Mind Games

Fox County Forensics #1

by Cara Malone

A rookie forensic investigator, a seasoned patrol officer, and a crime scene that just might be the death of them both.

Kelsey Granger is meticulous and careful, determined to turn her OCD into an advantage in her new job at the coroner’s office. There’s just one problem – her boss doesn’t think she’s ready. When Kelsey arrives at her first death scene to find the responding officer contaminating the evidence, she starts to wonder if her boss was right.

Zara Hayes hates death scenes. She’s been on patrol five long years but her chief won’t promote her until she can overcome her fear. So here she is, just feet away from a dead body while a pretty young investigator reads her the riot act because she thinks Zara screwed up her scene.

With a killer on the loose, there’s no time to argue so Zara and Kelsey team up to solve the case. As they get closer to the truth – and to each other – they must confront the mind games we play… in life, in love, and even in death.

ASIN moved from less recent edition

Genres: Romance, Crime, LGBT, Lesbian, Mystery, Fiction, Lesbian Romance

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 11, 2019

About the author

I write stories that explore the thrills – and challenges – of falling in love as a woman-loving woman, including the bestselling Lakeside Hospital medical romance series and Rainbow Award honorable mention The Rules of Love.

My books are for you if you’re a fan of contemporary romance, if you love strong women who aren’t afraid to be vulnerable, and if you like a little heat with your sapphic love stories.

Grab a free copy of Mind Games on my website, CaraMalone.com

Reviews

[Sam’s Sapphic Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

The rating of this book set me up for failure. I give it a 2.25 rounded down.

Kelsey is a forensic investigator and struggles with intense OCD, but uses it to be better at her job. She goes on her first solo crime scene and meets Zara, a patrol officer who hates death scenes because of something that’s happened in her past. In order for Zara to become a narcotic detective, her dream job, she has to over come her fears of death scenes. Both characters seem to have a “struggle” they have to deal with that affects their jobs in some way.

I wasn’t captured by the characters and had a hard time connecting with them. It felt a bit rushed for me, very little time had passed and so much happened between them. There were parts I really didn’t enjoy and almost thought about not finishing the book, but I was interested in the investigation of the death.

I liked the portrayal of Kelsey dealing with her OCD, and bringing to light the struggles people that are diagnosed with it have to deal with. Zara has some healing to do from the traumas of her past, and the author brought these situations up well.

Otherwise, I just couldn’t get into it. The romance just didn’t hit the mark for me, I felt there wasn’t real passion between the two. The story in the end just made me feel kind of weird and unfulfilled.

[AnnMaree Of Oz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars seems a bit low, but 3 seemed a bit high - Just for me I hardly felt any real emotional attachment for the characters or the circumstances of investigation. I actually considered not finishing it, but it was so short and easy to read I just completed it anyway.

I did love that Kelsey was a fuller figured woman with OCD issues, and that Zara had her own issues with the death of her sister from addiction and overdose years prior. But I never really felt their emotions from it, or their connection together as lovers, it was all very insta-love.

I didn't love the parts from 'Seans' perspective (the husband of the victim - he was a cheating bastard who didn't help his wife when she was struggling from depression) honestly I ended up skipping his stuff, because it didn't add a thing to the storyline, and the fact he got off nearly scott-free and played the victim, just pissed me the heck off. So I guess it deserves 2 stars just for that.

There are threads of some stories from others in the forensics team, that I assume was supposed to continue in a series - but clearly that never happened - and that's probably a good thing since I wouldn't have read another book like this with such little charisma.

I do love most other Cara Malones stuff, but in this case it fell flat. So I recommend you try any of her other stuff instead!

[Annette Mori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two big thumbs up for the way the writer developed the main character. I loved that she did not meet the traditional notion of a leading lady. Curvy, healthy weight. I loved how the other main character was attracted to a woman not stick thin with 6 pack abs...and the fact that she had OCD was a huge bonus. I loved this story. So sweet and wonderful and not the normal trope.

[MaxDisaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
Did I think the romance was particularly noteworthy? Nope. But the investigation was decent enough, so it wasn't a waste of time.

[Kay read by Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind Games: A Fox County Forensics Novel By: Cara Malone: A low angst romance with a mystery background. Lighthearted and positive is how I would describe this book. It involves OCD forensic investigator Kelsey Granger and Zara Hayes a police officer who hates death scenes. It was fun and I liked the main characters. 4 Stars. The narration by Stephanie Murphy is really very good. Enjoy

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, did I give this 5*s? A good story which pulled me along - I love the flow of Cara's writing which is based in reality and believability (if that is such a word!) Recommended. Seemed short though.

Having real trouble finding a ‘satisfying’ book at present (Aug 24) so am rereading. Not ideal.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Aimee Nicole Walker]

Mind Games is my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed it. I appreciated the balance of romance and suspense as well as the twists. The setup was really unique and reminded me of a crime show. The descriptions of the crime scene were gritty without being gross and there was a right amount of forensics jargon. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the Fox County Forensics books and her other series too.

[Lorraine Rusnack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful cast of characters from Cara Malone. I can see quite a few stories coming from this. Kelsey and Zara have their quirks but they really compliment each other. They also solved a crime. Stephanie Murphy did a great job as usual. I listened to this audiobook

[XR · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick one. It didn't take long for the relationship to blossom even with the whole taking it slow thing between Kelsey and Zara. I know it's fiction but man I hate cheaters and blaming the victim on top of it all... it's so despicable.

[Melissa Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

As most of you know I'm a huge fan of true crime and murder mysteries. So when I found out about Cara Malones book Mind Games I knew it would be right up my ally. Mind Games is a mixture of murder mystery, forensic files, and romance that will knock your socks off.

Mind games is the type of books that you will want to read in one sitting. As I have said before I'm a huge fan of all things true crime and murder mystery when you combine that with romance I'm all in. While the book focuses on the suspicious death of April Messner it isn't the sole focus of the story. The main focus is on the budding relationship of Zara Hayes and Kelsey Granger who meet at the scene of the crime as members of law enforcement and forensics. Kelsey is not your average forensic investigator. She has OCD which makes her overthink every aspect of her job, it also is what makes her so good at her job. I appreciated how the book didn't gloss over Kelsey's mental illness. The book discussed what having OCD meant to Kelsey and her relationship and her relationship with Zara. When boundaries were crossed, they were clearly explained and corrected.

One of the best parts of this book is the inclusion of bigger girls as one of the main characters. It isn't often in lesfic that there is a truer to life main character. Normally they are rail thin and perfect in every way. It is nice to see a character that breaks the mold. Because everyone deserves to see themselves in a story.

What stood out to me about Mind Games is the sex scenes. While Cara Malone has always written amazing sex scenes this book blew me away. They were on a whole new level compared to her past books. Maybe it has something to do with the amazing chemistry between Zara and Kelsey.

The only flaw this book had is that the romance seemed to develop too quickly. I wish Zara's rakish ways would have been shown more throughout the book. It seemed to be glossed over. Overall the book was a little low on angst. But that wasn't a huge deal-breaker for me.

I can't wait to read the upcoming books in this series which should be coming out early 2020.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a steamy workplace romance.

[Sarah Tino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!

Can't wait to keep reading this series!
I really enjoyed Kelsey and Zara's stories... together and their own histories prior to meeting each other. Great, well written characters in this novel.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first romantic suspense book, and I definitely see myself picking up more in the future - I used to read a lot of mystery and this seems like a good way to balance mystery + romance plots in one fun package.

This was a romance between a medical examiner (Kelsey) and a patrol cop (Zara) who meet and work in proximity during a case. We learn quickly each of them has their own issues - Kelsey has OCD and went through a breakdown and hospitalization in the last year; Zara’s older sister died five years prior and she was the one to find her body, so murder/death investigations are difficult for her.

Something I thought was interesting was that we got POVs of the husband of the woman who died along the way, and it slowly revealed the mystery of what happened the night she died. I do think the mystery was interesting but a little unsatisfying at the end, maybe because Sean, the husband, was so clearly a bad guy but will probably get away with it because his biggest crime was being an adulterer and a pushover.

CW: death/murder, autopsy/medical findings, adultery (not MCs)

[charlotte, · Rating 2 out of 5]

CWs: suicide, drugging

[Kimberly Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind Games is the first of a new series that Cara has out down herself on. She's bringing Romance and the love of Forensics together in a juicy series that will rival the Lakeside series! IMO 💜

I really enjoyed Mind Games. I fell in love with Kelsey and Zara immediately. They both have faced a lot of demons to come out stronger on the other side. They are both relatable in so many ways.

Kelsey struggles with OCD but finds a way to make it work for her when it comes to her new job as a rookie investigator. She then meets Zara at her first alone crime scene, who struggles with death scenes, her own past affecting her present, when all she wants to do is become a detective for the nacortics department. Can these two open up to one another and share their darkest secrets without all the mind games of the case they both are working on together where nothing seems to add up.

Can't wait for the next Fox County Forensic book!!

[Hess]

Life is too short. Wanted to love this, esp. with an OCD protagonist, but I felt zero connection to the characters or the romance. The latter is really insta-love, and the former don't really have distinct voices among all the other cast members you meet. They both had issues, but neither set of issues (even though life defining) is explored to any great degree of detail. I think this might have worked better as a true mystery book, but I didn't get the impression that the denouement would be all that satisfying at the end.

Props for the rep and grisly crime scene descriptions, those were cool.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

they solve like 2% of a crime in this book and the other 98% just falls into place. there isn’t even any last minute angst

[Susan Rheingruber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

As always Cara delivers. A little slow in places, but overall it was worth reading and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to be honest, I liked this one the least of the Fox series. Maybe it's for the best that I accidentally started on the second book. I am a little let down, to be honest.

For one, too many big mistakes, which made the book feel rushed. So, the first time Zara talked to Kelsey about Sadie, she said Sadie was a year older. But near the end, when she took Kelsey to the high school she and her sister had attended, she said Sadie was two years older. That's kind of a huge flub.... And during a sex scene, Kelsey demanded Zara lie down on the bed, because she wanted to be in control. But a couple of paragraphs later, Kelsey was somehow backing her into a counter. And at that point, I was kind of annoyed.

I don't have much to say about the story itself. Two traumatized people with what is likely too much baggage to be in a relationship. And not enough story to really feel them working through that. Yeah, just didn't love this one.

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read, the two main characters were interesting and the ‘mystery’ had an unexpected twist. However I felt it lacked a bit of depth, both Kelsey and Zara have interesting jobs and I was expecting a lot more detail, also although the romance was very sweet, it was a bit too easy. I don’t need the author creating ridiculous problems, but a bit more work would have added interest.
I thought the author might be leaving room for a follow up, but it seems that the next ’ Fox County Forensics’ book is about a different couple.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome addition to Cara Malone's library of work

What's not to like, nay, *love*, about this book?

I really enjoy the wide variety of Malone's books.

This book was so much fun to read. The developing relationship between the main characters, and their increasing confidence in themselves and their work, was a joy.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. Not quite as good as some of the other series but I’m still going to keep reading.

[Megan]

Rating: 2.9

Although this is not much of a mystery, it is rather entertaining. I like the idea of one of the co-protagonists being OCD and the other a wannabe detective who can’t stand to work death scenes. The protagonists have a pretty good chemistry and it is nice to see their budding romance. The alternating point of view chapters are done well and well paced. Unfortunately, there are also chapters from the pov of the criminal(s), which seem to be added solely to tell the reader how the crime was actually committed—the investigators draw a blank until one of the suspects confesses because he is being nagged by one of the others.

As a romance, then, call it entertaining. As a mystery (it showed up on Amazon’s list of top LGBTQ+ Mystery) it is mostly a dud, although there is a slight twist near the end. It is 90 percent overshadowed by the romance. I did enjoy the forensics parts of the book, though—scenes at the crime scene and in the examination room. Were they accurate? Well, who knows. I don’t, so I will give the author the benefit of her research. Ditto for the OCD stuff.

Interestingly enough, although there are only 2 sex scenes, both are nearly pornographic in their descriptions. Even more interesting is the comparison between the first sex scene and the first sex scene in the 2013 fanfiction novel How the Mouth Changes Its Shape. In both stories, we have a fairly large butch lesbian who is almost famous for casually bedding a number of women. She becomes attracted to a femme of slighter frame and is smitten, vowing to take it slow and gentle with her despite the other’s desire to consummate. And when they finally do get together sexually, the butch ends up vigorously fisting the other to her cries of “more!” And, of course, the butch stays fully dressed. The whole scene is so parallel that I don’t see how it could be a coincidence, especially since type of sex act is only featured in one other of the almost 300 lesbian mystery novels I have read. On the other hand, the styles of the two authors are totally different. Curious.

Note: I purchased this novel in ebook form from Amazon in late December, 2021.

Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel , along with information on over 1000 other lesbian mysteries by over 330 authors.

[Rae Storey · Rating 4 out of 5]

You just never know, ya know. Opportunity, Cupid...these are the types of things you can't plan for, but you can be open to them. Officer Zara Hayes hated getting a call for a death scene; she couldn't stand them. But they were an unfortunate part of the job and so she went. At one such scene, Opportunity and Cupid both waited for a freaked out and nauseated Zara.

Kelsey Granger has her own ambitions, and her own obstacles to deal with. Zara gives Kelsey a confidence to she never felt before: both about the way she looks and her...issue.

And the way they interact with each other is freaking adorable.

It's hard to say, because I have enjoyed them all so much, but I think this may be my favorite book by Cara Malone thus far. These characters and their stories, along with their strengths and weaknesses, were incredibly relatable and I was fully invested in their journey.

The storyline itself, a murder mystery, was fantastic: fully entertaining and engaging, with a satisfying payout.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Cara's books and she never shies away from major issues. In Mind Games, there's a plus size leading lady with OCD issues, but Cara never lets her readers see the character of Kelsey, a rookie forensic investigator, as "poor, poor, pitiful me, I'm fat and have all these issues so no one will ever love me." Nope, she's a bright, competent woman who just wants to prove herself in her first solo case. She meets her counterpart, Zara, a street cop, when a call comes in for an apparent suicide. Zara does not handle the sight of bodily fluids very well and Kelsey is drawn to her. Both women have something to prove - Kelsey wants to prove that she can control her OCD and not the other way around, and Zara desperately wants to become a narcotics detective to avenge her sister's death.

I love Cara's writing and the complex issues involved in solving this alleged suicide case. But is it really a suicide? Read to find out. Cara certainly delivers once again!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a Cara Malone fan from way back, because I like the way she writes her characters, and I appreciate the creativity of her story lines. The fact that one of her mains is a big girl is a nice touch, but she depicts a certain sexual act in this book that I've never encountered in her other books, and I can't help but wonder if she included it because she thinks it's an act big girls prefer or can more easily accommodate. I really hope that's not the case, because it's not true. ****Slight spoiler****
The fact that the case is solved because of a confession, rather than through detective work or forensic findings (outside of the original finding), takes this book out of the mystery sub-genre in my opinion, so I would consider Mind Games to be solely a romance novel.

Despite any negatives I stated above, I enjoyed this book and liked the characters. I look forward to reading more in this series.

[A Hopeless Romantic's Booklandia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been meaning to read Cara Malone again since I enjoyed her Good Vibes so much and when I came across Mind Games, I was excited to get into it! I love romance mysteries with cops and I figured I’d really be able to connect to the story. And I have to say while I loved Zara and Kelsey on their own and as a couple, they were so cute and sweet together, it was the mystery plot that pushed this book over the edge for me and really made me love it. I hadn’t been expecting that at all because at first there didn’t seem a whole to figure out, but Cara Malone put a twist in that I did not see coming and I have mad respect for that. Mind Games was surprising and touching, I had an awesome time reading it and I hope Ms. Malone will write more stories in this world!

~ Sonja, 5 Stars

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good cop read

This took me a little while to get in to, but I think that was because I'd been reading a lot of a different author so my brain had to do a style shift. Once I got into the swing of it, I enjoyed the investigative side of the story and also the slow burn start to Kelsey (a forensic investigator) and Zara's (a patrol cop hoping to make it to Marc detective), relationship. Their openness with each other was refreshing despite Kelsey's unconscious self sabotage at times. The intimate scenes didn't feel mechanical at all like sometimes happens, and I could feel the characters emotions. This was an easy read that I got through in a free afternoon. There was a sneak peek at the next book in the series at the end of this one and it sounded like a good continuation, so I'll most likely keep reading.

[Mari Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I love about Cara's books is that there is always a wonderful story. This isn't the exception, definitely delivers.

It's different from what we usually read from her, and it's really good. Cara tackles major issues in a masterfully way. It is an intriguing story, a mystery to resolve, great lovely more real relatable characters, strong women undoubtedly and a beautiful blossoming romance.

A story about love, overcoming past traumas and stigmas, getting stronger and fighting to achieve life time goals.

I really loved this book and I can happily say that so far is my favourite of Cara. I highly recommend it.


I received an ARC copy of the book from the author and voluntarily leaving my review.

[Hannah Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The pacing really pulled me along and I loved figuring out the mysteries. Both main characters were easy for me to identify with, and I absolutely adored how much fun they had together. I also super appreciated that distinct line that was drawn between Kelsey's OCD and Zara's reaction to death scenes. Zara needs to push herself and works herself to cope and work through her aversion, but at no time does she suggest the same for Kelsey. There is a moment when Zara tries to do too much for Kelsey, and I loved that Kelsey called her on it and set a boundary. This story is enthralling with great characters and I'm so thrilled it's part of a series and I can stay in this world longer. Highly recommended!