** I’d like to thank the publishers for providing an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review **
Shattered (Max Revere Series #4) by Allison Brennan
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: Aug 22, 2017
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤
Description
Over a span of twenty years, four boys have been kidnapped from their bedrooms, suffocated, and buried nearby in a shallow grave. Serial killer or coincidence?
That’s the question investigative reporter Maxine Revere sets out to answer when an old friend begs her to help exonerate his wife, who has been charged with their son’s recent murder. But Max can do little to help because the police and D.A. won’t talk to her―they think they have the right woman. Instead, Max turns her attention to three similar cold cases. If she can solve them, she might be able to help her friend.
Justin Stanton was killed twenty years ago, and his father wants closure―so he is willing to help Max with her investigation on one condition: that she work with his former sister-in-law― Justin’s aunt, FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid. Trouble is, Max works alone, and she’s livid that her only access to the case files, lead detective and witnesses depends on her partnering with a federal agent on vacation. She wants the career-making story almost as much as the truth―but if she gets this wrong, she could lose everything.
Haunted by Justin’s death for years, Lucy yearns to give her family―and herself―the closure they need. More important, she wants to catch a killer. Lucy finds Max’s theory on all three cases compelling―with Max’s research added to Lucy’s training and experience, Lucy believes they can find the killer so justice can finally be served. But the very private Lucy doesn’t trust the reporter any more than Max trusts her.
Max and Lucy must find a way to work together to untangle lies, misinformation, and evidence to develop a profile of the killer. But the biggest question is: why were these boys targeted? As they team up to find out what really happened the night Justin was killed, they make a shocking discovery: Justin’s killer is still out there … stalking another victim … and they already may be too late.
My Thoughts
When I first started reading this book, it was great. I hadn’t realized it was part of a series until I marked it on my Goodreads shelf. Having said that, I felt it was one that could be read as a standalone eventhough I haven’t read the others.
The Good
I really enjoyed getting to know Max who’s an investigative reporter solving cold cases. She’s clever and very good at what she does.
I thought Brennan did a great job at keeping the reader immersed and filling in who the characters from the previous series were and how they’re connected.
The Bad
Because there were characters brought in from two different series, it became overwhelming and a lot to take in. It was easy to become confused since there were so many people and stories to keep track of. If you’re like me and pace your reading, you will find yourself backtracking just to remember who was who.
I would have typically given 3 stars, but this was a rare case in which I rated it a 4. Despite having to go back and retrace a few steps, the storyline was well thought out which made it a very enjoyable read.
Have you had a chance to read this yet? Or have you read any books from this series?
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