Thoroughly enjoyed this latest installment in the Tracers series which pairs up crime scene analyst Brooke with San Marcos detective Sean Byrne (who has appeared in previous Tracers books). The mystery was twisty enough to keep me interested and the romance was hot and sweet. Worst part about finishing a Tracers book is the year long wait for the next one.

Laura Griffin’s newest book about the Delphi Center is awesome. We meet fingerprint and evidence collector Brooke Porter. She is determined, thorough and focused on finding answers, even if she puts herself out there looking for answers. Sean Byrne is the detective who caught the same crime scene. He has noticed her for a while and is interested, but had to heal first. Brooke has noticed him as well but is in a man free zone for a while. On top of that Brooke is feeling like she is being followed by an ex - one who seems to struggle with backing off.

The evidence suggests an horrific crime, but without a clear motive or suspect. Both Brooke and Sean work the evidence and keep “bumping” into each other. Sean does not want Brooke helping out. He is worried about her but she cannot seem to help herself! As they get closer, so does the killer to Brooke.

Touch of Red by Laura Griffin is one of my favorite kinds of book - a romantic thriller, with love interests finding each other while trying to outwit the bad guys. Laura Griffin’s addition with the Delphi Center always having new ways to track down evidence just makes the book more interesting!

Touch of Red by Laura Griffin was a great book!

The way Laura Griffin has linked all of the law enforcement & supporting agencies together is genius. Police, FBI, CSI, doctors, lawyers, judges and every other agency in between. This was good from the start and the end was great. I didn't want to put it down.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to review this eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Laura Griffin for the ARC of Touch of Red that I read and reviewed.
Well, Laura Griffin did it again with the Tracers series. She wrote another book that I was could not put down and kept engaged until the very end.
In this book crime scene investigator Brooke Porter is matched up with homicide detective Sean Byrne in a case that has a child as a witness. As the case gets more intense so does the relationship between Brooke and Sean.
What can I say? This book is as it all. A ruthless killer who as a lot to loose if he is caught so he will stop at nothing to stay hidden, even kill a child. A woman who is trying to avoid relationships but is drawn to a sexy detective and can't decide if she wants to listen to her mind or her heart and is willing to risk her life to save a child. A detective that plays by the book and has to break a few rules because the woman he is falling for wants to protect a child at all costs and also has to take things slow with a woman that want to be friends when he wants so much more.
If you are looking for a book that has a lot of suspense and romance this book has it also. Also, if you are a fan of the Tracers series or just starting the series this book is a must read. You see some old friends and meet some new ones that will probably (I hope) be seen again.
I am giving Touch of Red five out of five stars.

This was such an awesome book. I devoured it in a day. I couldn’t put it down.
Sean and Brooke was such an interesting couple. The dynamics between the two was electrifying.
Received an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley.

Another winner in the Tracers series! I love Laura Griffin's mix of police procedural/romantic suspense. Maybe because we've met Brooke and Sean in previous books, this one definitely felt like it had more romance than previous books. Great story!

I love this book. I remember it for people who like mysteries on tv.. I could see this series being on lifetime television

It's so crazy good going back into the Tracers' world!

Laura Griffin has a talent for romantic suspense and police procedure description that keeps my interest from start to end. Sometimes when a book is too descriptive about the investigation associated with a case, my eyes glaze over but it's never the case with her stories.

The main couple is composed of Brooke Porter and Sean Byrne. We have met them in other books and now it's their time to shine.

Brooke is a CSI with the Delphi Centre who's called to the murder of a young woman. Brooke gets there before the police arrive. She knows something doesn't add up with the crime scene. Something big is missing. Brooke is very good at her job but not so much with her personal life. Her relationships have never worked and her latest one with a cop is still affecting her since she doesn't seem to be able to shake him. That's why she's taking a break from men except Sean makes her want to break her own rules.

Sean is the homicide detective assigned the case Brooke is on. Sean has been watching Brooke for a while and he's very interested in getting to know her but he knows he has to be patient. He can tell something is going on with her but when she keeps on making the case personal and he believes she's attracting the killer's attention, he won't be able to keep his distance any longer.

I like this couple. The romance was smooth and it was easier to believe since they have known each other for a while. They each have respect for the other's jobs. There was only one instance when I thought Brooke was taking the wrong path. I was screaming in my head: you have no weapon, no training, no self-defense moves, quit jumping the gun!

Laura also gives us a look into a future couple and I'm already liking them together. Callie needs someone strong for her and I think "weapon guy" is just what the doctor ordered.

I love the Tracers series and I can absolutely recommend it. Pick up Touch of Red, it won't disappoint you.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Pocket Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Touch of Red by Laura Griffin is the 12th book in her terrific Tracers series, which is romance suspense at its best. This series reads very well as a standalone, as in each book, the heroes are different members of the Delphi Center (forensics lab) and usually a detective working on the latest murder case. It is always fun to get glimpses of some of the characters we have met previously.

Touch of Red starts off with a violent murder, and we meet our heroine, Brooke Porter, who arrives on the gory scene to investigate for any clues. Sean Byrne, our hero, is a homicide detective who also arrives on the scene. Sean has been eying Brooke for awhile, and now they will be working on the same case. Both are appalled at the scene in front of them, and soon Sean notices that Brooke left in a hurry to bring some evidence to the Delphi Center lab. She discovers that there may have been a witness to the murder, and surmises by her forensic tests that it is a young child. The race is on to find the witness before the murderer finds out that someone was watching.

What follows is a very exciting adventure with so many twists and turns, it was important to not miss anything. Brooke and Sean’s relationship escalated into a sizzling romance, with their chemistry together off the wall. However, despite this sexy romance, the murder investigation is always the main focus of the story. Sean becomes unnerved when he finds Brooke taking a personal approach to find the child, and he tries to tell her it is his job to investigate, and she should stay only with deciphering the evidence.

Brooke despite Sean’s warnings continues to get herself into situations that are not her job description, and puts herself in danger. The last half of the book is an edge of your seat thriller that will not allow you put the book down. To tell too much more would be spoilers, which I do not want to do. I loved Brooke and Sean together, and did think that Brooke went too far, and Sean was such a great hero, and perfect for Brooke.
I am a big fan of the Tracers series, which has a bit of everything; intricate mystery, murder, suspense, exciting, great couple & secondary characters, as well as a sexy romance in the background. But the best thing about this series is how Griffin uses her knowledge of forensic anthropology and police procedural throughout her books. It is amazing to see how they can use different things for the clues they find; on just about anything.

Touch of Red continues the Tracers series with an amazing intense mystery that has you on the edge throughout the entire book. If you enjoy a fast paced romance suspense, a murder mystery, with lots of action, intense situations and a touch of romance, then you should be reading Laura Griffin’s Tracers series. This is a wonderful series you should not be missing.

Laura Griffin's storytelling continues to be strong and engaging with book #12 in the Tracers series.

I read my first Tracers book late last year – book eleven in the series, At Close Range – and thoroughly enjoyed the tightly plotted, edge-of-the-seat story and the steamy romance woven through it, so I eagerly jumped into Touch of Red, the twelfth book.  Once again, a member of local law-enforcement joins forces with one of the Tracers – a team comprised of experts in the various areas of forensic science – this time to investigate the brutal and savage killing of a young woman outside her home.  It’s a very well-written, cleverly put-together story with plenty of twists and turns and the sort of high-stakes finale typical of many a police procedural; throw in a romance between two people who have faced difficult – and in the case of the hero, life-altering – situations in their recent pasts, and you’ve got a thoroughly entertaining and very readable romantic suspense novel that had me engrossed from beginning to end.

The crime scene to which CSI Brooke Porter is called late one Wednesday evening is among the more problematic she has observed.  A young woman has been viciously murdered – her throat has been cut literally from ear to ear – outside her house, and there is no immediately discernible evidence at the scene.  The interior of the house is neat, orderly and practically spotless, the victim lived alone and there were no witnesses to the murder… or so it appears.  Keen eyed observation and strongly informed intuition lead Brooke to suspect that there was a witness, a suspicion borne out after she performs some very specific and complicated tests that prove there was a child in the house who very likely saw the killing.

Brooke imparts her findings to the team of detectives working the case, and they begin the process of locating him or her, even though there’s little to go on.  But they are moving slowly, so Brooke decides to do some investigating of her own, her concern for the safety of the witness causing her to step outside her area of expertise and become involved in aspects of the investigation which aren’t within her remit.  This brings her into conflict with the lead detective on the case, Sean Byrne, whose frustration at her actions is two-fold; one, he has to make sure that any evidence uncovered during the investigation is admissible in court and two, he is worried that by branching out on her own, Brooke may be placing herself in danger.

I admit that this aspect of the story didn’t sit all that well with me; I’m no expert, but even I know (from watching TV police shows!) that Brooke’s activities could have had a detrimental effect on the investigation.  That said, however, I recognise that it’s the sort of thing that happens regularly in police procedurals (I mean, Castle has a novelist investigating crimes!) so I chalked it up to artistic license and decided to go with the flow.

And it’s a very good flow.  Brooke’s methods may not be by the book, but she does help Sean and his team to make a number of important connections that enable them to narrow down their list of suspects, and is instrumental in identifying and making contact with the child witness, a ten-year old boy named Cameron.  That doesn’t excuse her occasional recklessness (she veers dangerously close to TSTL once or twice) but it does make for a thumping good story and, of course, enables her to interact with the lovely Sean more frequently than she could have done had she been stuck inside a lab all the time!

Detective Sean Byrne was shot in the line of duty some months earlier and has discovered that almost dying causes one to make all sorts of re-evaluations and reassessments of one’s way of life. He had plenty of time while recovering to work out what really matters to him, to learn patience and the importance of appreciating people and experiences more than ever before.  He’s dedicated to his job, but as Brooke observes, pretty chilled when it comes to his personal life - which is a good thing for her, because it means he’s prepared to bide his time when it comes to the relationship he hopes will develop between them.  Sean has had a thing for Brooke for some time and senses there’s interest on her side, too, but she’s skittish and guarded around him and he doesn’t know why.  He’s determined to get to the bottom of it, however; whatever is holding her back from giving into the strong mutual attraction buzzing between them, he will give her the space and support to work it out.  This willingness to let her set the pace sort of unnerves Brooke, who has recently got out of a relationship in which – she now realises – her ex had become increasingly more possessive and controlling.  Having a guy around her who is not only prepared, but wants Brooke to make her own decisions and be her own person is a heady thing – but also a little scary because while she knows, deep down, Sean is a good guy, there’s a small part of her that can’t stop second-guessing her instincts when it comes to men and is reluctant to let down her guard completely.

I was as intrigued by this more personal aspect of the story as I was by the main suspense plot, and the author does a terrific job of balancing the two.  Brooke and Sean have strong chemistry and given that they have known and ‘like’ liked each other for a while, their progression towards a more romantic relationship doesn’t feel rushed.  The murder-mystery is gripping and I really enjoyed the author’s descriptions of the intricacies involved in certain aspects of the forensics, such as Brooke’s explanations of the difficulties involved in lifting childrens’ fingerprints, or the problems inherent in the use of familial DNA.

I would definitely recommend Touch of Red to fans of well-written, strongly-plotted romantic suspense novels, although a couple of things did bring my grade down a notch.  Firstly, there seemed to be rather a big leap of logic at one point in the case when the detective team zeroes in on their main suspect; and secondly, in spite of the fact that it’s quite commonplace in these types of stories, I never quite accepted the level of Brooke’s involvement in the investigation.  She and Sean clash a number of times over her refusal to leave the detecting to the detectives, and while I understood that she was motivated by her concern for the well-being of a child, I found Sean’s frustration over her lack of concern for her own safety and his worry that she could damage the integrity of the case to be more compelling and understandable.  The good thing though, is that Ms. Griffin doesn’t ignore or gloss over these differences of opinion; they’re part of the story and the relationship.

Even with those reservations, I still raced through Touch of Red in a couple of sittings and was bleary-eyed one morning because I’d stayed up way past my bedtime so I could finish it.  It works perfectly well as a standalone, although there are cameo appearances from some characters from earlier books, and fans of intelligent, strongly-written romantic thrillers are sure to enjoy it.

Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K

Laura Griffin has done it again. Touch of Red is another fantastic addition to the Tracer's series.

A woman is murdered after going home one night. The murder is brutal, and evidence suggest there may have been a witness who fled the scene.

Brooke is a CSI with the Delphi lab this series is centred around. Sean is a detective investigating a homicide. The two have crossed paths in the past, and both have appeared in previous books in the series. Although this book is part of a series, it functions well as a standalone novel.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Brooke and Sean, the characters and the way they interacted was entertaining. It was a book you didn't want to put down, because it just utterly hooked me in and held me captive (although now the problem is I have to wait for the next one in the series, d'oh!).

I do love though, that as part of a series we do get to see characters from previous books and where their lives are at now. It's like checking in with old friends!

If I did have to find a downside to this book, it would be the storyline with Brooke's ex. I didn't feel that was fully resolved.

Overall though, I loved it. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

**I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This book was incredible. I adore the Tracers series (even though I haven't read as many as I would like yet) and they are absolutely perfect for October and really any time you want to scare yourself a little. I found this one particularly compelling because of how much I love Sean as a character. I think he's a really great hero and I loved this passage that talks about his tenderness being evidence of his strength. Too often heroes in romance who are cops can be cocky and overbearing, but I really feel like Sean balanced his concern over Brooke and her actions with reason and logic. Although, for once, I was inclined to agree with Sean. Brooke had a tendency to be reckless with her safety and since she was working with the police, I just kept thinking through how the motion to suppress hearing was going to go and feeling really bad for Rachel (the DA) who would have to argue it. Of course, my experience reading this as a lawyer (really, it's official now! I'm sworn in and everything!) and a layperson reading this is going to be totally different. Overall though, I highly recommend this book! It was so good and had me on the edge of my seat!

4.5 Stars but I love this series so I'm rounding up to 5 stars. Touch of Red is the 12th book in the series but could be read as a stand alone although some of the previous characters have cameos.

Laura Griffin definitely has a formula when it comes to this series but it works and I enjoy the books. There is a good mix of suspense vs romance although this one is a bit heavier on the romance then the suspense. She writes enjoyable characters and really hot heroes who you can't help but love.

This book centers around Brooke, a Delphi Center crime scene investigator, with a lot of relationship baggage and Sean, a homicide detective, who after a near death experience figured out exactly what he wanted in life and isn't afraid to go after it. I admit I loved Sean right away and as the story went on I just loved him more. He's patient, kind, sweet, hot and with just enough alpha to keep me happy with out being overbearing. I really liked Brooke as well but as the story went on I found some of her actions a bit unrealistic and while I won't say she was TSTL I did find myself shaking my head a time or two at some of her decisions.

The book starts with a really gruesome murder that Brooke and Sean are called out to. The murder seems to be leading one way at the beginning but after several other clues come to light it goes in an entirely different direction. I enjoyed the suspense aspect and if it had been a bit stronger this would have been a solid 5 star read for me.

Another solid, entertaining romantic suspense book that kept me turning pages until I finished it.

Brooke Porter is a CSI for the Delphi Center. She is working a murder scene where the woman's throat is slashed. Homicide Detective Sean Byrne is the officer in charge of the case. The scene is incredibly bloody and Brooke finds evidence there is a possible witness, a child. The race is on to find the witness before the murderer does.

Sean has had his eye on Brooke for awhile but she is coming off a bad relationship and is on a break from men. He will have to be patient if he wants to bring down her walls.

This book is a police procedural, mystery and romantic suspense seamlessly rolled into one book. The book is very well written, has a great plot and well developed characters. Brooke is a strong woman who thinks with her heart instead of her head which sometimes results in her acting recklessly. Sean is a strong lead but he allows Brooke to be herself, no matter how much he might disagree with her actions and fear for her. Once I started this book I couldn't put it down. I just had to keep turning the pages to find out how it was going to end. Now I have to patiently wait for the next book. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy of this book.

The "Tracer" series is one of my favorite series for hot romance and for suspenseful thrillers. I was overjoyed when netgalley provided me with an ARC for book #12, Touch of Red. In exchange, I'm to write an honest review. For transparency, I would rate the earlier books in this series more of a 3 rather than a 4. Laura Griffin's writing about action and police procedures has become tighter and more engaging as the series has progressed. It makes me happy that this book grabbed me from the very start because of the tension and horror at the crime scene, and I could not put this book down until it was finished. I did sleep a short while one night, but otherwise this book was consumed in less than 2 days. Touch of Red definitely warrants a 4 star rating.

Action centers around Brooke and Sean. Brooke is four months out of an unhealthy, emotionally abusive relationship, and her "diet" consists of no men. However, the attraction between Brooke and Sean has been felt by both of them for awhile. Laura Griffin always writes steamy scenes of magnetism as well as any of my favorite romance authors, and she delivers exceedingly well in Touch of Red.

Another area where Laura Griffin writes well is in depicting violence, so this is not the book for you if your imagination is vivid but doesn't tolerate inhumanity and blood. As I've read all twelve books in the series, you can tell that I'm okay with a dash of brutality sprinkled into my reading life!

If you've read other books in the series, you will love Touch of Red. If you have never read Laura Griffin but enjoy a book with romance and action, you can give this book a try and then start at the beginning of the series. It's guaranteed that you will enjoy this latest book from Laura Griffin!

Tracers has been one of my favorite series and there is a reason that I love it so much. The stories always a perfect balance of romance and suspense. This is not my favorite of the series but it is still a solid entry to a stellar series. I liked that Brooke refuses to give up and kept doing everything to bring the bad guy to justice. I can't wait for the next one cause I kinda have an idea who the next couple is and I am a little excited for it.

Brooke is great at finding trace evidence at Crime Scenes. Working at Delfi, she's come across police detective Sean at many scenes. The chemistry between the two is sizzling. But just getting out of a relationship has Brooke swearing off men.

Can Sean break through Brooke's walls? Can the case they're working on put them both in danger?

I enjoyed this book in the Tracers series. It was a fast story, that kept me focused. I always enjoy the forensic talk. Can't wait for the next one in the series.

Thanks to Laura Griffin for the advanced copy.

Three and a half stars. I wanted to give this book three stars but I was comparing this to Laura's other books, compared to the genre she is still streets ahead of the others.

Brooke Porter is a crime scene investigator with the Delphi Centre, incredibly dedicated she is almost OCD in her attention to detail and commitment to catching the guilty. She is brought to a crime scene where a young woman was brutally murdered just outside her front door. Immediately Brooke senses that there is something 'off' about the scene which leads her to discover that there may have been a witness.

Sean Byrne is a homicide detective. After being shot recently he has had a 'come to Jesus' moment and realised that his life was fairly meaningless and he could have died without ever making a real connection or creating a legacy. He's attracted to Brooke, he finds her intriguing and wants to know her better.

I haven't read the previous Tracers book so I don't know the backstory with Sean and Brooke (if there is any). While I enjoyed the investigative aspects of this novel I felt that the romance overtook the plot about halfway/ two-thirds of the way through and I lost interest a bit. The Brooke, the OCD investigator decides that she will ignore protocol and the rules of evidence and just investigate on her own. Whilst describing her as TSTL might be harsh she definitely has those tendencies.

I have reviewed another series that Laura has started and commented that it felt as though she was being pushed into a direction that she wasn't comfortable with and sadly I feel as though the same is happening with Tracers. This is a series of romantic suspense/ thriller romances. There are scary psycho serial killers everywhere and geeky women who investigate. This started that way and I was L.O.V.I.N.G. it, then, as I said, just after half way through it felt like I was reading one sex scene after another and the investigation was shunted into the background. In the end, I didn't feel the murderer was all that exciting and I had serious doubts about the detective skills that identified the murderer.

If you haven't read any of the Tracers novels before you will find this enjoyable and educational (who knew that about children's fingerprints?) but IMHO lovers of Laura Griffin's novels will find this a little disappointing. Please dial back the sex/ romance and up the mystery quality in the next one Laura.