The Third Eye

by Jenna Rae

For a long time, Captain Brenda Borelli has had it all—a devoted girlfriend, a dedicated partner, loyal friends, and a fulfilling career. Her world seemed perfect. But somehow it all fell apart. While she was busy investigating crimes, the things she valued most just slipped away.
When newly minted Officer Tami Sheraton is murdered by a corrupt cop, Brenda is unable to let the department close the case. She feels responsible for letting the rookie down and finds herself unsure of whom she can trust.
Soon she enlists the help of ex-girlfriend Tori and together they begin their own investigation. Just when the situation feels truly desperate, it only seems to get worse.
As if solving the murder isn’t enough, trying to figure out whether she wants to start over with her old lover—or explore the possibilities with a potential new one—might prove to be the most difficult task of all.

Genre: Thriller
Editor: Ann Roberts
Cover Designer: Judith Fellows

280 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2018

About the author

Jenna Rae is a California native who grew up in and around San Francisco and lives in northern California. She teaches English, mostly as an excuse to talk about books and writing and reading. When she’s not writing, teaching, or reading, Jenna likes to garden, crochet, and try out new vegetarian recipes. She is the devoted servant of two occasionally affectionate and frequently sleepy cats. (from the publisher's website)

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars. This was a good mystery. This is the first book I have read by Rae. Her other three books are all part of a series but this book stands alone. However, I could easily see her turning this into a series. This was a well written book that I think most mystery fans would enjoy.

Captain Brenda is still recovering from the death of a police officer murdered by another officer. If the murder was not caught on camera, it would have been almost unbelievable. When the officer who committed the murder winds up dead, Brenda realizes there must be more going on. She decides to take two weeks off of work to solve the case on her own. Can Brenda find the answers without risking her job and maybe even her life?

The mystery part was well written. While Rae decided to not write the story in first person, like many mystery writers do, you still feel very close to Brenda. You are right inside her head as she tries to put all the clues together. Writing this way you feel a part of the story instead of just watching from a distance.

My only complaint and what stopped this from being a full 4 stars is I thought the book could have used a tad more dialogue. While it was really good to be in Brenda’s head to follow the mystery, sometimes her thoughts dragged a little. The book just needed a tiny bit better ratio of dialogue to thoughts.

I would not say this book had a romance. Brenda is dealing with a recent break-up with her long term ex. Her ex is above her in rank at the police station. They have this odd relationship of hurt which lead to arguing, but also attraction and chemistry. As a reader it is not easy to decide if they should get back together or stay separated. I liked the direction the book took in the end and would love to read a sequel to find out more.

If you are a mystery fan I think you will enjoy this. It did slow down a tad diving into Brenda’s thoughts, but for the most part this was a good read. I would absolutely read a sequel and I’m going to give Rae’s other books a chance.

An ARC was given to me by Bella for a honest review.

[Velvet Lounger · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a new Officer is killed by a bad cop Captain Borelli takes it hard. She wasn’t the rookie’s commanding officer but feels responsible as a mentor, responsible enough that when the shooting it “handled” politically to minimise the fallout she takes time off to do her own investigation. When her ex-partner disappears, the shooter turns up dead, and the bad cop’s girlfriend appears to be abducted, she knows this is something way bigger than a cop on the take

This is an excellent cop crime drama, great characters, engaging storyline and a real whodunnit until the last chapter. It soon becomes clear there is a cover-up, but who is behind it all remains a mystery.

Brenda Borelli is a very well-drawn character with depth and subtlety, somebody we can really empathise with as she tries to make sense of her life since she caught her partner in bed with another woman, struggling to find her feet, work out what went wrong, and find a way forward.

Really enjoyed this one. Would be a great start to a series.

[jules revel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid mystery and interesting story.