A strange name, a kick-ass heroine, and a complicated traumatic past is the kind of protagonist that is right up my alley. I liked that Ms Reichs is trying a departure from the Temperance Brenna series, which, buy the way, is a series I love..

If you like a lot of action, your women with kick-ass skills and instincts, ones that act before they think and use their wit and sarcasm to great effect, then this is the book for you.

I liked it but didn't love it and had issues with the motivations behind the perpetrators - just not my cup of tea
.

Kathy has done it again with Two Nights!! I knew I loved her Temperance Brennan books but this one is amazing! Gut wrenching, terrifying, and a total emotional roller coaster. I literally could not put it down. On the light side, I liked how part of it was set in Louisville, Kentucky and the Kentucky Derbyshire. I lived and went to school there so it was awesome to "see" it again.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley and the publisher.

Sunday Night just wants to be left alone. Recluse by choice, she prefers Bob the squirrel to most humans she encounters. So when she is asked to find a missing girl who is most likely dead, she is hesitant to say the least. It takes some convincing, but something about Stella, the missing teen seems to be calling her.

Night intuitively believes Stella is still alive. She worries that the kidnappers are going to kill her or do irreparable damage if someone doesn’t find her soon. Unfortunately, that would mean she would have to take the case. Stella’s grandmother is willing to pay her a boatload of cash to find the kidnappers. Grandma isn’t the snuggly type. She is the rich, entitled crusty old woman who wants revenge for her daughter and grandson’s murders that happened when Stella was abducted. It is assumed they are the same people holding the teen.

Against her better judgement, Night takes the case, in part due to a dark time in her past. Once she is on the hunt, she will stop at nothing until she finds the girl. The fact the abductors will pull out all stops to keep Night from stopping them doesn’t sway her from her mission. Working outside of the law she is in a race against time to find the group of people that have Stella and may be planning something much bigger. If they have their way hundreds, possibly thousands of people will die.

Reichs pulls the reader into the story immediately. Done in first person, the reader knows everything that Sunday Night is thinking. Her stream of thoughts gives you the feel of who she is immediately. Not always a likeable person, Night really tries to respond how she should when someone annoys her, not how she wants to. While this novel is not a comedy, I smiled and chuckled more than once over Night’s unfiltered thoughts.

In addition to unforgettable characters, the places they travel to and visit are described so vividly you are right there with the characters. I especially loved it when they were in Chicago. I recognized exactly where Night was because I have been there many times. Reichs paints the landscape with her words, such as “…hatted heads like dots in a Seurat landscape” and “…a barrier of scraggly crepe myrtles doing their best”. The reader immediately has the scene the characters moving through in their minds.

Kathy Reichs is an amazing story teller. It is no surprise that she has been winning awards for her books since the first one she penned in 1997. Two Nights is a stand-alone novel but I selfishly want to read more books with Sunday Night as the main character. I hope Ms. Night is still whispering in Ms. Reichs’ ear so another novel featuring her will be coming soon. I read this book in just over 24 hours because I could not put it down.

Copyright © 2017 Laura Hartman

Sunday Night is an ex-cop and ex-military. One day, her friend Beau asks her to go see the wealthy Opaline Drucker. Opaline wants Sunday to investigate the death of her daughter and grandson, and find her missing granddaughter. They were killed in a bombing outside a Jewish school, and her granddaughter’s body was never found. Opaline is certain that her granddaughter is still alive because someone tried to access her bank account recently. Sunday starts her search in Chicago. Along with her brother, she is led on a hunt across the U.S., from California to D.C.

Sunday Night is a very unlikeable character. She narrates the story, and is very blunt. Though sometimes unlikeable characters can be effective, Sunday was too negative and flat.

The story moved slowly. There were also confusing chapters about a girl who was locked away in a house. It takes a long time to discover what those parts are about, and the outcome was disappointing.

Sunday also did a lot of strange things throughout her investigation, that made the story move slowly. She didn’t explain any of her plans. She would repeatedly do things, which got tiring after a while. For example, she always got a second hotel room, and never stayed where she was supposed to. She didn’t explain the purpose of this and it got tedious after the first few times. Fewer repetitive details like this would have made the story move faster and more enjoyable.

I really enjoy Kathy Reich’s other books about Temperance Brennan. There was even a reference to Bones in this story. I was excited to read this one too, but it was disappointing. It had too many details and not enough explanation.

Once again Brennan, Maura and all the characters have evolved as they intwine with new and interesting characters to solve another unusual murder with excitement and tenacity

A departure from her Tempe Brennan novels, this felt rather derivative. A tough, no-nonsense woman (with a ridiculous name) who has withdrawn from life, unwillingly goes on the trail of a missing woman whose circumstances echo her own difficult childhood. Perfectly readable, but less distinctive than her other work.

This is the first book by Kathy Reichs that I have read. I can tell she is an accomplished writer as the story hooked me from the beginning and then proceeded to keep my attention with plenty of action. The main character, Sunday, was a bit difficult to like. She was sarcastic, and at times downright abrasive; however, the author slowly peeled back the layers of her past and gave us a look behind the surface into why she behaved the way she did. In spite of her attitude, she really was a good protagonist for this story because her past added to her desire to find the young girl and bring her home. The story is neatly wrapped up by the time the book ends.

There was one thing that did bother me: in the beginning of the book police officer Beau, says G--damn a lot. There are also other places throughout the book that this comes up and times when the name of the Lord is used as swear word . I have known a lot of police officers over the years, and I’ve never heard any of them talk like that. I don’t like when I see language like that in books, and I also feel it’s unfair to stereotype these men and women who work to keep us safe as people who can’t speak without using profanity. (This is not the only author I have noticed that does this.)

I’d like to see more by this author—hopefully without the bad language.

This book was somewhat hard to engage with, for several reasons. The first would be the main character, Sunday Night, has not dealt with the traumas from her past and has very limited interaction with the world, making it hard to get a sense of who she is and to relate to her, as you only slowly get revelations throughout the book. The other reason has to do with the realism and pacing of the plot, which has the main character doing something and then waiting to see what the reaction from the "bad guys" will be, so the pacing was a little uneven, with bits of action, and then a lot of sitting, waiting, and observing. However, there was also something very compelling about the story of the girl gone missing during the bombing death of her family, that you, like Sunday, feel compelled to continue searching for the answers, which I feel is a common thread in novels by Reichs. Overall, I think this book is a rewarding read, if you are willing to be patient.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley, so I could give my honest opinions.

I have been slowly collecting the books in Reichs' Temperance Brennan series but I haven't read one yet, so I don't know the author's style. However, I had very high hopes for this stand-alone because of how well the Brennan series has done. Sadly, I was ultimately disappointed. The story was interesting, and the alternating perspectives between chapters introduced a twist I didn't see coming. But I had such an issue with the way it was written. Very short sentences, most incomplete (kinda like this one). I was confused half the time and although I got used to it over the course of the book, it was off-putting to the last page. I also couldn't connect to any of the characters because of this writing style. I honestly didn't like Sunnie at all. In the end, I felt "meh" about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a free digital copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I never thought I'd see the day that Kathy Reichs wrote a book as disappointing as this. This book has too much detail and it's boring. It moves at a snail's pace. I can't recommend this one.

Not her best work , but I did enjoy the characters of Gus and Sunday . I will read more by Reichs in the future.

I love Kathy Reichs and she has never let me down when it comes to a great read. She continues to keep me enthralled in Two Nights. I am eager to meet a new character, Sunday Night.

We begin on Goat Island, which is like Mackinac Island, but more rustic, consisting of shacks with no power or septic…the mosquitoes run rampant. It made me think of a visit to Chappaquiddick, where I thought they would carry me away.

I couldn’t help but chuckle when Gus is hiding things before letting Bean, the cop into his home. Gus had been a cop too, but quit after a justified shooting could have cost him his life. Now, the only way to reach him is by boat or carrier pigeon.

Sunnie is now on the search for a missing teen that may have been taken by a cult. Sunday Night, what a name. I like her, her solitude and enjoyment of the thrill of the hunt. She has a sarcastic attitude, some would consider rude and I can relate to that.

I love a damaged heroine and we have one here. Headstrong, determined, dangerous, she can hold her own, but she knows when to call in help. She needs someone covering her back.

Stella was calling to her and she would find her.

Cults, some seriously creepy people and things happen. When I think of cults, the first thing that pops into my mind is Jim Jones and the horrifying deaths in Guyana. I can never understand giving up everything, putting your life entirely in someone else’s hands.

The clock is ticking…Time is running out. If she’s alive, what kind of shape will she be in? What have they done to her, both mentally and physically?

State by state, clue by clue, step by step, her and Gus search for Stella and the one that holds her.

I don’t want to spoil Stella’s story but how she endures, I do not know. STRONG is a weak word in describing how very determined she is to survive. The terror and torture would be the end of some of the strongest men and women.

Stella tells some of her story in short chapters that had my emotions and respect for her….one eyed, kickass, take no prisoners, been through hell and back but never quits fight to survive.

Cults, terrorism, damaged heroes, and characters that will tug at your heartstrings and scare the hell out of you. You think you know what’s going on and how the story will end, but think again.

Kathy Reichs had me shaking my head, picking my jaw up off the floor and congratulating her on one hell of a ride in the life and soul of Sunny Nights. This ain’t no BONES you’re reading about.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Two Nights by Kathy Reichs.

Sunday (Sunnie) Night is an ex-marine, ex-cop who is living on Goat Island as a recluse. You quickly learn that she has a lot of baggage that has scarred her emotionally. When her friend, Beau, visits her on the island, he tells her he has a job for her. Opaline Drucker wants to hire her to find her granddaughter. At first Sunnie wants to turn it down but figures she will go and hear her out before making her final decision. The story she hears convinces Sunnie to take the job. With all expenses covered and a possible payout of 140,000.00, she sets her plan in motion. She sets off solo, but picks up help along the way as her life becomes endangered. Will she find Stella? Is she still alive? Who is trying to kill Sunnie?

I don't want to give the plot away, but suffice it to say that it keeps you turning the pages. Kathy Reichs is an excellent writer whether she is penning a book in her Tempe Brennan series, or this standalone thriller. The one thing I found was that the main character was rather unlikeable. She was argumentative, rude, quick to temper and put herself and others in danger. As her story unfolds, I started to see why she was that way and she started to grow on me. There are two narrators in the story, Sunnie and an adolescent girl. The story comes together very nicely in the end. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as many of her other ones. A good book for those who like thrillers and suspense.

I am going to be pretty blunt here. I have never read a book by Kathy Reichs before. Nope, haven’t read the Temperance Brennan series. So I am going into this review of Two Night as a new reader to this author and what I say in this review might not be a popular opinion or go with the flow of the other reviews.

I don’t think that Sunnie was supposed to be a likable character. She was too brash and tended to rub me the wrong way while reading. But, I actually enjoyed it. I liked that there was a female main character who was extremely flawed physically (she got stabbed in the eye and lost 30% of her sight) and she carried psychological scars from her time in a cult and overseas. It gave her depth that I rarely see in female main characters in this genre.

I did like that Sunnie was kind of forced to open up and rely on people during her investigation into the disappearance of Opaline’s granddaughter, Stella. She called her twin brother, Gus, in to help her when things got a bit out of control in Chicago and then she had to rely on the local police to thwart a terrorist attack and save Stella. Speaking of Stella, I really felt bad that Sunnie got so emotionally involved in finding her. In a way, I feel that she used Stella’s investigation to come to terms with her own awful past.

There was a parrell storyline to the main one. This storyline was heartbreaking. Not going to get into it too much but I will say this, I couldn’t figure out if the author was talking about Stella or Sunnie until almost the end of the book.

The end of the book was what I expected and then some. I liked the closure that all the storylines got and I am hoping that the author writes another book with Sunnie as her heroine. I would be very interested to see what future books would hold for her.

How many stars will I give Two Nights: 3.5 (rounded up to 4 for Goodreads)

Why: Good book with a fast-paced plot and great storylines

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language and violence

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

I know that I am never disappointed when I settle in to read anything from Kathy Reichs, so I was not surprised to find myself immediately drawn into Two Nights.

According to the blurb, Two Nights is a stand alone mystery. I hope that it will turn into a series, because I enjoyed the main character Sunday Night or Sunnie. She is tough, rising above a disastrous childhood.

There is a bombing at a school and a teenage girl is missing, assumed to be taken by the bombers. Sunnie is called in by the girl’s grandmother to find her. When the case gets even trickier, Sunnie gets help from her unusual twin brother, August.

There are some twists and turns, but the mystery flows along with Sunnie putting clues together. There is the usual witty one liners, very dry, that I love in police and forensic novels.

A good solid mystery, good character development, stayed up way too late reading!

I received an ARC copy.

Two Nights is a standalone novel from author Kathy Reichs.

Sunday “Sunnie” Night is an emotionally damaged ex-police officer who lives alone with only her thoughts and a half-tamed squirrel to keep her company. Her first instinct is to refuse when she’s offered the job of finding a girl kidnapped after her mother and brother were killed in a terrorist bombing. Seeing possible similarities to her own troubled past in the girl’s misfortune leads her to change her mind, however, and with the help of her brother, she sets out on the trail of a cult to try to bring the girl home to her grandmother.

Told with alternating perspectives from chapter to chapter, it almost feels like there are two stories being delivered at once. Neither is confusing, but I was kept in the dark until very near the end – and left thinking about the book for a while afterwards wondering how I “didn’t see it” – that’s as much as i can say without spoilers.

I think this would have been a four-star read for me if i had connected more to Sunnie, but I had a hard time liking her at first. She was starting to grow on my by the end though, so I do hope this standalone might turn into a new series.

NOTE: I was provided with a free copy of this book by Netgalley. All thoughts or opinions expressed are my own.

Kathy Reichs, famous for her Temperance Brennan series (“Bones” on TV) has written over 30 books (according to her website).

Having watched (but not yet read) Bones, and thoroughly enjoying Temperance, and seeing this was a standalone, I thought I’d try Two Nights. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for my ARC.

Sunnie is a recluse, with a squirrel for a friend. She is contacted to help with a case of a missing girl and must meet with Opaline Drucker, a wealthy socialite who lost a daughter and a grandson in a bombing. The teenaged granddaughter went missing at the time.

Sunnie is my kind of heroine. Gutsy, smart; damaged and scarred, she seems afraid of nothing, and everything. She’s angry and takes on the world, yet resourceful and packs her underwear - and some serious weapons. I loved her strength and the glimpse we had of her soul. Her strong voice rang true, and this was written well - short chapters, lots of dialogue, and many villainous stalkers out to get her before her mission was accomplished.

Ms. Reichs is a forensic anthropologist, and this novel is more action and psychological thriller than forensic, which may disappoint Temperance fans. I had no basis of comparison.

However, I was a little baffled by all the crypticism (yes, that isn't a word, but it should be). There is a reason and a reveal which I won’t spoil, but I wondered whether it was worth all the subterfuge. It may make others less patient with this action-packed engrossing page turner.

This review is posted on my blog from today (12 July), and I will link it to my Goodreads review, my Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest feeds. (Links below).

I was given the opportunity via NetGalley to read an electronic copy of Two Nights. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Sunday "Sunnie" Night is a determined, tough-as-nails woman who constantly feels the need to look over her shoulder. With skills gained from her shortened careers in both the military and the police department, Sunnie is asked to put her expertise to good use after the granddaughter of an influential woman disappears. Quickly learning that she needs someone she trusts to watch her back, Sunnie calls on the assistance of her twin brother Gus. With their lives, and the lives of others, on the line, will the siblings be able to figure out the crime and the perpetrators before time runs out?

Sunnie is a woman with flaws, but she challenges herself in an attempt to make her weaknesses become strengths. With a well developed plot and good characterization, Two Night is a standalone novel that I hope will become the beginning of a new series. Kathy Reichs does a good job of creating suspense and drama, especially in regards to the story that runs parallel to the main plot. As a big fan of the author's other bodies of work, I was excited to read Two Nights. I was not disappointed and would recommend the book to readers who like suspense thrillers.

I went into this one completely blind because I've always loved the authors work, so I had absolutely no idea what the book was about. Best decision ever!! This book was amazing!! An edge of your seat mystery with so many twist & turns that you never know what going to happen next. Sunday Night is hired to find out what happen to a young girl after a bomb detonated. What Sunday uncovers opens up a whole new set of questions that she must find the answers to and also has her thinking more & More about her own past.

This book was given to me for free at my request by Netgalley and I provided this review voluntarily

--4.5 stars--

I don’t read much within the forensic crime and mystery genre these days, but I have a few favorite authors who continue to entice me back into that world with each new release. When I saw Miss Reichs was releasing a standalone, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity explore a new world of hers.

From the outset, Miss Reichs effectively sets the main character, Sunday Night, far apart from the Temperance Brennan stories. Her socially awkward and aloof personality came through not only in her interactions and inner dialogue, but also in the writing style and rhythm. While it took me time to adjust to the more staccato, broken style, I ended up appreciating how well it captured this character and her way of interpreting the world. I did struggle to relate to Sunday initially, but I was thrilled by the introduction to her brother. Their relationship significantly developed her personality, taking a character who was initially difficult to connect with and humanizing her through lively banter and a level of vulnerability. I also loved how the reader really got to see some of Sunday’s inner concerns and thoughts as the current mystery forced her to reflect on her painful past. Miss Reichs’s books always make me think, not only as I try to piece together the clues and discoveries, but also in regards to social issues or the way circumstances shape main or secondary characters. This was especially apparent in Two Nights because the reader is exposed to a wholly different character with a very unique background.

The mystery itself immediately captured my interest. There were plenty of secondary characters to add to the intrigue along the way, but more than that it was seeing how Sunday’s brain worked through the clues to unravel the crime. The action scenes were balanced and fast-paced, complete with rapid-fire detail but not so descriptive that it diminished the intensity. And the twists…there wasn’t one but a few, and I really didn’t see any of them coming. I love that about this author. There’s always a build, always excitement, and always the unexpected revelation. The fact that the reader gets to experience that along with the character makes it a thrilling read. In Two Nights, we get all that, plus a new character to explore. Though Sunday Night may not be quite as personable as Temperance Brennan, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting her and seeing her perspective. I think Kathy Reichs fans or readers looking for a different sort of lead character will also enjoy this title.