This book is part two in a series and definitely a series that you want to start with book one. While it can be read as a stand alone, you get so much more from the story if you have read book 1, That Darkness, first.

This book is part mystery and part suspense and the topic is one that I love to read. Police drama and who-done-it, with the forensic twist.

The author is combines her skill at the evidence and tells a story about how one forensic expert follows the leads and gets herself involved in the investigation. I love the character of Jack and while he is involved in the story, much of his character seemed downplayed in this book. I am hoping that changes in future stories.

A interesting read that looks at crime through a different set of eyes. The author give us a engrossing read that is a combination of mystery and suspense where everyone has something to hide.

(2) This book goes in lots of directions. Sub plots all over the place. The problem is, none of them are that interesting. The conclusion is sort of exciting but the characters and the story are not. It just kind of spins and spins.

Vigilante executions and death penalty are both despicable and unjustifiable in my opinion. Nethertheless while reading this novel I could sympathize with Jack who is a vigilante killer - and a cop. Maggie knows it but can't talk about it. The reason is told in part one of this series that I haven't read yet. They have to work together although their relationship is more than complicated.
Their new case in the world of a dying newspaper is gripping, cruel, and full of suspense. It's expertly told and will keep your interest until the last page.
Lisa Black's writing voice is flowing smoothly and life-like without being vulgar, sometimes spiiced with a fine sense of humour. I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Maggie Gardiner and Jack Renner were first introduced in THAT DARKNESS. I highly recommend reading THAT DARKNESS before starting this one.

Maggie is a forensic expert while Jack is a homicide detective. Jack is a serial killer -- but he only kills the bad guys ... the ones who have never paid for their crimes. Maggie knows this, but she's keeping quite because she also has secrets .. and Jack knows what they are. They've managed to form a truce ... and only pray that no one else discovers what's really going on.

A copy editor at the local newspaper is found hanging at work. When Maggie is called in to work her CSI magic, she finds that this is really murder. And because it is murder, she's going to have to deal with Jack, as he is a homicide detective.

And then there's another death at the newspaper ... another hanging, another murder. As more bodies fall, Maggie and Jack have to work together to find out why ... and who's next?

What ties them all together?

I really have enjoyed both books in this series. Jack, although a killer, has his own personal moral and ethical codes. Other than his penchant for vigilante killings, he's quite likeable. Maggie is very proficient in her job, which is how she discovered Jack's "hobby". She doesn't quite trust him, but in this case, she has no other alternative.

I've learned everything I would ever want or need to know about the newspaper business. So much of what was written is very contemporary. If you're a fan of forensics, this will be a dream book for you. The author has certainly done her research well.

I've been reading Lisa Black for several years ... she just gets better and better.

My rating --- 5 for the book, another 5 for the series.

The second book in the Gardiner and Renner series. Maggie Gardiner is a forensic investigator with the Cleveland Police department. Jack Renner is a detective. Jack also is a serial killer, a vigilante killer who takes the law into his own hands when bad guys go unpunished. Maggie knows Jack's secret, but because he saved her life, they have an uneasy truce.

When a copy editor at the Cleveland Herald newspaper is killed, Maggie and Jack both become involved in the case. When more newspaper employees turn up dead, they realize they have another serial killer on their hands. But what is his motive?

I have read the first book in the series That Darkness and really enjoyed it. This one was quite good too. The mystery is intriguing and not too easy to solve. There is much talk about the decline of newspapers in this country, as everything moves to a digital format. The newspapermen in the story love their jobs and are sad by the current state of things. The reader gets a real education on this topic.

It seems like there is going to be another book in the series, as there was talk by other detectives about the "vigilante" killer, who is really Jack. I hope this series continues, because I really like it. It is fun, and enjoyable, and the book held my interest the whole way through.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Maggie and Jack team up again to solve the murder of a newspaper employee only to find out that there has been more murders. This unlikely duo learn all about the newspaper business, as do the readers, as they race to solve the case before another murder happens. This is the second book in the series. To get a better understanding of Maggie and Jack's history, readers may want to read The Darkness first. Very entertaining story.

This book is great. I absolutely love the interaction between Jack and Maggie. If things were different I would almost be rooting for them to be a couple. They are one of my new favorite series/couples. This was a great thriller and I look forward to more books with Jack and Maggie.

I would like to thank Kensington Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of "Unpunished" by Lisa Black. I had not realized this was a sequel, and at times felt frustrated. The genre is mystery and fiction. The plot revolves around murders taking place at the Cleveland Herald. Most of the characters are not likeable. Maggie Gardiner, a forensic expert, and Jack Renner, a homicide cop find themselves working together. Both have a complicated and complex history. Jack appears to be a vigilante and Maggie seems to feel that it is her obligation to keep him in line. There are twists and turns, and everyone seems to be the suspect. I would suggest reading the first book.

The most fascinating elements of this novel are the forensic analysis - well, okay, they are repeated a few times and the murders are relatively similar - I think what irked me despite the really strong drive of the narrative despite repetitions, were characterisations - a bit cliched - and Maggie, the forensic officer, has an ex-husband and a colleague who has a personal deal with her about secrets in their past - and a strange chemistry between them despite that. We get a lot of information about small newspapers and printing presses, etc. And people who are strangely cold to each other - and two police officers with such similar names i was not sure who was who except that one was an ex-husband! In fact, this is very intelligent, and the story has twists right up until the end - they are similar twists except until the end - but ... some red herrings along the way too .. but a good job after all, and I was truly engaged and wanted to now what happened - always important to me as a reader of crime stories.

Maggie Gardiner and Jack Renner are in the crime-solving business together. She as forensic scientist and he as a homocide cop in Cleveland. But they also have another partnership going: keeping each other's secrets to both's benefit.

When people start to die at a newspaper business, the duo end up working together again, pretending not to know each other on a social level. They mutually agreed that they were not friends, but did not regard each other as enemies either. The official blurb blasts the secrets of this team way out of the water, yet, I do not want to do the same.

What I do know about this book is that I liked the author's approach to her story. No chick-lit favors being dished out; no melodrama. The situation is embedded in reality as we know it and the events are possible.

The newspaper business are dying, throwing journalistic integrity out with the closing of premises and chasing journalists into oblivion. Unless they cater to the superficial Hollywood craze, publishing stories about famous people's shoe sizes or private lives, nobody bothers with the news anymore. Democracy is in crises when investigative journalism are nailed into coffins and buried, while internet media, often with profit and greed in mind, and truth positioned in the last place of importance, attend the funeral with ruthless apathy in tow.

I don't want to say more about the plot. It is a high-voltage, informative, entertaining murder mystery. There is a little bit of word dumping taking place in describing the News Business. It left me slightly bored.

It is also not the best whodunit I have ever read, but for various reasons I rate this book five stars. One of them is that there's not chick-lit elements in it. Another one is the absolute fast-paced storyline riddled with ruthless suspense. And a third is that it can be enjoyed as a standalone, even though it is the second book in a series. I haven't read the first one. That Darkness is number one. It is obvious in the ending that 'n third book is planned, yet, as a stand-alone it is a powerful ending, allowing the readers to honor the imagination and do with it what we like.

I really enjoyed the experience tremendously. And yes, I hope to read That Darkness as well.

Thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to get acquainted with this author's work and providing a review copy. It was a delight. I can read this author again, for sure!

Fascinating story that was chock full of suspense, mystery, and drama. Loved the writing, characters, and story!

Unpunished returns to the world of Maggie Gardiner, forensic scientist, and Jack Renner, homicide detective (and vigilante killer). Maggie and Jack have an uneasy truce born of mutually assured destruction following the events of the first book in the series, That Darkness. Unpunished is a little lighter on the forensic science than the first book, but it was still an interesting and fun detective novel. Readers who haven't read the first book may feel a little lost regarding the Jack and Maggie tension, but would still be able to enjoy the mystery arc within Unpunished. I am curious to see where the Maggie/Jack relationship is headed in the next installment!

Unpunished is Lisa Black's second book about forensic expert Maggie Gardener and homicide detective Jack Renner. Although the plot here works as a standalone, I would suggest reading That Darkness first in order to fully understand Maggie and Jack's complicated relationship and their shared history.
This case starts off with the apparent suicide of a copy editor at the Cleveland Herald. But soon further deaths follow, all related to the Herald newspaper. Why would anybody target the staff of a struggling newspaper?
I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series. Maggie's character, in particular, is far better developed here. Jack's entertaining relationship with his cop partner, Riley, and his strained, ambivalent relationship with Maggie was fun to follow. The only thing that really slowed this down a little too much for me at times was the very detailed information regarding the decline of the print media industry. Ms. Black has obviously put a lot of research into this. I felt properly educated as to the processes of producing a newspaper and the sorry state of the print industry after reading this. Aside from that, this was a solid murder mystery. The vigilante theme is less prominent in this one than in the first book, but the ending leaves plenty of scope for an exciting third book in the future.
I look forward to it.

UNPUNISHED by Lisa Black. Second book in the series featuring Maggie Smith, a forensic expert, and homicide detective Jack Renner who has been known to take the law into his own hands and dish out justice as he sees fit. Interesting and engrossing murder mystery that also highlights many of the reasons behind the death of print media, i.e. newspapers and provides interesting insight into the actual printing press process of getting a newspaper to print.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Apparently this is the second novel in a series. I hate when that happens. I was still able to follow along with little details on the backstory between Jack and Maggie. There seemed to be a lot of gruesome murders for a somewhat mundane reason but I suppose that's always the case when a psychopath is involved. The story had some boring detail about the newspaper industry but it still moved along at a decent pace.

This was a very interesting well plotted novel. It is a murder mystery, but more than that, is the story of the death of a newspaper and the reasons why. Our protagonists are a forensic investigator and a homicide detective, both with lots and lots of baggage. It would bring in too many spoilers to go any further into the plot, but worth your time and effort. Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington for an ARC for an honest review.

This was a really good book that kept my interest. I was impressed by how thorough the author was in describing the work and living situations of the murder victims, especially the running of the newspaper and the presses.

At first, I figured this would be just another murder mystery in a long string of them that I have recently read, but this book offers a lot more than that. If you like your central characters to be flawed and be more than they first seem, these ones will do that for you.

Without giving away any important information, it is hard to really tell you everything I liked about this book. I will go with the most basic things. The dialogue is well written and interesting, especially between the two main characters. Their relationship is one that you can never really figure out. Sometimes it seems they hate each other, and sometimes it seems there is some connection there that even the most dedicated of readers would struggle to understand.

I also liked the way the crime scenes were described. Lisa Black leaves enough room for you to use your imagination, but offers enough info to send you on your way, imagining what it would be like.

The ending of the book was not what I expected. I think this is a great series and a really strong second book. Recommended.

This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I will state first that I wish I had read the previous book introducing the 2 main characters. I felt I was a little behind and might have missed something, but part way through I felt caught up since the author shared a lot of the background from the first book. I was most impressed with the newsroom itself. The absolutely wonderful description of the newsroom, the bull pen, the printing presses and more really captivated me. Like the author, I too feel that actual newspapers might be a thing of the past soon enough, and that is a little sad. I do not rehash plots, since everyone else feels the need to, I just tell it like it is. This is a murder mystery, a relationship experience, forensic science and more. The characters are fully drawn and believable and I look forward to the next chapter in their lives.

This had a Dexterish feel to it except Jack is a cop, who has gotten fed up with all of the recycling in and out of jail of killers and just downright bad people. Maggie is a forensics scientist for the Cleveland PD and she knows about Jack and he knows that she knows.

You don't have to have read the first book, but I would. Maggie is spending a lot of time babysitting and making sure Jack is sticking to their deal and not killing anyone. They have a rather uneasy truce between them. While her ex-husband is slightly suspicious.

They are back working together when a copy editor at the newspaper is found hanging from the walkway dead. The print side of the paper is on a fast downhill slide, as most papers are. This was a very timely story in that regard and I learned quite a bit about the news business, as does Maggie.

When more people start dying, the one thing they have in common is they all work for the paper. It's up to Jack and Maggie to figure out why and who is behind this.

i really enjoyed this book and you can't help but like Jack! Maggie has developed nicely in this book. Bold, more sure of herself. All in all it was a really good thriller and I would highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington. Try it out Here

Maggie and Jack continue their tenuous relationship as they are forced together in the investigation of a series of strange murders at the large, downtown newspaper. New characters and old combine to create a dark and suspenseful story. The murders continue as the clues slowly unravel the motive. Personal relationships between many of the characters provide a c0ntinuing distraction to the investigation and keep the mystery level high. The city of Cleveland is well-displayed, with many local attractions depicted as part of the action. This is a good, well-written story that triggers some moral contemplation as well.