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Desert Plains #2
Четвъртата картина
Лас Вегас е разтърсен от серия зловещи убийства. Уликите си противоречат, убиецът е необичайно дързък, а следите водят до задънена улица
Има само един човек, който може да влезе в главата на престъпника и да го спре.
Джесика Ярдли е готова да загърби кариерата си като прокурор и да започне нов живот далеч от града на греха. Когато е въвлечена в този последен случай, тя опитва да предвиди действията на извършителя.
Единственият, който може да й помогне е бившият й съпруг - безпощаден сериен убиец. Изправена пред опасността да се превърне в поредния кървав шедьовър, Джесика повежда разследването в неочаквана посока...
Има само един човек, който може да влезе в главата на престъпника и да го спре.
Джесика Ярдли е готова да загърби кариерата си като прокурор и да започне нов живот далеч от града на греха. Когато е въвлечена в този последен случай, тя опитва да предвиди действията на извършителя.
Единственият, който може да й помогне е бившият й съпруг - безпощаден сериен убиец. Изправена пред опасността да се превърне в поредния кървав шедьовър, Джесика повежда разследването в неочаквана посока...
366 pages, Paperback
First published February 9, 2021
3384 people are currently reading
5062 people want to read
About the author
Victor Methos
75 books2,089 followersVictor Methos is the Edgar Award nominated bestselling author of over forty novels. He has been a criminal and civil rights lawyer in the Mountain West, conducting over 100 trials, and produces two books a year with his dog Fraiser by his side.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 640 reviews
May 17, 2021
Crimson Lake Road
by Victor Methos brings murder, suspense, police investigations, and courtroom drama to a well-written legal thriller mainly set in and around Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the second book in the Desert Plains series and my second novel by this author.
Our protagonist, Jessica Yardley, is a federal prosecutor with a dark past. She has decided to retire but takes on one last investigation where the murders seem inspired by a series of grisly paintings. What follows is an exciting combination of investigations, action, family crises, and courtroom battles.
Jessica is definitely strong in her professional career, but her personal life is another matter. A flaw or two gives some balance, but the result is somewhat stereotyped. I liked her courage and resilience, and I was definitely rooting for a satisfactory ending for the story line. But does it happen? Why doesn’t she rely on others more? Why does she make some decisions that seem out of character?
One thing that I enjoyed this time is that her daughter, Tara, plays a larger role in this book and we get a better feel for her character. The subplot around Tara added another dimension to the novel. Will she play a major role in a future book? Among the other secondary characters, readers will get more insight into FBI Special Agent Cason Baldwin. His character gained depth in this novel.
The book was well-written and was paced well and had an appropriate mix of dialogue and narrative. The plot had several twists and turns with a several surprises along the way even after readers find out a lot of the ‘who did what’. The courtroom scenes are very strong. What seemed to be the ending was very dramatic. Will you see it coming? However, I was disappointed with the last chapter which seemed like an epilogue that could have been omitted. I was disappointed with the actions taken in it.
The novel’s themes include murder, personal isolation, the line between pushing for a justified conviction and convicting an innocent person, personal relationships, ethics, heartbreak, betrayal, kidnapping, and much more. Some trigger points to consider include gruesome scenes and dealing with harm to children.
If you enjoy legal thrillers and police investigations, then I recommend this series. While there are some things that seemed somewhat implausible, overall, it is an intense book that pulls the reader into its disturbing storyline. It is certainly thought-provoking. While this does not have a cliffhanger ending, there are threads that can be pulled into the next book in the series. Which one or ones will it be? I can’t wait to find out in the next novel. This series is best read in order.
I purchased a digital copy of this novel. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way. Publication date was February 9, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
Our protagonist, Jessica Yardley, is a federal prosecutor with a dark past. She has decided to retire but takes on one last investigation where the murders seem inspired by a series of grisly paintings. What follows is an exciting combination of investigations, action, family crises, and courtroom battles.
Jessica is definitely strong in her professional career, but her personal life is another matter. A flaw or two gives some balance, but the result is somewhat stereotyped. I liked her courage and resilience, and I was definitely rooting for a satisfactory ending for the story line. But does it happen? Why doesn’t she rely on others more? Why does she make some decisions that seem out of character?
One thing that I enjoyed this time is that her daughter, Tara, plays a larger role in this book and we get a better feel for her character. The subplot around Tara added another dimension to the novel. Will she play a major role in a future book? Among the other secondary characters, readers will get more insight into FBI Special Agent Cason Baldwin. His character gained depth in this novel.
The book was well-written and was paced well and had an appropriate mix of dialogue and narrative. The plot had several twists and turns with a several surprises along the way even after readers find out a lot of the ‘who did what’. The courtroom scenes are very strong. What seemed to be the ending was very dramatic. Will you see it coming? However, I was disappointed with the last chapter which seemed like an epilogue that could have been omitted. I was disappointed with the actions taken in it.
The novel’s themes include murder, personal isolation, the line between pushing for a justified conviction and convicting an innocent person, personal relationships, ethics, heartbreak, betrayal, kidnapping, and much more. Some trigger points to consider include gruesome scenes and dealing with harm to children.
If you enjoy legal thrillers and police investigations, then I recommend this series. While there are some things that seemed somewhat implausible, overall, it is an intense book that pulls the reader into its disturbing storyline. It is certainly thought-provoking. While this does not have a cliffhanger ending, there are threads that can be pulled into the next book in the series. Which one or ones will it be? I can’t wait to find out in the next novel. This series is best read in order.
I purchased a digital copy of this novel. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way. Publication date was February 9, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
August 13, 2025
Good, but not as good as the first. Love the daughter however, can’t get enough of her devious mind.
February 13, 2021
This is only my third Methos book, but after The Neon Lawyer and The Killer’s Wife (both five Star reads), I couldn’t wait to dive into this second in the Desert Plains series. Unfortunately, I found the story to lack the intrigue and “fire” of his other works. Jessica Yardley and daughter Tara are back, and Eddie Cal even makes a guess appearance, but I didn’t find myself devouring the pages. I also found it a bit convoluted as it unraveled, at times difficult to follow to the finish.
Crimson Lake Road is a mediocre story that rides the coattails of the brilliant character development done in The Killer’s Wife. Some of Yardley’s behaviors, especially, are simply fantastical to consider, especially after what she has already experienced. Methos wants us to believe that she has learned NOTHING, which is just difficult at best. Her blossoming friendship with Angela River is about as likely as a unicorn in Manhattan.
Overall, if you are a Methos fan, you will likely enjoy seeing old friends in these pages. If you are new to Methos, I’d start elsewhere.
Crimson Lake Road is a mediocre story that rides the coattails of the brilliant character development done in The Killer’s Wife. Some of Yardley’s behaviors, especially, are simply fantastical to consider, especially after what she has already experienced. Methos wants us to believe that she has learned NOTHING, which is just difficult at best. Her blossoming friendship with Angela River is about as likely as a unicorn in Manhattan.
Overall, if you are a Methos fan, you will likely enjoy seeing old friends in these pages. If you are new to Methos, I’d start elsewhere.
October 29, 2022
"Crimson Lake Road" is second in the Desert Plains series by author, Victor Methos. Las Vegas prosecutor, Jessica Yardley is about to retire but before she goes, she finds it hard to turn down one last investigation. A series of macabre paintings called The Night Things has inspired a serial killer to put his or her victims through the same agony as those depicted in the paintings. Each Kafkaesque crime scene is vomit-inducing to even the most hardened homicide detectives. Fast running out of ideas, with the police apparently clueless, Jessica does the unthinkable – she visits her serial killer ex-husband in jail to see if he can provide insight into how the elusive killer’s mind might work. As the murders continue, Jessica risks becoming a victim herself and questions her decision to pursue the case. It does not help when she discovers that her daughter, Tara, whom she has tried desperately to keep away from her father, has been secretly visiting him in jail. But like the dog with the proverbial bone, Jessica can’t let go of the investigation, even at great risk to herself, mentally and physically.
As a former criminal lawyer with a rather colourful history himself, Victor Methos rarely disappoints and "Crimson Lake Road" is no exception. His murder scenes, meticulously described, are not for the faint-hearted but they help to underscore just how desperate the police and prosecutors are to finding the killer and bringing him or her to justice. The plot has its twists and turns but is not difficult to follow, the characters three-dimensional, the narrative tight and the dialogue believable. Jessica’s character is complex as is her relationship with her daughter. Some readers may find it difficult to accept that such an obviously bright, intelligent lawyer could have wound up with a sadistic serial killer for a husband but this is explained and his character does add colour to the story. "Crimson Lake Road" is well-written, carefully structured and not an easy book to put down. Just don’t read it as you are about to go to sleep.
As a former criminal lawyer with a rather colourful history himself, Victor Methos rarely disappoints and "Crimson Lake Road" is no exception. His murder scenes, meticulously described, are not for the faint-hearted but they help to underscore just how desperate the police and prosecutors are to finding the killer and bringing him or her to justice. The plot has its twists and turns but is not difficult to follow, the characters three-dimensional, the narrative tight and the dialogue believable. Jessica’s character is complex as is her relationship with her daughter. Some readers may find it difficult to accept that such an obviously bright, intelligent lawyer could have wound up with a sadistic serial killer for a husband but this is explained and his character does add colour to the story. "Crimson Lake Road" is well-written, carefully structured and not an easy book to put down. Just don’t read it as you are about to go to sleep.
August 4, 2023
3,5 ⚖️🤔🤔⭐️s
I enjoyed it but didn’t love it.
Apart from having plenty of characters, the alternation of first and last names was confusing.
Some side plots weren’t (for me) that necessary and I wasn’t fond of Jessica’s daughter.
I enjoyed it but didn’t love it.
Apart from having plenty of characters, the alternation of first and last names was confusing.
Some side plots weren’t (for me) that necessary and I wasn’t fond of Jessica’s daughter.
September 28, 2021
Victor Methos is back with another explosive legal thriller that pits a sharp prosecutor against a killer whose penchant for art is likely only surpassed by the outward unlikelihood of their being capable of the crime. Methos knows how to tell a story, which is apparent yet again, keeping the reader on the edge of their seats throughout this piece, set in the heart of Nevada.
Having done all she feels is possible as a US Attorney, Jessica Yardley has decided to retire, or at least take on a new position elsewhere. However, all that is put on hold when the body of a woman is found, mutilated. The eerie nature of the scene is heightened when it’s discovered to replicate an African artist’s painting.
A month later, one of Yardley’s own friends is attacked and barely escapes alive, likely a potential victim of the same killer. As the case mounts, a suspect emerges, one Dr. Michael Zachary. Yardley agrees to prosecute the case and begins putting everything together, even though Zachary is a pillar of the community. The evidence does not lie, at least as far as Yardley’s concerned.
Pitted against a young and stellar defence attorney, Yardley will have to do everything she can to ensure a win, including consult her ex-husband, a serial killer himself, to get insight into how a murderer thinks. If this is the only way to ensure success, Yardley’s not past take that route. When the case takes a significant turn, Yardley begins to second-guess her choice to lead the prosecution, but it’s too late to bow out now.
Victor Methos is one of those authors whose books I stumbled upon quite by accident. It only took me a few chapters of the first book to realise that this was an author I could easily come to enjoy ad I have keep my eyes open for his work ever since. Methos mixes stellar narrative work building a strong crime before turning things over to the courtroom, where the real magic happens. Those who enjoy that mix of crime and legal ramification will thoroughly enjoy this piece by Victor Methos.
Jessica Yardley plays a central and intriguing role in this novel. Balancing work as a US Attorney with being the mother to a mathematical genius, Yardley’s life is never dull. Add to that, her ex-husband was convicted and is serving time for serial murder. The reader can see great character development throughout, with the odd foible here and there, as well as some backstory related to a time in life when things were simpler. Methos does well with his protagonist and keeps the reader wanting more.
The recipe for a great legal thriller is to have the reader feel the need for intervention through the commission of a crime or wrong and then taking the story through the courts to show how it can be adjudicated, not always turning out as expected. Methos does that well and keeps the reader wondering what legal twists await as the case progresses. While there appears to be a slam-dunk case here, nothing is guaranteed. The strong narrative pushes things along and thickens the plot, while the handful of key characters breathe energy into the story. Working a few subplots into the larger story, Methos keeps the reader’s mind always spinning and wonderful what awaits them. Highly entertaining, to say the least!
Kudos, Mr. Methos, for another great legal thriller. I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for fans.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Having done all she feels is possible as a US Attorney, Jessica Yardley has decided to retire, or at least take on a new position elsewhere. However, all that is put on hold when the body of a woman is found, mutilated. The eerie nature of the scene is heightened when it’s discovered to replicate an African artist’s painting.
A month later, one of Yardley’s own friends is attacked and barely escapes alive, likely a potential victim of the same killer. As the case mounts, a suspect emerges, one Dr. Michael Zachary. Yardley agrees to prosecute the case and begins putting everything together, even though Zachary is a pillar of the community. The evidence does not lie, at least as far as Yardley’s concerned.
Pitted against a young and stellar defence attorney, Yardley will have to do everything she can to ensure a win, including consult her ex-husband, a serial killer himself, to get insight into how a murderer thinks. If this is the only way to ensure success, Yardley’s not past take that route. When the case takes a significant turn, Yardley begins to second-guess her choice to lead the prosecution, but it’s too late to bow out now.
Victor Methos is one of those authors whose books I stumbled upon quite by accident. It only took me a few chapters of the first book to realise that this was an author I could easily come to enjoy ad I have keep my eyes open for his work ever since. Methos mixes stellar narrative work building a strong crime before turning things over to the courtroom, where the real magic happens. Those who enjoy that mix of crime and legal ramification will thoroughly enjoy this piece by Victor Methos.
Jessica Yardley plays a central and intriguing role in this novel. Balancing work as a US Attorney with being the mother to a mathematical genius, Yardley’s life is never dull. Add to that, her ex-husband was convicted and is serving time for serial murder. The reader can see great character development throughout, with the odd foible here and there, as well as some backstory related to a time in life when things were simpler. Methos does well with his protagonist and keeps the reader wanting more.
The recipe for a great legal thriller is to have the reader feel the need for intervention through the commission of a crime or wrong and then taking the story through the courts to show how it can be adjudicated, not always turning out as expected. Methos does that well and keeps the reader wondering what legal twists await as the case progresses. While there appears to be a slam-dunk case here, nothing is guaranteed. The strong narrative pushes things along and thickens the plot, while the handful of key characters breathe energy into the story. Working a few subplots into the larger story, Methos keeps the reader’s mind always spinning and wonderful what awaits them. Highly entertaining, to say the least!
Kudos, Mr. Methos, for another great legal thriller. I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for fans.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
March 21, 2021
Crimson Lake Road by Victor Methos is a combination of police procedural, serial murder mystery and legal drama. In Las Vegas, a woman is brutally murdered and her body is left displayed to replicate a famous and disturbing painting. Jessica Yardley, a prosecutor, is getting ready to move from Las Vegas to start a new career elsewhere. But, with encouragement from an FBI agent and a local cop, she remains to help solve this crime and prosecute the killer when a second woman is found on Crimson Lake Road, unconscious and left for dead. She is in a house on the same road as the previous victim and she is displayed to replicate a second painting from the same series. The problem is that there are two more paintings in the series: will there be two more victims and who will they be? This is a well-paced mystery with plenty of red herrings and a flawed yet engaging and dedicated lead character. There is a warning about this book: the violence is graphic and quite gruesome at times. But the story moves along with intrigue and suspense and nothing is revealed till the very end. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 12, 2023
Update: very good! Review to come
I don't remember much of the first book, except that I really enjoyed it (4.5 stars). Let's see if this one is as good as A Killer's Wife!
I don't remember much of the first book, except that I really enjoyed it (4.5 stars). Let's see if this one is as good as A Killer's Wife!
October 7, 2020
I enjoyed this one overall but felt I should have enjoyed it more. It was nearly a great read but too many oddities in it for me to rate it higher.
Jessica Yardley is a prosecutor who plans to retire early. The cases have taken their toll on her and she wants out. She has already arranged to move away from Las Vegas to a small town a couple of hours away where she will set up a small one woman law firm to practice everyday law.
She gets drawn into one last case in her last weeks in the job. A killer is on the loose. Dubbed The Executioner, a woman is found mutilated and murdered in a cabin in Crimson Lake Road with a painting beside her. It’s from a series of disturbing paintings from an artist and the killer has re-enacted the scene in the painting with the murder.
When Jessica gets called to a second apparent murder, the scene set again to replicate one of the paintings, this time the second in the series, Jessica realises there is a serial killer on the loose who won’t stop until the full series of paintings have been re-enacted.
When the second victim survives the attack, Jessica visits her in hospital to try and gain as much information about the attack as possible. She continues to follow up with her after her release and the two strike up an immediate friendship, but when Jessica suspects the second victims boyfriend may be the killer, their friendship will be tested.
There are other suspects, including a child abuser who’s own daughter is reported missing. As Jessica gets more and more drawn in, can she solve who the killer is or will she become the next victim?
This one started off really well. Quite a disturbing opening and as the chapters unfold we get to know Jessica and her back story(this is book 2 in the series). We learn of her past, married to an artist who turned out to be a serial killer and bringing up a teenage daughter on her own. Tara is seventeen and a a bit of a genius. Their past is pretty brutal and those opening chapters had me really yearning to read the first book as the back story sounded so interesting. I was all in from the off.
However, around a quarter of the way through things started getting a bit clunky for me. An improbable friendship blossoms, with alarm bells ringing in my head as a not so subtle plot device. It knocked the stuffing out of the narrative for me.
The book also goes off on some tangents and side stories that don’t really add anything to the book. It felt like a lot of parts were included for no particular purpose and the flow of the story and the book suffered because of it. It also felt like the book didn’t know what it wanted to be, flip flopping from thriller to court room drama to whodunnit to......well, you get the point.
Jessica also was a very inconsistent character. A very strong and well written character overall with enough weight to carry a novel but, she made some ridiculous decisions that took you totally out of the book. Totally unbelievable. The ending I didn’t care for much either.
Despite these criticisms, I did enjoy the book overall. I’m not sure if it’s because it was pretty good or I thought I enjoyed it more than I did, due to the opening chapters and initial storyline.
This could easily have been a four or five star review for me but the inconsistent storyline and characters, along with some muddled and unnecessary side stories have this at three stars.
Enjoyable overall but you are left with the feeling that it could have been so much more.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Victor Methos for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Jessica Yardley is a prosecutor who plans to retire early. The cases have taken their toll on her and she wants out. She has already arranged to move away from Las Vegas to a small town a couple of hours away where she will set up a small one woman law firm to practice everyday law.
She gets drawn into one last case in her last weeks in the job. A killer is on the loose. Dubbed The Executioner, a woman is found mutilated and murdered in a cabin in Crimson Lake Road with a painting beside her. It’s from a series of disturbing paintings from an artist and the killer has re-enacted the scene in the painting with the murder.
When Jessica gets called to a second apparent murder, the scene set again to replicate one of the paintings, this time the second in the series, Jessica realises there is a serial killer on the loose who won’t stop until the full series of paintings have been re-enacted.
When the second victim survives the attack, Jessica visits her in hospital to try and gain as much information about the attack as possible. She continues to follow up with her after her release and the two strike up an immediate friendship, but when Jessica suspects the second victims boyfriend may be the killer, their friendship will be tested.
There are other suspects, including a child abuser who’s own daughter is reported missing. As Jessica gets more and more drawn in, can she solve who the killer is or will she become the next victim?
This one started off really well. Quite a disturbing opening and as the chapters unfold we get to know Jessica and her back story(this is book 2 in the series). We learn of her past, married to an artist who turned out to be a serial killer and bringing up a teenage daughter on her own. Tara is seventeen and a a bit of a genius. Their past is pretty brutal and those opening chapters had me really yearning to read the first book as the back story sounded so interesting. I was all in from the off.
However, around a quarter of the way through things started getting a bit clunky for me. An improbable friendship blossoms, with alarm bells ringing in my head as a not so subtle plot device. It knocked the stuffing out of the narrative for me.
The book also goes off on some tangents and side stories that don’t really add anything to the book. It felt like a lot of parts were included for no particular purpose and the flow of the story and the book suffered because of it. It also felt like the book didn’t know what it wanted to be, flip flopping from thriller to court room drama to whodunnit to......well, you get the point.
Jessica also was a very inconsistent character. A very strong and well written character overall with enough weight to carry a novel but, she made some ridiculous decisions that took you totally out of the book. Totally unbelievable. The ending I didn’t care for much either.
Despite these criticisms, I did enjoy the book overall. I’m not sure if it’s because it was pretty good or I thought I enjoyed it more than I did, due to the opening chapters and initial storyline.
This could easily have been a four or five star review for me but the inconsistent storyline and characters, along with some muddled and unnecessary side stories have this at three stars.
Enjoyable overall but you are left with the feeling that it could have been so much more.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Victor Methos for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 21, 2024
So, many of the cast of characters are back in this second installment. The book summary introduces the primary storyline of another serial killer operating in the area and setting the kill scenes based on a series of famous painting. So obviously, MC, Jessica Yardley, will again be forced to work with her serial killer husband, Eddie Cal, who is a famous artist and who is still on death row.
There are secondary stories like Jessica and Eddie’s 17yr old daughter, Tara, who is communicating with Eddie behind Jessica’s back. This scares the holy crap out of Jess. There is also another secondary story where Jess has befriended a surviving victim, which is behavior that is not advised that prosecutors engage in. There is the federal prosecutor, Kyle Jax, who is replacing Jess (she’s retiring) and who is a HUMUNGEOUS @$$#*!%. Good grief!!! I have violent tendencies every time that &^@%head opens his mouth. Uuuggghhh!!! Lastly, there is another storyline of Baldwin being faced with a life altering decision.
With most legal thrillers, so much of the courtroom drama and all of the lawyer nonsense bores the crap out of me. That is why I, typically, don’t read a lot of legal dramas and prefer crime thrillers and murder mysteries; they’re just so much more interesting and entertaining. Fortunately, most of the story revolves around the investigation of the murders, thank goodness, and thank you Mr. Methos!!!
Well into the second half, I thought I had the killer pegged. I was right – sort of, but not quite. There was a twist that I never saw coming! However, there was a drop-dead revelation at the end of the first installment that was kind of the driving interest to see how that would play out in this installments. OMG!!! #%!! YEAH!!!🤣🤣🤣 And now the real game begins!!!
There are secondary stories like Jessica and Eddie’s 17yr old daughter, Tara, who is communicating with Eddie behind Jessica’s back. This scares the holy crap out of Jess. There is also another secondary story where Jess has befriended a surviving victim, which is behavior that is not advised that prosecutors engage in. There is the federal prosecutor, Kyle Jax, who is replacing Jess (she’s retiring) and who is a HUMUNGEOUS @$$#*!%. Good grief!!! I have violent tendencies every time that &^@%head opens his mouth. Uuuggghhh!!! Lastly, there is another storyline of Baldwin being faced with a life altering decision.
With most legal thrillers, so much of the courtroom drama and all of the lawyer nonsense bores the crap out of me. That is why I, typically, don’t read a lot of legal dramas and prefer crime thrillers and murder mysteries; they’re just so much more interesting and entertaining. Fortunately, most of the story revolves around the investigation of the murders, thank goodness, and thank you Mr. Methos!!!
Well into the second half, I thought I had the killer pegged. I was right – sort of, but not quite. There was a twist that I never saw coming! However, there was a drop-dead revelation at the end of the first installment that was kind of the driving interest to see how that would play out in this installments. OMG!!! #%!! YEAH!!!🤣🤣🤣 And now the real game begins!!!
August 24, 2025
3.5 Stars.
Narrator Brittany Pressley never ceases to amaze. Another spellbinding and flawless performance. Many accolades.
Narrator Brittany Pressley never ceases to amaze. Another spellbinding and flawless performance. Many accolades.
April 22, 2023
Tired of the grind, U.S. Attorney Jessica Yardley is ready to retire. She has one last case to take care of. A serial killer has been leaving his victims on Crimson Lake Road. They are mutilated and posed to look like a series of four paintings. When the second victim survives, Jessica thinks that they may get a lead on the killer; but Angela Rivers can't identify the person who abducted her. After interviewing Angela and becoming friends with her, Jessica begins to suspect that Angela's boyfriend may actually be the killer.
This story is a combination police procedural, psychological thriller and courtroom drama. I had a hard time getting into this story. I see that many people liked this story much more than I did. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Brittany Presley. She does a fantastic job with the story, so I can't blame her. Like the previous book in the series, the characters are referred to by their last names throughout the story. I found it strange that Jessica was always referred to as Yardley. Occasionally the characters would say a character's first name and I didn't know who they were talking about. That happened when the villain's identity was uncovered, and I didn't know who that person was. On the other hand, Jessica's ex-husband, serial killer Eddie Cal, was always referred to by both first and last name.
Jessica did some things during the story that I found hard to believe. Once again, she had to consult her ex-husband about her current case. Been there, done that. I also didn’t like the last scene in the book. I thought her actions were very much against character. I'm not sure if I will be continuing this series. My rating: 2.5 Stars.
This story is a combination police procedural, psychological thriller and courtroom drama. I had a hard time getting into this story. I see that many people liked this story much more than I did. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Brittany Presley. She does a fantastic job with the story, so I can't blame her. Like the previous book in the series, the characters are referred to by their last names throughout the story. I found it strange that Jessica was always referred to as Yardley. Occasionally the characters would say a character's first name and I didn't know who they were talking about. That happened when the villain's identity was uncovered, and I didn't know who that person was. On the other hand, Jessica's ex-husband, serial killer Eddie Cal, was always referred to by both first and last name.
Jessica did some things during the story that I found hard to believe. Once again, she had to consult her ex-husband about her current case. Been there, done that. I also didn’t like the last scene in the book. I thought her actions were very much against character. I'm not sure if I will be continuing this series. My rating: 2.5 Stars.
February 9, 2021
The local sheriff department and an FBI agent conduct a raid of a cabin on Crimson Road. A serial killer’s second victim is spread out and the coroner is called but a shock awaits. Thus begins this psychological thriller that unfolds as a joint crime investigation with appealing characters, many suspects and various clues. An interesting enough read in the hunt for the murderer as the interrelation between past and present merge into a dramatic finale. Only a three-star rating due to a somewhat obvious likely perpetrator. As an independent viewer, my thanks to the author for a copy gratis prior to publication. All opinions expressed herein are freely given and totally my own.
April 19, 2021
Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and the author for an ARC copy, and I apologise for the delay, as I try to catch up on all Net Galley books and author books that are sent to me personally.
Bestselling author Victor Methos’s acclaimed series continues as prosecutor Jessica Yardley races to catch an art-obsessed serial killer before she becomes his next masterpiece.
Retiring prosecutor Jessica Yardley can’t turn down one last investigation. This time, it’s a set of murders inspired by a series of grisly paintings called The Night Things. She’s the only one who can catch the killer, who’s left a trail of bodies in a rural community outside of Las Vegas.
But, with encouragement from an FBI agent and a local cop, she remains to help solve this crime and prosecute the killer when a second woman is found on Crimson Lake Road, unconscious and left for dead. She is in a house on the same road as the previous victim and she is displayed to replicate a second painting from the same series.
She continues to follow up with her after her release and the two strike up an immediate friendship, but when Jessica suspects the second victims boyfriend may be the killer, their friendship will be tested.
But the more Jessica finds out, the less clear her case becomes. Out of options, she’s forced to consult her serial killer ex-husband—to gain additional insight into the crimes and the killer’s motivations.
There are other suspects, including a child abuser who’s own daughter is reported missing. As Jessica gets more and more drawn in, can she solve who the killer is or will she become the next victim?
By the time Jessica realizes that pursuing this case is a deadly mistake, it’s too late to turn back. Can she catch the killer, or will she be the final addition to a killer’s masterpiece?
Well I have read books by Victor Methos before, of course as a former defence lawyer with a successful career you know he will get his court procedure correct. If you like court dramas, police thrillers you will enjoy this series.
To me, honestly it become a little heavy going and a bit slow, I lost the flow of the book, as it changed from thriller to court drama. I also felt the story with Tara a little far fetched.
Good characters, but heavy going. A Three star for me.
Bestselling author Victor Methos’s acclaimed series continues as prosecutor Jessica Yardley races to catch an art-obsessed serial killer before she becomes his next masterpiece.
Retiring prosecutor Jessica Yardley can’t turn down one last investigation. This time, it’s a set of murders inspired by a series of grisly paintings called The Night Things. She’s the only one who can catch the killer, who’s left a trail of bodies in a rural community outside of Las Vegas.
But, with encouragement from an FBI agent and a local cop, she remains to help solve this crime and prosecute the killer when a second woman is found on Crimson Lake Road, unconscious and left for dead. She is in a house on the same road as the previous victim and she is displayed to replicate a second painting from the same series.
She continues to follow up with her after her release and the two strike up an immediate friendship, but when Jessica suspects the second victims boyfriend may be the killer, their friendship will be tested.
But the more Jessica finds out, the less clear her case becomes. Out of options, she’s forced to consult her serial killer ex-husband—to gain additional insight into the crimes and the killer’s motivations.
There are other suspects, including a child abuser who’s own daughter is reported missing. As Jessica gets more and more drawn in, can she solve who the killer is or will she become the next victim?
By the time Jessica realizes that pursuing this case is a deadly mistake, it’s too late to turn back. Can she catch the killer, or will she be the final addition to a killer’s masterpiece?
Well I have read books by Victor Methos before, of course as a former defence lawyer with a successful career you know he will get his court procedure correct. If you like court dramas, police thrillers you will enjoy this series.
To me, honestly it become a little heavy going and a bit slow, I lost the flow of the book, as it changed from thriller to court drama. I also felt the story with Tara a little far fetched.
Good characters, but heavy going. A Three star for me.
September 4, 2023
Even gorier than #1 if that is possible. Yes, I guess it is.
That's it for me on this series. I found Tara obnoxious and Jessica not far behind. These characters wouldn't know happy if it hit them with hurricane forces. They are constantly seating themselves in their pasts with backward looking/ feeling victimhood embracing. And in this one at times, Jessica (called by her last name Yardley, which was maybe professional but inconsistent in this series) acted, spoke in illogical and out of character senses- it just didn't play at all real.
But those are not the main reasons for the 2 stars rating. This author knows courts and criminals. He really knows very little about females. And this particular novel of way too much length also mixed art with torture and other despicable acts in a way that deserved a DNF, IMHO. Or truly, is art talent or "brilliance" a consideration in these contexts at all? To be art parsed or given tutorials upon "appreciation". UGH! Plot again (#1 also had too many subplots) was convoluted and with actions difficult to follow.
Very disappointing after the court savvy of his standalone An Invisible Client. He should stick to lawyers. And males that he conceptualizes much better.
I think it will be quite awhile returning to ANY of his, even the standalones. He might easily go into my "too chewy to digest" category.
That's it for me on this series. I found Tara obnoxious and Jessica not far behind. These characters wouldn't know happy if it hit them with hurricane forces. They are constantly seating themselves in their pasts with backward looking/ feeling victimhood embracing. And in this one at times, Jessica (called by her last name Yardley, which was maybe professional but inconsistent in this series) acted, spoke in illogical and out of character senses- it just didn't play at all real.
But those are not the main reasons for the 2 stars rating. This author knows courts and criminals. He really knows very little about females. And this particular novel of way too much length also mixed art with torture and other despicable acts in a way that deserved a DNF, IMHO. Or truly, is art talent or "brilliance" a consideration in these contexts at all? To be art parsed or given tutorials upon "appreciation". UGH! Plot again (#1 also had too many subplots) was convoluted and with actions difficult to follow.
Very disappointing after the court savvy of his standalone An Invisible Client. He should stick to lawyers. And males that he conceptualizes much better.
I think it will be quite awhile returning to ANY of his, even the standalones. He might easily go into my "too chewy to digest" category.
June 30, 2020
Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for an ARC!
This is one of those times it really hurts that we can't give half stars on Goodreads. I liked this book more than an avg 3 star book but can't rank it on the same 4 stars as others, including the first book in this series. The beginning & the end were strong and kept me hooked & wanting to know what happened. The middle I found to be a little tedious. I will say the other reasons I rounded down instead of up were: The book left off with a good possible segue into a 3rd book and I would definitely keep reading the series.
This is one of those times it really hurts that we can't give half stars on Goodreads. I liked this book more than an avg 3 star book but can't rank it on the same 4 stars as others, including the first book in this series. The beginning & the end were strong and kept me hooked & wanting to know what happened. The middle I found to be a little tedious. I will say the other reasons I rounded down instead of up were: The book left off with a good possible segue into a 3rd book and I would definitely keep reading the series.
March 31, 2021
The timeline has moved at warp-speed between the first book in the series to the present -- three years later. I loved the first book, A Killer’s Wife, a powerful non-stop read for me that I knew would never be enough. Now, once again I found myself immediately drawn in by Methos’s latest murder and mayhem whodunit – this time maybe a bit more.
A no-spoilers review for Crimson Lake Road follows –
Now on the brink of early retirement as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s office, Jessica Yardley has decided she’s had enough of the bright lights of Las Vegas and is moving to the small-town of Santa Bonita, where she plans on going solo in her own family law practice. But only weeks before her scheduled departure, a killer labeled The Crimson Lake Road Executioner begins his reign of terror – and Yardley is pulled back into familiar territory with ties to her serial killer ex-husband, Eddie Cal. Another upgrade with this installment is Tara, the daughter she and Eddie share, is now seventeen and a brainiac. She adds some additional chills and thrills of her own in this go-round.
With a dark and gruesome vibe, the twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat and flying through the pages. There’s always such exhilaration and intellectual rush while reading a Methos-thriller as it unravels all the intricacies to each plot. Only the best thrillers come loaded with torturous and disturbing plot twists that make you shiver and put you at a loss to see what lies ahead and figuring out the bad guys from the good ones. Always addictive, suspenseful and peppered with red herrings!
And now I’m revved and more-than-ready to binge on the third installment, An Unreliable Truth (Desert Plains Book 3) due for release on August 17, 2021. Methos’s Desert Palms Series is best enjoyed if you start from the beginning with the first book. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on the basic foundation upon which the following stories are built.
(ALL BOOKS IN THIS SERIES ARE AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED.)
November 1, 2025
فکر نمیکردم که ریویوم از جلد دوم با این جمله شروع کنم اما از تارا خوشم امده😅😂
توی این جلد جسیکایی داریم که قصد داره تا از دادستانی بازنشست بشه اما بازم با یک قاتل سریالی عجیب روبرو هستیم
اشتباه نکنید این قاتل هیچ ارتباطی با ادیکل(همسر قبلی و قاتل سریالی سایکو جسیکا) نداره و به طور کلی ادیکل(عزیزم) در این جلد خیلی به حاشیه رفته
یک قاتل جدید با یه شیوه قتل جدید و بیرحمانه که باعث وسواس فکری بالدوین میشه و برای حل کردنش از جسیکا کمک میخواد
چندتا شخصیت جدید توی این جلد میان که طبق شنیدهام جلد بعدی راجب اونا هست مثل وکیل زبونباز عزیزم استر 😁
اصطلاحات حقوقی کتاب بخاطر حضورشون در دادگاه زیاد بود و حدود یک سوم کتابو تشکیل میداد و بنظرم به نسبت جلد قبلی مسائل حقوقی یکم سنگینتر شده بودن(خداروشکر کلا میزان حضورشون در دادگاه کمتر بود😅)
و تارا ... چرا ریویو با تعریف از تارا شروع کردم؟ چون به شکلی که فکرشم نمیکردم سوپرایزم کرد و ازش لذت بردم😎
توی این جلد جسیکایی داریم که قصد داره تا از دادستانی بازنشست بشه اما بازم با یک قاتل سریالی عجیب روبرو هستیم
اشتباه نکنید این قاتل هیچ ارتباطی با ادیکل(همسر قبلی و قاتل سریالی سایکو جسیکا) نداره و به طور کلی ادیکل(عزیزم) در این جلد خیلی به حاشیه رفته
یک قاتل جدید با یه شیوه قتل جدید و بیرحمانه که باعث وسواس فکری بالدوین میشه و برای حل کردنش از جسیکا کمک میخواد
چندتا شخصیت جدید توی این جلد میان که طبق شنیدهام جلد بعدی راجب اونا هست مثل وکیل زبونباز عزیزم استر 😁
اصطلاحات حقوقی کتاب بخاطر حضورشون در دادگاه زیاد بود و حدود یک سوم کتابو تشکیل میداد و بنظرم به نسبت جلد قبلی مسائل حقوقی یکم سنگینتر شده بودن(خداروشکر کلا میزان حضورشون در دادگاه کمتر بود😅)
و تارا ... چرا ریویو با تعریف از تارا شروع کردم؟ چون به شکلی که فکرشم نمیکردم سوپرایزم کرد و ازش لذت بردم😎
February 16, 2021
Gripping, illusive, and dark!
In this engrossing sequel, Crimson Lake Road, Methos has written another ominous, unpredictable thriller featuring Assistant U.S. Attorney, Jessica Yardley and FBI Special Agent, Cason Baldwin as they work together to solve a case involving two women drugged, posed, and left in an isolated cabin to die, a missing teenage girl, and a serial killer who seems to have an unusual fascination for a series of four paintings depicting victims who have been tortured, posed, and in some cases eviscerated and a horrifying fixation on bringing art to life.
The prose is crisp and tight. The characters are multilayered, flawed, and troubled. And the plot is a disturbing tale of intrigue, surprises, red herrings, deception, abuse, revenge, violence, suspicious motivations, and murder.
Overall, Crimson Lake Road is another fast-paced, tortuous, sophisticated tale by Methos that kept me guessing from the very first page and left me chilled, satisfied, and curious to see what his devious mind will come up with next.
Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
In this engrossing sequel, Crimson Lake Road, Methos has written another ominous, unpredictable thriller featuring Assistant U.S. Attorney, Jessica Yardley and FBI Special Agent, Cason Baldwin as they work together to solve a case involving two women drugged, posed, and left in an isolated cabin to die, a missing teenage girl, and a serial killer who seems to have an unusual fascination for a series of four paintings depicting victims who have been tortured, posed, and in some cases eviscerated and a horrifying fixation on bringing art to life.
The prose is crisp and tight. The characters are multilayered, flawed, and troubled. And the plot is a disturbing tale of intrigue, surprises, red herrings, deception, abuse, revenge, violence, suspicious motivations, and murder.
Overall, Crimson Lake Road is another fast-paced, tortuous, sophisticated tale by Methos that kept me guessing from the very first page and left me chilled, satisfied, and curious to see what his devious mind will come up with next.
Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 19, 2024
Second Book in the series, thoroughly enjoyed this one and flew through it in two days.
Onto book 3 I say!
Onto book 3 I say!
August 5, 2024
A really solid second book in the series with more character development and twists and turns.
I did guess one of the biggest twists quite early on, but I wasn’t 100% sure I was right and so this book was still really enjoyable
Looking forward to starting the third book this evening!
I did guess one of the biggest twists quite early on, but I wasn’t 100% sure I was right and so this book was still really enjoyable
Looking forward to starting the third book this evening!
December 19, 2020
A series of gruesome murders, all inspired by the series of macabre paintings called “The Night things”. While the prosecutor considers taking on this case as her last before retirement, things keep hitting close to home and demand that difficult decisions be made.
4.5 stars!
It’s been a while since I read a multi-layered, complex thriller and this did it for me. This was my first book by this author but it’s definitely not going to be the last. Even though this is book 2 of a series but the blurb sounded so good I had to get in, and I loooved it. I think I’ve stumbled upon another series that I need to keep up with. This is a legal thriller, and it was up to the prosecutor-detective duo to solve the case. The court scenes were great, trial proceedings, cross-examination and the to-and-forth were both witty and intelligent. I loved how the legal intricacies were explained in the middle of the story without making it dull and boring. The ending was super great and just perfect! I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for the next in this series!
Thanks to #Netgalley, #ThomasandMercer @Aamazonpublishing and @victormethos author for the opportunity to read and review the eARC of #CrimsonLakeRoad. All opinions are my own. Pub date: 23rd Feb, 21.
4.5 stars!
It’s been a while since I read a multi-layered, complex thriller and this did it for me. This was my first book by this author but it’s definitely not going to be the last. Even though this is book 2 of a series but the blurb sounded so good I had to get in, and I loooved it. I think I’ve stumbled upon another series that I need to keep up with. This is a legal thriller, and it was up to the prosecutor-detective duo to solve the case. The court scenes were great, trial proceedings, cross-examination and the to-and-forth were both witty and intelligent. I loved how the legal intricacies were explained in the middle of the story without making it dull and boring. The ending was super great and just perfect! I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for the next in this series!
Thanks to #Netgalley, #ThomasandMercer @Aamazonpublishing and @victormethos author for the opportunity to read and review the eARC of #CrimsonLakeRoad. All opinions are my own. Pub date: 23rd Feb, 21.
September 21, 2020
This will be part review and part storycraft (including consistency) and will contain spoilers. It also describes some of the gore in it. The book also deals in child abuse. If you want to read this book, or you're not a fan of child in danger books, you may want to skip this review. It's also fairly long.
Good? Good.
Crimson Lake Road is listed as "Desert Plains, #2" on Goodreads. As is the case in many of my reviews, I'm parachuting into a series after the characters have been established. It isn't really apparent in this book that it's #2 in a series on the cover (in fact, it doesn't mention it at all) and past events aren't really brought up in terms of these characters working together as a group, so it can and does work as a standalone, although reading the first will certainly inform the second.
The book opens with a horrific scene: a woman in a tunic on a kitchen table, her head obscured by bloody gauze. FBI agent Cason Baldwin and Detective Lucas Garrett (and everyone else in the entry team) believe the woman is dead. Until she start flailing around.
We then cut to a bar, where (super smart) Jessica Yardley, currently working for the US Attorney's office is telling Baldwin she's leaving the office and moving somewhere that she doesn't have to see the terrible things she (and he) have seen. She agrees with her boss to work on this particular case and bring New Guy (Kyle? Don't recall, he's annoying and a cartoony frat boy know-it-all who has zero character development despite the fact he will be working this case) up to speed and get him going on it. New Guy's schtick is having a sucker in his mouth all the time - even in court, and having to have the judge to tell him to ditch it. Even a frat boy would know this is not acceptable, come on.
Yardley goes to see the victim, whom they believe is the second victim of a killer using a series of four paintings as inspiration. The first, a woman named Kathy Pharr, did not survive. Yardley befriends woman #2, Angela River ("Call me Angie."), telling herself there is no reason they can't be friends. OK, I'll push my disbelief that a prosecutor - even one leaving - would get emotionally involved with the victim of an open case in this way, even if Yardley seems desperate for friends and finds River a willing ear. The way things work out, however, it does seem that Yardley makes pretty bad choices about the people she wants to be in her life.
Meanwhile, everyone is trying to determine who the killer is, and delving into Pharr's life to see if there are connections between her and River. There don't seem to be any, but they keep digging, reinterviewing everyone. There's an intimation that River's fiancee, Dr. Michael Zachary could be the killer/attacker, based on a profile developed by the FBI. The BAU, in fact (who develop such profiles) is on the verge of being shut down, which brings some tension into Baldwin's life, since that's his department.
We get some references to Yardley's teenaged daughter Tara, and Yardley tells her new bestie that she was once married to a man who was a serial killer (this is apparently what the first book is about) and had a relationship with another bad guy. Tara is described as some kind of math savant and super smart, and we find out that she has been secretly visiting her (super smart and super manipulative) father on death row, while telling her mother she's working in the robotics lab at the university.
Now, I'll be the first to admit I love a good, morally grey character. I'll even root for bad guys if they're doing good things. But I want consistency. Barring some catastrophic event, for instance, an FBI agent isn't going to suddenly rob a bank. Yardley is conscientious and wants bad guys found and punished for their wrongdoings.
That's why it bothered me that when Tara and a friend are at River's house, and River leaves, Tara calls Yardley, knowing Yardley wants to snoop around a bit. When Tara asks her "That's what you wanted, right?", this should have been a sign to Yardley to rethink herself. Instead, she does go snooping, and in doing so, finds a garage with gauze, etc., that indicate Dr Zachary could be their man, and calls Baldwin to get a judge to sign a warrant to search Rover and Zachary's outbuildings. Baldwin does write the warrant but does not get a chance to get it under a judge's pen, so Yardley takes it, thin as it is, and gets it signed. This should have been another sign to Yardley. But it isn't.
When the warrant is served, River naturally accuses Yardley of getting close to her solely for the purposes of arresting Zachary, and storms off - rightly so, in my opinion. But, River gets over it, and they're again friends as the book moves suddenly to the viewpoint of a defense attorney, previously not introduced to the reader, by the name of Dylan Aster. If you asked me to point to the character I'd be most interested in reading a book about, it would be Aster.
It seemed to me that Methos was having much more fun writing the parts with Aster - from describing his antics in getting himself held in contempt during a trial in front of a particular judge so that judge would likely have to recuse himself from any case Aster was involved with, to the play he made to have himself be able to be present while the grand jury was seated for Zachary's indictment. Aster was irrepressible, and those scenes both lightened he mood during the middle of the book, but also helped carry the middle along. Often, the "sagging middle" is quite a problem for writer and reader alike, but Methos has avoided that here for the most part.
Kathy Pharr's daughter, Harmony, goes missing. Her father Tucker, recently released from prison after being convicted of snatching and murdering a girl about Harmony's age, has seen nothing, heard nothing, and is generally unhelpful. He also talks like someone from an Appalachian holler. I'm supposing this is because we're told he has something like a 5th grade education, and is not terribly bright, so of course he'd speak poor English and have a southern accent, living there in Nevada. Baldwin finds the girl's necklace and her phone, but not the girl herself. Since Zachary was remanded without bail, so could not have taken the girl himself, the group posits that perhaps Zachary and Tucker were working together. An independent crime reporter has been hovering at the edges of the investigation, and Yardley encounters him while she and Baldwin are working a piece of the case, interviewing a drug addict who claims to have seen Harmony. She thinks it's interesting that he was nearby, but then thinks nothing more of it.
Meanwhile, in a subplot involving Tara, she is doing some work for her imprisoned father, selling his artwork. She changes her appearance and goes to some very sketchy warehouses to meet some equally sketchy bad dudes. This does not strike me as the actions of a supposed very smart person, and although Tara is described as a "savant", she's not someone who cannot function in society. She knows it's dangerous, she knows her father is dangerous, yet she tells her mother nothing of all this (and Yardley doesn't ask, even though a 17 year old seems to be at a college lab at all hours, every day).
The drug addict is then found hanging by his intestines in a house at Crimson Lake Road. This scene is not described in details, but the original painting that inspired it was. If you've seen the movie Hannibal (the film, with Anthony Perkins and Julianne Moore), the scene where Hannibal kills Inspector Pazzi will give you a good idea of it.
The group finally begins to realize that Zachary is not guilty, and looks even more closely at the original incident for which Tucker went to prison, which occurred in another town. Baldwin is close behind her, but Yardley is abducted before he arrives. When she comes to, she realizes she's in a basement, and Tucker is strapped to a table, naked. The character who snatched her - who we guessed was the crime reporter - leaves the basement for a minute, and Yardley opens the small window to get out, but is unable to do so before their captor returns, and quickly hides in a closet. Their captor goes charging out to chase down Yardley, who manages to get out of the house for real and begins running. The bad guy is almost on her when Baldwin arrives on..I mean in...his Mustang to clip the bad guy and then cuff him.
Yardley's fine, for the most part, and Tucker has been rescued, but is under arrest, as they've discovered Tucker used to live on Crimson Lake Road, and his family had other land there back in the day. While Tucker is lying in a hospital bed, cuffed to the rail, a nurse comes in, supposedly to give him pain meds, but really to inject him with something that will paralyze his muscles but will keep his heart and brain working while she slices and dices him to remove all his organs like the fourth painting.
We've already guessed that River is involved in these killings. When Yardley goes to River's house, she sees that River has left in a hurry. Good thing they were BFFs, and River told Yardley where she'd go if she left the area. Yarley calls San Pedro to let them know there's a fugitive in their area. She goes herself, finds Sue Ellen/Angie, who has Harmony with her. Yardley tells River she's decided not to leave the US Attorney's office after all, and that she's going to move to the crimes against children section. Baldwin, for his part, has also told his boss he wants to move to the crimes against child department, which I suppose means the series will continue with these two working together in books detailing the number of ways people can be horrible to kids. I'm not squeamish, and I know these things happen, but I know I'll also pick something else to read if it's a choice between that and something like this, even if the bulk of the horrible acts of violence are left offscreen.
Remember consistencies? It was VERY difficult for me to believe that Yardley would just let River walk away - and take Harmony with her, even though I understood River's motives. But she does just that, and I had been rooting for her to find her integrity again. Alas, I was disappointed. Hopefully, in the next book, Yardley will reflect on her choice to get too cozy with the victim of a case.
Four stars for a good premise for the murders and not just the investigation, but the way some investigators stop looking at things closely once they think they have the perp - looking at you, New Guy. Two stars for inconsistency and inaction/blind eye in Yardley. We'll go with the middle and give it three stars out of five. Worth a read if you're not too squeamish.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the review copy.
Good? Good.
Crimson Lake Road is listed as "Desert Plains, #2" on Goodreads. As is the case in many of my reviews, I'm parachuting into a series after the characters have been established. It isn't really apparent in this book that it's #2 in a series on the cover (in fact, it doesn't mention it at all) and past events aren't really brought up in terms of these characters working together as a group, so it can and does work as a standalone, although reading the first will certainly inform the second.
The book opens with a horrific scene: a woman in a tunic on a kitchen table, her head obscured by bloody gauze. FBI agent Cason Baldwin and Detective Lucas Garrett (and everyone else in the entry team) believe the woman is dead. Until she start flailing around.
We then cut to a bar, where (super smart) Jessica Yardley, currently working for the US Attorney's office is telling Baldwin she's leaving the office and moving somewhere that she doesn't have to see the terrible things she (and he) have seen. She agrees with her boss to work on this particular case and bring New Guy (Kyle? Don't recall, he's annoying and a cartoony frat boy know-it-all who has zero character development despite the fact he will be working this case) up to speed and get him going on it. New Guy's schtick is having a sucker in his mouth all the time - even in court, and having to have the judge to tell him to ditch it. Even a frat boy would know this is not acceptable, come on.
Yardley goes to see the victim, whom they believe is the second victim of a killer using a series of four paintings as inspiration. The first, a woman named Kathy Pharr, did not survive. Yardley befriends woman #2, Angela River ("Call me Angie."), telling herself there is no reason they can't be friends. OK, I'll push my disbelief that a prosecutor - even one leaving - would get emotionally involved with the victim of an open case in this way, even if Yardley seems desperate for friends and finds River a willing ear. The way things work out, however, it does seem that Yardley makes pretty bad choices about the people she wants to be in her life.
Meanwhile, everyone is trying to determine who the killer is, and delving into Pharr's life to see if there are connections between her and River. There don't seem to be any, but they keep digging, reinterviewing everyone. There's an intimation that River's fiancee, Dr. Michael Zachary could be the killer/attacker, based on a profile developed by the FBI. The BAU, in fact (who develop such profiles) is on the verge of being shut down, which brings some tension into Baldwin's life, since that's his department.
We get some references to Yardley's teenaged daughter Tara, and Yardley tells her new bestie that she was once married to a man who was a serial killer (this is apparently what the first book is about) and had a relationship with another bad guy. Tara is described as some kind of math savant and super smart, and we find out that she has been secretly visiting her (super smart and super manipulative) father on death row, while telling her mother she's working in the robotics lab at the university.
Now, I'll be the first to admit I love a good, morally grey character. I'll even root for bad guys if they're doing good things. But I want consistency. Barring some catastrophic event, for instance, an FBI agent isn't going to suddenly rob a bank. Yardley is conscientious and wants bad guys found and punished for their wrongdoings.
That's why it bothered me that when Tara and a friend are at River's house, and River leaves, Tara calls Yardley, knowing Yardley wants to snoop around a bit. When Tara asks her "That's what you wanted, right?", this should have been a sign to Yardley to rethink herself. Instead, she does go snooping, and in doing so, finds a garage with gauze, etc., that indicate Dr Zachary could be their man, and calls Baldwin to get a judge to sign a warrant to search Rover and Zachary's outbuildings. Baldwin does write the warrant but does not get a chance to get it under a judge's pen, so Yardley takes it, thin as it is, and gets it signed. This should have been another sign to Yardley. But it isn't.
When the warrant is served, River naturally accuses Yardley of getting close to her solely for the purposes of arresting Zachary, and storms off - rightly so, in my opinion. But, River gets over it, and they're again friends as the book moves suddenly to the viewpoint of a defense attorney, previously not introduced to the reader, by the name of Dylan Aster. If you asked me to point to the character I'd be most interested in reading a book about, it would be Aster.
It seemed to me that Methos was having much more fun writing the parts with Aster - from describing his antics in getting himself held in contempt during a trial in front of a particular judge so that judge would likely have to recuse himself from any case Aster was involved with, to the play he made to have himself be able to be present while the grand jury was seated for Zachary's indictment. Aster was irrepressible, and those scenes both lightened he mood during the middle of the book, but also helped carry the middle along. Often, the "sagging middle" is quite a problem for writer and reader alike, but Methos has avoided that here for the most part.
Kathy Pharr's daughter, Harmony, goes missing. Her father Tucker, recently released from prison after being convicted of snatching and murdering a girl about Harmony's age, has seen nothing, heard nothing, and is generally unhelpful. He also talks like someone from an Appalachian holler. I'm supposing this is because we're told he has something like a 5th grade education, and is not terribly bright, so of course he'd speak poor English and have a southern accent, living there in Nevada. Baldwin finds the girl's necklace and her phone, but not the girl herself. Since Zachary was remanded without bail, so could not have taken the girl himself, the group posits that perhaps Zachary and Tucker were working together. An independent crime reporter has been hovering at the edges of the investigation, and Yardley encounters him while she and Baldwin are working a piece of the case, interviewing a drug addict who claims to have seen Harmony. She thinks it's interesting that he was nearby, but then thinks nothing more of it.
Meanwhile, in a subplot involving Tara, she is doing some work for her imprisoned father, selling his artwork. She changes her appearance and goes to some very sketchy warehouses to meet some equally sketchy bad dudes. This does not strike me as the actions of a supposed very smart person, and although Tara is described as a "savant", she's not someone who cannot function in society. She knows it's dangerous, she knows her father is dangerous, yet she tells her mother nothing of all this (and Yardley doesn't ask, even though a 17 year old seems to be at a college lab at all hours, every day).
The drug addict is then found hanging by his intestines in a house at Crimson Lake Road. This scene is not described in details, but the original painting that inspired it was. If you've seen the movie Hannibal (the film, with Anthony Perkins and Julianne Moore), the scene where Hannibal kills Inspector Pazzi will give you a good idea of it.
The group finally begins to realize that Zachary is not guilty, and looks even more closely at the original incident for which Tucker went to prison, which occurred in another town. Baldwin is close behind her, but Yardley is abducted before he arrives. When she comes to, she realizes she's in a basement, and Tucker is strapped to a table, naked. The character who snatched her - who we guessed was the crime reporter - leaves the basement for a minute, and Yardley opens the small window to get out, but is unable to do so before their captor returns, and quickly hides in a closet. Their captor goes charging out to chase down Yardley, who manages to get out of the house for real and begins running. The bad guy is almost on her when Baldwin arrives on..I mean in...his Mustang to clip the bad guy and then cuff him.
Yardley's fine, for the most part, and Tucker has been rescued, but is under arrest, as they've discovered Tucker used to live on Crimson Lake Road, and his family had other land there back in the day. While Tucker is lying in a hospital bed, cuffed to the rail, a nurse comes in, supposedly to give him pain meds, but really to inject him with something that will paralyze his muscles but will keep his heart and brain working while she slices and dices him to remove all his organs like the fourth painting.
We've already guessed that River is involved in these killings. When Yardley goes to River's house, she sees that River has left in a hurry. Good thing they were BFFs, and River told Yardley where she'd go if she left the area. Yarley calls San Pedro to let them know there's a fugitive in their area. She goes herself, finds Sue Ellen/Angie, who has Harmony with her. Yardley tells River she's decided not to leave the US Attorney's office after all, and that she's going to move to the crimes against children section. Baldwin, for his part, has also told his boss he wants to move to the crimes against child department, which I suppose means the series will continue with these two working together in books detailing the number of ways people can be horrible to kids. I'm not squeamish, and I know these things happen, but I know I'll also pick something else to read if it's a choice between that and something like this, even if the bulk of the horrible acts of violence are left offscreen.
Remember consistencies? It was VERY difficult for me to believe that Yardley would just let River walk away - and take Harmony with her, even though I understood River's motives. But she does just that, and I had been rooting for her to find her integrity again. Alas, I was disappointed. Hopefully, in the next book, Yardley will reflect on her choice to get too cozy with the victim of a case.
Four stars for a good premise for the murders and not just the investigation, but the way some investigators stop looking at things closely once they think they have the perp - looking at you, New Guy. Two stars for inconsistency and inaction/blind eye in Yardley. We'll go with the middle and give it three stars out of five. Worth a read if you're not too squeamish.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the review copy.
October 15, 2025
A solid sequel—good, though not quite as strong as the first. Methos delivers another gripping, fast-paced story filled with tension and sharp twists. Character development remains top-notch.
I was glad Brittany Pressley returned as narrator—she always elevates a well-written story. There were a few too many characters to track, but overall, a strong follow-up. I’m eager to move on to the final book in the series.
I was glad Brittany Pressley returned as narrator—she always elevates a well-written story. There were a few too many characters to track, but overall, a strong follow-up. I’m eager to move on to the final book in the series.
April 4, 2023
This was one of those very rare moment, when you like the second book of the series more than the first.
If you are reading this series solely for the courtroom drama and the legal thrilling, then i am guessing that this will be your least favorite, as it has more crime mystery and action scenes than the first.
We are still following prosecutor Ms. Jessica Yardley, while she is serving her last two weeks before retiring and moving out of the town, perusing a calm and peaceful life after what she is been through.
One murder and one attempted murder cases, the killer was recreating an art paintings, were enough to create a media chaos and headlines about a loose serial killer, and after they asked Jessica for her input before retiring, she got attached in a way with the second case’s victim, and now she is more interested in putting the killer behind bars as soon as possible, especially that there are two more paintings in the series he is recreating.
It was very thrilling and engaging from the first page, the characters were perfectly written and they kept their depths and show more vulnerability in this book. And most of the book I couldn’t see where the plot is going or saw the twists coming.
I cannot wait to read the last book of this great series.
If you are reading this series solely for the courtroom drama and the legal thrilling, then i am guessing that this will be your least favorite, as it has more crime mystery and action scenes than the first.
We are still following prosecutor Ms. Jessica Yardley, while she is serving her last two weeks before retiring and moving out of the town, perusing a calm and peaceful life after what she is been through.
One murder and one attempted murder cases, the killer was recreating an art paintings, were enough to create a media chaos and headlines about a loose serial killer, and after they asked Jessica for her input before retiring, she got attached in a way with the second case’s victim, and now she is more interested in putting the killer behind bars as soon as possible, especially that there are two more paintings in the series he is recreating.
It was very thrilling and engaging from the first page, the characters were perfectly written and they kept their depths and show more vulnerability in this book. And most of the book I couldn’t see where the plot is going or saw the twists coming.
I cannot wait to read the last book of this great series.
July 16, 2022
I think I found a new favorite author!
We all break sometimes. But if we know how to put ourselves back together, we'll be stronger in all those places."
This book was even better than the first! The way Methos executes such a page turning suspenseful story deserves to be applauded. I can not wait to read the third book in this series!
The story continues with Yardley making a difficult decision to retire and hand everything over to her replacement when a horrific crime comes to her attention- two women found in the same deserted area in different cabins with the same MO (Bandages around their head, wearing a black tunic, with blood soaking their faces). This must read story takes a lot of twists and turns and will leave the reader reeling for more!
"The cruel joke is if you can do it all the time, the thing you love turns into the thing you hate."
We all break sometimes. But if we know how to put ourselves back together, we'll be stronger in all those places."
This book was even better than the first! The way Methos executes such a page turning suspenseful story deserves to be applauded. I can not wait to read the third book in this series!
The story continues with Yardley making a difficult decision to retire and hand everything over to her replacement when a horrific crime comes to her attention- two women found in the same deserted area in different cabins with the same MO (Bandages around their head, wearing a black tunic, with blood soaking their faces). This must read story takes a lot of twists and turns and will leave the reader reeling for more!
"The cruel joke is if you can do it all the time, the thing you love turns into the thing you hate."
November 15, 2025
بعد از اتفاقات "همسر یک قاتل" ، جسیکا قصد داره بازنشست بشه. اما یکهو با شروع یکسری قتلهای زنجیرهای و یک قاتل وحشتناک همه چیز به هم میریزه یاردلی از جسیکا کمک میخواد. همین باعث میشه که جسیکا ناخواسته مجبور بشه وارد یک پروندهی عجیب و ترسناک بشه و برای پیدا کردن قاتل تلاش بکنه.
این کتاب دیگه ربط زیادی به ادی عزیزم نداره. حیف شد. خیلی به حاشیه رفت. خیلی دوست داشتم اینجا هم از موضوعات اصلی باشه و یا حداقل جریانات بهش مربوط بشن، ولی خب نشد.
اما در عوضش یه وکیلی به اسم استر داریم که خیلی کراشه 😂 دوستش دارم.
اینجا باز هم اصطلاحات دادگاهی زیادن و حجم زیادی از کتاب در فضای دادگاه جریان داره که واقعا از جذابیتهای این مجموعه همین فضای دادگاهیشه. واقعا هم جوریه که انگار خودت هم اونجا حضور داری.
گفتم که خیلی دوست داشتم ادی هم اینجا نقش پررنگی داشته باشه ولی با این که نشد اما همچنان شخصیت مورد علاقمه و امااااا تارا ... اوووف. تارا ترکوند
فکر نمیکردم بگم از تارا هم خوشم اومده اما ناچارم اعتراف کنم😎
این کتاب دیگه ربط زیادی به ادی عزیزم نداره. حیف شد. خیلی به حاشیه رفت. خیلی دوست داشتم اینجا هم از موضوعات اصلی باشه و یا حداقل جریانات بهش مربوط بشن، ولی خب نشد.
اما در عوضش یه وکیلی به اسم استر داریم که خیلی کراشه 😂 دوستش دارم.
اینجا باز هم اصطلاحات دادگاهی زیادن و حجم زیادی از کتاب در فضای دادگاه جریان داره که واقعا از جذابیتهای این مجموعه همین فضای دادگاهیشه. واقعا هم جوریه که انگار خودت هم اونجا حضور داری.
گفتم که خیلی دوست داشتم ادی هم اینجا نقش پررنگی داشته باشه ولی با این که نشد اما همچنان شخصیت مورد علاقمه و امااااا تارا ... اوووف. تارا ترکوند
فکر نمیکردم بگم از تارا هم خوشم اومده اما ناچارم اعتراف کنم😎
February 23, 2021
Written by a former criminal lawyer, this is a solid legal thriller and, though it’s the second in a series, I didn’t have any particular difficulty picking up the background of the major characters, specifically Jessica Yardley, the US Attorney who is the central protagonist here.
The action kicks off straight away with the discovery of a gruesome murder scene - except, shockingly, the victim has survived what appears to be a serial killer. Jessica quickly befriends Angela River, the survivor, as she looks into the case, involving herself not only to be sure the investigators follow necessary procedure for a ‘clean’ conviction once they find the perpetrator, but out of concern for Angela, who she very much likes.
Unfortunately, Jessica has terrible taste in people, as evidenced by her ex-husband (a serial killer) and her last boyfriend (a copycat killer). Even her daughter Tara, a math savant, is beginning to show worryingly sociopathic tendencies, and in fact we the readers discover some things about Tara which would destroy Jessica if she knew. Tara’s character arc and eventual fate are surely going to be a strong theme throughout this series.
The courtroom scenes are probably the strongest part of this book; there were some other bits I was thrown by early on - like the two experienced detectives finding a woman lying on a table and not checking her pulse, just assuming she was dead. Literally the first thing first responders are taught to do is check for a pulse. I just didn’t buy that they wouldn’t do it, and this was in the first couple of pages, so my suspension of disbelief was damaged from early on.
There was a lot to like here: I liked the twists and turns and the complicated motives that were slowly revealed as the story went on. I’m not at all sure I liked the way things ended, because as Jake Peralta would say “Cool story. Still murder” and Jessica knew very well that mitigating circumstances would play a big role in how the perpetrator was sentenced. I have the feeling her choices could definitely come back to bite her at a later date.
Readers should be aware that this is a story with triggers for child sexual abuse as well as the gory adult violence described on-page. This was a plot development which rather took me by surprise, as it’s not hinted at in the blurb. Jessica, contemplating retiring from her post at the beginning of the book, takes a sidestep into prosecuting child-related crimes by the end, so it seems that’s the direction the series may be taking.
I enjoyed the read, but it felt a little disjointed at times, especially once defence attorney Dylan Aster came on the scene, around the midpoint of the book. It felt like the author was having a lot more fun writing Aster than Yardley from that point on. Maybe Aster is getting his own books, I don’t know, but I thought he got too much focus here. This needed tightening up to keep the focus of the story where it needed to be.
I’ll give this four stars, because it did keep my attention and the mystery had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing, but I could see a lot of places where it could have been improved.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
The action kicks off straight away with the discovery of a gruesome murder scene - except, shockingly, the victim has survived what appears to be a serial killer. Jessica quickly befriends Angela River, the survivor, as she looks into the case, involving herself not only to be sure the investigators follow necessary procedure for a ‘clean’ conviction once they find the perpetrator, but out of concern for Angela, who she very much likes.
Unfortunately, Jessica has terrible taste in people, as evidenced by her ex-husband (a serial killer) and her last boyfriend (a copycat killer). Even her daughter Tara, a math savant, is beginning to show worryingly sociopathic tendencies, and in fact we the readers discover some things about Tara which would destroy Jessica if she knew. Tara’s character arc and eventual fate are surely going to be a strong theme throughout this series.
The courtroom scenes are probably the strongest part of this book; there were some other bits I was thrown by early on - like the two experienced detectives finding a woman lying on a table and not checking her pulse, just assuming she was dead. Literally the first thing first responders are taught to do is check for a pulse. I just didn’t buy that they wouldn’t do it, and this was in the first couple of pages, so my suspension of disbelief was damaged from early on.
There was a lot to like here: I liked the twists and turns and the complicated motives that were slowly revealed as the story went on. I’m not at all sure I liked the way things ended, because as Jake Peralta would say “Cool story. Still murder” and Jessica knew very well that mitigating circumstances would play a big role in how the perpetrator was sentenced. I have the feeling her choices could definitely come back to bite her at a later date.
Readers should be aware that this is a story with triggers for child sexual abuse as well as the gory adult violence described on-page. This was a plot development which rather took me by surprise, as it’s not hinted at in the blurb. Jessica, contemplating retiring from her post at the beginning of the book, takes a sidestep into prosecuting child-related crimes by the end, so it seems that’s the direction the series may be taking.
I enjoyed the read, but it felt a little disjointed at times, especially once defence attorney Dylan Aster came on the scene, around the midpoint of the book. It felt like the author was having a lot more fun writing Aster than Yardley from that point on. Maybe Aster is getting his own books, I don’t know, but I thought he got too much focus here. This needed tightening up to keep the focus of the story where it needed to be.
I’ll give this four stars, because it did keep my attention and the mystery had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing, but I could see a lot of places where it could have been improved.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
February 3, 2024
Bruh this book was a roller coaster. Beginning was real juicy and made me want to read more but then in the middle it got kind of boring so I skimmed through a good 40% of the book LOL but then BOOM the end had my heart racing!!!! What a thriller!! What an ending to the book. So creative. Can’t wait to read the 3rd book
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