A Desperate Place

by Jennifer Greer

Perfect for fans of Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli & Isles and Kathy Reichs, comes an explosive debut thriller about a team of two strong women and a crime that will shake you to your core.

Three separate homicides. Three unrelated victims. One grisly secret.

When the body of famous actress Niki Francis is unearthed from its shallow grave, the small town of Medford, Oregon is alarmed, but not shook. After all, there should be plenty of motives and suspects--Niki had fame, wealth, looks. The kill was targeted, premeditated, and it's about her celebrity. Or so they thought.

Whit McKenna is licking her wounds, working as a reporter for the local Medford rag. Fresh from a harrowing assignment for her previous post at the L. A. Times which cost her her husband, Whit must pull herself together for the sake of her two daughters. The wound has hardly begun to scab when she's called to cover the murder, so she teams up with her best friend, medical examiner Katie Riggs. Then two more victims turn up, completely disconnected from one another, and McKenna loses all hope of a breakthrough.

Rather than clarity, the possible suspects and motives become scrambled. But time is running out, and each front page article McKenna writes brings her closer to a killer who will stop at nothing to realize a deadly vision.

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

311 pages, Hardcover

First published August 11, 2020

About the author

https://www.jennifergreer.net/bio

Jennifer began her writing career as a journalist. She graduated from California State University, Fresno with a degree in journalism and worked as a crime reporter for the Fresno Bee.
Interested in foreign affairs she traveled to Russia in the late 80’s and lived in London studying art and literature.
After touring much of Europe the hard way, on foot with a backpack, she later returned to Berlin for a foreign correspondents seminar.
While abroad she traveled into the war regions of Croatia and wrote an award winning article on the women and children refugees.
Jennifer raised two daughters on her own after her husband died in a tragic car accident when her children were very young. Both daughter's are grown now and venturing into history and legal careers.
Raised as an Air Force brat Jennifer moved around as a child and that wanderlust followed her into adulthood. After living in many U.S. states, Jennifer has settled on the Oregon coast where she lives with her husband and their cat, Henry.
Notable interviews as a journalist: President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Abba Eban, activist Ralph Nader and authors Isabel Allende and Francine Rivers.

Reviews

[ABCme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right in the middle of a smothering heatwave, the Medford police has three suspicious deaths to deal with. Spurred on by the local newspaper where one journalist dares to dive deeper, the mystery soon turns into a fast paced medical thriller. Both parties bounce off each other which gives the reader an indepth view of the situation.
A Desperate Place is a well written intriguing story, filled with interesting characters set in an attractive environment.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Desperate Place is a good thriller & a good start for the McKenna and Riggs series. I loved the suspenseful atmosphere set in the book & the nail-biting tension as the plot unfurled. Its been a long time since I read a good thriller & this book certainly made the cut - for the most bit; the ending felt a bit rushed but overall, I enjoyed this book. The book contains scenes from a ME's table that seems too realistic & is not for the squeamish.

When the body of Niki Francis is discovered in a shallow grave, Whit McKenna is sent to cover the developing story. Recovering from a cruel past, Whit must steel herself while she runs around gathering stories & writing articles. Whit teams up with her best friend & medical examiner Katie Riggs to get to the truth. What seems like a straightforward case soon takes a turn for the worse when Whit discovers more casualties. Afraid a serial killer might be stalking Medford, Whit & Katie must work the case before more lives are lost.

I loved the plot in this one. It was unique & the events flowed easily. The characters were great too & I cant wait to discover more about Whit & Katie. The ending was a bit rushed but there was a major suspenseful moment at the end that almost made up for it - almost! Overall, I liked this book & hope its the first of many in a well laid out series.

Thank you, NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books & Jennifer Greer for an arc!

[Bookworm86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for 'A Desperate Place' by Jennifer Greer

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Crooked Lane Books

This is the first book that I have read by this author and it is actually her first and only book at the moment. It is the first book in the 'McKenna and Riggs' series.

You can preorder this book on Amazon now ready for release on 11th August 2020.

I was originally drawn to this book by its intriguing blurb. I am also a massive Tess Gerritsen fan and when I read that is is "Perfect for fans of Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli & Isles" I just had to give it a go! I have also read several books published by Crooked Lane that I have enjoyed so was hoping this would be one added to that list (written before I read the book). Well after reading this book I must say it certainly didn't disappoint!

This novel consists of 36 chapters and an epilogue of medium length.

The story is presented from the points of view of medical examiner detective Katie Riggs and journalist Whit Mckenna and is set in Oregon. I loved that you get to see what is going on from both a detective and journalistic point of view as it is normally one or the other due to strained relationships. between both sides. It ensures that you get a complete picture of what is going on.

Well I must say what an explosive start to what promises to be an exciting new series that I am excited to read more of!

The plot jumped straight into the action and immediately gripped my attention and continued to do so straight through until the nail biting, heart racing and unpredictable ending!! I love the fact that I thought I knew what was going on just to have a massive unexpected twist thrown in. Well done! There's nothing worse than working out what's going on when your less than half way through a crime novel!

I loved the characters and especially the fact that there were 2 really strong female leading characters. I definitely agree that fans of Rizzoli and Isles will love this!! There's more and more books coming out with strong female leads but not many that have two and it was pulled off really well. I must say all the characters in this novel were all very strong and realistic. I especially enjoyed Dr. Weldon's twisted sense of humour!!
I really enjoyed the friendship between Katie and Whit and again how procedures are followed shines through with their career "clashes".

I believe that Jennifer Greer did quite alot of research into police procedures as well as medical research and it really shines through! Although quite grotesque I was intrigued with the teratoma tumours as I have never heard of them and I did a bit of research myself. Learn something new every day! Thank you for teaching me something new!

I, personally, think that the plot has a very unique storyline which is an excellent achievement for an authors first novel, congratulations! I believe this book will be a fantastic success.

This novel is very well written with events all flowing together perfectly and descriptions that really put you in the plot next to the characters. Filled with suspense, drama, murder, friendships, crime, action this is an excellent thriller that I highly recommend to fans of all the above as well as Tess Gerritsen, psychological thrillers and police procedurals.

Overall an explosive start to what promises to be an exciting new series. Very well written, excellent characters and a massive congratulations to Jennifer Greer for an A*** first novel. I'm looking forward to reading more of your books!!!

Genres include crime, mystery, thriller, police procedural, action, drama, fiction and suspense.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good book, fans of Tess Gerritsen, murder, mystery, crime, suspense, thrillers, police procedurals, drama and action! Basically, everyone!

£10.36 to preorder on kindle via Amazon.

Rated 5/5 ( I LOVED IT) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads for more reviews

#ADesperatePlace #JenniferGreer #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley #BookReview
@JenniferGreer @CrookedLaneBooks @Bookworm1986
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[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Southern Oregon, Whit McKenna works for the local newspaper, the Medford Daily Chronicle. She has 20 years of reporting experience, most as a prized reporter with the LA Times. However, she's spent eight months recovering from post traumatic stress of seeing her husband killed right in front of her in Afghanistan. She's moved her two daughters to a quieter environment.

Whit's best friend in Medford is Katie Riggs, medical examiner detective. Katie underwent chemotherapy a year ago for stage 2 melanoma. She's a former police detective. An investigation begins when a body that had been buried is dug up by a bear. Turns out to be a local famous actress. Detective Panetta, former military and FBI, leads the local investigation.

I learned a lot about monster tumors and teratomes. I first thought this was a fictionalized idea for the story until I googled it. These tumors are real. The author has done her research on stem cell treatments also.

The author has created some interesting characters. Readers learn about their very real problems and shows them overcoming adversity. This novel is the author's debut -- easy to read, good character development, good mystery, and builds up to an action packed ending.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Two very different women are very good friends in this book. News reporter Whit McKenna teams up with her friend medical examiner detective Katie Riggs to investigate the death of a well known actress. Both women are recovering from life threatening and harrowing experiences.

Niki Francis' body is found in a shallow grave near Medford, Oregon partially eaten by a bear. Who would want to kill the popular actress? Was it a case of a celebrity stalker? The surfacing of more bodies puts paid to that theory.

This is a very slow moving story. I kept stopping and going back to it. The writing was very well done and the book was easy to read. I had problems with the pacing though. I kept wanting the action to hurry up and get to it. I like that the novel starred two women who overcame adversity to carry on their lives successfully.

I want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for forwarding to me a copy of this fairly good book for me to read, enjoy and review.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was prepared to like this but the writing isn't good, the characters have little depth given the weighty circumstances the author assigns them, and while i enjoy reading books set in places I know, this could have been set anywhere for all the local details not provided.

Too many good books to read to spend more time with this.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story introduces a new detective duo.

Whit McKenna has come to Medford, Oregon with her two teenage daughters after the death of her husband. She was a reporter and he was her photographer in Kabul when they were kidnapped by Taliban terrorists. Taken into the mountains, they got a chance to run but her husband John was shot and killed by the terrorists. Whit escaped with the help of a Special Forces team training in the area but she was left with PTSD and a terror of forests.

Katie Riggs is a police detective who switched to being a medical examiner after a bout with melanoma.

The two women met at a local book club and bonded. They frequently meet for coffee or a drink and they are running partners. Katie encouraged Whit to get back into journalism even though cops and journalists often have contentious relationships.

Both of them are looking at a crime but from different viewpoints when the body of famous actress Niki Francis is found buried in a shallow grave. While Whit goes looking for witnesses that she can quote for her story, Katie gets involved in the autopsy where it is discovered that Niki had a teratoma growing on her spine. Teratomas are relatively rare and were just a matter of interest but not necessarily relevant to her investigation.

Then there is a house fire and Whit happens to be there to see the body of the homeowner. She interviews a neighbor who gives her some insight into the lawyer who died. He seems to have been going through some kind of mid-life crisis causing him to leave his wife and take up with a young Czech woman. Whit is approached by the man's wife who is sure that her husband was murdered and she begs Whit to investigate. Then there is a third victim when a lawyer who is found in her pool and is suspected of drowning. But both lawyers have teratomas too.

I enjoyed this story which was an entertaining medical sort of mystery. I liked the personalities of the two main characters and liked that both of them had a lot of depth to their stories. I would be eager to read more about this pair of sleuths.

[Roxanne Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in what I hope is a continuing series about a crime reporter (Whit McKenna) and a ME detective (Katie Riggs). An unlikely pair--Whit is widowed, and has retreated to Oregon with her daughters to recover after losing her husband after a joint assignment in Afghanistan, Katie is recovering from cancer--the two trade small favors as they independently investigate a series of murders that occur among the area's elite. The premise that underlies the murders is unique and I can't say that I've seen it before, and was enough to keep me guessing until the end. Whit and Katie are a fresh new pairing and I hope to see them again soon.

I received a digital ARC via NetGalley.

[Tonstant Weader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Desperate Place is a mystery that takes place in Medford, Oregon. I had to read it for that reason. And then to make it better, it features a crime-solving duo. McKenna and Riggs are a reporter and a pathologist who collaborate and share information in order to advance their separate investigations. This is not exactly a Rizzoli & Isles kind of collaboration because they’re working under ethical guidelines that preclude complete sharing of information.

McKenna is covering a fire where a man died, perhaps by suicide, when she’s called way to another story. A body has been found in the woods, thanks in part to a bear. When the woman is autopsied, a stranger monstrous tumor is found. Even stranger, the same thing is found in the man who died in the fire.



I enjoyed A Desperate Place even though the solution seemed obvious long before our investigators got to it. McKenna is too reckless and well before the end, she was saved by a colleague ignoring her orders. I also did not get a real sense of place. It felt as though some of the setting came from research rather than experience.Still, the writing is fast-paced and the plot is original

A Desperate Place will be released August 11th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

A Desperate Place at Crooked Lane Books | Penguin Random House

Jennifer Greer

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...

[D.K. Hundt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5.0 Stars

’Three separate homicides. Three unrelated victims. One grisly secret.’

A DESPERATE PLACE is Jennifer Greer’s debut thriller novel, and I Loved It! If you’re a huge fan, like me, of Tess Gerritsen books, specifically her RIZZOLI & ISLES series, then I think you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

The pacing is perfect; the tension palpable; and that ending—My Heart! I can't wait for more books by Greer!

Thank You, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for loaning me an eGalley of A DESPERATE PLACE in exchange for an honest review.

Released – 11 August 2020
Crime Thriller

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

La coppia di protagoniste è molto interessante e ci sono alcuni comprimari che promettono bene. Il libro mi pare ben scritto, almeno per la mia conoscenza dell'inglese, e la storia è interessante, sebbene metta i brividi per quanto riguarda quello che è alla base degli omicidi. Sembrerebbe che questo sia il primo di una serie, anche se per ora non ho trovato alcuna notizia su un libro successivo. Spero che prima o poi ci sia perché mi piacerebbe leggerlo.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this on my ‘to read’ list for a long time, and I finally got it read. What a very exciting book this was, (I see its book one in a series, so whenever book two comes out, I’ll be be first in line to read it).
Whit McKenna was a star reporter for the LA Times, but when tragedy struck she had a mental breakdown and resigned her position and moved to Medford, Oregon with her two daughters. She now works for the towns local paper as a reporter. She is best friends with Katie Riggs, the towns Medical Examiner Detective. When Whit is assigned a story of woman half buried in a state park, plus she is covering a story of a man killed in the fire of his mansion.
Little did anyone know the story’s would be connected. The woman in the State Park was a famous actress and the story brought Whit worldwide recognition. Whit and Riggs, because of their friendship, share a bit of what they know with each other. When another woman is murdered a strange discovery is made in the autopsies that links all three murders. Now it’s a race against time to stop this deranged killer.
Very suspenseful and fast moving. I highly recommend this book and this new author.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three murders and a journalist investigating it - this was a fast paced investigative thriller where the subplots were complex enough to keep me interested in most of the book. Some parts felt a bit abrupt. Nonetheless, being a medical thriller, the writing kept me interested in the plot.
overall, a fun read

[Deirdre Barber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for smart readers. A plot straight out of Scooby Doo, with an evil genius monologue near the denouement, I literally laughed out loud during much of the book. The only reason I picked it up was because it was set near where I live. I listened to the audiobook, and whoever the narrator was managed to make it even worse, using some kind of Texas drawl for the Medford sheriff. Awful.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! It The story was well done and kept me guessing until the end. I really liked the characters and would like to see them develop hopefully in more books in the series. The narration by one of my favorite narrators, Kristen Potter was the icing on the cake!

[Kathryn Garner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast paced thriller with a futuristic story line. A good partnership looks to be shaping up between the reporter and the medical detective.

[JEANNE FISCHER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't see it coming

[Biana]

Two women, best of friends, strive to unearth the story behind a surprising death. Medford Oregon is where this tale unfolds, and I kind of listened to hear what is familiar and accurate.

The murder was gruesome and only the first in a long string. Told from the POV of an investigative reporter, working on getting her feet under herself again after a recent loss. And a police officer, struggling with her own issues. In parallel investigations, these two bright women unearth a twisted mind of a serial killer.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can’t bring myself to finish a book where the “medical examiner” [Riggs] has no medical degree or medical knowledge at all. In addition the conversations are forced in order to give history/narrative. I gave up when Riggs expressed disgust at fat people then went to lunch with her friend who looked “slim like always”. I get it, I’m disgusting and fat so I don’t want to read about people who I’m afraid are judging me for it actually judging me for it.

[Melanie Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is pretty far fetched and the main character is blah. I was disappointed because the characters of Witt (journalist) and Riggs (detective) could have been a total kick butt duo taking down crazy killers and blazing a trail through the system but nope. What has happened to the days of Cagney and Lacey? How have women characters gone backwards?

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

A debut series with a lot of potential! Whit McKenna, crime reporter and Katie Riggs, medical examiner detective, are a great crime fighting duo in Medford, Oregon. Their friendship is new but they work well together, trading information, bouncing ideas off one another in this fast-paced mystery plot that is a little out there….reminds me of Rizolli and Isles, the show(never read the books).

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I enjoyed this one and look forward to hopefully more in this series with the same characters! I will look out for future books by this author. I already recommended this book!

[Bri Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot! It was fun to read about places I’m familiar with or have visited. The story was sliiiiightly far fetched but I felt like the author did a lot of research and any time I thought I knew where the story was going I was surprised. Looking forward to book 2

[Lynsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Walaa El-Bana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I hope there will be more books in the future.

[Lauryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Deb W · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me count the ways: poorly written, contrived, errors. I cannot believe it was edited, let alone published.

[Alicia Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy quick read. It started off really good, but a few slow parts, but still a good read and worth it.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very good…I can’t wait for the next one…

[Awen]

Dnf as I lost interest halfway through.