good book very suspense great character and a great new serie great end to this book look forward to next book in the serie

I was able to read Expose by Danielle Girard for free from Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Girard's Schwartzman series and was anxious to read the 3rd book. I finished this book and I am ready for the next book... Danielle Girard does not disappoint. We get to know the story of Dr. Anna Schwartzman and Inspector Hal Harris, as well as Roger and Naomi.
There are two set of stories in this book, Anna's sadistic ex-husbnad creating suspense and the murder of three victims and a missing person. I could not put the book down and now I am waiting for the next book.

<no spoilers, please read this series and start with the first book, Exhume>.

Annabelle Schwartzman has dealt with a lot in the last years, not the least of which is her sociopathic ex husband. This installment sees her trying to solve what seem to unconnected murders with Hal Harrison, who's a pretty good guy. I read the first book and missed the second so this was almost a standalone for me, and that was gone. I liked Anna even if sometimes I thought she jumped to conclusions. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the genre where the serial killer is caught due to the hard work of a female forensics expert.

I love Girard's Schwartzman series and was anxious to read this 3rd book. It did not disappoint, though it did frustrate. There are 2 plots: the murder investigation that Hal & Anna are involved in; and the story of Anna and her demonic ex-husband. Warning: This book is a cliff-hanger. My hope is that Girard will not wait too long for the next book!

Why?!?!?!?

Everything was going great until..., well, you’ll find out!

Okay, I’m ready for the next one!! Danielle Girard knows how to make you hang on to a story. Dr. Anna Schwartzman and Inspector Hal Harris are two of my favorite people, as well as Roger and Naomi in the lab.

Is it wrong I wish I could dive into this book and kill Spencer MacDonald myself? You know those characters you love to hate? Well, I don’t love to hate him, I despise the very fact he’s fictionally breathing. I have never detested a fictional character so much. I actually think I loathe him even more than any living, breathing human on the planet.

My hatred for him doesn’t take away from the pleasure of seeing Schwartzman and Hal working cases together. Their chemistry is starting to really sizzle and maybe a possible romance is in the cards.

Don’t forget to start with Exhume!!

I stopped reading thrillers for a while because they all felt like the same story over and over again.

Expose was a nice change of pace with an original plot and I really liked Annabelle the main character. I loved that this character has not had a charmed life and even has an ex husband that is in prison (although he is out in this plot).

I could have done without the "typical" friendship turning into a relationship sub-plot, but overall, this book was engrossing and I could not wait to see what would come next.

I did find the writing was a little slow at times - the author could have cut down in some areas, but still, it had me on the edge of my seat, which is what I ask of a book.

I have read all of Danielle Girard's books and have enjoyed them all. This one was slow to start but I could not put it down as I had to see how it ended. It did have a lot of torture, more so than most of her books. That part did bother me. It also had a cliff hanger ending which seems to be the norm anymore.

Being the third book in the series...you can read it as a stand-alone, but because of an overlapping storyline with the main character, I'd recommend starting form the beginning.

This isn't my favorite int he's reis but I cannot put my finger on why. It's a compelling storyline but the ending is the best part of the book.

I liked the information about the cases and forensics just like I did with the previous two books in the series. However in this book I didn't like that this book was much more graphic about torture and history of abuse for more than one character. I liked how well Hal and Dr. Schwartzman work together as colleagues but I was disappointed with the cliffhanger. This isn't my typical genre but I really enjoy Dr. Schwartzman's character and dedication to her job as a medical examiner throughout this series. I am sure that I will read book #4, but I am ready for the Spencer piece to be done and for Dr. Schwartzman (Anna, Bella) to just focus on being a medical examiner (and the relationships she creates with colleagues).

Special thanks to #Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the early issue of #Expose

Annabelle Schwartzman, a San Francisco based medical examiner, has endured a lot over the past few years of her life. She’s lost her Aunt, fought cancer, and escaped her abusive ex-husbands attempt on her life. While Schwartzman is adjusting to the aftermath and attempting to enjoy the comforts of her new life, she’s called to a scene in Golden Gate Park where a Muslim woman is found stripped of her religious garments and lay dead. As Schwartzman and close friend, Inspector Hal Harrison begin to work the case together, they come to realize that their friendship may just be something more. This terrifies Schwartzman and impedes her from moving forward with Hal as the last man she was close to was critically injured by her ex-husband. In the meantime, the case that she and Hal are working unravels. The perceived possibility of it being a hate crime unfolds into something much more sinister. More bodies begin to show up while a woman goes missing and it is a race against the clock for Schwartzman and Hal to find a suspect. Meanwhile, back in her home State of South Carolina, Schwartzman’s ex-husband, Spencer, has been out of prison for the past year and has been relatively quiet. To the outside world, Spencer has moved on, let go of his infatuation with his ex-wife, “Bella”. However, that is far from the truth. Spencer has plans for Bella. Long term plans.

While I am typically a fan of Danielle Gerard and this series, this particular installment has fallen short. The book feel like a underdeveloped setup just to get us to the next book in the series. The plot is slow to unfold and has minimal character development. Unless you have read the previous books, you would have no true understanding of the true depth of the characters. While one can appreciate the forensic pathology background of the main character, this book spends an over abundant amount of time with the minutia of the case forensics and scene setup that adds nothing to the story line in the end. I can appreciate the attempt Girard has made at creating a multilayered plot but it just doesn't work here. It is not until the end of the book, that it picks up pace and then we are left with a cliff hanger. I was disappointed, as the other books in the series were excellent reads. I’m looking forward to the next installment with high hopes.

Expose is the third book in this series featuring Anna Swartzman, but the first I've read.

What I liked: Hal. The forensics.

Not so much: Women tortured and killed by evil psychopath. One psychopath isn't enough, so add Anna's ex-lover to the mix. Oh, and a cliff-hanger.

Read in June. Blog review scheduled for July 17.

Although I received this one from NetGalley, all three books in the series are available at KindleUnlimited.

NetGalley/Thomas &amp; Mercer

Mystery/Crime. July 24, 2018. Print length: 378 pages.

This is another great cop/ME murder mystery with ME Anna Schwartzman and Detective Harris. There are two stories in one with Anna's crazy sadistic ex-husband creating lots of suspense and the murder of 3 victims and a missing person. I could not put this book down and am now praying the sequel will be along shortly because it does end in a cliff hanger!!

Complicated characters, abuse, abandonment, sheer malice, this book has it all.. It feels as it this book is mid way through a series, with allusions to things that have happened before, and does end with a cliff hanger. The heroine seems as if she has been through literal hell with a awful mother, psychotic ex husband and serious medical issues.
On her way to a crime scene, something tugs at her attention that is connected to a another crime the next day.
as she investigates more and more elements come to light. Other crimes and attacks, some unresolved from the past and others happening now begin to weave together. Ultimately lethal violence is passed from one generation to the next with wreckage left behind.
What appears to be an happy ending is upended in an unexpected and unsettling way. Which does intrigue me to read the next installment.

Complicated and a little sad, nicely written.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of Expose, the third novel to feature San Francisco based medical examiner Anna(belle) Schwartzman.

A naked female body, stabbed to death is found in Golden Gate Park. Anna is called to the scene and recognises the woman as someone she saw the night before wearing a burkha and accompanied by a young boy. The boy, the burkha and the woman's car are all missing. Having been in on the investigation from the start Anna takes a keen interest and helps Detective Hal Harris in any way she can.

I have not read the previous novels in the series so I didn't know what to expect but I found it slow to catch my attention for a variety of reasons. The novel is told from several points of view, mostly Anna's but also from a woman called Tabitha, "Bitty" Wilson, Detective Hal Harris and Anna's psychopathic ex-husband, Spencer. The plot doesn't go very far in the first half, being mostly taken up with scene setting, Bitty's mysterious mission and her connection to the dead woman, Spencer's evil plans and Hal's going nowhere investigation, and Anna's forensic examinations which, while detailed, lack the incisiveness of a Cornwell or Reichs and seem a bit woolly. The initial coincidence of Anna not only seeing the dead woman just before her death but recognising her from just her eyes seems a bit farfetched. The mystery surrounding Bitty's mission is, I assume, supposed to generate suspense but as she is operating in a state of constant hysteria it's hard to get worked up about it. I gather from the novel that Spencer's actions and desires are a theme which runs through the series, but really, the lengths he goes to seem barely credible and he isn't developed as a character much past evil schemer who wants what he wants and will go to any lengths to get it, including becoming totally fluent in French and German in less than a year (a feat I never achieved in 20 years).

Fortunately the novel picks up in the second half as all the scattered pieces start to come together into a more cohesive read. The pace and tension pick up as the solution gets closer. Unfortunately the novel ends in a cliffhanger with the Spencer situation unresolved and an added twist. Yawn.

Expose is an easy way to pass a few hours.

4 stars

Medical Examiner Annabelle Schwartzman has left her abusive ex-husband, But now he is out of prison, and Dr. Schwartzman is terrified of him following her and doing her harm.

Now, she speaks for the dead, treating them with compassion and respect. On her way to a crime scene, a man on a Harley motorcycle went into the lake at park and apparently drowned? Or did he? On her way to the scene she notices a Jeep with a woman in a burka and a small child inside. It was just sitting on the side of the road. How odd.

After she leaves the scene of motorcycle man, she notices that the Jeep is gone. Very early the next morning, she is called out to another crime scene in the same park. It is a naked woman who was stabbed and she seems to be posed. When it turns out to be the woman in the Jeep, Dr. Schwartzman is surprised. Then where is her child?

Another man is killed in the same manner. Since he was African American, pundits are labeling the murders as hate crimes. But Dr. Schwartzman doesn’t think so. Her hunch plays out with the discovery of the next victim.

She works with her friend Detective Hal Harris in this very good book. The forensics are interesting. The details are realistic. This book is well written and plotted. The main characters are interesting and get along well together, although on occasion Annabelle is a little leery of Hal’s attention. I liked this book. It is my first Danielle Girard novel, and I immediately went to Amazon to look for other books of hers.

I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read, enjoy and review.

San Francisco medical examiner Annabelle Schwartzman left an abusive relationship and now spends her time speaking for victims who no longer have a voice by finding evidence to convict the people that killed them. Her newest vic is a someone she saw not long before his death, and she was with a young boy, Where is the child? The woman was Muslim and when an African American is found killed in the same manner, people begin to suspect these were hate crimes. Everyone except Annabelle, that is, she sees a different, even uglier connection. A timely story that could have been pulled from the newspapers