This is the first book I have read by Lisa Black. This is her second novel in this series. I liked many aspects of this novel and will definitely read the first in the series - That Darkness. I liked the vigilante cop feature of this series. Jack Renner is a homicide detective who believes in killing evil people who seem to get away with their crimes. Maggie Gardner is a forensic scientist who works with the police. There is potential for these two to build a continuing relationship as they are solving crimes even though Maggie is against the outright killing of the criminals and is a little afraid of Jack. The setting of this story is a newspaper office and the plot revolves around the decline of the newspaper business. At has some interesting information about the news business but gets a bit bogged down and repetitive in places. It is not an intense thriller but more of an easy read mystery. I will read the first in the series which has gotten good reviews and will continue to follow Lisa Black to see how her characters evolve.

Maggie Gardiner is a forensic investigator who gets a call to a new case where a copy editor from the local newspaper is found hanging above the newspaper assembly line. Maggie has her suspicions about the apparent suicide and soon the evidence begins to point to the death actually being a murder.

Maggie finds herself teamed up to solve the case with Jack Renner, a homicide cop with an enormous secret that Maggie stumbled upon in the past. In the past Jack had taken his skills as a homicide detective and turned into a vigilante taking justice into his own hands until Maggie discovered his secret. Now this duo must team up together to solve the murder before the killer strikes again.

Unpunished is the second book in the Gardiner and Renner series. I actually didn’t realize this was an ongoing series when I first picked up the book to read and will say that a bit of my problem with the story came with feeling a bit left out having not read the first book with the history between this pair. Eventually their story is revealed but I think I would have been a lot more invested had I known it going into the book so in the end I decided to rate this one 3.5 stars just due to the slow start for me to become engaged in the story. Otherwise the book is an interesting story to follow along while the detectives try to solve the murders and find their killer.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is the 2nd book with Gardiner and Renner being teamed up. Maggie Gardiner and Jack Renner. These two do not mix well at all, but when a copy editor is found hanging, it is up to Maggie and Jack to find out exactly what is going on. Of course the secret that these two share causes issues between them. Can they over come their own problems and find the killer before he strikes again? Excellent read! I received a copy of this book from Kensington Publishing and Net Gallery. My review is totally voluntary and is an honest and unbiased one.

Unpunished can be a stand alone, though I think
reading That Darkness first, to get more of a background on characters and their action's in Unpunished may be a thought.Maggie Gardiner is a Forensic Expert, she is called to the scene of a suspected suicide at the Cleveland Herald, which turns out to be more sinister. Jack Renner a homicide cop is called to the scene, though he and Maggie have a very uneasy working relationship, both harbor secrets, which make for a very interesting storyline. One being, Jack is also a vigilante killer, when the law fails, he get's to work and make's sure justice prevails. The plot is well paced, as more bodies are found, we are taken into the world of newspapers, the cut throat industry of journalism, and the need to get 'that' story which will make the headlines, breathing life into a business that is being overtaken by the internet.The storyline is very realistic with the boom of the internet and the way it has impeded on everyday life, and the impact it has on people's lives. There is a lot of talk and detail behind the scenes, but be patient the suspense does kick in, and you will want to find out who is behind the murders and why.

Unpunished by Lisa Black is a police procedural and the second book in a series featuring forensic investigator Maggie Gardiner and homicide detective Jack Renner.

This time Robert Davis, a copy editor at the Cleveland Herald, is found hanging off the railing above the print room during the nightly press run for the paper. At first it appears to be a suicide, but upon closer inspection it is clear that Davis was murdered. Maggie Gardier and Jack Renner are involved in the investigation. They have a wary truce and share a secret that could ruin both of them. The investigation includes a mass of information about the death keel of the print news industry today. Can the murderer be found before he or she strikes again?

My first advice is to read Lisa Black's That Darkness first. As the second in a series where I somehow missed the first book, That Darkness, I was missing some vital background information on the two characters. Although I could gather the gist of it, I actually wanted more information to help create a complete picture of the two characters. I know they were involved in a case where Maggie figured out Jack was a serial killer/vigilante who eliminated the bad guys who deserved to die. Maggie has a secret that she shares with him and the two have an uneasy truce/agreement. Very intriguing characters, but I had incomplete background information about the two.

Setting that aside, figuring out who did it was pretty darn easy in this case, but I think the book was more about these two characters and their uneasy alliance. There is also a plethora of information about the death of the newspaper industry. Black researched the facts and includes a bibliography of the books that helped her research. It was fun to see the case develop and the clues that are followed.

The writing is great. I enjoyed following the investigation and I like Maggie, but I wanted the full backstory. Sometimes you can read a mystery series out of order, sometimes you can't. You need to read this series in the order intended. I did enjoy it and was glued to the pages through the whole book.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Kensington Publishing.
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I really enjoyed this one! When newspaper editors are found hanging, Maggie and Jack must determine if it's suicide or murder. Their investigation takes them deep inside the inner workings of a print newspaper--already on its last legs in a move to the digital era. What I liked best was the detail of the forensics and the secrets both main characters are keeping. Who doesn't love a flawed character? The only reason I gave it 4/5 stars was that I wish I'd read the first one before this as I felt like I'd come a little "late to the party" and had to get the backstory instead of "living" it in the first book, Overall, thumbs up!

Holy toledo... it starts with a bang, Ends with an explosion!!! Such an amazingly unique twist to the main characters...Seems like Eve Dallas amd Rouke. The aae dynamics and twist to the bad guy gone good and the female cop set out to solve a crime... truly great, well described world, characters and story line!!! Lisa Black is on FIRE.....

A Detective and a Forensic Investigator Held Together by a Secret

A copy editor is found hanging above the assembly line in the processing room of the Cleveland Herald, the cities largest newspaper. The death was meant to look like a suicide, but Maggie Gardener, forensic investigator, has her doubts, so does Jack Renner, the detective assigned to the case. Maggie is nervous about working with Jack again. They share a secret, and she’s not sure she trusts him. Jack operates as a vigilante bringing criminals who avoid the system to justice. Maggie wants him to stop, but how can she make sure that happens?

Maggie and Jack are good characters. The tension between them is palpable. Sometimes Maggie seems over the top in trying to figure out whether Jack is keeping to his promise to avoid his vigilante activities, but that’s not unreasonable. Jack is tough. He likes Maggie and wants to protect her, but he doesn’t like being constrained.

The setting in a major newspaper is realistic. I enjoyed envisioning how newspapers operate almost as much as I enjoyed the mystery. The plot is good and well fleshed out. There are twists to keep you trying to figure out what is happening, and the resolution is realistic.

I recommend this mystery if you like fast paced action, an interesting setting, and realistic characters.

I received this book from Kensington Publishing Corp. for this review.

Maggie Gardner is a forensic scientist working with the police when a series of grisly murders occur that appear to be related. She works closely with several police detectives, one of whom has a history with Maggie, and a dangerous secret they both share. Set at a major city newspaper which is having serious difficulties staying in business, the story involves the various people and processes necessary to produce a newspaper. Secret crimes and hidden agendas are gradually uncovered, and the guilty brought to justice.

While I didn't exactly dislike the book, I can't give it a hearty recommendation. It has all the elements of a great thriller, but doesn't fulfill its potential. The setting is interesting and the characters are fairly well developed and credible. The plot was also promising, with one very unique twist that I especially liked.
Unfortunately, the pace is slow, especially at the beginning with lengthy descriptions of the processes and mechanics of putting out a newspaper. These details are somewhat interesting but cause the plot to bog down at the beginning just when it should be drawing in the attention of the reader. The author seemed carried away with this. There were also numerous parts lamenting the state of journalism today that seemed preachy. Once was fine but the repetition of these ideas was not necessary.
Rather than the edge of your seat excitement that I relish in a thriller, this was more of a relaxed, Sunday buggy ride in the country. Not exactly bad, but not what I want in a thriller. This would make a great movie with some adaptation.

Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for a copy of the eArc in exchange for a fair review.


I will say that I recommend to start with Book 1, this will contain spoilers if you haven't read the first book in the series.


Jack and Maggie are back, Unpunished picks shortly after book 1 ends. Jack and his partner are investigating a Ronald Schultz who is a gangster who is constantly upgrading his crime level. This time they have caught him with attempted murder, and Jack is thinking about how he would just like to kill him.


However, before they get too involved in that they are called out to a suicide, but when Maggie shows they are all shocked to find that it isn't a suicide but a murder. Ronald Davis is the copy editor at the local paper. As they try to figure out what happened, another newspaper person is murdered, and as the bodies continue to mount up. Will Maggie and Jack be able to catch a killer before it's too late?



If you remember from book 1 Jack is a serial killer, kind of like Dexter in the fact that he only kills people that get away with crimes. However, Maggie caught him and covered for him, and they are bound by the fact that she killed someone as well. Except that neither of them wants to be a team, in fact Maggie wants him to stop killing people and move out of this city.



Jack has kept his promise for the most part, but more questions are raised when Ronald Schultz's body turns up, and Maggie asks for his prints. I will say that I thought the first book was okay, but this book brought it up a level. I enjoyed it a lot, they work well together despite being unwilling accomplices.


I also love that Maggie sort of struggles with the whole situation, because she is basically a good person, but at the same time she doesn't necessarily feel the guilt that she should. Jack is pretty okay with what he does, but I love that unlike Dexter he isn't willing and never considers getting rid of Maggie to protect his secret. It makes him sort of the best kind of killer, he only hurts people that one could argue deserve it.


I am glad I decided to review this book, I couldn't put it down and I really look forward to seeing where the two of them go in this series.

Book blurb...
Maggie Gardiner, a forensic expert who studies the dead, and Jack Renner, a homicide cop who stalks the living, form an uneasy partnership to solve a series of murders in this powerful new thriller by the bestselling author of That Darkness.

It begins with the kind of bizarre death that makes headlines—literally. A copy editor at the Cleveland Herald is found hanging above the grinding wheels of the newspaper assembly line, a wide strap wrapped around his throat. Forensic investigator Maggie Gardiner has her suspicions about this apparent suicide inside the tsunami of tensions that is the news industry today—and when the evidence suggests murder, Maggie has no choice but to place her trust in the one person she doesn’t trust at all . . .

Jack Renner is a killer with a conscience, a vigilante with his own code of honor. In the past, Jack has used his skills and connections as a homicide detective to take the law into his own hands, all in the name of justice. He has only one problem: Maggie knows his secret. She insists he enforce the law, not subvert it. But when more newspaper employees are slain, Jack may be the only person who can help Maggie unmask the killer-- even if Jack is still checking names off his own private murder list.

My thoughts…

While I enjoyed this story, the excessive descriptions about the newspaper publishing process and information about the newspaper business (which was repeated several times) left me feeling a little punished for picking this book.

Apart from those two things, the plot was well conceived and complicated enough to keep me guessing. The main characters of Maggie and Jack were likeable, although lacking backstory to make me understand them. I can see the relationship between a vigilante detective and a forensic expert being one that might provide fodder for a series.

Unpunished is a story that will keep you reading to determine who the murderer is and it will educate you on the printed newspaper as a medium in the future.

I really wish I had read That Darkness before I read Unpunished because I had so many questions about Maggie and Jack that couldn’t be answered in this book. I got frustrated because there were references to what happened to the first book and I had no clue what the characters were talking about.

But, besides my frustrations, I really enjoyed this story. I enjoyed it because it was a true vigilante/police novel. The last vigilante story that I read quickly turned into soft core book porn and the vigilante part was lost between the main characters bumping uglies. So, I was very pleased when this book didn’t even go near there.

I did like Maggie. She was so relatable on so many levels and she had a great relationship with her coworkers. She was a bit apprehensive when she found out that she was working with Jack on a case, but who wouldn’t be. I mean, she knows about his secret. She wasn’t unaffected by what happened to her (read the book to find out what) and she is required to see the police psychologist.

Now, Jack, on the other hand…..I wasn’t sure what to think of him. I wish I knew why he started vigilante killing (I am sure it was explained in the first book) because it would have explained a lot. I do know that I did start to see him soften towards Maggie, towards the end.

The newspaper storyline was pretty solid and moved rather quickly after the first victim was killed. I did have the killer pegged towards the middle book but doubted myself, took him off my list and added another person. All because of a red herring. Blah. I do want to say that I learned more about print newspapers and their equipment then I ever wanted to know.

The other storyline of Jack being a vigilante killer was barely touched upon. I do wish that it was included more in the book but I have a feeling it will be featured more in the next book. The reason I feel that way is because of certain events that happened towards the back of the book.

The end of the book was pretty gruesome and, to be honest, drug out a bit. I was a little surprised at who the killer was (see above). I will say that Maggie got the short end of the stick, again and that Jack seemed like he was softening up towards her.

How many stars will I give Unpunished: 4

Why: While I really liked the book, I do wish I had read book 1 before reading this one. Other than that, the book was great. The characters were engaging, the mystery was pretty good (had me going for a little while) and the thriller parts of the book were very well written. I do wish that more attention was paid towards Jack and him being a vigilante but at the same time, I do think that it would have taken away from the main storyline (the killings of newspaper employees).

Will I reread: Yes but only after reading book 1.

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Lisa Black's writing style is captivating and intelligent and makes me want to keep reading to know more. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and want to go back and read the first in this series (although this one works great as a stand alone). Loved it!!

There are a lot of gory murders that take place in this story, which I understand is the second in the series, now I haven’t read the first, but enough information was given for me to figure things out in this one.
The police detective is a Robin Hood type who believes in justice being handled by him, especially when the courts have let him down. I can see that there will be another book, as his on going system of justice will have to come to a head.
While this story has murders in the Cleveland newspaper, and we all understand that it is a dying industry. Sad, but that is progress, and it made a good backdrop for the tale. All we needed to do was figure out who was the culprit, and while we were looking our Maggie is the forensic part of the police, she takes samples, and hope they lead to the perpetrator. Our police detective is Jack; also our vigilante cop, and we still have to solve four murders, and maybe more, dealing with the paper.
The book kept me guessing, and I almost could sympathize with Jack, but that sure wouldn’t be justice, and with someone following leads that may finally find him out, you are probably going to want to read the next book.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington, and was not required to give a positive review.

Dark newspaper publishing thriller

Maggie Gardiner, forensic expert, and Jack Renner, homicide detective, both work for the Cleveland Police Department. This is the second book in a series with these two protagonists. The first was THAT DARKNESS and if you haven't read it, you really should. It fills in all the missing pieces that are only hinted at in this book.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT

I have some mixed feelings about this book. In the first book I enjoyed the vigilante aspect that Jack brought to the story but that's a very small piece of this book.

In this story, the Cleveland Police are hunting down a killer who is killing off employees of the "Cleveland Herald" - the city's long-time newspaper.

This book was written exceptionally well and was actually quite informative about the dire straits that print journalism is facing. I don't know why exactly but the writing style reminded me of a favorite mystery author - Kate Wilhelm - and from me that's a huge compliment because I love Wilhelm's mysteries and her science fiction.

So, back to mixed feelings. I wanted more vigilantism (is that even a word), bloodthirsty person that I am. But the story was so well written I can't really complain too much.

I received this book from Kensington Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Unpunished by Lisa Black that I read and reviewed.
The first thing that I am going to do is suggest that you read the first book in the series because it will help you understand Jack and Maggie's deal that is talked about a lot in this book. Things that took place in the first book also are still being dealt with in this book so in order to have a full understanding of what is going on, reading the first book will help.
As for Unpunished, I found it fascinating. I loved how Black looked at the newspaper business and how it is dying. Her unique way of having a killer use that industry to show his or her displeasure about what was going on I found very interesting because I use to work in that industry and how she described it brought back so many memories. The irony in the strap the killer used hang the victims was something a journalist would love reading and absolutely get.
This was the second book that we, as readers, get to see the pairing of Maggie Gardiner and Jack Renner who I love together even though they are polar opposites. Maggie is the by the book forensic expert and Jack is a cop by day and serial killer at night who have been forced to make a truce and work together and are now trying to find out who is killing people who work at the local newspaper. The chemistry between these two I can't decide if it is a love hate relationship because Maggie hates what Jack does in his spare time or if there is a small sliver of attraction there because you know what they say about love and hate? I guess we will have to see where as the series goes.
I kept jumping around guessing who the killer was in Unpunished. Black is a master a leaving hints but making you second or even third guess about what you think is right. Then you pick a suspect and the next thing you know he or she us hanging up by a strap. Guess that one was wrong. On to the next one. This was one of those books.
I can't wait to see what Black has planned next for Maggie and Jack in her next book. This is one of those series with a cop as a serial killer you have to ask yourself how long before he gets caught?
Unpunished gets five out of five stars.

At times this novel is interesting and surprising. The problems for me come from the lack of depth in the characters and plodding pace. The main gist of the lack of printed news leading to a lack of investigative journalism and less factual news is very timely

I read That Darkness, the first in this series, last year and although had a few mixed feelings, did enjoy it on the whole. I said at the time that I would be interested in seeing where the author took this series after certain revelations at the end of book one which affected both main characters and bonded them to each other via mutual secrets. If you haven't already read book one, then I would advise doing so as there is an awful lot of setting up and character definition that would be handy to have going into this follow up.
Detective Jack Renner is a vigilante serial killer. Maggie Gardiner, forensic investigator, knows this but has to keep his secret as he knows something about her too. Symbiosis at its very best! Anyway, in this book they are brought together once again to get to the bottom of the death of the copy editor of the local newspaper. Just as they start to investigate, there's another death related to the paper and so it becomes a race against time to solve the crimes.
There was a lot of detail in this book around newspapers and how they work. Who does what and how the electronic age is impacting on the printed side of things. So much so that it could have degenerated into a cross between a rant about technology and how it is impacting people and a documentary on how a paper is made but the author manages to include such details in ways and at times that I definitely didn't feel browbeaten or over-educated as I was reading. What is included is important within the plot of the book and so is appropriate in my opinion.
I remember from the first book that I struggled with my thoughts and feelings for Jack but that I warmed to him towards the end. I also remember that I found Maggie to be a bit self-limiting due to her own penchant for solidarity. In this book Maggie is a little bit warmer, albeit still quite untrusting and Jack, well, he's just Jack. Both of them have this sword of Damocles hanging from book one and so their behaviours are never going to be normal but, in the context of the storyline, they do come across as congruent and consistent. So, in plain English, the jury is still out on both of them but the trial is not over and I do want to read more about them.
The case itself was well plotted and also paced better. It's medium paced but that's probably due to the forensic elements of the storyline as well as the explanations of the industry which as already mentioned were a necessary evil to follow the ins and outs of the case under investigation.
All in all, a decent, solid follow up to a series that looks to be gaining momentum. Maybe book three will really cement it for me. Can't wait to find out.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.