Just Me

Cami Lark #1

by Blake Pierce

With her tattoos and piercings, MIT tech genius Cami Lark is rebellious and anti-authoritarian—and finds herself in deep trouble when she hacks the FBI. Faced with the choice of prison or aiding the BAU hunt down serial killers, Cami reluctantly partners. Yet when she is faced with a killer with a penchant for Augmented Reality, and with future victims lives on the line, Cami may have found more than she bargained for.

JUST ME (A Cami Lark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) is the debut novel in a new series by #1 bestseller and USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose bestseller Once Gone (a free download) has received over 7,000 five star ratings and reviews.

With a list of suspects a mile long, and endless augmented reality dead ends, Cami’s first case does not look promising. Partnered with a condescending agent who resents her presence, Cami’ must find a connection to the physical world before time runs out. Working with the same people that fumbled her missing sister’s case when she was young, Cami must heal old wounds and lean into her tech genius to solve a case the FBI can’t.

Can Cami save the next victim—and herself—before it’s too late?

A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the CAMI LARK series is a riveting mystery, packed with non-stop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night. Fans of Rachel Caine, Teresa Driscoll and Robert Dugoni are sure to fall in love.

Books #2-#5 in the series—JUST OUTSIDE, JUST RIGHT, JUST FORGET, and JUST ONCE—are also available.

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

211 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 11, 2022

About the author

Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seven books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); and of the new KERI LOCKE mystery series.

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Reviews

[Heather Adores Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐
Genre ~ crime fiction
Series ~ Cami Lark #1
Others in the series ~ #1-10
Setting ~ Boston, Massachusetts
Publication date ~ December 8, 2022
Est page Count ~ 211 (p+ 31 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 5 hours 46 minutes
Narrator ~ Kate Burns
POV ~ single 3rd
Featuring ~ police procedural, FBI

Cami is a hacker that has been caught and in order to avoid prison she makes a deal with the FBI to help them out on a case. Does this stuff really happen? Seems odd they'd let a civilian just join them on the hunt for a murderer. Don't FBI agents go through extensive training?? Well I would hope they do.

Anyway, even though I think the plot is implausible, Cami was a good hacker. She got herself out of a tight spot at the end when I'm sure she was trying not to poop her pants.

Overall, fine~ish. I probably don't see myself continuing on with the series unless I need a quick read to fill in the gaps.

Narration notes:
I have no complaints with Kate's performance.

Another one I read through Hoopla's bonus borrow, woo hoo, and free on Amazon.

Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

[Melany · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first time reading a Blake Pierce book, but it definitely won't be the last! Such a great and gripping novel! Kept me on the edge of my seat. I absolutely loved Cami! Connor was irritating in the beginning, and then j grew to like him. I loved all of the twists and turns. This book truly kept me on the edge of my seat! The parts near the end SHOCKED me! Read it in one sitting, you will as well!

[Leanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF’d @ 53%

Omg! I can’t even with this book. Everything about it basic and like it was written by a teenager. One without any knowledge of the law or government agencies at that. No idea how this book has the ratings it does.

It’s legit like reading a 9th grade assignment to write a report on an episode of Criminal Minds…

[Kyra Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great. This was my third book from this author and unfortunately all the stories seem to be too similar. I do like their writing style, but the story just needs more.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing in this felt very young, and the way that "hacking" is written is very cartoonish.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book wasn’t great. I had a hard time following along if I’m honest. I didn’t feel this book at all. Predictable story. But again I could t get into this book.
Maybe it was just me, or the fact “life” got in the way…either way I wasn’t impressed. Sorry.

[Katherine "Kj" Joslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so excited about this series. I picked it up on a lark... haha, LARK! CAMI LARK... No seriously, I happened upon Blake Pierce and was so excited to see that he has so many series with strong female leads so I quickly went to pick up the first two books in this series. I am addicted already. Young, smart MIT hacker with a personal grudge gets "convinced" into working for the FBI to catch a serial killer. She doesn't want to help the FBI but she cannot allow another family to feel the pain of an unsolved murder.
This book is a super quick, thrilling read and I could not put it down.

[Klare · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should be used as an example for middle school English teachers to show kids what “Telling” looks like for the telling vs showing rule. Most boring this I may have ever read and girlies, I’ve read Dune 🫢

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Who are you?"

Like one of my favorite characters from the TV show Criminal Minds, Cami Lark is a genius tech hacker who gets caught by the FBI (whom she doesn't like or trust) and then is "asked" (aka compelled) to help them solve the murders of three women connected to a popular online game, in exchange for her record to be "wiped clean".

A familiar trope, yes, but as always, Blake Pierce uses his genius to keep the plot flowing, the banter and characters real and likeable (or not!) and the twists keep you guessing.

Looking forward to the next book and adventure.

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more of a 2.5 rounded up. I like the premise of this story I mean, that's why I picked it up. Unfortunately what fell flat is that I never felt anything. What I mean is we have a serial killer on the loose and I felt no sense of urgency or intensity to catch them. Everything felt very surface level. It felt very Law and Order SUV/Criminal Minds lite.

I did feel our FMC was unreasonable expecting full trust in less than 24 hours on her assignment. That whole argument was silly. I do love her skills and being brand new to the law enforcement world I was pleased she didn’t automatically know all the rules. Still I personally felt no attachment to her.

Our MMC I didn’t care one way or the other about him. He felt very much as a side character.

We didn't spend any time getting to know our characters thus I didn't care about them, their motives, or their actions. It felt very much like a first novel.

If we could delve deeper into emotional and mental spaces of our MMC and MFC I think that would help connect more. Perhaps not have everything happening within 24-48 hours? That seems to have played a part.

Would I try another of these books? If only to see if things improve I might give a second book a try.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery/thrillers/suspense books will always have a special place in my heart. They are just so easy to binge and I love that. This book was action packed. I loved the plot and the suspense leading up to the final twist. The ending has me needing to start book 2 in the series asap. Very good!

[Montana Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast pace book frome start to end. I enjoyed a fast read and looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Linda Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast pace book that left me bah. I liked the story line, but Cami Lark needed more depth.

[Jess Austerberry · Rating 2 out of 5]

…it’s definitely a book

[Leslie Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Leslie Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cami Lark is a nerdy MIT tech genius who schools some FBI bros on how to catch a killer…. And I loved that for her. I will most likely be enjoying more books from this series.

[Clémence · Rating 4 out of 5]

dommage la fin était un peu bâclée mais c’était bien

[Karen Jara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

Lo terminé pero me aburrió mucho, no fue para mí 😐

[Vickie Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good thriller.

[Mandi Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short (I read this today) and compelling. I will read more off this series of I get the chance

[Emily Giljum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt very Penelope Garcia Criminal Minds inspired and I was here for it!

[Jamie O'Leary · Rating 2 out of 5]

These books are objectively not good but my brain is rotted from life and the world so I will continue to read them xoxox

[Taylor Camille Crook · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I like about Blake Pierce books, it's like reading an episode of Law & Order SVU.

This book however, was not my favorite by Pierce. Cami is probably the most annoying character I've read. I did however enjoy watching her development because it was seriously needed. This will most likely be the only Cami Lark book I read, I personally will stick to Ella Dark.

Also, I could not stand how unrealistic this was. Maybe the FBI would ask a college student to help with an investigation if they're really good at tech BUT they would never let said college student go out and search/face a potential serial killer. Like what...

The only redeeming aspect of this for me was the story line of the serial killer, finding his victims through a video game was not a story I've read before. That's why I'll give it a 2.

[Goddess Of All · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say, I cannot comprehend how this is a best selling author. The writing led me to believe that it was written by someone who didn't finish college. The dialogue was ill-fitting to the characters. The characters were so archetypical and there was no real character build up at all to get you invested. Pierce seems very interested in a subject matter that she knows very little about. I understand that it's not easy to get an FBI consult to make sure that your book accurately reflects certain content, but the lack of knowledge of federal guidelines, protocol, and expected behavior of an agent on the most basic level was cringy. If Pierce wrote this book when she was 18 or so, then I can commend the effort. Otherwise, it's just a fail for me. That being said, I was given six of her books so I will be reading the other five that I have and hoping that this one was just a flop.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio book listened tp during car trip. Made the time go by quickly.
"With her tattoos and piercings, MIT tech genius Cami Lark is rebellious and anti-authoritarian—and finds herself in deep trouble when she hacks the FBI. Faced with the choice of prison or aiding the BAU hunt down serial killers, Cami reluctantly partners. Yet when she is faced with a killer with a penchant for Augmented Reality, and with future victims lives on the line, Cami may have found more than she bargained for."

[Antigone Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hackers on the Hunt

A,hacker gets,caught by the FBI. Forced to use her skills to help catch a serial killer she is surprised to find she actually likes it.

This book is fast paced fun. The story is good and she is able to use her skills and intelligence. She also learns to appreciate the skills of other agents. Not totally believable but suspenseful and entertaining.

[Cecile Jaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good book, wasn’t all that action packed but I listened to the book, and I did not like the narrator 🤷🏻‍♀️ perhaps if I had read it instead, I may have enjoyed it more or gotten into it more…. and the author using the word incredulous too many times, wee bit annoying 😬

[Kathie Parks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read. Ok, but better books out there.

[Brenna Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seems built entirely of cliché, and filled with prose that has all the depth and color of an automatic label maker. So why do I keep reading? I can't stop reading! Ugh!