Member Reviews
A gripping tale that blurs the lines between family loyalty and dark secrets. PI Jessie Cole takes center stage in this high-stakes mystery, determined to unravel the enigma surrounding amnesiac reporter Ben Morrison. As Ben grapples with the fragments of his past, Jessie's relentless pursuit of the truth sets the stage for a chilling journey through buried memories and the eerie connection between a troubled childhood and a series of gruesome murders.
This is a is a riveting blend of mystery and suspense that keeps readers hooked from the first page to the last. Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers with intricate plots, well-developed characters, and a relentless pursuit of the truth that keeps the heart pounding until the final reveal.
Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and author T.R. Ragan for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book.
Definitely another hit by Ragen and a stand alone in the series. It is worth the read but can be somewhat slow at times. Great character development though.
4 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, as well as Thomas & Mercer, provided me with an electronic copy of Deranged. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.
Deranged is the third book in a series featuring PI Jessie Cole and this novel is basically just more of the same. The author has decided to finally stop teasing readers with reporter Ben Morrison's amnesia and gets down to revealing some of his past. While Jessie is helping Ben, she is handed a case by her assistant. When this straightforward job suddenly turns sideways, will a connection be made in a surprising turn of events?
I did like that some of Ben Morrison's past is revealed, but it is almost too little, too late. I did not find the plot to be all that compelling and I was not exactly enamored with the characters. I really liked the series by this author featuring Faith McMann, so I am pretty disappointed with Jessie Cole as a whole. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend Deranged to other readers.
This is book #3 in a series I had not read any of. This advanced copy was archived before I was able to download it to my kindle. Without having read this book, I'm rating it at 3 out of 5 stars.
I received this a long time ago from Netgalley (I know I know it took me a long time to get to it) and it’s not the first in the Jessie cole series but it is a stand alone read. I didn’t read the first two and followed along pretty well.
Ben Morrison a reporter had an accident years prior, developed amnesia and is trying to find out about his past. His dad is in prison for the murder of Ben’s former girlfriend and his deceased mother was also evil. Is Ben the good family man he now portrays or is he deranged. This is the perfect investigation for PI Jessie Cole.
A really well written detective story. The plot wasn’t overly complicated and the mystery easy to connect to. I like that the sub plot was decent and was seamlessly connected to the original story. And of course I appreciated that the PI was a badass female. 3.5 stars.
I enjoyed this one a lot more than book#2. The mystery felt more like book #1. We made progress on finding out more about Ben's history and Colin had more page time. Jessie's niece Olivia and assistant Zee continue to add appeal as recurring characters.
This is the 3rd book in the Jessie Cole thriller series. It follows on immediately from book 2 where Jessie helps her friend Ben Morrison to resolve the mystery of his past. Of course this is not the only mystery intertwined in the story line. As always T.R Ragan produced another page turner and I am heading straight over to book no 4 in this series.
We learn more into Ben's past here in the third installment in the Jessie Cole series. Jessie and Ben search for answers into Ben's past and some dark secrets start to come out. We see a very different Ben from the one I have gotten to know. I started to become very concerned about who Ben really is. I was rooting for him not to be the deranged one in this story and I was turning the pages as fast as I could right to the end. I am looking forward to diving into the next installment to this series.
I received a copy from the publisher on NetGalley.
This is the third Jessie Cole book and the first book I have read by this author. I will definitely go back and read the first two books and continue reading this series. It was a fast paced thriller and kept me guessing to the end. I love Jessie's character and do not feel I was missing much about her character by not having read the previous books.
Out of all the T.R. Ragan series I've read thus far, this one is by far my favorite.
I think for me, what really sets this one apart from her others is the level of character development given. I think Ragan has given quite a bit of depth to these characters, especially Ben Morrison. Which of course this installment is all about. Ben has been struggling to learn about his past, and with this one we get quite the glimpse into who Ben was and how he became to be the man he is today. And while Ben is a changed man, he continues to evolve with each new development which only adds to my point of the depth given to the character development.
Ragan also gives you multiple storylines that intersect with this series, and I'm always interested to see how it comes together. When I think I have found all the missing pieces, there's always something I seemed to have overlooked or never quite put together.
I've very interested to see how Ragan will finish the series. There's so much that I think we all want answered; is there a way to possibly fit it all in one book? Let's hope!
I want to thank NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and T.R. Ragan for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my review.
Thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, though I feel like I would have enjoyed it more had I read the first two in the series. With how much I liked this one, I'm happy to go back and read books 1 and 2!
Were serial killers born or raised.
Jessie has always supported her friend news reporter Ben Morrison. Jessie became a private investigator with the disappearance of her sister leaving her sister's daughter in Jessie's care. Ben became a news reporter after suffering from amnesia and years later disturbing visions of his past have resurfaced. These visions and recent feelings of violence in saving Jessie from a serial killer are leaving Ben with questions as to who he really is. Is Ben the family man he is now? He loves his wife and children. Or is he Ben of his family's sordid past. A past that Jessie is helping him dig up.
When a tie of brutal murder that Jessie's boyfriend Colin is investigating and a infidelity case that Jessie and her partner Zee are investigating lead to Ben's past, Jessie holds on to the Ben she knows.
I always enjoy the relational aspect of Jessie's Cole tribe. Her daughter, her crazy fun associate Zee and her loyalty to her friend Ben. The "real" killer is secretly hidden and ultimately revealed in a climatic way. Totally enjoyed this one.
A Special Thank you to Thomas Mercer and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review
There is a lot happening in this thriller. Many uncertainties are resolved by the end of the book, however.
Solid entry in the series. Keeping me curious as to where the author is headed with the characters.
Jessie Cole, private investigator, is helping her friend Ben Morrison piece his past together after the care accident that left him with amnesia, a past full of violence and question about the true nature of Ben. At the same time, she is handling a fidelity case with her assistant, a case that goes all wrong very fast. Also at the same, her boyfriend, the detective, is investigating a series of murder. Are all these event somehow connected?
I requested the book because of its cover and obviously the title. I thought the story might be interesting, and it was to a certain extent, only, there was too much going on, too many events intersecting without being really developed. I thought that, considering how messy everything was towards the end, the end of the story was somehow a bit rushed and for me it felt like there were too many loose ends. The main story, which is the past of Ben, felt incomplete for me. The "nuanced" discoveries and the hints and all that were interesting and i liked them, but i would rather it had a more concrete end to it. Or it could be that i didn't grasp what the author intended fot it.
The character were good enough, just that they didn't inspire any kind of feeling for me, either like or dislike, i really felt indifferent to them or anything that might happen to them, except for the schizophrenic assistant of Jessie, she was quite the character.
Overall, it was an ok read.
Another story involving Jessie Cole and her enigmatic friend Ben Morrison, Deranged delves further into Ben’s murky past. While Jessie works on a seemingly routine surveillance case it becomes clear that a serial killer is targeting Ben. This book was ok but the story was slow in parts and the ending was predictable.
A great book full of mystery, suspense, and so many twists. I enjoyed the story and the writing by this author and look forward to reading more of the series. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this and write about it.
I found this another enjoyable, fun to read book from the author. Full of good suspense and mystery. However I did find the motivation for the murders on the shaky side. But that did not take away from my five-star rating.
This was my first time reading this author and I was pleased with what she delivered. In this third book of the series we find Jessie helping out a reporter friend who is looking into his own past. He lost his memory in a car accident and hopes that she can help him figure out if the flashbacks he has started having are truth or fiction. Meanwhile she is also looking into a cheating spouse case, not something she wants to do but something she needs to do for money. Her on again detective boyfriend is working what looks like a serial killer case keeping them from spending time together but she hopes they can make it work. When Jesse and her boyfriends cases cross paths they both have to start digging deeper into the past. Are they looking for the same killer or could there be two people out there with the same hobby of murder? This was a fantastic read that introduced me to a well rounded main character, Jessie Cole, who I was immediately drawn to from the start. I look forward to reading the previous to books while I await the next one in the series!!!
Another exciting chapter in this series. Fast paced and lots of twists and turns. The characters in this series are all believable and human and have their own stories. Bring on the next one.