I love the crime fighting duo in this book! The story is well written and I wanted more. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to Doubleday Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I LOVED this book. I very rarely give five stars for books but this one hit all the right buttons. I'm really picky about books in my favorite genre - mystery/thriller - and this one did not disappoint. Tight pacing, snappy lines, a tough but realistic female lead and a great male sidekick, current topic as plot vehicle, and all around great writing.

I can't wait to find more books by this author.

We first met Alice Vega in Two Girls Down. I really liked it. Alice is actually a bounty hunter and has a good reputation for being One of the the best in the country at what she does.

This time it’s two Jane Does, Jane One and Jane Two. Alice is called in by DEA to San Diego/El Centro area in SoCal to consult on a case of two young Latino girls in the morgue who appear to be the victims of violent drug trafficking. The DEA, FBI and local police are all working on this case but they need her help. They’re willing to pay her a hefty sum for two weeks work. Her condition in taking the job is to bring in her side-kick Cap to help with the case, flying him in from the east coast.

Well plotted and engaging, most fans of crime fiction will find the tale believable in a horrible and sickening way. The ending brings about a twist that left an unexpected smile on my face.

My thanks to both Bookish First, NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read the digital ARC and express my own opinion of this work. Pick up your copy at your favorite retailers on Jan 21, 2020.

This second book picks up a few months after book one in the Alice Vega series. Vega and Max/Cap haven’t seen each other since the last case, it Vega is quick to call on him for her new case out in California. .. and it is a good thing because this case is messed up from start to finish.

Vega and Max find corrupt law enforcement, sex trafficking, cartel politics, and more in this non stop case. They both are hurt badly, but their trust and desire to back the other one up is more prevalent then ever. Vega does not take names, she just kicks a** and demonstrates that amply in this story by jumping fences, knocking people out with tools, shooting people in the legs, running a car into a house when the gun can’t break the bulletproof seal, etc. Cap is more fierce in book two and I am here. For how he finds the perfect stance between emotions in each situation.

Vega and Max both demonstrate more of their emotions in this book, to each other and in general. The janes story is heartbreaking and the ending is shocking. Missy is an all star and she and Darlena are stand outs from the story. My favorite though is the ending when we meet the Bastard! With Nell’s recommendation for her dad and the way Vega and Max left the ok, I do have to wonder what is in store for book three!

Thank you NetGalley and DoubleDay for the chance to read this book and share my opinions!

To start off my review I have to disclose that I have not read the first book in the Alice Vega series. All of my opinions are based on reading The Janes as a standalone. However, now that I have read The Janes, I really want to read Two Girls Down. Not to mention, I cannot wait to continue reading this series! Louisa Luna, based off of this book alone, is an amazing writer.

With that being said, this book was great. Vega and Cap as main characters were really... awesome, for lack of a better word. Their banter, history, slight romantic tension, actions, and the way they read each other really helps this book along. I found them both to be great main characters! I was rooting for them both throughout the book. Both Vega and Cap's personalities and flaws are rather believable and you can find yourself slightly relating to them both. (I say slightly because I am certainly nowhere near as bad-ass as either of them, ha ha!)

As for the story, I knew there would be a really great plot twist coming with how quick some parts of the book moved. There were a lot of different ways that the twist could have happened and I enjoyed the route this one took. It held my attention through its entirety and I found myself on the edge of my seat on more than one occasion. The Janes was hard to put down.

Unfortunately, I am putting this one down for now. I will most likely pick it up again at a later time but i just can’t get through it. I’ve been trying to read it for 2 weeks now and every time i pick it up I quit after a few days.

The writing is dry and the book is proving to be without excitement. I enjoyed the previous book, two girls down, but this one is not hitting the mark. It feels more like a dollar store detective procedural than the exciting mystery it’s predecessor was.

This is the first book by the author that I have read and I enjoyed it. It is fast paced, engaging and a quick read. Alice Vega is the main character and is a private investigator who is supported by her cohort Cap. It is the second book in the series and I intend to get the first one to read of better understand how the relationships developed. That said, this book can function as a stand alone read. Louisa Luna fits the bill if you are looking for a fresh, new crime/mystery author.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook  page.

I am a HUGE fan of Louisa Luna and of the Caplan/Alice Vega duo. The cases they take on are tough and usually involve violence against women. (This one involved the trafficking of underage girls.)

When Vega gets hired by the police to investigate a pair of murders she gets in touch with Caplan and asks him to fly to San Diego and join her on the case. Soon they both start to suspect that something very strange is going on.

Their relationship is so perfect - Vega is so self-sufficient, Caplan has so much quiet admiration for her. They make a great professional team and their slow slow burn romance is a delight.
This was intricately plotted and very suspenseful with some amazing secondary characters (is McTiernan available because I have a crush on him!)

Can't wait for the next book!

Not as intense a read as the author's previous thriller, but THE JANES does deliver wonderful twists and surprises--this is an author in supreme control of pacing.

The second book featuring Alice Vega and Max Caplan is just as intense and intriguing as book one. Vega's reckless, anything for the case attitude is still astounding, and while it does land her (and Cap) in some trouble throughout this case (where nothing is as it first appears), it does make for absolutely thrilling reading. Vega and Cap are such an unlikely seeming, perfectly compatible investigative pair, and keeping up the pace with the breakneck speed they work on this case is challenging (at one point they referenced the amount of time since they last saw another character, and when I realized how much had happened in such a short amount of time, I was completely taken by surprise). Dealing with timely issues such as immigration and human trafficking, this one is definitely a great addition to both the series and the PI canon.

Two Girls Down grabbed me from the beginning so I was excited to see Luna’s second in the series. Alice Vega seems a little calmer this go around. And Cap is just happy to have a chance to work with her again.

Alice is brought in to help the police after two unidentified dead girls are found. It would appear they’re the victims of a human trafficking ring. It’s also possible the women were undocumented.

Alice is not the warm cuddly type. In fact, she’s a real hard a**. Even though she’s been hired by the police, she’s not one to work hand in hand, especially when she feels like they’re keeping things from her.

The book moves at a fast clip and there’s a nice sense of tension and suspense throughout. It builds to a great ending. Luna makes some valid points about immigration issues in the country.

This isn’t a believable book but it is enjoyable.

My thanks to netgalley and Doubleday for an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed the first book in this series and I liked this one too. Alice Vega is a PI working with the San Diego Police Department and the FBI on a case involving sex trafficking of young girls. It is an exciting thriller. Alice calls in her friend and another PI, Cap, to work with her. It is intriguing to see how these two work together. I am looking forward to the next in the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Janes is a solid sequel to the first in the Alice Vega series. Alice and Cap are both back investigating a new mystery. Two bodies of unidentified women are found. The cops fear a human trafficking ring, so call Alice for her help identifying the bodies and the possibility of finding other missing people. The characters are well-developed and the plot is fast-paced. Readers will enjoy continuing the Alice Vega series and if you haven't yet started, don't hesitate. You can even start with this one without missing too much. Highly recommended to readers looking for a good PI mystery series.

PI Alice Vega and her favorite partner Max Caplan, former police officer, are called in to help with a police investigation into two unidentified females found deceased. But the Police and other officials want to pay them under the table. Vega uses some unconventional methods of obtaining information but is highly successful. It becomes apparent fairly quickly though that there is something going on that is not above board. The local cop that is assisting in the investigation has never seen his chief act the way he is about this particular investigation.

This was a captivating read and kept me riveted on the story. I highly recommend this book.

A very emotional murder story about human trafficking. The characters are well defined and believable. The plot has a lot of surprises and action. It also brings home the reality of our society that turns a blind eye to the plot of young girls -they are invisible to many. I hope this book gets a lot of reads!

When I went to start this book I realized it was the second in a series, and since I like to start at the beginning, I promptly checked out book 1 from my local library and read that before continuing with this one. I'm glad I did because it helped introduce me to Vega and give me insight into her partnership with Max Caplan.
Both books are excellent and well written with intriguing stories that keep the reader on the edge of their seats. I read both of these books quickly because I just couldn't put them down.
Luna has birthed a terrific character in Alice Vega. Her demeanor at first glance is robotic, cold and secretive, but her collaboration with Cap is beginning to reveal a slight crack in that facade. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

Intriguing thriller about many relevant and timely themes; illegal immigration, border tensions and human trafficking. Second book in a series but can stand alone.

Had I realized this was part of a continuing series, I may not have requested it. I did enjoy the fact that it has a strong female protagonist, though some points were a bit stereotypical. That said, I had a hard time getting into the story and staying engaged overall. Cap's role seemed pretty pointless, except to let the reader know what Vega was thinking, etc. Overall, things fell a bit flat. Maybe that wouldn't have been the case if I'd read the prior book.

The Janes by Louisa Luna
Book Review by Dawn Thomas

368 Pages
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: January 21, 2020

Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Kidnapping, Violence

Two girls, between the ages of 12-14 were found tortured then murdered in California near the Mexican border. When the second girl was found, she had a note gripped in her hand, Alice Vega is called into investigate. Alice listens to the government officials detail the findings and after negotiations decides to take the case. She gets help from a business partner, Max Caplan. She has unique ways of getting things done but she is a woman on a mission. Some may believe Alice doesn’t have any feelings. I think the way she is impartial gives her another way of looking at life. To me, she is an extremely deep character and I look forward to reading more of her series.

This book is intense and provides a lot of descriptions of characters and locations. It is written in third person point of view and moves quickly. Alice reminds me of the Samantha Brinkman character in Marcia Clark books.

Review by 2shay...............

Alice Vega is bada$$ bounty hunter with the same respect for the finer points of law as the skips she hunts, a trait that worries her partner, former policeman Max “Cap” Caplan. Worried or not, nothing keeps the hopelessly infatuated Cap from following wherever Alice leads. This time, Alice convinces him to help her with an off-the-books job for the San Diego Police Department. SDPD has two young, Hispanic Jane Does with similar death wounds and both with IUDs. The police suspect they’ve been held as sex slaves.

I loved Alice and Cap in their first book, Two Girls Down, released last year and reviewed elsewhere on this blog. I expected a lot of this book, and Louisa Luna delivered. With lots of action, plot twists and a couple of betrayals, Alice and Cap almost get in more trouble than they can manage! Whew. It was intense!

Much of the intensity of this story is the subject matter. The kidnapping of young women, some as young as thirteen, and offering them for sex to perverts is unsettling. They don’t all have a happy ending. But Alice and Cap do their best while battling for their own safety.

Plus! Alice and Cap get closer. Awww....! Pick up a copy and.....

Enjoy! ARC graciously provided by Doubleday Books and NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review.