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A Kate Reilly Mystery #2
Braking Points
Kate Reilly can't remember a worse time in her life. She wrecks her racecar at Road America in Wisconsin, sending a visiting NASCAR star to the hospital, and loses her cool on-camera, only to end the day by discovering her boyfriend with a friend of hers. A dead friend.
With little time to grieve, Kate finds herself the pariah of the racing world, the target of vicious e-mail messages, death threats, and a frenzy of blame on racing sites and blogs. But nothing is as bad as knowing her friend's killer is still out there—and aiming at Kate. Riding a roller coaster of emotion and dodging a pit reporter with a bias against women in racing, Kate redeems herself by delivering stunning performances behind the wheel. Ultimately she learns no one can escape the past—but only a murderer is driven by it.
With little time to grieve, Kate finds herself the pariah of the racing world, the target of vicious e-mail messages, death threats, and a frenzy of blame on racing sites and blogs. But nothing is as bad as knowing her friend's killer is still out there—and aiming at Kate. Riding a roller coaster of emotion and dodging a pit reporter with a bias against women in racing, Kate redeems herself by delivering stunning performances behind the wheel. Ultimately she learns no one can escape the past—but only a murderer is driven by it.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2013
4 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Tammy Kaehler
7 books47 followersWhen Tammy Kaehler discovered the racing world, she was hooked by the contrast between its top-dollar, high-drama competition, and friendly, family atmosphere. Mystery fans and racing insiders alike have praised her award-winning Kate Reilly Mystery Series (Dead Man’s Switch, Braking Points, Avoidable Contact, and Red Flags), and Tammy takes readers back behind the wheel in her fifth entry, Kiss The Bricks. She works as a freelance writer in Southern California, where she lives with her husband and many cars. Find out more at www.tammykaehler.com.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 25, 2025
It's 2 years after Kate gets a seat with a sports car racing team, and is able to compete regularly on the pro circuit as part of a team. She's racing in the American Le Mans series, and this fall weekend is competing in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin - a premier race. Competing with her on another team is Miles Hanson, the golden boy from NASCAR, trying his hand at sports car racing rather than stock car racing, and they both push too hard and wreck against each other, knocking them out of the race. The backlash against Kate, both as a female race car driver and for (according to Miles' fans) causing his injury that will prevent him from another championship NASCAR win, rages, including death threats and social media harassment, even though Kate has no personal presence there. In the middle of this, someone from Kate's racing past is poisoned after drinking orange juice presumably meant for Kate. It all escalates from there until the grand finale at Petit Le Mans in Atlanta.
Even though I began to suspect whodunit about half way through, there were sufficient red herrings to keep me a bit unsure. Plus Kate finally buying her first mobile smart phone, learning to tweet (this was published in 2013), handling sponsors, fans, family issues, potential stalkers, and professional sneers for being female in a man's world provides plenty of distraction. One of the great strengths of this series is that the author puts you at the track, in the pit, in the car as Kate races, educating you as you are having fun. The murder mystery is secondary to this world.
I discovered this series during a challenge in 2020, which introduced us to Kate at a track in Connecticut where she was hoping to get in with a team at one of the Amercan Le Mans early year competitions. I'm sad it took me 4 years to read the next. There are a handful more that take us up the level of the races along with Kate as she climbs to the top. I believe the next will be a year later at the Le Mans 24 hour endurance race -- one of the most prestigious. Makes me want to go to the track - car not horse.
One aside - I just adore that one area of the race track is called the 'paddock', a nod to horse racing which came first of course.
Even though I began to suspect whodunit about half way through, there were sufficient red herrings to keep me a bit unsure. Plus Kate finally buying her first mobile smart phone, learning to tweet (this was published in 2013), handling sponsors, fans, family issues, potential stalkers, and professional sneers for being female in a man's world provides plenty of distraction. One of the great strengths of this series is that the author puts you at the track, in the pit, in the car as Kate races, educating you as you are having fun. The murder mystery is secondary to this world.
I discovered this series during a challenge in 2020, which introduced us to Kate at a track in Connecticut where she was hoping to get in with a team at one of the Amercan Le Mans early year competitions. I'm sad it took me 4 years to read the next. There are a handful more that take us up the level of the races along with Kate as she climbs to the top. I believe the next will be a year later at the Le Mans 24 hour endurance race -- one of the most prestigious. Makes me want to go to the track - car not horse.
One aside - I just adore that one area of the race track is called the 'paddock', a nod to horse racing which came first of course.
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October 2, 2019Categories
Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
A Kate Reilly Racing Mystery
Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
A Kate Reilly Racing Mystery
March 19, 2017
It is abundantly clear that Tammy Kaehler has done her homework when following auto race driver Kate Reilly. Kate relishes her team’s role racing Corvettes, but during a practice session at Road America, she tangles with a popular NASCAR driver landing him in the hospital. Kate ends up the butt of nasty e-mails, threatening blog posts, and intimidating broadcasts of her performance.
Next she arrives in Atlanta to train for the ten-hour Petit Le Mans race with her fellow drivers and team. She is excited to meet and catch up with two women with whom she spent her early racing career. One leaves for a moment, and when she doesn’t return, Kate goes to look for her only to find her dead body in the parking lot. Police determine the drink Kate had ordered which her friend actually drank contained a drug which caused a fatal reaction. Kate is devastated and wonders who, of all the people being nasty to her, is trying to kill her.
After hiring a publicity firm to handle the worst of the bullying, Kate cherishes her private role with a cancer survivor charity. She is angered when her involvement is shared with the press who focus on her racing persona, detracting from the charity. A car almost runs Kate down, but she escapes any physical injury. She was spending the day being pampered and receiving instruction from the cosmetics company for whom she is now a spokesperson. Kate learns she can accent her feminine appearance without diminishing her racing profile.
Kate’s estranged father has been hanging around the track, getting in snippets of conversation around Kate’s functions. She isn’t making it hard for him to reach her, but she sure isn’t making it easy. She has little desire to be involved in his life, yet he wants to introduce his family and involve her in their activities since they are all benefactors of a family trust. Kate meets some family at nearby Chateau Elan only to find they are brats and bullies of a different kind.
Kate is riding a stream of emotions that keep her juggling her responses to the nasty retorts of a race blogger who does not like women in the driver’s seat to the new sponsor who welcomes her into their fold to her new boyfriend Stuart whom she is not sure she can trust. She finds herself grieving her friend in snatches between the many activities leading up to race day.
Kate’s driving presents as bare bones streaming, silent dialogue of the actions needed in each spot on the track. Under Kate’s helmet, her focus is solely on the driving task at hand. She barely exits the driver’s seat when the world crowds in again -- a fan with access to pit road, reporters angling for the best photos and interviews, sponsors and team owners looking for excellent results. Kate is able to take her excellent starting position to a stunning finish.
Reviewed by Sandie Herron
Next she arrives in Atlanta to train for the ten-hour Petit Le Mans race with her fellow drivers and team. She is excited to meet and catch up with two women with whom she spent her early racing career. One leaves for a moment, and when she doesn’t return, Kate goes to look for her only to find her dead body in the parking lot. Police determine the drink Kate had ordered which her friend actually drank contained a drug which caused a fatal reaction. Kate is devastated and wonders who, of all the people being nasty to her, is trying to kill her.
After hiring a publicity firm to handle the worst of the bullying, Kate cherishes her private role with a cancer survivor charity. She is angered when her involvement is shared with the press who focus on her racing persona, detracting from the charity. A car almost runs Kate down, but she escapes any physical injury. She was spending the day being pampered and receiving instruction from the cosmetics company for whom she is now a spokesperson. Kate learns she can accent her feminine appearance without diminishing her racing profile.
Kate’s estranged father has been hanging around the track, getting in snippets of conversation around Kate’s functions. She isn’t making it hard for him to reach her, but she sure isn’t making it easy. She has little desire to be involved in his life, yet he wants to introduce his family and involve her in their activities since they are all benefactors of a family trust. Kate meets some family at nearby Chateau Elan only to find they are brats and bullies of a different kind.
Kate is riding a stream of emotions that keep her juggling her responses to the nasty retorts of a race blogger who does not like women in the driver’s seat to the new sponsor who welcomes her into their fold to her new boyfriend Stuart whom she is not sure she can trust. She finds herself grieving her friend in snatches between the many activities leading up to race day.
Kate’s driving presents as bare bones streaming, silent dialogue of the actions needed in each spot on the track. Under Kate’s helmet, her focus is solely on the driving task at hand. She barely exits the driver’s seat when the world crowds in again -- a fan with access to pit road, reporters angling for the best photos and interviews, sponsors and team owners looking for excellent results. Kate is able to take her excellent starting position to a stunning finish.
Reviewed by Sandie Herron
July 15, 2018
Breaking Points deserves between three and four stars. The second in the Kate Reilly mystery series. Kate is a race car driver and murder so far seems to follow her racing career. This time following a crack up Kate is involved in on the track, which results in injurying another driver, an old friend of Kate's is murdered. This just as Kate and Elle are reconnecting along with another friend, Juliana, having not seen each other in years.
Elle having been poisoned may not be the intended victim. Anger over Kate's involvement in the accident on the track and injury of the other driver seems to have brought out all the crazies in the racing world who want revenge. Along with the male chauvinist broadcaster who doesn't think women belong in racing. There are many more motives for murdering Kate but not Elle.
There are many twists and turns(pun intended) to this story. This is a fun series, but I hope that murder just doesn't continue to follow Kate. Maybe in the off season she should become a P.I.
Elle having been poisoned may not be the intended victim. Anger over Kate's involvement in the accident on the track and injury of the other driver seems to have brought out all the crazies in the racing world who want revenge. Along with the male chauvinist broadcaster who doesn't think women belong in racing. There are many more motives for murdering Kate but not Elle.
There are many twists and turns(pun intended) to this story. This is a fun series, but I hope that murder just doesn't continue to follow Kate. Maybe in the off season she should become a P.I.
June 2, 2017
This is another well written mystery with an unusual backdrop of motor racing.
I selected this author for our group read because of the Indy 500 last weekend.
I am sure our group will like the protagonist, Kate Reilly. She is well versed in her world, and ventures out into investigation only as a result of close associates being bumped off. She is not as aggressive at investigation as some amateur sleuths-she simply keeps her senses alert to information which passes by her that can help solve the mystery.
This episode involves bullying via blog. An interesting subject as well.
I borrowed a copy of this from the public library.
I selected this author for our group read because of the Indy 500 last weekend.
I am sure our group will like the protagonist, Kate Reilly. She is well versed in her world, and ventures out into investigation only as a result of close associates being bumped off. She is not as aggressive at investigation as some amateur sleuths-she simply keeps her senses alert to information which passes by her that can help solve the mystery.
This episode involves bullying via blog. An interesting subject as well.
I borrowed a copy of this from the public library.
September 2, 2023
Braking Points by Tammy Kaehler is the second book of the Kate Reilly mystery series set at contemporary racing competitions. While this is most definitely a murder mystery (that Kate solves) the most exciting parts are when Kate is behind the wheel. Taking her turn at laps, describing moment-by-moment how it feels to be racing. When not racing, Tammy has to combat undeserved negative publicity. For the first time, she hires a PR firm, and joins Twitter. For a total newbie, her tweets sound awfully well-written! And issued at the perfect times before/during/after a race.
Kate reconnects with friends from years ago - then one dies suddenly, unexpectedly. Perhaps Kate was the intended victim...seems so, when she narrowly escapes being run down. Kate acquires a new sponsor, races competitively, meets her estranged family, yet still manages to follow up on puzzling clues to the murder. Red herrings keep the reader fooled. A fun series to continue!
Kate reconnects with friends from years ago - then one dies suddenly, unexpectedly. Perhaps Kate was the intended victim...seems so, when she narrowly escapes being run down. Kate acquires a new sponsor, races competitively, meets her estranged family, yet still manages to follow up on puzzling clues to the murder. Red herrings keep the reader fooled. A fun series to continue!
April 22, 2013
Tammy Kaehler takes her readers along for a ride with her gutsy racecar driver Kate Reilly. Braking Points is the second in the Kate Reilly Mystery series following Dead Man's Switch. The book moves at breakneck speed with excitement at every turn.
American Le Mans Series (ALMS) driver Kate Reilly accepts her role as a woman in a male dominated world. She takes her driving seriously and is committed to proving wrong those that think a woman can't compete as a driver. An error in driving judgment causes an accident between Kate and a popular NASCAR driver Miles Hanson. Fully admitting he was equally at fault for the accident doesn't keep his fans and a mean spirited blogger, The Ringer, from ripping Kate to shreds in person and online.
To add to her worries, the press has jumped on the Kate hating bandwagon. She hires a publicity firm, which helps, but Kate seems unable to put the brakes on her mouth, which does not help her situation at all.
Irritation turns to fear when a friend ends up dead after a race. Was she the target or did the killer really mean to stop Kate? Then someone tries to run her down. Is it a crazed fan? Is it someone closer to her? Could it be The Ringer, who seems to know intimate details of her life? Kate is frightened, but determined not to let fear stop her from racing in the championship race.
Braking Points was a fun read. I am not much of a race car fan, but really love the rumble, speed and excitement of fast cars. Kaehler pulls the reader into the car with Kate by giving them a turn by turn view from the driver's seat. Racing is much more than jumping in a car and hitting the gas. The little facts about racing that followers of the sport undoubtedly know intrigued me.
This is a solid mystery with as many twists and turns as a racetrack. The plot weaves on and off the road in a complex pattern that comes to a screeching conclusion in the last few pages.
Read all of my book reviews at lauramhartman(dot)wordpress(dot)com
American Le Mans Series (ALMS) driver Kate Reilly accepts her role as a woman in a male dominated world. She takes her driving seriously and is committed to proving wrong those that think a woman can't compete as a driver. An error in driving judgment causes an accident between Kate and a popular NASCAR driver Miles Hanson. Fully admitting he was equally at fault for the accident doesn't keep his fans and a mean spirited blogger, The Ringer, from ripping Kate to shreds in person and online.
To add to her worries, the press has jumped on the Kate hating bandwagon. She hires a publicity firm, which helps, but Kate seems unable to put the brakes on her mouth, which does not help her situation at all.
Irritation turns to fear when a friend ends up dead after a race. Was she the target or did the killer really mean to stop Kate? Then someone tries to run her down. Is it a crazed fan? Is it someone closer to her? Could it be The Ringer, who seems to know intimate details of her life? Kate is frightened, but determined not to let fear stop her from racing in the championship race.
Braking Points was a fun read. I am not much of a race car fan, but really love the rumble, speed and excitement of fast cars. Kaehler pulls the reader into the car with Kate by giving them a turn by turn view from the driver's seat. Racing is much more than jumping in a car and hitting the gas. The little facts about racing that followers of the sport undoubtedly know intrigued me.
This is a solid mystery with as many twists and turns as a racetrack. The plot weaves on and off the road in a complex pattern that comes to a screeching conclusion in the last few pages.
Read all of my book reviews at lauramhartman(dot)wordpress(dot)com
May 1, 2015
Oh how I want to love this book series more than I do. I mean, its so very very odd for me because I start reading with every good intention, wanting to fall into the book and I just...can't.
Now, like the first book in this series, the racing bits are perfect. Perfect perfect perfect. Unlike the first book that happened at VIR, where I haven't been yet, this one took place mainly during a race that I go to every year. Hell the main character stayed at a hotel off the same exit I stay at. When she described the track, I could see it, I could feel it (the only track I've had a hot lap on) and it was amazing to read. I really enjoyed that part of it. Very few fictional racing books hit racing as well as this one does.
I just...I don't know. I get that it can't be the real racing world...to make a murder mystery work it has to be a little more over the top and dramatic and all of those things but something about this just doesn't work for me. I'm not quite sure I can even put my finger on it. It just felt melodramatic or something and while I enjoyed parts of it, I just couldn't...love it.
I guess it kind of reads like a Lifetime murder mystery movie. It's entertaining and fun to read but just...not any great depth or weight to it. And all a little unrealistic.
I did find this one better than the first. The mystery was better written and the characters were much better developed and all seemed so much smarter and that was good. And god, the racing, even the racing world (Siebkens in Elkhart Lake!!!) just so true to life. I really really enjoy all of that. Honestly, the racing and the clear passion Tammy has in writing it is by far the best part of the book for me. And there were some wonderful rants about how women are treated in the racing world that had me cheering!!
But yeah, overall this feels like a series that I like...I just don't like it as much as I want to.
Now, like the first book in this series, the racing bits are perfect. Perfect perfect perfect. Unlike the first book that happened at VIR, where I haven't been yet, this one took place mainly during a race that I go to every year. Hell the main character stayed at a hotel off the same exit I stay at. When she described the track, I could see it, I could feel it (the only track I've had a hot lap on) and it was amazing to read. I really enjoyed that part of it. Very few fictional racing books hit racing as well as this one does.
I just...I don't know. I get that it can't be the real racing world...to make a murder mystery work it has to be a little more over the top and dramatic and all of those things but something about this just doesn't work for me. I'm not quite sure I can even put my finger on it. It just felt melodramatic or something and while I enjoyed parts of it, I just couldn't...love it.
I guess it kind of reads like a Lifetime murder mystery movie. It's entertaining and fun to read but just...not any great depth or weight to it. And all a little unrealistic.
I did find this one better than the first. The mystery was better written and the characters were much better developed and all seemed so much smarter and that was good. And god, the racing, even the racing world (Siebkens in Elkhart Lake!!!) just so true to life. I really really enjoy all of that. Honestly, the racing and the clear passion Tammy has in writing it is by far the best part of the book for me. And there were some wonderful rants about how women are treated in the racing world that had me cheering!!
But yeah, overall this feels like a series that I like...I just don't like it as much as I want to.
December 25, 2015
Female racer once again gets involved in a murder investigation, is suspected and has to clear her name, all while handling a boyfriend, a crash on the course that injures a popular driver, rabid fans, crappy journalists, and old friends.
This is the second in the Kate Reilly series, though it’s the third one I’ve read. This one starts at Road America, which is one of my favorite courses. Like the other books, the murder mystery is okay but really isn’t the point. Considering the author’s job in real life, this is meant as a treatise on the difficulties faced by women in the racing world today, and in a broader perspective all the workforce.
Once again I thoroughly love Kate as a character. It’s cute how girly she gets about joining Twitter, and there’s something satisfying about the occasional tweets; not so much hilarious or noteworthy, more like humanizing her. Sadly there’s also a lot of internet crap sent her way, so much so that she has to hire publicity specialists. The author always gives Kate a lot to handle off the track, but this time it might have been too much, as we’re introduced to her jerk cousins who will show up in later books as well as all those mentioned above.
There’s a lot of racing scenes in this one, even more so than the others, and this time it’s not all fun for our heroine. Usually the track is the place where she can get away from all her problems, but in this case bad things happen just as often as the good, although the good does make for a happy ending.
This is the second in the Kate Reilly series, though it’s the third one I’ve read. This one starts at Road America, which is one of my favorite courses. Like the other books, the murder mystery is okay but really isn’t the point. Considering the author’s job in real life, this is meant as a treatise on the difficulties faced by women in the racing world today, and in a broader perspective all the workforce.
Once again I thoroughly love Kate as a character. It’s cute how girly she gets about joining Twitter, and there’s something satisfying about the occasional tweets; not so much hilarious or noteworthy, more like humanizing her. Sadly there’s also a lot of internet crap sent her way, so much so that she has to hire publicity specialists. The author always gives Kate a lot to handle off the track, but this time it might have been too much, as we’re introduced to her jerk cousins who will show up in later books as well as all those mentioned above.
There’s a lot of racing scenes in this one, even more so than the others, and this time it’s not all fun for our heroine. Usually the track is the place where she can get away from all her problems, but in this case bad things happen just as often as the good, although the good does make for a happy ending.
November 22, 2014
Two of my favorite things combined into one book - auto racing and a mystery. Kate is having a pretty horrible day - she's involved in a wreck while racing with an extremely popular visiting NASCAR driver. While enduring the bad publicity and irate fans that comes with that she has the misfortune of finding a friend of hers dead. This is actually the second book in the series, but overall I didn't feel that I had missed out on too much by not having read the first one. I enjoyed the characters and the race depictions. Kate is a tough yet vulnerable woman in her 20's who is figuring out how to be comfortable in her own skin and to make grown up decisions. Enjoyable read - look forward to reading more.
April 8, 2013
“. . . shows how acting like an adult and staying true to yourself and others is the way to success in any pursuit.”
Few novels cater to the auto sporting community, and fewer still convincingly . . .
Click to read complete book review of Braking Points: A Kate Reilly Mystery by Tammy Kaehler at New York Journal of Books
Few novels cater to the auto sporting community, and fewer still convincingly . . .
Click to read complete book review of Braking Points: A Kate Reilly Mystery by Tammy Kaehler at New York Journal of Books
April 28, 2015
This book offered a little bit of everything I like in a book: a realistic but strong heroine, fast cars, and even a little romance all wrapped up in a mystery! Loved it!!
This is the second book in a series but I didn't know that when I started it- it holds up well as a stand alone book- I can't wait to read the first one!
This is the second book in a series but I didn't know that when I started it- it holds up well as a stand alone book- I can't wait to read the first one!
February 4, 2014
In the helmet and on track with Kate Reilly for a second mystery. This book is a stellar follow up to Dead Mans Switch. The characters relationships with Kate get deeper, more explored, more mysterious all at the same time. Kate's on track actions set her up for adventurous off track experiences.
April 6, 2013
Great job, Tammy! I liked it even better than your first book. Keep it up!
April 11, 2013
Murder and mayhem in the world of auto racing, with a feisty heroine. See my review at New York Journal of Books: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/revie...
June 16, 2013
Another great mystery solved. Although, I did have a feeling about the character, this entire time.
June 11, 2014
Another great read by Tammy Kaehler, the newest addition to the motorsports mystery genre. You will enjoy the further adventures of Kate Reiley...look for her next book coming in August!
July 11, 2016
As a former female racecar driver I could really identify with Kate's struggle about what that means. Fortunately, I never had to be a sleuth like her too. We'll written continuation of the series.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews