Before He Covets

Mackenzie White #3

by Blake Pierce

In BEFORE HE COVETS, newly minted FBI agent Mackenzie White graduates the FBI Academy in Quantico only to find herself thrown into an urgent serial killer case. Women are turning up dead while camping in a remote national park in West Virginia. Yet the park is vast, and no connection can be found between them.

At the same time, Mackenzie receives a call from Nebraska urging her to come home. After many years, a new clue has surfaced about her father’s murder. The case no longer cold, Mackenzie desperately needs to help solve it.

But the FBI’s killer is ratcheting up, and there is no time for distraction as more women turn up missing in the psychological game of cat-and-mouse that follows. This killer is more diabolical—and smarter—than Mackenzie could have imagined. As she goes down a road she fears to travel—deep into her own psyche—she finds a double twist waiting for her that even she could not expect.

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

203 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2016

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

[Wissal H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mackenzie White est officiellement Agent de FBI , son succès qui brille encore vivement après son enquête de tueur épouvantail a Nebraska sa petite ville natale.

Cette enquête actuelle même avec ses nombreuses questions et ses multiples déviations Mackenzie a réussi de la clôturer définitivement et d’attraper le tueur de Camping en pleine forêt 🌳 et d’avoir de nouveaux indices concernant la mort mystérieuse de son père et aussi qu’elle a pu finalement d’ouvrir un nouveau chapitre dans sa vie émotionnelle ❤️

Indiscutablement Mac est devenue mon agent FBI De BLAKE PIERCE préférée

[Kate Kaput · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book is a series I have only half-heartedly enjoyed but can't seem to give up. This one follows newly minted FBI agent Mackenzie White as she tries to figure out who's murdering visitors to a national park in West Virginia, which is, perhaps not coincidentally, where a young boy vanished nearly two decades ago. To my relief, this book has fewer typos than its predecessors.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ll read the 4th book (and the 5th, 6th and 7th) because I generally finish a series when I start one. But jeez these storylines are awfully similar. Crazy killer abducting people for some “higher power” reason, Mackenzie gets the case, disobeys an order, finds the killer by herself, almost gets killed, gets saved, gets praise. The end.

[Wonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4...I think Mac has me hooked now...I know a ton of these storylines are overdone AND are overly dramatic BUT once the detective nabs my heart, I'm hooked! Great case(s), sad ending...Hoping for answers about Mac's dad's case!

[Anto M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Penso di dover mettere un attimo in pausa la serie, sperando di non dimenticare i dettagli della vita privata della detective. Ho trovato "il caso" troppo simile al precedente, con le stesse modalità d'azione e con la detective che fa gli stessi identici errori che le fanno rischiare la vita. Non vorrei ritrovarmi con un altro episodio simile anche nel prossimo, perché mi farebbe saltare i nervi.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another very good audio book.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well...this was an interesting book for Mac. It starts out on a high note, with her finishing the FBI academy training with a fun activity with some of her classmates and then starting her job. It's almost too bad that things couldn't have stopped there. Instead Mac had the drudgery of entry level work.

When Mac finally gets pulled into a real case she was happy, happy to be out in the field and happy to be working with Bryers again, who she had a good connection with before. The crimes were a bit crazy and Mac managed to come up with some great leaps that helped them figure things out. I did feel like things were cleaned up a bit too quickly with things not explained enough.

Mac's personal life seemed to implode on a few fronts. I liked that Mac realized what was going on and talked to people that could help her. It remains to be seen how much all of this will affect her, we'll have to read the next book to find out.

[Connie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

In BEFORE HE COVETS, newly minted FBI agent Mackenzie White graduates the FBI Academy in Quantico only to find herself thrown into an urgent serial killer case. Women are turning up dead while camping in a remote national park in West Virginia. Yet the park is vast, and no connection can be found between them.

At the same time, Mackenzie receives a call from Nebraska urging her to come home. After many years, a new clue has surfaced about her father’s murder. The case no longer cold, Mackenzie desperately needs to help solve it.

But the FBI’s killer is ratcheting up, and there is no time for distraction as more women turn up missing in the psychological game of cat-and-mouse that follows. This killer is more diabolical—and smarter—than Mackenzie could have imagined. As she goes down a road she fears to travel—deep into her own psyche—she finds a double twist waiting for her that even she could not expect.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is not much I can say other then I think she is a fantastic mystery author and I think a lot of people would really enjoy her book. I love that most of the endings are a complete surprise to me. That doesn't happen to much for me anymore so when it does happen it's a nice surprise.

I would highly recommend all her books and each one of the series. I have read Jesse Hunt series (it's still on going and I'm so happy we get more from Jesse), Riley Paige series (I'm caught up and waiting on this series, Kate Wise (it was a short series but great)

[Stephen Bonebrake · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in a series with a female protagonist and her journey from Nebraska detective to FBI agent. Nice character and decent storylines. I may read another one or two. The author, Blake Pierce, has a few other mystery series that I haven’t checked out.

[Sarah Kelly-Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still enjoying this series!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short little read. As if they made law & order svu into books

[Michelle Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before He Covets

A good book with a female lead who isn't afraid to work hard, speak up, and get the job done.

This series focuses more on the protagonist's love life/lack thereof than I would like. I'm also not completely sold on the FBI being the right fit for her.

[Katharine Butler · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the first two books but by the time i got to the third book I realized its the exact same format as the first two. It was basically like reading the first two just with a different bad guy, there wasn't really any suspense to it for me because based on the last two I knew she was going to find the guy on her own get hurt and manage to come out alive, just like the first two books, it was all the same pattern

[Thomas M · Rating 5 out of 5]

GROWING UP IN SKILL AND CONFIDENCE

They get better each one. It's as if the main character is developing and maturing just as much as the author.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Before He Covets”, third in the Mackenzie White series, sees our newly-qualified FBI agent tackling a serial killer operating in a National Park in West Virginia.
Body parts are strewn around remote forest areas and, at least initially, there are no clues.
On top of that she receives a tip that the case of her fathers murder two decades ago is being re-opened following a similar killing. She only has a small window of time before she is frozen out of that investigation by the FBI. Nebraska here we come!
That killing, which sparked Mackenzie's interest in justice, has been a running theme throughout the series to date and I would be surprised if it is solved anytime soon.
The West Virginia murders continue unabated as Mackenzie and her partner (who seems to be coming down with a bad cold) question everyone and everything possible, including a two decade old disappearance.
It's another solid procedural with a somewhat quirky heroine who has a tendency to rush in where angels fear to tread.
3 Stars.

[Judi Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 3rd in the series and I think so far, the best one yet! McKenzie is graduating from the FBI Academy and is thrown right into her first case with them. This one is the Campground Killer.
He is killing people and dismembering them and scrattering their bones.

McKenzie is with her partner, Byers..She is finally getting the respect of her fellow FBI agents. Her and her partner are getting along and have become friends. McKenzie is still just concentrating on her cases with the FBI and little else.

This case will throw McKenzie in danger again and she has little hope that her partner can save her on this one because of a secret he told her. Also, she has received word that her Father's murder is being investigated and her boss has promised her if she solves this case, he will put her on workin on her Father's case.

Great book and just can't keep from reading them.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about the Makenzie White series. In some ways, I like her character. She’s gutsy, determined, reckless in many ways and has some real emotional disturbance going on in her head. Thankfully, she turned her mental problems to good. The characters she’s chasing also are mentally disturbed but turned to violence instead. This third book follows the same format of other — there’s a killer, there are no clues to his identity, mysteriously, Mackenzie finds a way to identify him, she strikes out on her own, a fight ensues, just as she about to loose; well, you know the rest. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a # 4. Personally, I prefer a mystery that allows me to try to figure out the “who dun it”. That said, I will move on to # 4

[Arthur Okun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mackenzie White now a FBI agent is involved in THE CAMPGROUND KILLER.
She has the respect of the state police-the head of the local police and of course
the head of the FBI,
Mac also is attractive and through this novel drinks are offered by good looking
PI's -newly divorced FBI friend-and a former partner.
There is a sad part when she finds her new partner is dying.
A wonderful action mystery and I have a thing for Mac.
A fun read

[Priscilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the story itself isn't terrible, I can't give this book (or this series, it seems) any more than 3 stars. While the story itself kept me interested enough and it was a fairly quick read (considering I only read it online, between work assignments), the way it played out was quite predicable. I had hoped that after 2 books, the author would change it up a bit but that didn't happen. I will likely continue the series, but am not expecting much change in the way the stories play out.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m reading this series now only because I’m invested in finding out what happened to the protagonist’s father all those years ago, at least I’m hoping that will happen. I really don’t care for her (Agent White). She’s self absorbed, and whiny Even though she generally has a partner who, I might add, has more experience than her she seems to think she’s the only one that can solve a crime - “it’s all on her shoulders”. I also think the story lines are pretty similar.

[Jon C. Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Independent to the End

Smart as a ship is Mackenzie but has no patience to go on her own which almost gets her killed. People are being killed and mutilated in a state park but they can't figure out who it is until Mackenzie figures out the connection between an old disappearance and the current case. Acorns are the clue to solve the case. A good read and murder mystery. Mackenzie still has lots of personal and professional issues to resolve

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talvez de los más flojos de los que he leído
.
No me malentiendan si me gusto pero siento que todo se esta repitiendo mucho de lo que ha pasado en los libros anteriores
.
Mackenzie me parece un personaje muy estresante en este libro y eso que amaba a este personaje el final es prácticamente igual que los 2 libros anteriores, creo que lo que más me gusto fue el giro que hacen un poco antes del final (puede ser un poco predecible pero aún así me gusto que lo hicieran)
.
Lo que si me dejo este libro es lleno de intriga por el siguiente

[Dick Ulmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mackenzie manages to graduate from the FBI academy at Quantico, and is immediately sucked into a case in Northern Virginia. Young women are being murdered while hiking or camping in a huge state park. There seem to be no clues, no motive, and no connection between the women. Mackenzie is partnered with Byers, a very experienced older FBI agent. It's true that the plots in this series are somewhat formulistic, but they are original and fun to read nonetheless.

[Donna ~ The Romance Cover · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are incredibly addictive and as you can see from my reading list, I am reading them at the rate of knots. I have been devouring this series and every other series this author has written. What I will note, is that the books seem to be getting shorter at the same price point and the editing leaves a lot to be desired. However, the stories just bring me back for more and more and more.

[Samantha J Farrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mackenzie White yet again ignores all the rules but finds her man in the end. At times I didn't want to put it down. It's not everyone's cup of tea but I'm enjoying 📚 again. Even more so now I don't need a bookcase. I think there is a little of Mackenzie in me at times maybe that's why I can never put it down.

[Angela Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick entertaining read

This fast-paced novel was an exciting third book in this series. The lead character shows so much bravery and even when her own past haunts resurface she keeps her head in the game so she can solve a strange setbof serial killings.
There are some printing errors were a word is missing or erroneously used but easily read over without too much interruption to the plot. So overall it did not effect my rating.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Blake Pierce books, and I like the Mackenzie White series. This was a good book, but I was distracted by all the typos and missing words. It seems like it didn't have a human editor. All the mistakes were of the type a spellchecker program on a computer wouldn't catch. I hope this gets rectified on future books.

[Sadie Med · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five star read!! Audio version 📚 🎧

Third book in the series and it didn’t disappoint. Another thrilling read. Agent White graduated the academy top of her class and gets pulled into another serial case. Deep in this new case she gets a call about a a possible lead in a cold case back home. The cold case being her father’s case. Interesting twist and hope to read more in the next book!

[Andrew Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moves right along!

Great characters and nice twists and hints as the action moves the plot along at a rapid clip. Mac has some baggage but she is making a big splash as a newly-graduated FBI agent. Read it ... you'll enjoy it immensely.