3.5

Book source ~ NetGalley

A British copper comes to America and joins the NYPD with the help of a fairy godfather, I mean, Chief of Police. She’s been there a year and the Commander can’t stand her. He keeps giving her shitty partners in the hopes she’ll quit or blow her top and he can fire her. When three babies are kidnapped, he suspends her and then tells her if she can find the babies before anyone else she can get her Detective promotion. So, she’s off and running with few resources and fewer friends.

Ok, so I can believe the harassment that Alex faces in the department. It’s not easy for a woman to be a police officer. On top of that, she’s from another country where things are done differently so she has to learn new rules/laws. And on top of THAT, she has the backing of the Chief. But, a lot of this story is just too sloppy and over the top for me to suspend belief. In addition, she calls her landlord Nobby, from the Harry Potter books. Uh, there was no Nobby that I’m aware of, so unless this error was fixed in later editions, it grates on my nerves. The villains are so stupid and careless they aren’t even worthy of being called villains. Finally, there’s this serial killer who is fixated on Alex. He’s the reason she moved to America to begin with, but he seems totally lame. There’s a great story in here and, at times, it’s pretty good, but I just can’t get lost in it. Too much pulls me right out of the world.

This book was so good, I read it twice!!
Fast paced, heart pounding, page turner!

I am looking forward to reading more from Linda Prather & M A Comley!

Alex has moved from England to America and is working in a mainly male enviroment and finding it hard to fit in.

Its a fast paced read which at times leaves you pleasantly breathless.

Alex needs to find out who killed her sister, she is working with the NYPD to aide her course in this.

As we progress we see that Alex is having things exceptionally difficult, I thought at times she did bring this on herself however, she didn't deserve everything she got. Friends were hard to find for Alex.

Ransoms and missing babies, how could you not fall in and enjoy all the turns within this story.

Jeamel Publishing Limited my thanks to you for my copy through Net Galley

Sorry I was not able to read you book but it went to archive before I could get to it. Sorry once again.

Despite the synopsis indicating the reader should read the prequel novella first, I ended up going straight into Tragic Deception. While reading the novella might add further depth to the characters, I didn’t feel I lost anything by not reading it. I quickly picked up the type of person Alex was, what drove her and what events had resulted in her current predicament.

Not being familiar with the American justice system, it took me a while to get my head around what Alex was having to endure at work and the fact that no one was doing anything about it. That prevented my immediate engagement with the content because I was expecting the story to focus on the injustice of her treatment.

Once I had figured out Alex’s back story, I liked her as a character. She is stand-offish with her colleagues, but it’s clear to the reader why she is doing it and that she has a big heart, seen through her interaction with her pets and friend, Nobby.

Alex’s character development is impressive for such a short book. She changes from being alone to accepting there are those willing and able to assist her. She doesn’t have to face her demons alone and Alex’s realisation that she can let people in is realistic and moving.

The secondary characters are all in-depth enough to make their mark on Alex. Other than Nobby, however, the reader isn’t given the chance to truly know them: the focus is on Alex and the book isn’t long enough for further development.

The reader does get to know the villains of the piece, though. I have to admit to getting a little confused: three missing babies and all the women seeming to be sleeping with each other. It was hard to tell who knew about which relationship and who was involved with who. Although you know who the culprit(s) are from early on, I never quite figured out exactly how everyone was involved and what the whole point was.

Considering the length of the book and the intricacies of the plot, I didn’t feel it was particularly fast-paced. The tension flared at times, but, again, considering the time frame the characters were working in and the threat of the villains they were up against, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. I think the number of characters involved in such a tight plot meant that because I couldn’t connect with anyone other than Alex, the danger and threat weren’t real.

A lot is packed into a short book. The complexity of the plot kept me engaged: you had to be in order to understand what was going on! I did feel, however, that perhaps there was too much considering I was still vague about certain things at the end.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s short and a quick read, but is a good page-turner. The perfect rainy-day book to curl up with and not stop until you are done!

I couldn't wait to read this book, written in partnership of the two authors, whose books I usually enjoy. However, it didn't quite work for me as the narrative didn't flow very well and I found myself rushing through towards the end as I just wanted the book to be over.

Gripping read from the start. Real page turner! Highly recommended

This series is going to be fabulous. Real plots , sympathetic characters. Great!
Alex Fox is not happy in her work and makes this obvious to her boss. Her involvement in a desperate search for three missing babies brings her companionship and success in places she did not expect.

Alexandra Fox came to America to find her sister's killer whom the press has dubbed the Escape Artist. When she has trouble getting along with fellow officers she's given an ultimatum. She has seven days to find three kidnapped babies or look for a new job. As she interviews the parents of the missing babies she realizes they're all hiding something but can she figure it out in time to save her job? I thought this was a well written short read but some parts seemed unrealistic to me.

Having read the novella which was the preview to this book I was looking forward to this with bated breath and I am pleased to say it didn't disappoint. It has a good plot with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and I loved the English/American language confusion. The only minus I can see is that there might have been too many characters and it was a bit confusing for a while. Having said that I look forward to the next book in the series.