This story was fine, but nothing that was different or will stick with me after reading it. It was a quick read. I wish that it hadn't been so predictable. And the motivation of the killer? I still don't understand it.

Pretty well written. I thought it was very interesting that this was a novel inside a novel. It for sure held my attention.

Adam Mitzner is a new author to me. I would be curious to try more books by him. I thought he did a great job writing the girl's characters. I feel like men do not always write women characters this well. Well done.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is such a unique mystery/thriller - a book with in a book - that made the storytelling so creative.

Ella, an attorney, is extremely close to her sister Charlotte, a writer, when Charlotte suddenly goes missing. Ella uses the clues in Charlotte's half written novel to find her sister.

Such a fast paced, great read. I've already purchased the next in the series!

Ella Broden and her sister, Charlotte, are best friends. So when Charlotte calls Ella and asks her to meet across town for some exciting news, Ella runs over immediately. The good news from Charlotte is that her book has been accepted by a publisher. Charlotte gives her sister a copy of the manuscript – only the first part is finished – and Ella goes back to work. Ella starts to read Charlotte’s manuscript, just before Charlotte goes missing. Soon she realizes that Charlotte’s book is based on actual happenings and the characters are based on real people in Charlotte’s life, albeit disguised; Ella is sure that the clues will help her find what’s happened to her sister. Ella, who hasn’t dated much lately, meets a man while singing karaoke in a bar, sleeps with him that night, and confides in him about her sister; he is very helpful, Ella falls in love, and is very trusting of this wonderful new man who is helping through her crisis.

While this book is well-written, and the characters are well-developed, it seems that both sisters do not have any sense of moral fiber; both will sleep with anyone, especially Charlotte, and that sleeping-around-syndrome is what has gotten her into trouble. Her live-in boyfriend is the first suspect in her disappearance, but she has been cheating on him and is having relationships with two others. The police are looking to find the other two, and with the clues in the book, Ella is able to identify them.

Although Dead Certain is a good story, with plenty of suspense which builds throughout, it is a book for adults due to the prevalent sexual innuendo. In fact, the entire plot is based on Charlotte’s and Ella’s propensity to sleep around. Adam Mitzner is an excellent writer, but his subject matter isn’t for everyone; he is an excellent storyteller and has the ability to keep the interest of those readers who enjoy his subject matter.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was one of my favorite books that I have read in 2017. From the first page, the story really hit the ground running. This was a well paced novel, that provided different viewpoints from various characters.

I would highly suggest this book!

Rating 3.5 Stars

To live the life not taken if only one night a week.

Ella Broden a defense attorney working with her father has always done what is expected of her. Her sister Charlotte lives life care free and on her own terms. The sisters lives are so different, but are they? The introduction pulls you in with their relationship. A sisterhood that is bounded by loss, love and acceptance. When Charlotte shares the good news of being published with Ella, Ella is excited for her sister that she will be living her dream. Charlotte gives her ARC of the novel Dead Certain. A prose of a woman caught in a relationships nightmare. S being the key word. Ella kids her sister of how much is based on her own life. Ella finds out when Charlotte's boyfriend calls several days later claiming that Charlotte is missing.

With a current case that her and her father are working on, and the murder of a young woman that was reported missing weeks ago, Ella begins reading her sister's prophetic novel and knows that one of the three men involved in her sister's nightmare may be a killer.

The narration is done with Ella's voice, her sister's novel and the mystery man. Each drawing you closer to the truth of what happened to Charlotte.

The sister's relationship is built on acceptance but I struggled with this as some accepting behaviors that are harmful is not loving. Being judgmental and discerning are two different things and one actually saves another from pain and bad choices. It may be the Christian mom in me, but if that was my daughter, sister, friend, I would be worried for her instead of celebrating. That being said, the novel did pull me in. I was at the edge of my seat wanting to know the why. I did figure out the who, but it was the logistics of it that kept me in the game.

A Special thank You to Thomas Mercer and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

With certainty it can be said that Adam Mitzner has another winner with Dead Certain.
With a recent book deal just signed, Charlotte gives her sister Ella the first half of the book to read.
The disappearance of Charlotte shortly thereafter puts Ella, a former assistant DA into investigation mode. She shortly realizes that the half written book provides many useful clues although some are tantalizingly just slightly off..or are they?
A book well worth your time.

In DEAD CERTAIN attorney Ella tries to solve the mystery of her sister Charolotte's disappearance. While Ella and Charlotte are both interesting characters and Mitztner's writing is polished, Ella's reactions to her sister's disappearance did not ring true and the villain was apparent early on. So while the book was entertaining, it didn't move me to pursue more of Mitzner's work.

VERY good thriller by author Adam Mitzner! This is the first book I've read by this author, and it was a great introduction to his work. This one kept me glued to my kindle until it was finished! Narrated by the two main characters and from different viewpoints made it especially interesting and fascinating. I loved it and definitely recommend this book!

What a twist-filled story. I did guess what was was going on pretty early, but that did not take away from the book to me, I still enjoyed reading it until the end. I finished this book in about two hours. I am shocked, just shocked, to see so many people saying the characters are not fleshed out enough, and that the book is dull... I dont know exactly how much backstory you need to feel connected to the character, but in this case I will say that the person reviewing this book and saying the characters are not well developed is totally FALSE.I simply so not understand how so much negativity is being placed on a book that is really well written and full of characters that are likable, well fleshed out and interesting! A really nice summer read! Dont let the bad reviews fool you, those reviews are FALSE.

Review goes live on Butterfly-o-Meter Books on June 24 at 00.00 am gmt+2 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Hell yeah!
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: Loved the New York setting. There were spots that really made it sing (like Tom’s Restaurant – all hail Seinfeld!).
Characters: Ella was a very complex and beautifully layered character. In the beginning she came off as the good girl, following dad’s lead, and practicing a no-nonsense attitude that might have made her seem cold, but there was something about her that attracted my undivided attention from the get-go. Then as Cassidy came into play and things happened, the real Ella shone through: passionate, determined, relentless even. I particularly liked her sharp mind that made good connections without making unrealistic leaps of logic.
Charlotte seemed interesting at first sight – the total opposite of Ella, in a way. But as things progressed I found myself liking her less and less, mainly because of the promiscuity factor I think.
And then comes the cast of male characters, diverse and nuanced. Their dad was interesting, though easy for me to dislike; he seemed like a rock, Paul seemed to be shady from the first moment he appeared in the story, Dylan seemed like a cool guy – appearances are SO deceiving when it comes to the guys in the story. The only one who came across as sincere and a genuinely good guy was Gabriel – but then again I also have soft spot for detectives, so maybe I’m a bit biased.
The real kicker is when Christopher comes into play, but I’m not saying anything more or I’d spoil your fun.
Plot: I really enjoyed the mystery of Charlotte’s disappearance – it was thought-provoking and intriguing pretty much every step of the way. The novel she wrote was a very cool narrative tool, introducing elements of her life in her absence but in an unreliable narrator sort of way since what she’d wrote wasn’t an exact depiction of things. It left me always wondering about this or that, and I loved the ride. The story has an alert and exciting tempo, and it’s pretty dramatic without going overboard on the drama. Plus there’s a sprinkle of romance and I enjoyed that too. It sweetened the ending, in a way. Gripping plot, all in all.
Writing: First person present tense narrative, Ella’s POV, with some of Christopher’s POV toward the end. I really liked Ella’s voice and the writing style did it for me big time.
Curb Appeal: Love, love, love the cover, and the blurb is hooking – total impulsive buy material for my Mystery/Thriller moods!

I had a hell of time reading Dead Certain, and will tell you one thing: you can only be certain that this is a freaking awesome ride. Everything else about the story and characters seems certain at different points, and the moment you become certain about anything you’re most likely proven dead wrong. Excellent read, and my 3rd Bomy Award for Excellence of the year.

I recommend it to fans of twist-licious mystery/thrillers that present more than one side of the story and lovers of a good, suspenseful reading.

My rating: 4 stars – very close to a 5 star rating.

Published: June 1, 2017

#17 – Amazon Charts/Fiction/Most Read – Week of June 18, 2017 – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Exciting, unputdownable read!!! Oh, but life got in the way of my reading this book as fast I would have liked!!!

DEAD CERTAIN is a psychological suspense thriller which is my favorite type of book to read. This is the first book by Adam Mitzner that I have read and it did not disappoint. He is now at the top of my TO BE READ list. There are four more standalones to devour!!! I am excited about that!!! And here is a male author writing a book from a woman’s standpoint and it was very easy to forget that fact!!! He was right on target in terms of showing Ella’s emotional nuances.

The book focuses on the relationship between the two sisters named Ella and Charlotte Broden and takes the reader on a journey to discover the truth of what exactly happened in their lives. There are many twists, turns and surprises to be uncovered.

Ella Broden is an attorney/aspiring singer who embarks on a search for her missing sister Charlotte, an writing student. She works at her father’s law firm during the day, defending high profile potential criminals so it could also be considered to be a legal thriller, however, it moves into the general suspense genre.

I liked the setup of the book which initially divided the events into days and then this setup evolves a little as the story unfolds. Even the setup of the book contains surprises. There is a story within the story which I found added a lot to the plot. I was kept on the edge of my seat and held on tight as the ride got twistier and twistier.

A varied cast of characters is introduced. Who is to be trusted? Has Charlotte been abducted? If so, who is involved? Is another missing girl’s case connected to Charlotte’s disappearance?

In the interest of not revealing any spoilers, I am intentionally leaving out specific details of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Great book! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

1 star

This book is a huge disappointment. It is filled with unneeded violence and badly written sexual situations. It is like a poor man’s “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Oh it is just bleh! I couldn’t get through it at all. I didn’t realize that it was borderline pornographic, or I would not have ordered it.

The characters were superficial and repetitive. I didn’t really care who was the killer, I just wanted it to end. There are far too many books out there to read without having to subject oneself to this kind of trash.

I think this is the first Thomas & Mercer book that I’ve trashed. I apologize to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the awful review since they were kind enough to forward this book for me to read.

I did enjoy the story line but did not how the book kept repeating itself by giving almost identical points of view from different characters. I did a lot of skimming on the points of view pages

Was a bit slow for my tastes; it really was more of a character driven study than a 'whodunnit.'

Attorney by day, torch singer by night, Ella makes sure to keep her two lives separate. When Ella gets word her little sister Charlotte has disappeared. she jumps into the investigation, determined to bring her sister home. Does he disappearance have anything to do with the book she just wrote? Working together with her old lover, detective Gabriel Velasquez, Ella discovers her sister’s novel is more fact than fiction and that the stories she’s spilled may have cost Charlotte her life. Tense and fast paced