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Izzy McNeil Mystery #3
Le poids du doute
Les enquêtes de Izzy McNeil, vol. 3
Et si son père n’était pas mort ?
Cette question hante Izzy McNeil depuis qu’un inconnu lui a sauvé la vie dans une ruelle sombre de Chicago. Un inconnu dont elle n’a pas eu le temps de voir le visage mais dont la voix lui a semblé étrangement familière. Plus troublant encore : il l’a appelée par le surnom que son père lui donnait lorsqu’elle était enfant, jusqu’au jour tragique où il avait disparu, peu de temps après ses huit ans. Perturbée, Izzy doit malgré tout poursuivre son travail de détective et boucler au plus vite l’enquête qu’elle mène au cœur d’un dangereux réseau de gangsters. Une tâche facilitée par la présence du séduisant Theo, l’homme qui lui a rendu le sourire et sur qui elle peut vraiment compter. Mais à peine Izzy parvient-elle a faire passer au second plan ses préoccupations personnelles que d’incroyables révélations concernant son père vont venir bouleverser à tout jamais son existence.
Et si son père n’était pas mort ?
Cette question hante Izzy McNeil depuis qu’un inconnu lui a sauvé la vie dans une ruelle sombre de Chicago. Un inconnu dont elle n’a pas eu le temps de voir le visage mais dont la voix lui a semblé étrangement familière. Plus troublant encore : il l’a appelée par le surnom que son père lui donnait lorsqu’elle était enfant, jusqu’au jour tragique où il avait disparu, peu de temps après ses huit ans. Perturbée, Izzy doit malgré tout poursuivre son travail de détective et boucler au plus vite l’enquête qu’elle mène au cœur d’un dangereux réseau de gangsters. Une tâche facilitée par la présence du séduisant Theo, l’homme qui lui a rendu le sourire et sur qui elle peut vraiment compter. Mais à peine Izzy parvient-elle a faire passer au second plan ses préoccupations personnelles que d’incroyables révélations concernant son père vont venir bouleverser à tout jamais son existence.
546 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 21, 2009
14 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
About the author
Laura Caldwell
32 books165 followersLaura Caldwell is a Chicago-based lawyer turned novelist. Her first book, Burning the Map, was selected by Barnes & Noble.com as one of The Best of 2002. Following that, A Clean Slate received a starred review from Booklist. The release of The Year of Living Famously and The Night I Got Lucky prompted Booklist to declare, “Caldwell is one of the most talented and inventive...writers around.”
Laura began publishing thrillers and suspense novels in 2005. Her debut mystery, Look Closely, received critical acclaim and The Chicago Sun-Times called The Rome Affair “Caldwell’s most exciting book yet…a summer must-read.” The Rome Affair, which centers around a Chicago society couple riding a roller coaster of infidelity, blackmail and murder, pulled Laura into a real-life, highly-profiled murder trial involving a 19-year old suspect forced into a confession and wrongfully jailed for a crime he did not commit. Laura became one of the attorneys who represented the suspect pro bono, resulting in a not-guilty verdict.
Laura's newest is an international thriller, The Good Liar. Bestselling author Ken Bruen calls it "a massive achievement." Publisher's Weekly lauds it as "a taut, enjoyable thriller." And New York Times bestselling author James Rollins said, "THE GOOD LIAR strikes like an assassin's bullet: sudden, swift, precise, deadly. Here is a taut international thriller certain to keep readers breathless and awake until the wee hours of the morning. Not to be missed." Her work has been translated into ten languages and published in over twenty countries.
Before beginning her writing career, Laura was a trial attorney, specializing in medical malpractice defense and entertainment law. She is published in the legal field and is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at her alma mater, Loyola University Chicago, where she teaches Advanced Writing for Litigation. She recently received the St. Robert Bellarmine award for distinguished contributions to the profession and the Loyola School of Law. In the summer of 2008, she will be teaching International Criminal Law at Loyola's campus in Rome, Italy.
Laura is also a freelance magazine writer. Her work has been published in Chicago Magazine, Woman's Own, The Young Lawyer, Lake Magazine, Australia Woman's Weekly, Shore Magazine and others. Her work can also be seen in Everything I Needed to Know About Being A Girl I Learned From Judy Blume (Pocket Books, 2007), It's A Wonderful Lie: Truth About Life In Your Twenties (Warner, 2006), Girl's Night In II (Red Dress Ink, 2006) Flirting With Pride & Prejudice (BenBella Books, 2005) and Welcome to Wisteria Lane: On America's Favorite Desperate Housewives (BenBella Books, 2006).
Laura began publishing thrillers and suspense novels in 2005. Her debut mystery, Look Closely, received critical acclaim and The Chicago Sun-Times called The Rome Affair “Caldwell’s most exciting book yet…a summer must-read.” The Rome Affair, which centers around a Chicago society couple riding a roller coaster of infidelity, blackmail and murder, pulled Laura into a real-life, highly-profiled murder trial involving a 19-year old suspect forced into a confession and wrongfully jailed for a crime he did not commit. Laura became one of the attorneys who represented the suspect pro bono, resulting in a not-guilty verdict.
Laura's newest is an international thriller, The Good Liar. Bestselling author Ken Bruen calls it "a massive achievement." Publisher's Weekly lauds it as "a taut, enjoyable thriller." And New York Times bestselling author James Rollins said, "THE GOOD LIAR strikes like an assassin's bullet: sudden, swift, precise, deadly. Here is a taut international thriller certain to keep readers breathless and awake until the wee hours of the morning. Not to be missed." Her work has been translated into ten languages and published in over twenty countries.
Before beginning her writing career, Laura was a trial attorney, specializing in medical malpractice defense and entertainment law. She is published in the legal field and is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at her alma mater, Loyola University Chicago, where she teaches Advanced Writing for Litigation. She recently received the St. Robert Bellarmine award for distinguished contributions to the profession and the Loyola School of Law. In the summer of 2008, she will be teaching International Criminal Law at Loyola's campus in Rome, Italy.
Laura is also a freelance magazine writer. Her work has been published in Chicago Magazine, Woman's Own, The Young Lawyer, Lake Magazine, Australia Woman's Weekly, Shore Magazine and others. Her work can also be seen in Everything I Needed to Know About Being A Girl I Learned From Judy Blume (Pocket Books, 2007), It's A Wonderful Lie: Truth About Life In Your Twenties (Warner, 2006), Girl's Night In II (Red Dress Ink, 2006) Flirting With Pride & Prejudice (BenBella Books, 2005) and Welcome to Wisteria Lane: On America's Favorite Desperate Housewives (BenBella Books, 2006).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 5, 2022
What a page-turner! This mystery is a great story for readers who like an intriguing and absorbing mystery. Izzy McNeil is working as an undercover private investigator when she stumbles across the head of the biggest crime family in Chicago. As Izzy tries to figure out what is going on with her own family, her search takes her to Italy to see her aunt to try to find out some answers. Instead, what she finds are more questions and more danger, especially when the mob boss sends his goons to Italy to go after her. Only a step ahead of her murderous enemy, Izzy goes back to Chicago to find more answers, and eventually finds more than she wanted to know about her family and about the crime family, as well as tracking down some murderers.
February 10, 2017
This was another solid book in this series, but I felt like it did drag on a little in parts. Mostly full of action and interesting twists and a lot of good character development. I love Laura Caldwell, she has a really interesting writing style, and Izzy is a great, gutsy character. The ending felt a little abrupt for being the 3rd book in a trilogy - I'm hoping she plans to write another one and not leave me hanging here! I want to know what happens with Theo, Izzy's dad, her aunt, and the guy that her friend met in Italy (now I can't remember his name....) The loose ends feeling is another reason for the 3 stars instead of 4 on this.
December 7, 2009
Remember in the first few seasons of Grey's Anatomy when every bizarre event was punctuated by a charcter saying, "Seriously?". That was how I felt reading this third book in the Izzy McNeil series or maybe the story of female Job. The amount of things that happen to this woman in all three books does stretch credibility to the max. The Mafia as the family business. Seriously? A father back from the dead. Seriously? A double agent in the family. Seriously? It might have worked if the first book stood alone or if this book stood alone. By the end of the trilogy, I was ready to bid adieu to Izzy McNeil and that's after I enjoyed the first book a great deal.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2021
This is the first time I've read Caldwell but I will look for more.
When I started the book, my mood was not allowing me to like it. I stuck with it (it was me, not the book) and really enjoyed it. Izzy is a gutsy non working lawyer who is looking into the death of her father after 20 years. It takes her to Italy and to her aunt she doesn't see much. I hope there is another in this series, as it kind of leaves you hanging but it was good.
When I started the book, my mood was not allowing me to like it. I stuck with it (it was me, not the book) and really enjoyed it. Izzy is a gutsy non working lawyer who is looking into the death of her father after 20 years. It takes her to Italy and to her aunt she doesn't see much. I hope there is another in this series, as it kind of leaves you hanging but it was good.
July 26, 2023
Really? 2.5. Izzy can be annoying. She needs a decision making course, big time. She lacks a bit of common sense, but then where would the plot go? The story itself is completely and unbelievable bonkers, but I needed to read so,etching on my phone for a week, so I just started chewing through this Caldwell series. What can I say?
December 4, 2017
Almost a 4 star. I loved the characters and the story. I thought it was pretty predictable then there was a twist that I did NOT see coming. It didn't tuck all the characters in at the end which I don't love but I suspect this is to keep us reading
December 8, 2020
I didn't realize that this was the third book of a fun mystery series. It was a good quick read. It was entertaining & suspenseful. Perhaps the surprise ending that leaves you hanging a bit will lead to another continuing book of this series. I look forward to reading books 1 & 2.
July 30, 2023
Found a great new to me author and I’m so thrilled. What a fun and exciting book. Izzy reminds me of my younger days minus the gangsters. I never saw the final twist coming which is always a bonus to me. A must read!
July 13, 2018
Three stars is more generous than I intended.
May 16, 2019
Another enjoyable story in this series! I think readers will really like Izzy and be drawn to these books.
November 13, 2020
This was an okay mystery, but very unbelievable and I had not read the other books in the series so I wasn't really invested or interested in the characters.
September 8, 2022
Rambling , boring, and the characters were lifeless
January 14, 2017
Af en toe klust advocate Izzy McNeil bij als privédetective. Het gaat mis als ze probeert het aan te leggen met gangsterbaas Dez Romano, van wie de FBI vermoedt dat hij connecties heeft met de Italiaanse camorra. Een van zijn handlangers herkent haar, en dus zit er nog maar één ding op: de benen nemen. Op de vlucht voor het tweetal wordt ze op het nippertje uit hun klauwen gered door een onbekende, die meteen daarna weer verdwijnt. Boo noemde hij haar. Izzy is verbijsterd, want alleen haar vader gebruikte die naam. Maar die is al twintig jaar dood, omgekomen bij een helikopterongeluk. Leeft haar vader nog? In de hoop antwoord te krijgen van zijn zus Elena, én om verder onderzoek te doen naar de camorra, vertrekt Izzy naar Italië. Onwetend van het feit dat al haar stappen door Dez Romano worden gevolgd...
Ik heb de twee eerdere boeken uit deze serie niet gelezen, maar dit boek is heel goed zelfstandig leesbaar. Het is vlot geschreven en hier en daar vrij grappig. Toch heeft het me niet gegrepen, ik vond het op punten kinderachtig en niet erg geloofwaardig. Met name de “Boo”-vreemdeling verhaallijn vond ik slecht uitgewerkt. De ontknoping is wel weer onverwacht!
Ik heb de twee eerdere boeken uit deze serie niet gelezen, maar dit boek is heel goed zelfstandig leesbaar. Het is vlot geschreven en hier en daar vrij grappig. Toch heeft het me niet gegrepen, ik vond het op punten kinderachtig en niet erg geloofwaardig. Met name de “Boo”-vreemdeling verhaallijn vond ik slecht uitgewerkt. De ontknoping is wel weer onverwacht!
January 3, 2013
This one just didn't knock it out of the park for me. I really liked the previous two in this series which I read concurrent to this one, so maybe I'm just "Izzy'd" out for the moment.
This one lacked the quirkiness and the humor of the previous two. It was more focused on the mystery and not so much on the relationships between the characters this time around, which necessarily isn't a bad thing providing the mystery is good. This mystery was strange. It was like a bad mash up of Ally McBeal meets Goodfellas with a dash of DB Cooper (sans stolen loot!). Given that I didn't care too much for the mystery, I still really like the characters which is why the book scored a 3.
I don't mind when books are tinged with many things that wouldn't really happen in real life. It's ok to me when "normal" people get caught up in unbelievable things that seem far fetched to us regular folks. I mean come on, it's fiction, and sometimes I actually look for the outlandish. This one was just completely incredulous and I couldn't seem to get into it. But again, maybe I should have spaced them out a bit, which would have also reduced the redundancy. As per the "redundancy", Caldwell did an excellent job of explaining things that happened in the previous books and bringing a reader up to date who may have skipped reading books one and two. But for those who stupidly read them back to back (me), it became a bit repetitive. Not the authors fault, purely my own. It's actually a good thing. A reader can start any book in the series and not feel lost because Caldwell smoothly informs a new reader of the backstory and the history between the characters.
I do have the rest of the series, but I am giving old Izzy a break for now. Overall fun series, great characters, OK storylines. I will read more Laura Caldwell in the future.
This one lacked the quirkiness and the humor of the previous two. It was more focused on the mystery and not so much on the relationships between the characters this time around, which necessarily isn't a bad thing providing the mystery is good. This mystery was strange. It was like a bad mash up of Ally McBeal meets Goodfellas with a dash of DB Cooper (sans stolen loot!). Given that I didn't care too much for the mystery, I still really like the characters which is why the book scored a 3.
I don't mind when books are tinged with many things that wouldn't really happen in real life. It's ok to me when "normal" people get caught up in unbelievable things that seem far fetched to us regular folks. I mean come on, it's fiction, and sometimes I actually look for the outlandish. This one was just completely incredulous and I couldn't seem to get into it. But again, maybe I should have spaced them out a bit, which would have also reduced the redundancy. As per the "redundancy", Caldwell did an excellent job of explaining things that happened in the previous books and bringing a reader up to date who may have skipped reading books one and two. But for those who stupidly read them back to back (me), it became a bit repetitive. Not the authors fault, purely my own. It's actually a good thing. A reader can start any book in the series and not feel lost because Caldwell smoothly informs a new reader of the backstory and the history between the characters.
I do have the rest of the series, but I am giving old Izzy a break for now. Overall fun series, great characters, OK storylines. I will read more Laura Caldwell in the future.
February 15, 2010
I did not like this third book in the Izzy McNeil trilogy as much as the first one. This took me FOREVER to finish (I've been working on it since the day after Christmas), but, in all fairness to me, I am visiting family and have had a sick husband and twins in the intervening time and been unable to stay up much past 8 p.m.! I am not so sure that that has much to do with the story or writing being any less good, but rather my inability to read more than a couple of pages at a time.
One thing that I will say about Caldwell is that she does a VERY good job bring readers who might not have read books earlier in the trilogy up to speed such that the books do not have to be read in order. I found Izzy to be much less whiny in this book than in Book 1. I did still believe that there was still alot of repetitious putzing around that was not related to the story. I thought that this story was a much more unbelievable than Book 1, and I detested the ending. Like with Book 1, I felt left hanging without clear or logical resolution (i.e., what happens to Spence/Victoria or Maggie/Bernard?). Though, maybe McNeil wrote the ending this way to leave the door open to continue the series.
For some odd reason, the Durham County Library does not have a copy of the second book in the trilogy, and I definitely did not like this series enough to search for a copy to purchase. This may be it for me and Izzy! Good fluff and a brainless read, but I am not going to go out of my way to recommend this book to anyone...
One thing that I will say about Caldwell is that she does a VERY good job bring readers who might not have read books earlier in the trilogy up to speed such that the books do not have to be read in order. I found Izzy to be much less whiny in this book than in Book 1. I did still believe that there was still alot of repetitious putzing around that was not related to the story. I thought that this story was a much more unbelievable than Book 1, and I detested the ending. Like with Book 1, I felt left hanging without clear or logical resolution (i.e., what happens to Spence/Victoria or Maggie/Bernard?). Though, maybe McNeil wrote the ending this way to leave the door open to continue the series.
For some odd reason, the Durham County Library does not have a copy of the second book in the trilogy, and I definitely did not like this series enough to search for a copy to purchase. This may be it for me and Izzy! Good fluff and a brainless read, but I am not going to go out of my way to recommend this book to anyone...
November 18, 2014
In the third installment of Laura Caldwell's Izzy McNeil legal thriller series, Red, White and Dead, Izzy McNeil was on an adventure of her life. Umemployed and looking for work, she always wondered about the mystery of her father's death. Little did she knew, it would take her to Italy to search for answers from her own aunt. The more she discovered the truth behind it and the Camorra mob connection, the more perilous she and her family would be. And in the end, there was an explosive ending that lead her back to home with a big bang! This one would blow you away...sky high!
December 26, 2009
three parts of this story... Izzy catches the eye of a gangster (in a bad way)... her relationship with a younger man develops... and she becomes embroiled in discovering family secrets - her father (whom she thought died when she was 10) is actually alive; as a double agent with the FBI and his mafia family, he faked his own death and continued to work against them.... and his sister (Izzy's beloved aunt) is the family mafia head...
July 4, 2012
This is the third in the series ... I still have to read the second one.
This isn't a bad story and I liked Izzy's character. A lot of it is far-fetched and could never happen but you just have to go with it.
Though I enjoyed the writing style, I found it odd that most chapters were written in Izzy's voice ("I") and others which included her weren't (she is referred to as "she").
The story wrapped up really quickly and predictably and left a lot of loose ends for me.
This isn't a bad story and I liked Izzy's character. A lot of it is far-fetched and could never happen but you just have to go with it.
Though I enjoyed the writing style, I found it odd that most chapters were written in Izzy's voice ("I") and others which included her weren't (she is referred to as "she").
The story wrapped up really quickly and predictably and left a lot of loose ends for me.
June 9, 2010
I hate that this is a trilogy! I love Izzy and want more!!! Of the three books, this was the best in my opinion. It was full of sex, mystery, heartache and more! The ending surprised me and that always makes for an excellent book. If you haven't had a chance to meet Izzy McNeil, I highly suggest it!
November 13, 2011
This was the third book in the Izzy McNeil series. Ir was interesting, but not as good as the first two. In this book she travels to Italy to solve the mystery of her father's death. I think I enjoyed the others more because of the Chicago location, but this book did tie up some loose ends from the first two in the series.
September 27, 2009
I enjoyed this series of 3. They read quickly and you love the redheaded lawyer without a job. She lives in Chicago, but manages to see other places in her quest to find answers. I think it is a fun read.
April 18, 2011
Best of the three books. Very suspenseful ad intriguing. Lot of surprises in the story as well. Leaves you hanging a bit at the end and I don't think there are any plans for more in this series, so you're not sure how some of the subplots are resolved, but that's okay, I can live with that.
August 2, 2009
Third book in the Izzy McNeil series, just as good as the first two books in the series.
September 22, 2009
A satisfying conclusion to this trilogy.
October 2, 2009
The third book in the series about Izzy Mcneil. This time she gets involved with the Mafia while trying to find out if her father is really dead. Pretty good fast reading.
May 14, 2010
super good read!
May 27, 2010
VERY GOOD
December 24, 2010
Cute mystery novel.....wish I had started with the first one even though they are written to be stand-alone books (this is book #3)
October 14, 2015
I didn't realize this was the third book in a mystery series. It was fun with just the right mix of humor, suspense, surprises and mystery for a good read. Can't wait to go back and read #1 and #2.
December 13, 2011
This was a fun, fast, action packed read. It has me wanting to read the other Izzy McNeil novels.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews