Fast-Paced, Exciting, and Definitely Suspenseful
936876
'[...]my mind shut down. Went blank. Went someplace where I wouldn't have to remember.'

What would you do if you woke up to find you had been kidnapped? What would you do if you somehow manage to escape but realize you have no idea where you were? What would you do if you didn't have any idea who you were? The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die is a riveting thriller of a girl who has to piece together the past so she can live to see the future.

I've read April Henry's 'The Night She Disappeared' and it's an incredibly short yet fast-paced mystery which I really enjoyed. To me, 'The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die' is also short and fast-paced yet more complex and required more pages in order to properly flush out the mystery. The pieces of the puzzle don't start coming together until near the very end and once the pieces started forming they left me with an unnaturally rushed feeling that I felt could have been avoided with more explanation/pages.

There were a few issues I had in particular:
The 'bad guys' were inherently bad and lacked any sort of complexity thus making them quite a bore. Plus, it always makes me giggle when the bad guys completely reveal all their plans right before they intent on killing you.
Also, there was a strange and unnecessary reference to a gay character.
'His voice swoops up and down. He sounds more gay than before. I wonder if he's doing it deliberately - to make them think there would be no reason for him to give a girl shelter.'
Which... makes zero sense. Because he's a gay man he couldn't possibly have any 'girl' friends? Or even possible care about their well-being? That passage just struck me as completely irrelevant.
Also, there wasn't a love-interest exactly but there was a male character that became involved in her drama trouble. After meeting him while trying to hide from the 'bad guys' he realizes she's in dire need of help and assists in getting her past them. In my opinion, that should have been the end of their relationship but instead this guy basically risks the possible destruction of any future he may have for this girl he doesn't know. It just wasn't plausible. There was a slight explanation given for his 'need' to help her and it kind of make sense but still didn't completely work for me in way of explanation.

Despite my issues, I did still mostly enjoy The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die. It is fast-paced, exciting, and definitely suspenseful.

*All quotes taken are from an uncorrected proof*
3138755
I liked how fast the book was, and yet it still developed the characters extremely well. I'm hoping for an equally suspenseful sequel, or prequel!
3247432
An action-packed, exciting read. Valentine (aka Valerie) isn't what she seems. She's an intelligent, serious student working toward her degree in veterinary medicine. She's had great loss in her life and a shattered childhood.  She's strong because of it. Ethan is assigned to protect her. He's sworn off women having experienced a less than positive relationship with his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter. This suspense story is rife with murder, kidnapping, rape, assault, and diamond smuggling. No one is safe. Everyone's at risk. But Ethan and the BOSS team are on the case. Now if he can only convince Val to be his forever!
998044
I really liked the characters and all the action, but it was the suspense that drew me in from one chapter to the next. I'm a sucker for romance, and this turned out to be a lot more than that. It was intrigue and adventure, and takes you places that lead down a path where it's hard to predict the outcome. It's a good read for anyone, and doesn't disappoint.
4842922
This is the first Robert Crais that I have read, and I enjoyed it very much. It is certainly action-packed and fast-paced from the very first page. There is a lot of brutal violence involved, and plenty of blood.

The hero, Joe Pike, watches out for the oppressed. He is a very tough guy, and I would certainly prefer to have him as a friend than an enemy. Surprisingly, for such a character, he sometimes lets his heart lead his mind. His supporter, Elvis Cole, is tough too, but seems more analytical in his approach, and tries to make Pike see the sense in his actions. The balance is great.

Some of the FBI agents and police officers involved are complete idiots, and some are bent. However, some of them are doing the right thing, and are straight down the middle. The twists and turns in the story keep you wondering which is which until the author chooses to reveal the truth. That is good suspense writing.

The bad guys are also very tough, and the match is almost even. Who will prevail? Well you have to read the whole book to its very gory conclusion to find out!

The one thing that did confuse and distract me, was that one of the characters is called Chloe, and is male. I have always thought of Chloe as a girl's name, so I was thinking, "This is one helluva tough chick," for about two-thirds of the book! Maybe it's a common guy's name in America, but not here in In-ger-land!

Anyway, this is a book that I'd recommend to anyone who can cope with a good story ladled with a huge dollop of violence.
2153924
Rating: 4.5 stars

Full of suspense and intensity, this story hits the ground running from the very first page. Alison and her husband, Hank, are taking their son, Jimmy, on a fishing trip--not exactly Alison's idea of the perfect getaway, but she wants to be a good sport. Unfortunately, a band of evil brothers are heading in the same direction intent on breaking their brother out of jail.

Not long after Alison and her family arrive at the cabin near Lake Superior, an escaped death row inmate and his brothers seek shelter from a storm at the very same area. Alison manages to sneak out the back, but her husband and son are taken hostage. With a fierce determination, Alison realizes she's the only chance the hostages have. She finds a local man, procures a gun, and digs deep to find a way to take out these bad guys.

Even when she thinks she has succeeded, the ringleader escapes. Back at home, facing the press and trying to get back to some sense of normalcy, she knows Ben will come for her. Hank, feeling his own guilt for not being the hero, just wants her to move on. Is she right? Will Ben come for her? Or, is she being paranoid?

The action never lets up, and the author does an incredible job creating a character who harnesses the power to take down a madman, but doesn't know exactly how to handle the power once she unleashes it. As a mother myself, I respected Alison's need to protect her child and understood the lengths to which she needed to go.

But instead of just giving the reader an intriguing story, D.A. Serra really dissected the characters and how they each dealt with such an unimaginable situation. It wasn't just about the action, it was about the human reaction to evil and preserving our families.

I highly recommend this book to readers who like an intense read with the added bonus of well-developed characters. It's a breathtaking ride with heart-pounding moments.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not guaranteed or requested; the opinions expressed are my own.
3352815
When I finished "The Silent Corner," the first book in this series featuring FBI agent Jane Hawk, I loved it so much that in my review I urged the author to hurry up and finish the next one sooner than scheduled. He must have heard me, since he beat that original date by a couple of months. And oh boy, am I glad he did!

This one can stand alone, although I'm sure I enjoyed it more for having read the first. That one had plenty of action, but here it's almost nonstop, meaning I was "forced" to put other chores on the back burner so I could keep reading (honestly, I think it's even better than the first, and I gave that one a 5-star rating). The prose is pure Koontz, with each turn of the phrase artfully crafted. The focus of the plot - really, really bad guys and gals who are using nanotechnology to turn human beings they don't like into well-controlled automatons - may be a bit "out there," but on the other hand, as one of my favorite comedians, Judy Tenuta, used to say, "It could happen."

In the first book, Jane's husband Nick reportedly committed suicide - but Jane knew better and vowed to get to the truth. That in turn put her at odds with the FBI and even higher-up powers, forcing her to go on the run and put her young son Travis in hiding. Early on, she seeks help from a respected journalist - hoping he's someone she can trust (it's nearly impossible to discern who's had the technology implants, making Jane's quest to take down the instigators all that much harder). At the same time, a much-loved Minnesota school teacher inexplicably commits mass murder by driving her homemade bomb-laden car into a crowd (killing herself as well). When Jane learns of the incident, she immediately suspects that the woman was "guided" by an outside force.

At the same time, local Sheriff Luther Tillman has suspicions all his own; wanting to find out why the normally sweet teacher would commit such a horrible act, he visits her home and retrieves a few items. Shortly thereafter, her home goes up in flames, adding fuel to Luther's belief that something is rotten in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Jane and Luther lead separate investigations for a while, but as might be expected, their trails eventually come together. From that point on, there's no going back - and they must cling to the hope that the way forward won't end with either or both of their deaths.

Mysterious and spooky and all together ooky, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves thrillers spiked with a tablespoon of science fiction. Love it - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
4120952
I loved this book.  Even though I tossed my tablet down in a petulant fit when things didn't go exactly according to my master plan and I was ready to shake a certain BAU Chief, I loved this book.  The combustible chemistry between Jason and Sam continues to fascinate me, and while theyve come a long way from their original animosity towards each other, the tension between them is no less intense as they once again cross paths when Sam seeks out Jasons expertise during an investigation.  The mystery itself is tightly crafted and suspenseful with enough twists that I couldn't foresee how it was going to play out, and while there is an identifiable thread that will connect the next book in the series, I didn't feel like I was left hanging at the end of the story.  Im looking forward to the third book, I cant get enough of the dynamic between Jason and Sam and am anxious to see what Josh Lanyon has in store for this compelling series.
Please note that I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book.
3899948
I'll start by saying I am really glad I read The Newsmakersback in April of 2016 before I had a chance to read Lis Wiehl's second book in the series, The Candidate. Now that the third book, The Separatists, has been published (which I will be reading shortly), I thought I had better get this review posted pretty quickly.

The plot is very fast-paced, suspenseful and well-written. I could barely put the book own to go to bed at night and read it in every spare moment from cover to cover. There are a few references here to events in The Newsmakers, so it's probably a good idea to read it first although this book stands on its own quite well.

I like the fictional characters as developed by this author, but I have to say I wasn't a fan of the fact that she brought factual characters along with her opinions into the book. I felt that she took a risk in doing so as she might put readers off with her opinions knowing how angry some folks get when talking about their political opinions.

The Candidate portrays a very current scenario of the way politics is going on in our nation today, andErica Sparks is an interesting character who is flawed, human, brave, smart and savvy.

Erica Sparks is Americas top-rated cable-news host and she is about to find out just how far a candidate will go to become president. Not only is the nation's future at stake, because she is relentless in her search for the truth, Erica puts her 11-year old daughter, Jenny's life in danger. Erica loves her job, but her "significant other" is away trying to build a television network in a faraway country. Erica's daughter, Jenny has agreed to leave her father and come to live with Erica, but because Erica's job takes her away so much they are having a tough time bonding together.

Because this book is considered a "suspense" story, it's very hard not to write a spoiler review. I'll stop right here and tell you to pick up this book. Make sure you have some decent time set aside because you'll want to read it cover to cover like I did!

I received this book in paperback from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are mymom'sand we were not required to write a positive review.
2450950
Katie is an accidental witness to a murder and goes to the police station for help. The man murdered was a surrogate father and she will do anything to get justice for him. Daniel spots Katie when she arrives and cant look away. Shes the most beautiful woman hes ever seen, no matter that shes dirty and disheveled. Something about her calls to him and hell do anything to help her, even if it means bending the rules of his job as a police dective.

The advance copy I read of this book is my first from this author and, woo hoo, what a wild ride it was! Intense, heart-pounding action and suspense with sweetness and steam make for one fantastic read.  Ms. Shaw is a gifted author who masterfully crafted a riveting story thats exciting and intriguing as well as professionally polished.  I loved Daniel and Katie and hope I have a chance to get to know the peripheral characters more. I highly recommend this book and will definitely be reading more from Ms. Shaw!
1684872
Jam-packed with action!

The pacing was excellent and really drove home just how powerful a novel this is. The characters were interesting and a little bit one-dimensional, but not in a bad way. It was a good vs evil story at it's core, and I really enjoyed reading it.

This was the second book in the series, and now I can't wait to move on to the last book and see how everything ends!
3377124
I enjoy books that are fast paced and hold a lot of action that moves the book along and this book truly lived up to this! I knew that I was going to be reading some military fiction here, but was also surprised to find that the book had hints of fantasy and horror mixed in which was fun to see and read. What I think I like most about the story was the characters. The author has done a great job at bringing together characters that are real and make you want to get to know them better and to understand their motivations and see and experience the emotions that they are feeling within the plot of the story itself. The book has much suspense and it will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end!
1607716
I really enjoyed this because of its fast pace, compelling plot, and stong relatable characters (which might seem obvious enough to conjure- but are becoming harder and harder to find). I particularly loved the moral conflict, chemistry between characters, and when it came down to it- no one was really wrong or right. I'd recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind not sleeping at night and being tired at work the next day. Now if you don't mind, I'm off to install the next two books before I have to go work.. :)
320478
Such a fantastic, exciting book! I read it in about 3 days and I truly couldn't put it down. The characters are well-developed, the plot is exciting, and it truly felt like the story could exist in anyone's backyard. Such a thrilling and exciting book, full of wonderful humor but well-complimented by the suspenseful and sometimes downright scary moments. Definitely recommend to all!!
3983340
I really enjoyed this book - it was fast paced and the suspense was great. I couldn't put it down!
3435353
I'm really impressed with this sequel.  It is about as action-packed as a shark/revenge story gets.  Amidst all of the excitement, the author does a great job at keeping the protagonist relatable (a quality I loved about the first book).  I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a high-octane page turner.  It is definitely an exciting read.
4441966
This book was an exciting addition to the series with its twists, turns, and constant surprises throughout.  The action and suspense is the perfect balance to hold my attention and keep my interest.  There were some surprising new developments that had me screaming and cussing at the characters profusely.  I don't know if I can even describe my level of hostility in the first half of this novel.  The characters are three-dimensional and  Daughtry is easily relatable to me.  The path of this book couldn't have shocked me more.  If you are interested in an exciting, "don't blink or you might miss something" story, then this read is for you.