I LOVE the Maxine Revere series! She’s an investigative reporter driven to solve cold murder cases. Max can be abrasive, but she’s principled, and loyal, and underneath all the prickle she’s got a heart. These stories start off tackling the evidence, witnesses; a bit crime procedural, but the tension increases bit by bit as we get closer to the truth! Shattered was a nail-biter by the end!

Maxine is approached by a John Caldwell, a former boyfriend from college, when his wife is accused of murdering their eight-year-old son, Peter. He wants Max to look into similar cases and prove his wife is innocent. Max is intrigued by the three cold cases and quickly spots similarities, but one of the unsolved cases is of seven-year-old Justin Stanton and she’s facing a major road block if she doesn’t agree to work with FBI agent Lucy Kincaid, Justin’s aunt.

Max is infuriated by the forced partnering; both Lucy and Max like to run the show and don’t trust easily. Max isn’t certain that Lucy won’t take over and run with all the information she’s uncovered, and Lucy’s not certain that Max won’t exploit her family’s tragedy for sensationalism and ratings. Surprisingly, they end up working very well together; respect, trust, and admiration slowly growing between them. The dynamic between Max and Lucy was fascinating, each trying to figure each other out. They were great together, and I hope we get to see them work together again!

The process of getting to the bottom of the murders, trying to find a connection between them and understand the motivations of the murderer was riveting. Lucy and Max both bring their talents to the table and tackle these heartbreaking, unsolved crimes. It becomes imperative to find this person when they realize another child might be in danger! By the end things were very intense, and I was so nervous for all involved!

As far as reading the Lucy Kincaid series first, I don’t think it’s necessary. I have read the first Lucy Kincaid book and others where she’s a secondary character or in the periphery, so I did have some prior knowledge of her past, but her background is detailed enough in Shattered to grasp the emotional toll Justin’s murder had on Lucy and the family. Justin and Lucy were best friends, both seven when he was abducted and murdered, a tragic event that forever shaped her future.

I think you could read Shattered as a standalone, but without reading the past Maxine Revere books you’d miss fundamental parts of her personality. She’s driven to find the truth, and get justice for victims. She can be kind of a bitch sometimes, but she’s totally grown on me! Also, you wouldn’t understand the relationship struggles she’s having: with Nick, her boyfriend and David her assistant/bodyguard and platonic friend. I was pleased with the final outcomes. I wasn’t thrilled with Nick at all by the end of the last book. I’m happy that Max is finally recognizing that she needs and deserves more, especially after seeing the love and absolute trust between Sean and Lucy.

While this current mystery is solved to satisfaction, the last scene has me chomping at the bit to get the next Maxine Revere book! I haven’t seen any information on a release date, but I can’t wait!

A copy was kindly provided by Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review is also posted at The Readers Den.

Shattered by Allison Brennan was a great “who done it”. I did not realize when I picked out the book that it was the latest in a series and I do not think it hindered me. Max Revere is a nontraditional crime reporter. She takes cold cases and works with her team to figure out what happened and who was the guilty of the crime.

An old college friend begs Max to help him prove his wife did not kill their son. Since Max does not work on current crimes, he convinces her that his child’s death is similar to other children’s deaths, that she can investigate. It is looking into the older crimes that Max realizes that this may be the work of a serial killer. She is forced to accept help from FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid, the aunt of the boy murdered twenty years ago. Between Max’s ability to track down old information and Lucy’s ability to step into the mind of the killer, the case begins to narrow down the suspects and then they realize a young boy is soon to be the next victim.

I was hooked right from the start and couldn’t wait to discover what was going to happen next. The characters and the twists and turns of the storyline kept me right on the edge. I really enjoyed how all the information was laid out and how I fell totally into the story.

Shattered by Allison Brennan was a great book to read.

This book took me out of my usual genre reading and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience! Max Revere is an investigative reporter who has been asked, no begged, to look into the possibility of a serial killer of young boys and how it may relate to the killing of his son. She usually only investigates cold cases but promises to take a look. This brings in Lucy Kincaid who was related to one of the earlier victims. Can they work together? Can they trust each other enough to not explode and bring it all down?

There is a lot of backstory which I found helpful but made the early part of the story lag but even though there was so much I slogged through it and tried to keep it all straight. Once the backstory was over and the rest took over, the book flew and was GREAT. For this reason, I will be on the lookout for the next book in the series (either Max or Lucy).

**Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

"It was so much easier to hate than it was to forgive."

I've read quite a few of author Brennan's books in the past - those being in her Lucy Kincaid series. This is the first book of hers I've read with Max Revere as a protagonist. In fact, both Max and Lucy star in this book.

I did feel a little lost, even though Brennan filled in the backstories quite adeptly, because I haven't read all the books in both series. But I was still able to enjoy this uncommonly good psychological thriller.

Max Revere is an independently wealthy investigative reporter. She investigates cold crimes plus hosts a monthly network show about cold crimes called "Maximum Exposure." She gets a lead on three cold cases - murders of young boys whose cold cases have many similarities.

She finds that to have access to the family of one of the young boys she's going to have to work cooperatively with rookie FBI agent Lucy Kincaid Rogan - and Max doesn't like to share.

This was an exceptionally well-written story. There were a lot of characters and a couple of different storylines but the author kept everything easy to understand, exciting to read about, developed the characters so that they were easy to imagine and tied up all the loose ends.

Brennan's writing just keeps getting better and better. This wasn't the first book of hers I've read and it definitely won't be the last. I highly recommend it to mystery fans, fans of psychological thrillers or of suspense fiction.

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

Shattered by Allison Brennan is the fourth book in the author's Maxine Revere series of books. Allison Brennan is well established as a law enforcement procedural thriller writer. In Shattered, Max teams up with another of Brennan's beloved protagonists, Lucy Kincaid. Together, they attempt to solve the cold case murders of three pre-adolescent boys which may or may not be linked to a current trial in which Max's ex-boyfriend's wife is the accused. One cold case victim, Justin, is Lucy Kincaid's nephew.
Consistent with my other Allison Brennan experiences, this book revolved around an interesting concept and was convincingly written with law enforcement realism in mind. The protagonists are complex, flawed, and relatable.
Standing in my way of a truly enjoyable experience is the execution of joining two protagonists from different series. This book became very much about Lucy Kincaid even though it is in Max's series and should have been her show. If this book was an addition to the Lucy Kincaid series, or if the levels of involvement were shifted from Lucy to Max, it would have been a really exciting addition to either series.
I imagine that loyal Allison Brennan readers will love this book and treasure these two characters in the same pages. That said, readers are also going to find a lot of backstory in this book. Not only is the series protagonist's backstory reviewed, as one may expect, but the addition of Lucy Kincaid's backstory made the book difficult to get into. There was so much review and catch up in the first half that those already up to date may feel bogged down while readers new to either protagonist may feel overwhelmed.
It had been several years since I had read an Allison Brennan book and I was very happy to be reintroduced to her intelligent writing.

This was a great addition to the Max Revere Series. What could be better than having Lucy Kincaid show up in this series? I loved having the two heroines interacting in the same book, and I thought the contentiousness between the two at first was rather clever.

The story was a really compelling one. Max is called by an old friend and asked to help exonerate his wife, who has been charged in the murder of their son. Max finds three similar cold cases, one of which is the twenty year old murder of Justin Stanton, Lucy Kincaid's nephew. Lucy badly wants to find Justin's killer, but she doesn't trust Max at all.

What follows in the investigation is quite a ride. The pace is fast and I really enjoyed seeing these two strong heroines work together.

Maxine "Max" Revere is a talented investigative reporter. That's why red flags went up when a former boyfriend calls here to tell her his wife is on trial for killing their son & everyone is missing the other similar crimes. He's positive it's the work of a serial killer. As Max starts to look into the prior crimes, she hits a roadblock. The father of the presumed first victim, DA Andrew Stanton, told her his ex-wife's family would stall & block her investigation unless she convinced Lucy Kincaid Rogan that her theories were on the up & up. Lucy is Andrew's ex-sister-in-law.

Rookie FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid Rogan isn't sure what to believe. Is Max just trying to sensationalize her cousins death or does she really have a lead? Why is the family overreacting the way they are? Lucy is tired of always being concerned someone might figure out what happened to her. If she can figure out who killed Justin, that's a good thing. She isn't sure about Max's motives so she decides to stay close.


Allison Brennan has two wonderful series & has managed to come up with the perfect cross over story to bring them together. At first I didn't think the personalities of the main characters, Max & Lucy would work together. They were both too much alike - strong, independent, aggressive, intelligent, used to being in charge. Max wasn't used to having her hands tied or her integrity questioned. Lucy didn't trust Max or her motives. She had to give her credit though. Max knew what she was doing & had researchers behind her finding the information she needs. I ended up admiring them as a team. They each knew their own strengths & what they brought to the table.

The action is fast paced & riveting. The plot grabs your attention & through twists & turns keeps you on the edge of your seat. The tension between Max & Lucy adds to the drama without detracting from the facts. The tension between Lucy & her family is new & ramps up the stakes of the case. I really enjoyed this story & hope Max & Lucy end up working together again.

Shattered

A Novel



by Allison Brennan

St. Martin's Press

Minotaur Books



General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 22 Aug 2017

I am reviewing a copy of Shattered through St. Martin's Press and Netgalley:

Over twenty years, four boys go missing from their bedrooms, murdered by suffocation and buried in nearby shallow graves. Is this the work of a serial killer, or just a coincidence?

Investigative reporter Maxine Revere sets out to answer these questions when a friend asks her to help exonerate his wife for their son's murderer. Max can do little to help because the police and D.A won't talk to her, certain they got the right women. But do they?

Finally Justin agrees to help her wanting to find closure in his sons murder, which happened twenty years before, but the only thing he asks is that Max works with FBI agent Lucy Kincaid, but Max works alone, and she's not happy that the only way to do this is to work with Lucy Kinkaid, neither one of them wants to work together, but will they to solve these cases?

I give Shattered five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

A TV crime reporter specializing in cold cases is begged by an old flame to rescue his wife on trial, accused of killing their son. He hopes Max, the crime reporter, can tie the murder to a series of cold case murders similar to his son's. Intrigued, Max agrees. The first case, 20 years ago, brings her in contact with a large influential family, deeply involved with law enforcement, politics and criminal profiling. No matter how she tries, she can't solve these cold cases without involving this family and against her past practices, she pairs up with the cousin of the first apparent victim, an FBI agent. Together these two women pursue these cases seeking connections where no one thought to look, resolutions where no one thought possible. The mystery itself is good but the characters are more engaging than the plotting. For readers who love profiling, this book offers up a remarkable treasure of details not just about criminals but about characters. It is becomes increasingly taut as personalities are revealed over time. A fascinating book on many levels. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Love the Lucy Kincaid series and while the sis my first book with Max, putting them together was a great reading experience. I couldn't put it down most of the time and loved the intricate details.

Maxine "Max" Revere is an investigative reporter specializing in missing persons and cold cases. She travels from New York to Phoenix to help an old college friend whose son's murder is similar to three cold cases she's investigating. Her friend is upset that his wife has become a suspect and Max must determine if she is guilty or if the young boy is the latest victim of a serial killer.

I enjoy the Max Revere series and love to see Max in action, with the help of her friend, assistant, and bodyguard David Kane, investigating cases by not backing away from difficult questions or dangerous situations. Max is used to calling the shots and I admire her take-charge attitude. In this case, she is pressured to work with a partner, FBI agent Lucy Kincaid, the cousin of one of the victims of the older cases Max is looking into. It's an adjustment for Max and the reader to see Max having to take direction from others instead of leading the charge.

When I started reading the book, I didn't realize Max would only be one of the main characters and that "Shattered" also featured Lucy Kincaid and her husband Sean, from the author's other series. I'm don't follow that series, so I was previously unfamiliar with these characters. Neither Lucy nor Sean made a great first impression. Sean is overprotective of Lucy and becomes quite pushy and almost bullying when anyone disagrees with him or his wife. Lucy and her family play a large role in the book and again since I don't follow that series, I found this to be intrusive from the regular flow that I enjoy in a Max Revere book. I'm sure fans of that series would have a different opinion.

I like the way the case wrapped up and respected Lucy and was able to better tolerate Sean by the end of the book. David still contributed to the investigation, but with Lucy's involvement, he and Max didn't work as closely together as they usually do and I miss their rapport. They share a great scene toward the end of the book that fans of Max will love. As a follower of only Max and not the Kincaids, I would give the book 3.5 stars and have rounded that up to 4 since I do like Allison Brennan's writing.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of St. Martin's. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

This latest installment in the Maxine Revere series is definitely worth the read. Prior to reading this book, I had read all the previous Maxine Revere novels, however they all stand alone, giving you just enough background to understand the characters and their past experiences.
This book involves Maxine in a different way, as she is helping her friend to determine if the case of his murdered child was related to a handful of other similar cold cases. This book also involves another Allison Brennan character, Lucy Kincaid, and her family, as they are connected to one of the cold cases that is being explored. Lucy and Maxine end up working together in what is an unusual partnership. Overall the many twists and turns made this book enjoyable, adding just enough intrigue to keep you guessing. I highly recommend this for any mystery fans, and fans of Allison Brennan and Nora Roberts.

For Max Revere, finding the truth is her call as she investigates cold cases that catch her attention. When one of her college friends calls her up to help find the truth in the matter of his son’s death. Is his wife a killer or did someone else do it? Max can’t help since the trial is less than 2 weeks away and the police as well as the DA insist they have the right person on trial for the murder. When Max finds three other cases that are similar in nature, she dives into those cold cases hoping that in solving those cases she might be able to help her friend.

What Max gets when she goes to San Diego and the first cold case/murder, Justin Stanton, is a father determined to find the answers to his son’s murder but when she finds out the father wants her to work with his former sister-in-law, well let’s just say Max is less than pleased. But when FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid Rogan strolls through the door, Max finds herself facing a woman who is determined to find justice, to find the truth in her nephew’s murder as well as the other two cold cases. Lucy finds Max’s theory compelling and intrigued from the start. But as these two formable women draw closer to the answers they search for, another child is in the cross-hairs of the killer. Will Max and Lucy be able to figure the truth out and get justice for those three families? And will Max be able to tell her friend what the truth is in his son’s murder without breaking his already fragile heart into a million pieces?

SHATTERED brings two series by this acclaimed and talented author together in a story that literally will leave you on the edge of your seat, flipping (or in my case swiping the screen) pages to see where Max and Lucy go next. It’s tense, engrossing and downright enthralling as the reader finally finds out what happened to Lucy’s nephew twenty years before. This story is layered and totally intriguing with a few twists I didn’t see coming. The writing is tight and the pace of the story flows quickly. I highly enjoyed Max and Lucy together and apart as both women try to work within the parameters of the law and their own ethics and morals. What really intrigued me was how Max couldn’t read Lucy at all. Max takes pride in figuring people out and it was fun to see her so stymied over trying to see what makes Lucy tick, so to speak. I also loved seeing the Kincaid family again. Those scenes are heartbreaking, joyful and at times quite tension filled as family dynamics go into play, even in a fictional world such as this one. Ms. Brennan does a wonderful job conveying so many characters personalities and vulnerabilities within the pages of SHATTERED. I loved how Lucy has grown as a person with in the series and her love story with Sean continues though not as focused in the story as it is Lucy’s series.

SHATTERED is more than a mystery/thriller, it’s about the characters as well. They are well written, multidimensional people that I would adore meeting and basking in their presence for a day, heck even an hour. Sean and Lucy are delightful especially since I finished Make Them Pay (Lucy Kincaid #12) and Two to Die For (two book anthology) recently. The author does an amazing job having the characters grow with each book, showing how they are strong yet also putting the spotlight on their vulnerabilities as well. Max and Lucy are tough women, determined to find truth and justice no matter what, even as they cross lines at times to get that information. Ms. Brennan delivers a heart pounding ride from start to finish and its one you cannot help but want to go along with them. All I can say is buckle up, it’s about to get bumpy!

If you haven’t tried either series I highly recommend you grab the books, settle in and binge read them. They are highly entertaining and this is one author I automatically buy or pre-order because her books are just that good. I look forward to seeing where both Lucy and Max go in the future and see what this author has in store for them next because the ending of Shattered leaves the reader with not answers but a whole lot more questions than ever before.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Shattered is part of a series but it can be read as a stand aloe novel. Allison Brennan has the ability to bring readers up to date with in the first few pages of the book while driving the story forward. The author pulls characters from different series of her books that might confused new readers.
Allison Brennan as the ability to write characters that readers will be able to connect with feel their emotions and understand why the characters choose their direction in life.
Readers will love Lucy and Max and their ability to work together even with their past differences
The story moves in a wonderful pace keep readers hooked.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Advance Copy.

Max Revere and Lucy Kincaid together. What more could we ask for? We also get closure on the anduction and murder of Justin.
We have two storylines here which intersect seamlessly and then separate without question. Excellent book. Hope to see our two heroines together again.

It was a good book. The fact that Lucy Kincaid was included in the book was a pleasant surprise. I'm surprised that this series isn't a tv series or a movie

This was a very good book. The writing was clear and concise. It was difficult to read at times because the book was about the murder of children. The characters were believable and at times it was heart wrenching to read. The book gives all the feels, sadness, anger, betrayal, but there was also love and devotion.
****I voluntarily reviewed and gave my honest opinion of this Advanced Readers Copy of this
book from Net Galley****

Since I found out that Max and Lucy would be working on finding Justin's killer in this book I have been looking forward to it. Both are so different, I expected them to but heads pretty hard, not to find a way to work together and even come to admire each other. I was glad that Max quit digging into Lucy's past, granted it came after Sean threatened her, but after getting to know Lucy better Max didn't feel the need. I especially loved the offer that Lucy gave Max at the end, loved that it seemed like these 2 will keep in touch.

I was surprised at how quickly Lucy and Max were able to figure things out with Justin's murder. With the way each thought they were able to play off each other making some big leaps to the next step.

I was a bit stunned with how Lucy's family reacted, hated that Lucy was vilified by most of them, especially her dad. Sure some of them came around, but I have a feeling those harsh words won't be forgotten anytime soon. I both loved and hated that Lucy remembered past moments with Justin, times she made herself forget. Enough time has passed that now Lucy could remember them with it not hurting so much, but she lost so much not remembering her best friend. I don't think the Kincaid's realized how much Justin's death altered them all, but when Lucy laid it all out for the killer it was obvious, and I loved that Lucy showed the killer that their actions had bigger consequences. It will be interesting to see how Lucy's role in this book will affect her career.

Max's involvement in the current crime made me sad. I hated that she had to see her friend hurt.

Another excellent Maxine Revere novel from Allison Brennan. This series just keeps getting better. In this installment, Max is asked by an old friend to help clear his wife who has been charged with the murder of their young son. Max, of course, does not get involved in active cases rather only cold ones. But, there have been three similar murders of young boys over the past 20 years. Are they related? Is a serial killer at work? Or did the wife actually killed her son? And why is the wife vehemently resisting Max’s looking into her murder charge? Max ultimately must work with FBI agent Lucy Kincaid to dissect each of the murderers to seek a connection to the current case as well as to hopefully bring resolution to the previous three. This is a well-written and well-paced thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.


DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly, Samantha Cody, and Dub Walker thriller series

Allison Brennan's Shattered is one of the best of Lucy Kincaid novels. . I'm just now at the half-way mark and I just cannot stop reading each page as fast as I can so I can flip to the next in anticipation of what's going to happen next. Love the dynamics between the characters, Lucy Kincaid and Max Revere. Love the in-depth history of getting to know the Kincaid family and how their pasts directed their future. Allison Brennan never disappoints.