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Dead #1
Dead Wrong
Three devious prisoners vow murderous revenge. Now the first is free.
It was inescapably chilling, as if the murderer was methodically working his way down a page torn from the phone book. The three victims brutally killed in their own homes had one thing in common: they were all listed as M. Douglas. The fact that Mara Douglas is next on the list has her jumping at shadows, until FBI agent Aidan Shields shows up to make sure she doesn't become the fourth victim.
Aidan has been out of commission since an undercover operation went bad more than a year ago. Back on the job, his razor-sharp instincts are returning. But it will take all of Aidan's wits to stay one step ahead of the elusive killer who has engaged him in a deadly game--a game in which Mara's life is the prize. A game only one can win ...
It was inescapably chilling, as if the murderer was methodically working his way down a page torn from the phone book. The three victims brutally killed in their own homes had one thing in common: they were all listed as M. Douglas. The fact that Mara Douglas is next on the list has her jumping at shadows, until FBI agent Aidan Shields shows up to make sure she doesn't become the fourth victim.
Aidan has been out of commission since an undercover operation went bad more than a year ago. Back on the job, his razor-sharp instincts are returning. But it will take all of Aidan's wits to stay one step ahead of the elusive killer who has engaged him in a deadly game--a game in which Mara's life is the prize. A game only one can win ...
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2004
About the author
Mariah Stewart
96 books1,470 followersMariah Stewart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of forty-one novels and three novellas and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. She is a RITA finalist in romantic suspense and the recipient of the Award of Excellence for contemporary romance, a RIO Award for excellence in women's fiction, and a Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times Magazine. A three-time winner of the Golden Leaf Award presented by the New Jersey Romance Writers, Stewart was recently awarded their Lifetime Achievement Award (which placed her in their Hall of Fame along with former recipients Nora Roberts and Mary Jo Putney — very excellent company, indeed!)
After having written seven contemporary romance novels, Stewart found true happiness writing murder and mayhem. She considers herself one lucky son of a gun to have landed the best job in the world: getting paid for making up stories. At home. In sweats and J. Crew flip flops. Could life be sweeter?
After having written seven contemporary romance novels, Stewart found true happiness writing murder and mayhem. She considers herself one lucky son of a gun to have landed the best job in the world: getting paid for making up stories. At home. In sweats and J. Crew flip flops. Could life be sweeter?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
June 6, 2016
1.5 Stars
You know when you really, really look forward to reading a book because you’re on a big romantic suspense kick and the blurb just catches all the right aspects of some intriguing murder mystery and the premise sounds quite promising? And then you finally get your hands on said book… and it just doesn’t hit the spot… like… at all?
The blurb summary on the back of the book is probably written better than the book itself. It sounded intense, dark, exciting, to the point… but the actual story just feels extremely flat.
There are too many side anecdotes and side stories and side descriptions to sift through. There is a lot of meandering; there is no straight to the point. Why do I need a five page history of each cameo character? Don’t they all get their own books later on in the series? We can cover their conflicts and thoughts in the next book. Why do I need to know the back-history (in a full page layout, nonetheless) of a background character who appears for all of two seconds (or rather, the full minute it takes me to read about him and then forget he existed)? There were too many plot-points going on; I had trouble trying to figure out what was significant to the story and what wasn’t?
And the atmosphere of the book was hard to grasp. Is it a dark mood? Serious? Trendy? Contemporary? There was no sense of urgency; everyone seemed to be taking their sweet time getting around the investigation. Sometimes the story felt awkwardly comic and I’m not even sure why.
I get the feeling that there is a lot of groundwork being laid out for the world being built around the rest of the Dead series (as well as subsequent series to follow in this world). In a nutshell, there is too much going on. This book could have been cut down by a good third. But in that event, I guess there wouldn’t be much story to tell.
The book itself isn’t balanced. There is no mystery -- we already know who’s doing the killing, why he’s doing the killing, and who his intended targets are. In essence, we then get no suspense, no surprise twists. Plot points are very conveniently brought about in the story progression, so deliberately and so neatly that I could predict exactly what was going to happen next. And then there was barely any romance to speak of, but at the same time, I feel like we spend too much time on our character’s every thought, every dialogue, and every action.
There is too much telling.
The narration jumped back and forth from character to character, from one situation to another, and the transitioning between was extremely choppy.
The characters could have been great. But they were extremely chatty and felt like they needed to explain everything that was going on with every situation, repeatedly. In the end, they just ended up all being kind of flat; impossible to relate with and kind of unnatural.
For the first half of the book, however, for some reason, I couldn’t stop reading. The writing isn’t bad… there is just… too much of everything. The premise is intriguing, the story was promising, and there still felt like there was potential for the book to make some improvements along the way. But the characters were boring and lifeless while the story progression was hard to follow. I have no problem with the characters as individuals, though; they were all good people and had potential for story-making. But character-driven, this book is not. Once I realized that the mystery aspect was shot in the head, I think I lost my interest.
The investigation process, the few tidbits of facts being laid about (FBI terms, detective jargon, an FBI profiler not carrying a gun with her, a methodical and believed to be intelligent serial killer missing his target three times…) felt questionable and almost laughable. It was hard for me to believe that such a conscientious serial killer wouldn’t have done his homework in advance before taking his victims… especially after making his first mistake and killing the wrong woman. It was also hard for me to believe that so much information about the serial killings ended up leaking so easily to the public, therefore informing our resident serial killer of exactly who his correct target was supposed to be.
And then on top of that, she wasn’t even kept protected properly. It was extremely hard for me to believe that, given the fact that Mara Douglas ended up as the known target of the serial killer, she wasn't kept in a safe, well-guarded location. Instead, we are okay with her traveling out of the city, to a secluded, wooded, mountainous area, with only the protection of a recently instated FBI agent who is still recovering from physical ailments he sustained from a previous mission gone wrong? I have nothing against Aiden Shields. He's a good man. But if keeping Mara safe is the top priority, how is he supposed to do so if he can't even keep up with her at a brisk walk? How is he going to just not bother trying to shoot a gun once again to test his non-dominant hand (since his dominant hand can't shoot anymore) and just leave it all to "I hope I don't accidentally hit her with a bullet since I haven't shot a round in a long time"?
No offense to Aiden. I'm sure he was a great agent during his prime, and his back story is full of angst and such. But Mara would have been safer staying in the city with the local cops... maybe. They don't seem all that competent either, honestly.
As the ending of the story neared, everyone just kept conveniently being maneuvered in specific directions (not mattering that they were making poorly, non-thought out decisions left and right) so that a highly convenient, predictable outcome would happen.
It was frustrating to say the least.
While I was managing to breeze through the first half of the book, for some unknown reason, the last half was a bit of a struggle since I really just wanted it to be over with. Because, I already knew what the outcome was going to be.
I don’t know. I’ll give the rest of the series a chance since I already checked out all four books from the library. I’m hoping that maybe after all of this world building (in a romantic suspense, no less) has been established in this first book, the rest of the series will flow a little bit better. Because the premises for each book following in this series as well as the books in other series written by Mariah Stewart really caught my attention big time and I’ve been interested since I read the summaries.
You know when you really, really look forward to reading a book because you’re on a big romantic suspense kick and the blurb just catches all the right aspects of some intriguing murder mystery and the premise sounds quite promising? And then you finally get your hands on said book… and it just doesn’t hit the spot… like… at all?
The blurb summary on the back of the book is probably written better than the book itself. It sounded intense, dark, exciting, to the point… but the actual story just feels extremely flat.
There are too many side anecdotes and side stories and side descriptions to sift through. There is a lot of meandering; there is no straight to the point. Why do I need a five page history of each cameo character? Don’t they all get their own books later on in the series? We can cover their conflicts and thoughts in the next book. Why do I need to know the back-history (in a full page layout, nonetheless) of a background character who appears for all of two seconds (or rather, the full minute it takes me to read about him and then forget he existed)? There were too many plot-points going on; I had trouble trying to figure out what was significant to the story and what wasn’t?
And the atmosphere of the book was hard to grasp. Is it a dark mood? Serious? Trendy? Contemporary? There was no sense of urgency; everyone seemed to be taking their sweet time getting around the investigation. Sometimes the story felt awkwardly comic and I’m not even sure why.
I get the feeling that there is a lot of groundwork being laid out for the world being built around the rest of the Dead series (as well as subsequent series to follow in this world). In a nutshell, there is too much going on. This book could have been cut down by a good third. But in that event, I guess there wouldn’t be much story to tell.
The book itself isn’t balanced. There is no mystery -- we already know who’s doing the killing, why he’s doing the killing, and who his intended targets are. In essence, we then get no suspense, no surprise twists. Plot points are very conveniently brought about in the story progression, so deliberately and so neatly that I could predict exactly what was going to happen next. And then there was barely any romance to speak of, but at the same time, I feel like we spend too much time on our character’s every thought, every dialogue, and every action.
There is too much telling.
The narration jumped back and forth from character to character, from one situation to another, and the transitioning between was extremely choppy.
The characters could have been great. But they were extremely chatty and felt like they needed to explain everything that was going on with every situation, repeatedly. In the end, they just ended up all being kind of flat; impossible to relate with and kind of unnatural.
For the first half of the book, however, for some reason, I couldn’t stop reading. The writing isn’t bad… there is just… too much of everything. The premise is intriguing, the story was promising, and there still felt like there was potential for the book to make some improvements along the way. But the characters were boring and lifeless while the story progression was hard to follow. I have no problem with the characters as individuals, though; they were all good people and had potential for story-making. But character-driven, this book is not. Once I realized that the mystery aspect was shot in the head, I think I lost my interest.
The investigation process, the few tidbits of facts being laid about (FBI terms, detective jargon, an FBI profiler not carrying a gun with her, a methodical and believed to be intelligent serial killer missing his target three times…) felt questionable and almost laughable. It was hard for me to believe that such a conscientious serial killer wouldn’t have done his homework in advance before taking his victims… especially after making his first mistake and killing the wrong woman. It was also hard for me to believe that so much information about the serial killings ended up leaking so easily to the public, therefore informing our resident serial killer of exactly who his correct target was supposed to be.
And then on top of that, she wasn’t even kept protected properly. It was extremely hard for me to believe that, given the fact that Mara Douglas ended up as the known target of the serial killer, she wasn't kept in a safe, well-guarded location. Instead, we are okay with her traveling out of the city, to a secluded, wooded, mountainous area, with only the protection of a recently instated FBI agent who is still recovering from physical ailments he sustained from a previous mission gone wrong? I have nothing against Aiden Shields. He's a good man. But if keeping Mara safe is the top priority, how is he supposed to do so if he can't even keep up with her at a brisk walk? How is he going to just not bother trying to shoot a gun once again to test his non-dominant hand (since his dominant hand can't shoot anymore) and just leave it all to "I hope I don't accidentally hit her with a bullet since I haven't shot a round in a long time"?
No offense to Aiden. I'm sure he was a great agent during his prime, and his back story is full of angst and such. But Mara would have been safer staying in the city with the local cops... maybe. They don't seem all that competent either, honestly.
As the ending of the story neared, everyone just kept conveniently being maneuvered in specific directions (not mattering that they were making poorly, non-thought out decisions left and right) so that a highly convenient, predictable outcome would happen.
It was frustrating to say the least.
While I was managing to breeze through the first half of the book, for some unknown reason, the last half was a bit of a struggle since I really just wanted it to be over with. Because, I already knew what the outcome was going to be.
I don’t know. I’ll give the rest of the series a chance since I already checked out all four books from the library. I’m hoping that maybe after all of this world building (in a romantic suspense, no less) has been established in this first book, the rest of the series will flow a little bit better. Because the premises for each book following in this series as well as the books in other series written by Mariah Stewart really caught my attention big time and I’ve been interested since I read the summaries.
June 23, 2013
Just plain bad. Anemic romance (no sex). No mystery, you know the bad guy and why from the beginning.
August 5, 2014
First time reading this author - so I'm going to classify this particular series "serial killer light". Not a bad read, and the story flowed well enough, just not enough for me. This series (book) would be attractive to those who like mystery and a hint of romance, no real gore and likeable characters.
My basic problem with this book was the repetition of descriptions - some readers might like this, but to me it's an attempt at filling pages. Maybe it's just this book in the series that is like this - not sure, but not enough for me to read the next book, which I believe is a continuous of the first. Oh and just a small faux pas - never feed wild ducks bread.
3 stars is all I can give - maybe if I read the next book I will see a better pattern - maybe.
My basic problem with this book was the repetition of descriptions - some readers might like this, but to me it's an attempt at filling pages. Maybe it's just this book in the series that is like this - not sure, but not enough for me to read the next book, which I believe is a continuous of the first. Oh and just a small faux pas - never feed wild ducks bread.
3 stars is all I can give - maybe if I read the next book I will see a better pattern - maybe.
October 3, 2017
Author: Mariah Stewart
First published: 2004
Length: 385 pages, 5536 kindle locations
Setting: Contemporary.
Sex: Explicit. Infrequent.
Hero: FBI on injured list.
Heroine: Child Advocate/Lawyer.
Trigger: Violence and Rape. Child abuse. Paedophilia.
Includes: excerpt from Dead Certain
A good romantic suspense - although more suspense than romance. Heavily linked to other books in the series with many cross-over characters.
Some trigger concepts - child abuse and rape being foremost.
But it is a good read.
John Mancini:
Book 1 Voices Carry - Genna Snow and John Mancini
Book 2 Until Dark - Kendra Smith and Adam Stark
Book 3 Dead Wrong - Mara Douglas and Aidan Shields
Book 4 Dead Certain - Amanda Crosby and Sean Mercer
Book 5 Dead Even - Miranda Cahill and Will Fletcher
Book 6 Dead End - Annie Marie McCall and Evan Crosby
Book 7 Cold Truth - Cassie Burke and Rick Cisco
Book 8 Hard Truth - Lorna Temple and T. J. Dawson
Book 9 Dark Truth - Nina Madden and Wes Powell
Book 10 Final Truth - Lester Ray Barnes and Regan Landry
Book 11 Last Look - Dorsey Collins and Andrew Shields
Book 12 Last Words - Mia Shields and Gabriel Beck
Book 13 Last Breath - Dr. Daria McGowan and Connor Shields
Chesapeake Diaries:
Book 1 Coming Home - Grady Shields and Vanessa Keaton
Book 2 Home Again - Dallas MacGregor and Grant Wyler
Book 3 Almost Home - Steffie Wyler and Wade MacGregor
Book 4 Hometown Girl - Brooke Madison Bowers and Jesse Enright
Book 5 Home for the Summer - Lucy Sinclair and Clay Madison
Book 6 The Long Way Home - Ellie Chapman and Cameron O'Connor
Book 7 At the River’s Edge - Sophie Enright and Jason Bowers
Book 8 On Sunset Beach - Carly Summit and Ford Sinclair
Book 9 That Chesapeake Summer - Jamie Valentine and Daniel Sinclair
Book 10 Driftwood Point - Lisbeth Parker and Alec Jansen
Book 11 The Chesapeake Bride - Cassidy Logan and Owen Parker
References:
Author's website: http://www.mariahstewart.com/books.html
(ISBN 9780345478375)
-CR-
First published: 2004
Length: 385 pages, 5536 kindle locations
Setting: Contemporary.
Sex: Explicit. Infrequent.
Hero: FBI on injured list.
Heroine: Child Advocate/Lawyer.
Trigger: Violence and Rape. Child abuse. Paedophilia.
Includes: excerpt from Dead Certain
A good romantic suspense - although more suspense than romance. Heavily linked to other books in the series with many cross-over characters.
Some trigger concepts - child abuse and rape being foremost.
But it is a good read.
John Mancini:
Book 1 Voices Carry - Genna Snow and John Mancini
Book 2 Until Dark - Kendra Smith and Adam Stark
Book 3 Dead Wrong - Mara Douglas and Aidan Shields
Book 4 Dead Certain - Amanda Crosby and Sean Mercer
Book 5 Dead Even - Miranda Cahill and Will Fletcher
Book 6 Dead End - Annie Marie McCall and Evan Crosby
Book 7 Cold Truth - Cassie Burke and Rick Cisco
Book 8 Hard Truth - Lorna Temple and T. J. Dawson
Book 9 Dark Truth - Nina Madden and Wes Powell
Book 10 Final Truth - Lester Ray Barnes and Regan Landry
Book 11 Last Look - Dorsey Collins and Andrew Shields
Book 12 Last Words - Mia Shields and Gabriel Beck
Book 13 Last Breath - Dr. Daria McGowan and Connor Shields
Chesapeake Diaries:
Book 1 Coming Home - Grady Shields and Vanessa Keaton
Book 2 Home Again - Dallas MacGregor and Grant Wyler
Book 3 Almost Home - Steffie Wyler and Wade MacGregor
Book 4 Hometown Girl - Brooke Madison Bowers and Jesse Enright
Book 5 Home for the Summer - Lucy Sinclair and Clay Madison
Book 6 The Long Way Home - Ellie Chapman and Cameron O'Connor
Book 7 At the River’s Edge - Sophie Enright and Jason Bowers
Book 8 On Sunset Beach - Carly Summit and Ford Sinclair
Book 9 That Chesapeake Summer - Jamie Valentine and Daniel Sinclair
Book 10 Driftwood Point - Lisbeth Parker and Alec Jansen
Book 11 The Chesapeake Bride - Cassidy Logan and Owen Parker
References:
Author's website: http://www.mariahstewart.com/books.html
(ISBN 9780345478375)
-CR-
October 4, 2013
I definitely recommend this for RS readers. It hits all the good stuff:)
You've got a grieving and ailing hero roped into playing bodyguard to a wary-of-men, traumatized heroine. This played out very real-life. They meet, they act like the strangers they are, they learned to give a little, then they try to catch a bad guy without all the pomp and circumstance of a military RS story... not that I don't love those, it's just you get tired of over-bearing testosterone-filled men after a little while. If you want a little more low-key this is the book for you.
You've got a grieving and ailing hero roped into playing bodyguard to a wary-of-men, traumatized heroine. This played out very real-life. They meet, they act like the strangers they are, they learned to give a little, then they try to catch a bad guy without all the pomp and circumstance of a military RS story... not that I don't love those, it's just you get tired of over-bearing testosterone-filled men after a little while. If you want a little more low-key this is the book for you.
July 15, 2024
My first Mariah Stewart book and I was NOT disappointed! Three criminals agree to swap victims for the perfect revenge. When the 1st killer starts his part, the FBI are scrambling to find the connection of the victims so they can stop the killer.
So many twists. There were some unexpected kills (the guys not perfect) and the story had me nonstop guessing. Usually, the storyline is pretty simple, even for amazing books, it's usually pretty easy to see how everybody ties in. This book kept me wondering, and I loved it!
Starting out, the killer is killing M. Douglas' out of the phone book, making it seem like Marah is next! But then he moves on to others, not M. Douglas as he works his way through the revenge list. I really enjoyed following the good guys process as they try to figure out what's happening so they can stop the killer.
So many twists. There were some unexpected kills (the guys not perfect) and the story had me nonstop guessing. Usually, the storyline is pretty simple, even for amazing books, it's usually pretty easy to see how everybody ties in. This book kept me wondering, and I loved it!
Starting out, the killer is killing M. Douglas' out of the phone book, making it seem like Marah is next! But then he moves on to others, not M. Douglas as he works his way through the revenge list. I really enjoyed following the good guys process as they try to figure out what's happening so they can stop the killer.
May 15, 2022
A New Author for me, and WOW, Excellent Read*****
February 22, 2011
What would you do if people withthe same initial and last name are being killed..
Then someone tells you that those people were ahead of you in the phone book
what are the odds that something might happen to you
all the killers are linked by FBI and detectives and even though the book ends there..... the story continues
Then someone tells you that those people were ahead of you in the phone book
what are the odds that something might happen to you
all the killers are linked by FBI and detectives and even though the book ends there..... the story continues
May 30, 2013
This was the first Mariah Stewart book that I've read. I really enjoyed it.
When three prisoners come up with a "game" naming the three people they would eliminate if they had a free shot, one of the men takes up the challenge, and the game is on.
When someone starts killing women named Mary Douglas and then moves on to M. Douglas's, Mara Douglas seems to be the next woman on the list. Her sister Annie, a profiler with the FBI seeks out some personal protection for her.
Aidan Shields is still recovering from an injury he received during an FBI undercover assignment with his brother. His brother was killed, Aidan was badly injured. Both physically and emotionally. Annie was engaged to marry his brother, he feels he cant say no when she asks for a personal favor, watching over her sister.
Mara and Aidan are both struggling with their own demons. And the last thing either of them wants is someone new invading their space. But they agree to work together until this killer is caught.
I fell in love with these characters early on. And wanted good things for them. I cant wait to read the next book to see what prisoner number two does.
When three prisoners come up with a "game" naming the three people they would eliminate if they had a free shot, one of the men takes up the challenge, and the game is on.
When someone starts killing women named Mary Douglas and then moves on to M. Douglas's, Mara Douglas seems to be the next woman on the list. Her sister Annie, a profiler with the FBI seeks out some personal protection for her.
Aidan Shields is still recovering from an injury he received during an FBI undercover assignment with his brother. His brother was killed, Aidan was badly injured. Both physically and emotionally. Annie was engaged to marry his brother, he feels he cant say no when she asks for a personal favor, watching over her sister.
Mara and Aidan are both struggling with their own demons. And the last thing either of them wants is someone new invading their space. But they agree to work together until this killer is caught.
I fell in love with these characters early on. And wanted good things for them. I cant wait to read the next book to see what prisoner number two does.
December 4, 2013
I appreciated both Mara and Aidan in this book.
Their actions, reactions and feeling were very lifelike. I found that it is very difficult to make the MCs that way. Great job here!
Their love story too was subtle and sweet without becoming gushing. It was very tastefully done: slow at first and then becoming hot. Also excellent!
But the best of this story is the suspense/thirll element: the reasons for the killings! Fantastic! I'll not tell you what it is because it would be too spoilerish, but it is novel and really inetersting!
An excellent book! I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the series! :D
Their actions, reactions and feeling were very lifelike. I found that it is very difficult to make the MCs that way. Great job here!
Their love story too was subtle and sweet without becoming gushing. It was very tastefully done: slow at first and then becoming hot. Also excellent!
But the best of this story is the suspense/thirll element: the reasons for the killings! Fantastic! I'll not tell you what it is because it would be too spoilerish, but it is novel and really inetersting!
An excellent book! I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the series! :D
January 4, 2018
Dead boring! Dead large holes!
I believe this book was published in 2004, so this story takes place in the 21st century. For some reason, known only to the author, the police and FBI, having the name of the kid who witnessed his mother's murder, cannot then uncover his history, as to his foster home, nor are they able to then, when they have his adopted name, assess immediately the fact that he was arrested; he has a driver's license; he has a history!!!! Are you kidding! If this story took place in the 19th century, I could understand the limits placed on law enforcement, but not in 2004!
Poorly written by someone who hoped nobody discovered the holes!
I believe this book was published in 2004, so this story takes place in the 21st century. For some reason, known only to the author, the police and FBI, having the name of the kid who witnessed his mother's murder, cannot then uncover his history, as to his foster home, nor are they able to then, when they have his adopted name, assess immediately the fact that he was arrested; he has a driver's license; he has a history!!!! Are you kidding! If this story took place in the 19th century, I could understand the limits placed on law enforcement, but not in 2004!
Poorly written by someone who hoped nobody discovered the holes!
July 28, 2018
I read the Dead Wrong, Dead Certain, and Dead Even series by Mariah Stewart and enjoyed them. Using the trick from the Hitchcock thriller, Strangers on a Train, three inmates suggest three people they want to "get rid" of, they "exchange" murders, and then when they are released from prison they carry out their "friends'" murder list avoiding capture because of lack of motive. Each book in the trilogy follows the one of the murders--a cool serial killer, an antisocial man who shot his wife and children in a fit of anger, and a young delusional stalker. The books fill the space between romance and detective thrillers--not as seamy and sappy as true romances and not as gritty and authentic as detective thrillers, just kind of a blend of both. Enjoyable if not very deep. The murderers and their methods were varied and interesting, almost sympathetic. The romantic leads (the women who were the targets and the FBI/police officers protecting them, and falling in love with them) were a bit more vanilla.
November 16, 2023
Ok this gets two and a half stars for the story…and the rest for the VILLAIN. Yes, the one who tries to kill the h and gets his comeuppance at the end.
He was intelligent, polite, well-mannered, friendly…and criminally insane. Which made his behavior TOTALLY creepy. I started skimming the H/h scenes just to read what was going to happen to Mr. Evil McManners next. What great scenes. What a great villain. Also, it was refreshing to have no mucking about with adding weird twists to the story and making him an antihero or a misunderstood guy who just needs to fall in love and having him be on their side at the end. Not that it wouldn’t have been ideal in real life, we always want the bad guys to change. But it was refreshing to just have a creepy bad guy in a story be the creepy bad guy he was meant to be and end that way. Four stars.
He was intelligent, polite, well-mannered, friendly…and criminally insane. Which made his behavior TOTALLY creepy. I started skimming the H/h scenes just to read what was going to happen to Mr. Evil McManners next. What great scenes. What a great villain. Also, it was refreshing to have no mucking about with adding weird twists to the story and making him an antihero or a misunderstood guy who just needs to fall in love and having him be on their side at the end. Not that it wouldn’t have been ideal in real life, we always want the bad guys to change. But it was refreshing to just have a creepy bad guy in a story be the creepy bad guy he was meant to be and end that way. Four stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2020
This was a good book albeit a bit predictable. A game that is played out in a prison holding cell becomes a reality when one of the three criminals holds down his end of the deal and begins killing the top 3 people on one of the other prisoner's hit list. The story predictably brings together a heartbroken, mother whom has lost a child and an ex-FBI agent that has lost a brother and both whom have lost the value of life itself. The Ex FBI agent is put in charge of keeping the mother alive, since she is one of the three on the prisoner hit list and, of course, both find love during the course of staying alive. It's the first book in a series and it was enjoyable enough to read the second.
December 5, 2016
Boring...
I stopped reading at 70%. The characters were flat. The story was predictable. I wish I could get a refund on my time as well as the $5.99 I spent on this book. The premise was good but the execution was painfully slow to unfold. There was no suspense, no passion. I had to push myself to read page after page hoping that the pace would pickup. Don't waste your money or your time. Again I wish I hadn't.
I stopped reading at 70%. The characters were flat. The story was predictable. I wish I could get a refund on my time as well as the $5.99 I spent on this book. The premise was good but the execution was painfully slow to unfold. There was no suspense, no passion. I had to push myself to read page after page hoping that the pace would pickup. Don't waste your money or your time. Again I wish I hadn't.
March 6, 2023
Very much like an episode of Criminal Minds. I liked it and all the characters were good and well thought out. However, I would have liked it better with more mystery. The whole way through you already know who and why and they only thing we wait for is how the bad guy gets caught. Took a lot of fun out of trying to figure out who had done it!
October 1, 2017
Decent read. Quick and easy thriller novel. While I liked it wasn't very suspenseful. I felt the last book in the series was better. The nice thing about these books is you don't need to read them in any particular order.
March 19, 2019
Although interesting enough, I gave 3 stars because the author, just as many others have done, took her story-line from the Hitchcock film "Strangers on a Train."
Outside of that, the story was good and suspenseful and moved forward well.
If you are murder mystery fan, you'll like this one.
Outside of that, the story was good and suspenseful and moved forward well.
If you are murder mystery fan, you'll like this one.
May 21, 2019
After 3 women are murdered with the same name it is up to Aidan Shields, a FBI agent on medical leave to prevent Mara Douglas from becoming the 4th murdered woman. This is the 1st book in a series relating to 3 prisoners committing 'Chris Cross' murders
February 5, 2020
Great story!
Great characters and a twist of strangers on a train. A lot going on with Mara who becomes a target. Aiden stays with her as the story progressses. Great secondary characters that are well developed and some action. Loved it!
Great characters and a twist of strangers on a train. A lot going on with Mara who becomes a target. Aiden stays with her as the story progressses. Great secondary characters that are well developed and some action. Loved it!
February 23, 2021
DNF. I couldn't get past the stupidity of the heroine. Completely ignoring danger and FBI agents regarding her safety. Why was she so perplexed as to being in danger? Made zero sense that an intelligent modern woman would ignore direct warnings and what's going on around her.
February 13, 2024
Intense reading
I am really a fan of Mariah Stewart as she is so gifted in the art of telling a story that doesn't let you down. This is a very intense read and will keep you hooked until the last word!
I am really a fan of Mariah Stewart as she is so gifted in the art of telling a story that doesn't let you down. This is a very intense read and will keep you hooked until the last word!
May 13, 2017
3.5 stars
May 3, 2018
A great start to a 3-parter within a series.
May 29, 2018
Good fast read.Need to have a sequel as story is not finished.
October 10, 2018
Good romantic suspense. Interesting, likeable characters.
March 18, 2019
This was a first book for me from this author. I loved it. I found it had lots of twists and turn. A real page turner. I will be following the other books in this series.
September 12, 2019
Love Mancini's character development. You really grow to love or hate them. Leaves you wanting more every time.
November 18, 2019
Okay book.
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