Willa Pennington has quit the police force and is apprenticing with her father to become a private investigator when a neighbor asks her to do a favor. The Horowitz's granddaughter Violet has gotten involved with an abusive boyfriend and the grandparents have asked Willa to go help her move out. However, Violet is missing and the abusive boyfriend Joe is there but dead after being shot twice in the chest.

Willa's first goal is to prove that Violet had nothing to do with the death. But the case quickly spirals into far more dangerous territory as she investigates Joe who had some really creepy friends. One friend surprises her. Willa's childhood friend Seth seems to know Joe too.

Willa and Seth have a complicated relationship. Willa and Seth's brother Michael were best friends until Michael's recent death in an IED attack. Michael had long since made Willa promise not to have anything to do with Seth when he realized that she had a crush on him. Willa is still regretting hooking up with Seth after Michael's memorial service and now, after years of seeing him only at family gatherings, Seth is back and acting in a very suspicious way.

Willa and Seth need to work together to solve Willa's case and Seth's since he is an undercover ATF agent dealing with locating some stolen guns. The danger keeps building as Willa gets closer to the case. There are at least two attempts on her life.

I loved Willa. She is strong and smart and dealing with losing her best friend. She is in need of therapy and can't sleep. She has a very smart mouth that helps cover some of her grief. I loved her relationship with Seth. She wasn't going to stand to be the little woman who was put somewhere safe while the menfolk dealt with all the danger.

This was an excellent first novel. I can't wait to read more about Willa in future novels.

Love Story. I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Written by Aimee Hix, and published by Midnight Ink in Woodbury, Minnesota in 2018, the novel is purported to be a PI procedural murder investigation story. In fact, however, it is a thinly-disguised Romance story that is heavy on the hormones and sexual references, and light on the investigation. Wannabe private investigator, and ex-cop, Willa Pennington discovers a dead body when she goes to her neighbor’s granddaughter’s house to assist her in moving away from an abusive boyfriend. The body is that of the boyfriend. He had been shot twice through the chest. The granddaughter, Violet, is the immediate suspect, but Willa believes she is innocent.

Willa’s father is a private investigator, and Willa wants desperately to join him in his practice. He is, however, now on a cruise in the Caribbean with his second wife and Willa’s stepmother. Willa is on her own. Fearing nothing, and unable to control her impulses, she sets about starting her own murder investigation, even though she has no PI license, and even though it is not legal in Virginia for private citizens of any sort to conduct murder investigations. An old flame, Seth Anderson, soon enters the picture, and Willa’s passions are immediately stirred, and stirred, and stirred . . . In fact, the stirring never seems to stop. She seems totally unable to control herself, anxious to jump into bed with Seth at every opportunity. I know what you’re thinking. Somebody with such a total lack of self-control should never be an investigator of any kind, and I agree with you. The author, however, clearly does not.

At the beginning, the book seemed to have been written in 1930s-style detective noir, with a lot of sarcastic dialog and thinking-out-loud that seems a bit out of place in the 21st Century. It recurs periodically throughout the book, but is not constant, so the character of the protagonist seems to change from tough PI to vulnerable woman with romance on her mind as the story progresses.

From starting with a “bang” as Willa discovers a dead body, the story slows perceptibly. After a bit, one begins to wish the author would just get on with the story, and stop focusing on the romantic interests of Willa and Seth. It detracted greatly from what, otherwise, could have been a good story. By one-third of the way into the story, I had arrived at the conclusion that the story was “mushy,” and that the character of Willa Pennington was also “mushy.” The book really lacks crispness. After a while, reading it just became tedious, and I began to look forward to the ending so I could read a different book. Too bad. I thought it had a great beginning, but it just petered out . . .

By 60% into the story, I had begun to become tired and bored because this was some sort of Romance novel, filled with a lot of self-psychoanalysis about Willa and her romantic involvements with the men in her life, and with her relationship with her biological parents. Had I known in advance that this novel was a Romance, and not a PI police procedural, I would not have chosen to read it. I am quite disappointed.

There are a few inconsistencies in the story. At location #735 in the Kindle edition, Willa receives a telephone call from the missing Violet, who the police are searching for. She answers the call, trying to protect Violet by saying: “Willa Pennington here. I do not want you to tell me your name.” Five paragraphs later, Willa says: “I need information only you have, Violet.” What? Either she doesn’t want to acknowledge who she is talking to, or she does. Which is it?

From the blurb at the beginning of the book, I did not expect it to be a love story at all. But it is. It more a love story than any other kind of story. I think this writer has talent, but if she wants to write Romance novels, she should make it clear that they are not detective, crime, murder mystery, or police procedural novels. I did not like this book and will not recommend it to others.

Well this book was good. Slow in places but still a very well written novel.. I appreciate the chance to read

A decent start for a debut novel. Lots of inconsistencies and seems a bit far fetched at times but I did love WIlla the main character and this book couldn't have been great but it was just okay. I will look for this author's next book because the next might be great.

A good debut book for this author, and i'll be looking for more in the future.

This story just didn't hit it out of the park for me. I found Willa to be a bit annoying and that made it very difficult to get invested into the story. While she was supposedly a good cop now training to be a PI, she's a bit flighty and sometimes just TSTL.

Interesting debut. I like the main characters a lot. Willa is smart and resourceful. I could have done with out the relationship drama though. I will read the next couple in the series. I have a feeling it's going to improve with each book.

I received an advanced copy of What Doesn’t Kill You from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What Doesn’t Kill You is the debut novel of Aimee Hix – a story about an ex-cop turned detective who manages to get herself tangled up in a murder investigation. This is a pretty solid start for a new writer, and I believe that Aimee Hix has a lot of potential. What Doesn’t Kill You is intended to be the first in a series, so I’m curious to see what developments occur in the future.
There was a lot I really liked about this novel- the introduction, the core concept, and many of the characters. I’ll admit that there were some parts I didn’t love – Willa’s conflicting character (more on that in a bit), the complete focus on the main characters (to the expense of the villain – his character is virtually flat), and little odds and ends. For a debut novel though, I’m ok with that balance. I would love to see how Aimee Hix grows as an author.
I mentioned that Willa is a bit conflicting when it comes to her character design – and it’s true. At times she’s so depressed with the loss of her best friend (at first I actually had assumed he was her boyfriend/husband) but she quickly bounces from that emotion to chasing after the late-friend’s brother, Seth (who admittedly is also a friend of hers, but not one she’s kept in touch with). Willa, being an ex-cop, is more than capable of taking care of herself, yet she frequently calls others for help or will literally lean on others for support when she’s nervous. Having her bounce back and forth between damsel in distress and competent cop was disorienting, to say the least.
The other part that threw me off a bit was how Willa was allowed to stomp all over ongoing investigations. During the course of one novel Willa manages to get involved with both a police run murder investigation (admittedly she is the one that found the body; but normally police don’t allow witnesses to see the reports or evidence, let alone allow half the other things she gets away with) and an ATF investigation into a gun ring - yes, the two cases are connected, but I seriously don’t see the police or the ATF allowing her the access she received.
My last disappointment was with the main villain – we get glimpses and hints of him throughout the novel, but on the whole he just felt really flat. He’s essentially a racist Neo-Nazi that runs a gun ring, with no motivation outside of his hatred, which blinds him to the point that he’ll make stupid risks to go after the main character (a bi-racial woman). His rage is his only defining feature, which is fine, villains can be full of hate obviously, I just prefer mine to be a bit more three dimensional.
If one is willing to ignore those few complaints, the novel is actually quite good. Willa can be charming and is a good perspective for us to see the world through. She clearly adores her brother and is feeling very conflicted about the loss of her best friend, while being attracted to Seth. Her emotions are so very human at times; it’s hard not to feel for her. I wish we could have ‘met’ her father rather than having him off scene (erm, page) the whole time – he sounds like a riot.
On the whole I think this was a really great start for a new author, and I can’t wait to see what Aimee Hix comes out with next! I wonder if it’ll be more of the Willa series or something new.

Synopsis:
Willa Pennington, a biracial ex-cop, thought that becoming a PI would be better than being on the force. She thought she'd never have to make another death notification or wear a bulletproof vest. She thought she'd be safe, but she couldn't have been more wrong. Willa is always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong and people really don't like that. Now, agreeing to do a favor has found her a dead body, a missing person, and an old friend who may just be a bad guy. If whoever is trying to kill her would lay off, she could solve the murder and figure out if the person she's trusted all her life is the one trying to end it.

What Doesn’t Kill You by Aimee Hix is marketed as a mystery/crime novel but I am not sure that quite fits what is found within its pages. The relationship and the romance are much more prominent to me. Yes, there is a good amount of detective work and a murder does need to be solved, but it all seemed to revolve around the relationship between Willa, the main character and narrator and Seth. Seth is someone she has been friends with and has had feelings for for most of her life. Now she must try to work with him to solve the murder of Willa’s next-door neighbor’s daughter’s abusive boyfriend (you got all that?). The abusive boyfriend seems to have been involved with some dangerous people and got in over his head. Now, Willa and Seth must -- along with the police -- find out who killed him and who is committing the other violent acts around town. Well, that is if Seth will get out of Willa’s way and stop being so goddamn protective. And if they can keep their hands off each other.

I went into this book fully expecting a mystery/detective book but after reading it it felt like I had just read a romance with a mystery as the backdrop. That is not to say that this is a bad book because it’s not. While I don't have strong feelings one way or another, I wouldn't say it is outright bad. The story is interesting. The relationships between all the characters are developed and make the reader want to know more. I really enjoyed the interactions between Willa and her brother, Ben. Their dynamic was really well-written and how he gets involved in the case was pretty cool. I also did enjoy some of the scenes between Willa and Seth but he just seemed so controlling at times. He didn’t seem to trust in Willa's abilities to protect herself when in the end that is ultimately what saves them both. I love a romance novel normally but I never really got into them as a couple. I never felt their chemistry. I did appreciate how they developed as characters separately (Seth’s control issues, Willa’s ability to ask for and receive help) but together they just didn’t set my blood on fire with their love.

There were also some plot points that I thought could have been introduced sooner or made more prominent. If there was a little more explanation of Willa’s life and how race affected it, I think I wouldn’t have been as thrown by the climax and who ends up being the killer as I was. I was genuinely shocked by the ending scene and the motives of the killer because of how little race is discussed throughout the story. I like a book that can surprise me but this didn’t give me that kind of satisfaction. Race was brought up very sparingly and seemed like a part of the story that should have been there and I really wish it was.

As I said, this book didn't invoke many strong feelings for me. There were parts that I liked and parts that I didn't. Reading about Willa and this adventure she went on was fun to read about and she is, without a doubt, a badass but What Doesn't Kill You didn't leave its mark on me. Maybe it will leave one on you.

I quite enjoyed this one!

I found the main character, a cool, 28-year-old ex-cop, quite relatable and I was really curious to see how her story is going, which was further encouraged by the really engaging writing style. Further, the comparatively small set of characters was fitting for the novel's length. This novel never got boring and I didn't mind the love story/crime mix up at all (which I usually do).

All in all, I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants to enjoy some easy yet exciting bedside reading.

What Doesn't Kill You is the 1st entry in a new mystery/suspense series by Aimee Hix. I think that Ms. Hix is a good writer, however, I had a hard time getting into this book. (Please note that some of the following may prove as a SPOILER for some, so please stop reading if you do not want any hints to the book at all.) The main character, Willa, is an ex-police officer who had decided to follow her father's footsteps into private investigation. The beginning of the book finds Willa discovering a body. The story revolves around the body, and of course, Willa. We learn that her parents are on a cruise and that she has a brilliant 17-year-old brother, Benjy, who seems to greatly admire his older sister. We are also introduced to an ex-lover, Seth, who also happens to be the older brother of her dead fiance, Michael, a soldier who died just a few hours before he was supposed to return home. Willa's neighbors and some ex-colleagues are also involved in the narrative.

My main problem with this book is Willa. She is a frustrating and unlikable character. I enjoyed her dad and brother more than Willa; and their characters were not exactly central to the plot. Willa continuously made strange assumptions as the story progressed. Her relationship with Seth brought to mind teenagers, rather than two adults, in their mid- to late-twenties. Relatively early on in the book she thinks Seth is capable of a serious crime, discovers that it is something completely different and he is not a criminal, but is incredibly angry before, during and after these discoveries. At times, it seemed as if the murder; and subsequent unveiling of the murderer, were just a backdrop for their immature and volatile relationship. Willa made some ridiculous mistakes while investigating; and left me wondering how she could work with a detective who seemed to think that Willa should return to the force. Even more importantly, why wasn't the detective; and other law enforcement agencies telling her to stay out of their business. I realize that this is fiction, but there were far too many holes; and the denouement seemed to come out of thin air. I might read the 2nd book in the series, but I definitely would not recommend this book to our patrons.

I find the story slow going. It didn’t really capture my attention. I find the main character irritating. I feel frustrated and impatient with her. Her relationship with Seth is bizarre, to say the least. There is no coherent between the so call tough PI and the “little girl lost” attitude with her ex-boyfriend ‘s brother. It’s incomprehensible! I guess the author is trying to create a mystery to the relationship, but instead of intriguing the readers, she just makes it worst. I can’t define the genre of this book. It’s supposed to be a crime mystery, but I find it to be more romantic cosy mystery. This is not my kind of book. Thank you to the publisher and author for letting me read this for an honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Aimee Hix, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

Willa Pennington thought that becoming a PI would be better than being a cop. She thought she'd never have to make another death notification or don a bulletproof vest again. She thought she'd be safe. But she couldn't have been more wrong, because Willa's real problem is that she's always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. And people really don't like that. Now, agreeing to do a simple favor has netted her a dead body, a missing person, and an old friend who just may be a very bad guy. If whoever is trying to kill her would lay off she could solve the murder, find the missing girl, and figure out if the person she's trusted with her life is the one trying to end it.

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU is an adult thriller/mystery and Aimee Hix's debut novel. It seems like this is the first in what will likely be a series of standalone novels. I enjoyed it and liked Hix's writing. I found the characters to be developed and respectable. I liked Willa and enjoyed the twists Hix threw in. This suspenseful read is full of action and some graphic scenes. I highly recommend WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU to anyone who enjoys a well-drawn out mystery.

Thank you so much to netgalley and to Midnight Ink for allowing me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I am blown away by this book. It contains all that I look for in a thriller. The main character, Willa, is strong but flawed. She's an ex-cop who is starting down the path of becoming a private investigator. Her new life is complicated by Sean when Willa can't determine if Sean is a good guy or evil, whether she can trust Sean during a time when attempts are being made on her life, and desperately needing to figure out out what exactly their commitment is to each other.

Sean is the brother of her long time friend, Michael, who was killed in action just days before Michael was set to return home from deployment. The passages that deal with Willa's sense of loss are incredible, and Aimee Hix has captured so clearly what it's like to lose a loved one. The back story on the relationship amongst Sean, Michael, and Willa is curious. Why was Michael so adamant that Willa and Sean couldn't have a relationship? Will there be fallout between Willa and Sean if they remember their promises to Michael? And what is lurking at the home of Michael and Sean's parents that has Sean apparently estranged from his grieving parents?

This book had action galore, humor, interesting relationships, and a strong female main character. Even better, there is more action to come in 2019 and 2020 with subsequent books. I'm not sure that I will be able to wait that long!

Thank you to Aimee Hix for writing such a strong novel and for the promise of more interesting novels!

For a debut novel this book was a masterpiece in my eyes. I really liked Willa Pennington and had fun following her through the mystery. I look forward to this author’s works and I hope she continues this character.

This well written detective novel is enough out of the ordinary to merit hand-selling at the "new fiction" shelf.

Being a cop sucks. Willa Pennington quickly tired of the less glamorous, grittier, day to day life of a police officer and decided to trade her badge for a P.I. license. But for Willa, the chase, solving the mystery, means everything and that won’t change when she changes jobs. Before she knows it, she’s landed herself in a murder investigation, a missing persons case and the very real possibility that she has trusted a person who may be a killer. I loved Willa, she’s a kick ass, take no prisoners protagonist that readers will be able to relate to

This is a promising debut novel featuring a gutsy, sassy apprentice Private Investigator called Willa Pennington, who reminds me of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum from the series by Janet Evanovich.
It is a thriller written with a deft hand and laced with humour. There are a number of characters introduced, including her brilliant IT savvy younger brother and her ATF boyfriend, together with law enforcement connections made, which I can imagine featuring in her future adventures. I think her books will appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was tense, action packed and had a wonderful quirky sense of humor that pulls you along a gripping story. I am actually hoping to see a second book with these same characters. I loved it!!

First, thanks to Midnight Ink, Netgalley and the Aimee Hix for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Willa Pennington is an ex-cop who is now training to be an Private Investigator under her father’s supervision. Willa is asked to help out a family friend’s granddaughter who has been living with her abusive boyfriend. Willa arrives at the house to find the boyfriend dead and the granddaughter missing. Being an ex-cop, Willa starts investigating the death on her own and finds herself messed up with ATF operation, being run by an childhood friend named Seth.
This is Ms. Hix’s debut novel, and after reading it, it appears this will be a great series to read. I loved Willa Pennington, she is a strong female character. The novel was well put together with humour and suspense, one moment you couldn’t wait to get to the next scene to see what happens, and the next moment you are laughing-out-loud.

I would recommend this novel to all my suspense/thriller friends and I can’t wait to read the next Willa Pennington series.

What a great female character! I love the character interactions and family-centric theme in this action/mystery. Highly recommend.