With her vindictive ex-husband out of prison, San Francisco medical examiner Annabelle Schwartzman is trying harder than ever to move on with her life—by focusing on her job to speak for the victims who can’t. Summoned to a homicide in Golden Gate Park, she realizes that she’d seen the victim just hours before, alive and well in a parked Jeep with a small boy. Now, the woman has been stabbed to death and stripped of her burka, and the child is nowhere to be found.

When an African American student is found dead, bearing knife wounds identical to those of the woman in the park, the press jumps on them as hate crimes. If only they were so easy to explain. There is a connection—but Schwartzman believes it’s something even worse. Her fears are confirmed with the discovery of the next victim.

Now, to stop a vicious killer whose work has only just begun, Schwartzman and Detective Hal Harris must untangle the twisted thread that links it all to the missing boy and a crime buried in the past.

I didn't realize at the beginning that I was reading a book with installments. It wasn't hard to delve into the characters or the story. And I am going to read the other books in the installment. Danielle Girard has found a new reader. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

With her vindictive ex-husband out of prison, San Francisco medical examiner Annabelle Schwartzman is trying harder than ever to move on with her life—by focusing on her job to speak for the victims who can’t. Summoned to a homicide in Golden Gate Park, she realizes that she’d seen the victim just hours before, alive and well in a parked Jeep with a small boy. Now, the woman has been stabbed to death and stripped of her burka, and the child is nowhere to be found.

When an African American student is found dead, bearing knife wounds identical to those of the woman in the park, the press jumps on them as hate crimes. If only they were so easy to explain. There is a connection—but Schwartzman believes it’s something even worse. Her fears are confirmed with the discovery of the next victim.

Now, to stop a vicious killer whose work has only just begun, Schwartzman and Detective Hal Harris must untangle the twisted thread that links it all to the missing boy and a crime buried in the past.

Picking this book up, it felt like I was being reunited with an old friend, and I enjoyed reading the changes she’s making in moving forward with her life, while still trying to keep away from her evil ex husband.

Seeing that the next book is due to be released soon has made me one happy bunny!

I'll admit, I've waited to long to write my review for this one. There are some NetGalley reads that slipped by me for whatever reason that I failed to review upon completion, and this is one of them.

I am looking over my notes however and will do my best to try and make sense of them.

The truth, the story of Annabelle and Spencer is what has kept me involved with this series up to this point. However, with each novel I've read, there always seems to be some disconnect. I find my mind wandering and I'm often wondering when we're going to get to the "good stuff".

In the case of Expose, I was very confused by Bitty's character and the way she was introduced. I couldn't tell if the narrative was meant to be past or present at times. I also could not connect to her character, and this in the end made it difficult for me to connect to the storyline and overall novel. The storyline felt very clunky and incomplete. I found that people just kept being murdered, but there are no chapters leading up to the murders which did not create any form of suspense for the reader. At 50%, it was barely holding my interest. The only thing keeping me in for the long haul was the promise of Spencer's return. Which sad to say I hit the 65% point, and still there was very little in the way of interaction from Spencer.

The more I read, the more I found the plot to be poorly pieced together and mediocre at best. The narrative was more "telling" rather than showing. I often find this as another source of disconnect for me.

So finally, we get to the end of the novel, and here comes Spencer. So now, after having read through a poorly pieced together storyline, I have to wait for the next installment to finally get my dose of Spencer. Needless to say, Danielle Girard has me on the hook, I certainly hope she delivers with her next installment.

I want to thank NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Danielle Girard for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my review.

I started reading this book today and could not put it down because the author weaves an intense web of mystery where one murder paves the way for other murders and soon, the pathologist and lead detective find themselves looking into the past in an attempt to resolve the crimes in the present.
Thank you for the eARC Netgalley.

Loved this book so much I bought the others in the series. I was wrapped up in the characters almost immediately and found myself not wanting to even watch tv, I just kept reading and reading and next thing I knew it was 3 am. oops.

I have read and loved all of Danielle Girards's books and this book is no exception. Third in this series and just as compelling as the other books in the series. I love the characters Anna and Hal and look forward to the next book in the series!

Great story, thrilling plot and edge of your seat writing. Highly recommend to others, just great. Danielle Girard is an author to watch.

This is the third in a series about Anna Schwartzman, a San Francisco medical examiner. I enjoyed reading this book because I cared about the characters and the threats against them were believable.

On the way to a crime scene late at night, Schwartzman sees a Jeep parked on the roadside in Golden Gate Park. She notices the Jeep because a young boy in the passenger seat is excited by Anna’s dog, Buster. She also sees a woman in the driver’s seat who is found murdered and naked in the park following morning. There is no trace of the young boy or the Jeep. The author shows the fear Anna has for the child, and her writing is good enough to strike fear in the reader for the safety of the child.

Like any good suspense novel, secrets are exposed. The reader is given information that the detective and Anna don’t have, but I was turning every page to see what happened next. While some of the story is predictable, there are enough plot twists to surprise the reader as secrets are revealed. And more bodies are found, and more characters go missing.

Unlike most authors, Ms. Girard writes about the religion of Anna Schwartzman, her protagonist, and more about the faith of the first murder victim. The author writes about Islam without becoming preachy, or at least not too preachy about discrimination against Muslims in this country.

A subplot in this novel deals with Anna’s psychopathic ex-husband who remains across the country. This character is the only one in the book that seems over the top to me. Otherwise, the rest of the book is an excellent stand-alone novel.

Warning: as the third in a series, there are references to what happened in the previous books, and a hook to the next novel that is scheduled for publication in mid-2019. I am not fond of cliff-hanger book endings, but they do allow for character arcs over a series rather than in a single novel.

Overall, Expose is well-written and a good read.w.goodreads.com/user/show/10197192-karen-ph

Expose – Danielle Girard

I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman is back again, as she teams up with Detective Hal Harris to help solve the murder of a young woman found naked at a local park. As they arrive to survey the scene, Anna realizes that she saw this woman in passing the night before while retrieving the victim of an accident. Haunted by the chance encounter and worrying about the child that the woman had in the car with her last night, Anna & Hal pour themselves into this case – where the discover ties to a vicious assault 14 years ago.

Meanwhile, Anna’s abusive ex-husband is out of jail and Anna fears that it’s only a matter of time before he comes for her. Her apprehension is only appeased by the daily text messages she receives from a private investigator who keeps tabs on Spencer’s whereabouts. So far, he has remained far away, but Anna fears the worst.

As the investigation continues, more deaths occur, all seemingly related to a young Muslim woman, and her former roommate at Berkeley University. As Anna & Hal attempt to solve the puzzle, they find themselves increasingly attracted to one another, and have a chance to explore that attraction during the holidays.

Finally, a simple signet ring helps put the pieces together, but danger is even more close to home than ever before…this book will leave you breathless with a desire to climb into the pages and warn the characters of danger,
and leaves you on tenterhooks with a stunning cliff-hanger ending…

Now I must wait, very impatiently, for the next book in the series!! Fabulous read!! Love these characters!!

Another fast moving,exciting story in this series. Unusual and complex with many layers to be uncovered. I look forward to the next one.

Expose is the third exciting book in the Dr. Schwartzman series written by author Danielle Girard. I think this is the best yet, but I imagine that the fourth will be even better. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the advance copy.

The personality trait that is most common in any good thriller is the all endearing psychopath. In Danielle Girard’s latest thriller, Expose, we get to see the shenanigans of not just one psychopath but two. Expose, as well as the rest of series, follows the life of medical examiner, Annabelle Schwartzman, who, unlike most medical examiners, happens to have been married to a psychopath. So, in other words, she has first-hand experience with psychopaths which has both its upside and downside in her occupation, well maybe more downside. In Expose, Schwartzman gets a case where a women is stabbed to death in a park only a short distance from where Schwartzman was investigating another death. Schwartzman alongside Detective Hal Harris work together on uncovering a complicated layer of clues that eventually lead us to the illustrious psychopath.

Girard does one thing that is different than what other authors do when writing about psychopaths; she looks into what makes them psychopaths in the first place. An article in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin defines psychopaths as being, ‘a cluster of interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial traits and behaviors. These involve deception; manipulation; irresponsibility; impulsivity; stimulation seeking; poor behavioral controls; shallow affect; lack of empathy, guilt, or remorse; sexual promiscuity; callous disregard for the rights of others; and unethical and antisocial behaviors.’ Most psychopaths are men and it is estimated that approximately 1% of the male population is a psychopath which means that you probably have run into one at some time. The brains of psychopaths are different than the brains of most people which indicates that there is most likely a genetic component which means that psychopaths are born that way. But not all psychopaths are homicidal maniacs as depicted in many thrillers. The psychopathic killer is mostly likely molded into being a sadistic killer as there is evidence that a traumatic event in their childhood, such as sexual or physical abuse or possibly witnessing a violent death, predisposes them toward being a ruthless murderer. Girard gives us a glimpse into how Schwartzman’s abusive husband and the man she is investigating become evil psychopathic killers and how they can so easily get by with their behaviors without being discovered.

Expose could be read as a standalone, but the running theme of Schwartzman’s psychopathic husband has been continuous throughout the series. Additionally, Girard ends Expose with a cliff-hanger which means that you will need to read the next in the series. Overall, I think this in a fun and entertaining thriller especially for those that can’t get enough of psychopaths. The next book in the series is Expire which should be released mid-summer of 2019.

I would just like to start this review by saying how dare you end a book like that? Why would you do that to me? I need to next instalment right now. I honestly don’t know how I am going to wait a whole year.

Expose is the 3rd book in the Dr Anna Schwartzman series and I would definitely recommend reading them in order due to events that take place in Schwartzman’s personal life regarding her abusive ex (I don't think I have ever hated a character more).

Schwartzman is a medical examiner and works closely with Detective Hal Harris. I love their chemistry together and they are both such loveable characters. There are quite a lot of scientific explanations and terms which can be a bit long but I like that kind of stuff. Expose is a bit of a slow starter but it soon picked up speed and kept me hooked.

There is the main crime involving the murder of a Muslim lady and a black man which are seemingly unconnected and have very limited clues. This then runs alongside events in Schwartzman's personal life. Both storylines work well together and are well balanced.

The story is told mainly from Schwartzman and Hal’s point of view but there’s also a woman called Tabitha, Bitty for short. I struggled with Bitty as I wasn’t a massive fan of her character and nothing she did seemed to make sense. It did all come together in the end though, especially with the suspense created around the mysterious Bengal.

If you love forensic science and crime thriller series then I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Fast, engaging, and difficult to put down, I just think I've found myself a series to follow. Girard brings to the table another multilayered and absorbing story to accompany the crimes to solve and the continuing personal stories of her main characters, Dr. Schwartzman and Inspector Hal Harris, along with Spencer McDonald and the minds of those in the center of the current case.

Expanding the developing stories for her characters while maintaining a balance with the murder case presented in this installment, Girard's has created a series here that I could see continuing for a long while.

What an awesome and extremely tense book! I have never read any books by Danielle Girard but I can guarantee you that this will not be my last! It was a page turner that I couldn’t put down! You need to read it, thanks Danielle!

A good read. Well written with good characters. . . .

This book started out too "technical" for me. Lots of medical descriptions. So I put it down and read another. Picked it back up and it started to be more like a book rather than a medical book. Loved the drama and the characters. Hal and Anna finally figured out their attraction and in the end Spenser got Anna again right after she and Hal found out they were pregnant. Really? That's' how the book ended? I NEED to read the next one right away to see if Hal rescues her. Really good book. Would recommend it to anyone.

No, No, No..... Why did that have to happen? Ugh, why is it so difficult to stop this Spencer? Is he really that smart? I hope that he get caught and doesn’t survive long enough to go to prison. Such a psychopath. I was so happy for Anna and Hal and so caught up in the case, that I forget about Spencer. He’s not mentioned after the first halv of the book and I wasn’t aware that he was ready to take the next step in his plan so soon. And the timing could not be more off then now. Hopefully this whole situation gets resolved before he can do more harm to Anna, or the ones dearest to her. Of course, there also was a case. And this one was a hard one to crack. Nothing added up and with no connections to the past or the victims time was running out for Hal to close the case before damaging his career. Really amazing addition to this series and one I highly recommend. Can’t wait for the next book.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer!

Dr. Schwartzman Works Several Murders Tied Together by a Strange Weapon and a Years Old Assault

This novel opens with Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman, a medical examiner for San Francisco, driving to the scene of a fatal motorcycle accident in Golden Gate Park. At a stop sign within the park, she stopped alongside a Jeep. In the Jeep, a little boy becomes excited because of Annabelle’s dog that started to react to the boy. She realized that the driver was wearing burqa. Annabelle did notice the woman’s eyes. Later upon driving back from the scene, she saw the Jeep but it was empty. The next morning, Annabelle received a call that a nude body of a woman was discovered in Golden Gate Park. The scene was close to where the Jeep was parked that night but now was gone. When she arrived at the crime scene, she recognized the eyes. The storyline takes off from here. Strange wounds, strange scars, and more murders unfold with twists and turns so the storyline easily captured my imagination.

The B-storyline also is quite rich as it centers on the relationship between Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman and Inspector Hal Harris with whose cases she is usually involved. Added to this mix is Annabelle’s abusive ex-husband back in South Carolina who has been terrorizing her. She is living in fear of him. Hal has helped her through the roughest spots. Since their work causes them to work cases together, the storyline transitions occur seamlessly from professional to personal and back. Like other novel series, the B-storyline supports an ongoing story throughout the series. I have read the first book, and this is the third book in this series. The author backfills anything that depends upon what occurred in the previous novels. I did not felt that I missed anything because I did not read the second book.

For those readers who are sensitive to vulgar language or graphic sex, this novel will meet your needs. There were only six instances of mildly offensive words and no graphic sex. There are some torture scenes that are intense. Annabelle does use very specific medical terms, but for me the author defines them in a way that it naturally flows without disrupting the flow of the storyline. The one aspect in the novel I did not appreciate was the ending. I call this type of ending as a “who shot JR” from the Dallas TV show. I will say that I could not think see any other way the novel without this type of ending. Also, to be truthful, this did not stop me from purchasing the second book in the series, and I will be reading it soon.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel. I stayed up late at night reading this novel. These are the prime requirement for a five star rating. When the “who shot JR” is used I usually drop the rating one star. In this case it would be a half star deduction. Since I purchased the second novel, I rounded the rating up to five stars. This novel is an enjoyable read with enough mystery to keep your mind engaged. I do recommend reading this novel.

I have received a free kindle version of this novel through NetGalley from Thomas & Mercer with a request for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this novel early.

Fast-paced and tension filled, Expose had me from the very beginning. I read late into the night until my tablet literally fell from my hands, slept a couple of hours, and then finished it. I loved the two story lines - Anna's professional life and her personal life. They did not intersect, but there were many parallels. I eagerly await the next book!