

A five star read.

Thanks to Amazon UK and NetGalley for the reading copy.

[Kay Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Author Lisa Gray for this ARC.

This was my first Gray and my first in the Jessica Shaw series. Luckily I didn't need backstory for any of it to make sense.

A handsome serial killer with a 'type,' said killer's wife turns up dead, his girlfriend is missing, and it seems there's either a copycat killer or . . . the man in prison is innocent.

Well-developed characters. Clever stories and plots that intertwine and tangle. This was fast-paced and deliciously mysterious. True crime lovers will gobble this up. Well done, Gray.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid mystery in the Jessica Shaw series.

[Katie Sheridan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“No one gets to leave me anymore. Especially not you.”

•••
Another amazing Jessica Shaw thriller down. Really hoping that Gray continues this series to see where Jessica’s headed next, and with who? (!!)

[Δημητρης Παπαγεωργιου · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πρώτο audiobook φέτος, αρκετά καλό, σφιχτοδεμένο σενάριο με ανατροπές

[itsallaboutbooksandmacarons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jessica, in the first book it was said she is woman Reacher (Lee Child series) couse she was traveling and had no home, solving mysteries, crimes.

She still colaborate with Matt her lover from first book. I wait that to happen. Well beside that the story in this book was great. Prison, love, missing women, present and past murders. It was a great mix and full of turns. True crime investigation.

I wait for the next one!

Thank you Netgalley.com and Amazon Publishingfor this arc copy.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

#LonelyHearts #NetGalley


Lonely Hearts
(Jessica Shaw #4)
by Lisa Gray

Finding love through the want ads is nothing new. But finding love with a death row inmate is a different way to well find it. How would you date? Communication is done by mail, so pen pal love is the way to go.


PI Jessica Shaw is hired by Christine to find her friend Veronica who wrote to inmates 20 some years ago.

Travis Dean Ford is interesting, he must have been very charismatic and charming, but he also had a secret. He was a serial killer. But he got caught.

So on death row he recieved many letters and love offers from women. Surprisingly he met, married and fathered a child with Veronica.
Behind bars no less.

Then Veronica and her daughter vanished.

So Jessica is hired to find them.

Are they still alive?

The story switched back and forth through time and is told by different people.

Even though this is the fourth book in the series and the first I had read by the author it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

The plot was interesting, most of the characters were nice, and the killer well he was a mixture of things but nothing I would like or love.

The switching of who was telling what in different chapters kept the story moving and gave it more depth.

The suspense and mystery were very good.

The fast paced plot and the short chapters kept me reading. I needed to know how things would turn out.

So I enjoyed the twists and turns and would recommend this book to people who like thrillers and mysteries.

4****


Thank you Netgalley for the complimentary arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

PI Jessica Shaw gets a visit from a new client, Christine, whose beat friend Veronica and her young daughter went missing almost 20 years ago. Christine is afraid that Veronica is in danger because of the recent murder of someone indirectly related to her.

I really love this series. It is one of the best ones going right now, in my opinion, and I was not at all disappointed in this latest entry. I like this author's writing style. It is just very easy to read and the stories are very engrossing. I never get bored, there are always twists and turns and new info being discovered. I like the Jessica character and Pryce and Connor and am interested in seeing where Jessica goes from here. I blew through this book in one day and can't wait for Jessica's next case. Excellent series.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me an advance copy of Lisa Gray’s fourth installment in the Jessica Shaw series, Lonely Hearts, in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica Shaw is a private investigator who handles missing persons cases in Los Angeles, California. She slugs Scotch whiskey, is unapologetic about her eating or smoking habits, and may or may not be in love with her partner, Matt Connor. This sums up all that a reader needs to know before diving into Lisa Gray’s fourth book in the series, #LonelyHearts.

The story begins in 1989 with a serial killer who is on the loose and strangling young, red-headed women with their own pantyhose. Just as the killer is about to claim his latest victim, the author switches timelines and brings us closer to the present; specifically, 2019. That is when Matt instructs Jessica to take a meeting with a prospective client: a woman looking for her childhood friend who also used to be the secret lover of the notorious, “Valley Strangler.”

Christine tells Jessica that her friend Veronica has been missing for over 15 years and is now worried after the Valley Strangler’s actual wife is murdered in what appears to be a copycat killing. She fears Veronica will meet the same fate if she has not already. Jessica begrudgingly accepts the case, which Matt had led her to initially believe would be a quick open and shut missing person’s case.

The story alternates between the past and the present, continuing through the nineties and early aughts all the way up to 2019. Unlike the previous three books, Jessica’s presence does not seem as strong as some of the other characters and storylines. There is Christine, young Veronica (pre-disappearance), Bibi, and various other women who were at one point or another connected through the pen pal service for women and inmates, the Lonely Heart Club.

At the same time Jessica is searching for Veronica on behalf of Christine, her friends from the LAPD, officers Pryce and Medina, are trying to solve the murder of the Valley Strangler’s wife, Jordana. Jordana was a former member of TLHC and rose to fame by marrying the Valley Strangler, championing his innocence, and becoming an author. Her latest novel was supposed to reap the most profits, but someone murdered Jordana in the exact same way her husband’s victims were killed in the past.

The novel continues at break-neck speed and keeps the reader engrossed the entire time. This one was definitely more plot than character-driven, with the exception of Dacre who was oddly intriguing. Although there is no shocking epilogue to wrap up this case like in the last book, there is a nice little twist at the end, which will hopefully be explored in the fifth installment and further develop Jessica Shaw’s character.

Overall, bravo once again to the author for keeping readers up all night and turning pages. If you are looking for a purely, entertaining mystery novel, this is it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Lonely Hearts is out 11/9/21, and I just received the ARC. Lonely Hearts is the 4th Jessica Shaw book anf I've been lucky to read all of her previous books through NetGalley. I've come to care for Jessica and interested in her cases as a P.I.

Jessica is avoiding Connor since she found out he is engaged to Rae-Lyn, an exotic dancer. She accepts what seems like a straight forward case, a woman named Christine looking for a long lost friend Veronica Lowe. Christine encouraged Veronica, back in the late 1990s to join the Lonely Hearts Club, a correspondence club with prisoners. She is initially resistant but is captivated by the looks and charisma of Travis Dean Ford, a man on death row convicted of killing 15 young women in the late 1980's to early 1990's. His type? Redheads, thin, pretty, sweet. We get a flashback of Devin Palmer accepting a ride in 1989 after her older sister ditches her for a date, then taking her to a different location and strangling her with her own pantyhose.

Jessica's search takes her to Arizona, and we also see Pryce and Medina investigating Jordana's murder, who was married to Ford a few years before he was put to death. So who killed Jordana? And are they after Veronica, who disappeared with the young daughter she had with Ford.

The book had some interesting and clever twists I didn't quite see coming. And that ending! ;) looking forward to more Jessica Shaw.

No mention of the current times other than Jessica using a disposable face mask a few times, for the work she was doing.

4/5☆ out 11/9/21

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

The previous installment, Dark Highway, wasn't a favorite because Gray dabbled with multiple perspectives and that one twist regarding Jessica Shaw's partner, Matt Connor, whom she shared a kiss (he turned out to be engaged, that cheating bastard!). So I wasn't running to read this book because I wasn't happy with that one.

BUT, I'm in a mood for some murder-mystery this week, so I decided to check this series back. I'm GLAD that Connor's appearance is very minimum here - and that Jessica acknowledged him being engaged, and not wanting to do anything with him on the romance department.

Instead, it brings Jessica back in focus about her latest case - missing wife and daugher of a serial killer (who already died after being put to death row sentenced). Gray still has multiple perspectives in this book - from Jessica, the victim, the missing woman, as well as Pryce (Jessica's father's friend who is also a police detective). BUT this time it's not overwhelming.

So yes, it's a good one. Not sure about the ending - what with Jessica find herself sleeping with Pryce's partner, Vic Medina. I mean, this series can just focus on the murder-mystery and not entangled it with complicated men, right??

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

From when I first opened "Lonely Hearts," I was hooked. It's not often I stay up late, especially on a Sunday night, to read a novel in one sitting. In the newest offering in the Jessica Shaw series, we ride along the private investigator's newest case: a missing persons case that is anything but simple. The woman hiring her, Christine Ryan, is seeking an old friend from nearly two decades ago. The problem? The old friend is the former girlfriend of infamous serial killer, Travis Dean Ford, and if still alive, likely doesn't want to be found. Still. A job is a job is a job. As she follows the leads, she realizes perhaps Veronica isn't the only member of the Lonely Hearts Club being hunted.

There is a lot to enjoy about this novel, from the writing to our characters. I didn't even mind the alternating timelines and point-of-views, which you know I despise. I was never confused; I thought it was really well-done. This is the fourth novel in the series but par for course with me, I haven't read the others in the series. It was not an issue, however. You could figure out the killer early on - my antennas were up! - but there were enough red herrings and twists and turns to keep the momentum. There were also flaws when it came to some plot holes and what happens in the romance subplot, but overall, a great page-turner.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an e-ARC, available everywhere now.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lonely Hearts by Lisa Gray
A Jessica Heart Thriller #4

Able to standalone as a story but I do wonder what I missed not having read the first three books. I read through the book descriptions of the previous books to find out a bit more about Jessica but not till I had finished this book. That did help flesh Jessica out a bit, but I still had trouble warming to her and wonder if that might have to do with coming in on book four rather than book one.

What I liked:
* The premise, plotting, and story telling
* The look into how a PI would search for a missing person
* Jessica’s persistence and dedication to the job
* The mystery of who the murderer in present time was
* Wondering about how Jessica knew Pryce and how/why they shared information on this case
* Wondering about Jessica’s social life
* Jessica seemed independent and capable…kind of a loner
* Wondering if Jessica will end up in a relationship in future books
* The setting – it was familiar to me having lived in Southern California
* The twist – although I had a good idea what it would be since I usually read the end of books soon after starting them.
* Thinking about what would cause any woman to become the pen pal/girlfriend/wife/baby-mama to a man on death row – that did kind of creep me out, though
* That all of the threads related to the cases were tied up by the end of the story

What I didn’t like:
* Thinking about the evil that people do…and how that evil can warp “good” people, too.
* It was hard for me to warm up to Jessica and I am not sure that I really did even by the end of the story
* Mixed feelings on moving from past to present in the story telling. It can generate momentum or it can detract from the forward momentum of this type of books – and it did both from time to time.

Did I enjoy this book? I think so
Would I read more in this series? I might give one more a try to see if Jessica grows on me

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

Star Rating:
3 stars for being an average read to me
4/5 stars for being worth reading and probably a good addition to the series

[Farida Yasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was great in so many ways. The plot was intriguing and original, which in my book are the pillars of a good thriller.
However, I think the book needed more editing, specifically developmental. Some parts felt so rushed and kind of disconnected from the whole storyline. It gave the impression that the author was kind of writing and rushing through things as of trying not to lose muse.
The transition between each chapter and the next wasn't smooth, the weren't fluidly connected.
That being said, I loved the overall pace so much, the author didn't try to highlight every revelation to say, "look, a twist!!," She literally just let the story talk which was refreshing to see.
I loved the characters, they were so real and multilayered, and I liked how each character had a distinctive personality and approach to the mystery.
Overall, a success!!
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

[Tyler Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this book at random (shoutout to Parker) and wasn’t exactly sure what to expect or really what I was buying it just sounded good. It’s definitely a book I would recommend to detective mystery books. It follows the main character of a PI living in LA but also gives you the point of view from different characters introduced throughout the novel, and tells their little pieces of information that play into the big picture. Tons of twists and turns and definitely stumped me in figuring out who the suspect actually was. Little slow of a start but once you get past the first couple chapters it really picks up the pace.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Number four in the Jessica Shaw series, and very good addition to the series. Jessica is a PI in the Los Angels area, and she is hired by Christine Ryan to find her best friend, whom she hasn’t seen for many years. Sounds like an easy case, but if you’ve read the first three books you know any case Jessica works
on, inevitably turns difficult and dangerous. Our heroine, is headstrong and never backs away from a challenge, and that makes her a brilliant PI.
I strongly recommend this series.

[Cindy(groundedinreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love police procedurals and PI books. This was an interesting take on the search of a missing woman who was a pen pal with a prisoner convicted of murder. The mystery spans over dual timelines with PI Jessica searching for Veronica using tips from Veronica’s best friend. The trail leads Jessica in several directions and then she discovers the clue that changes everything. This is book #4 in the Jessica Shaw Series and my first. Thank you #netgalley & #amazonpublishinguk

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I wasnt sure about this, especially after I realised it was part of a series. My initial thoughts were just an easy read. But well it got really interesting fast and it turned into one of those books that you had to keep reading (well I had to) it was that good, as I needed to know what happened. I don't want to say anything more as there will be spoilers.

Now that I have read one I definately have to read more in this series to find out more.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

[Elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Bre Holtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe my favorite of the series!