I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review. I enjoyed this book. It was different. You have to pay attention at first to understand the ending. I rate this book a 3.9

I was a new convert to Pinter, but loved this book so much. It's a delightful story driven by a great voice and lively character who will serve as a great series lead and honestly is already leaving me yearning for what's next in her adventures, and also wanting to know what will come after that. A truly enjoyable and entertaining read I would gladly come back to in the future, even knowing what happens. What a great read.

One of the best books I've read in my entire life. Not even kidding. It was that good! I felt like I was smack dab in the middle of an L&O SVU episode with Benson and Stabler. So so so good and Jason kept me on my toes for most of the ride. As I neared the end of the book, I was absolutely shocked! Even halfway through the book, I must have said "OMG" a million times. Rachel Marin was a real likeable character and you just had to love how she pulled through even after her senseless tragedy. I am highly anticipating his next book A Stranger at the Door.

I received a complementary advanced reading copy of the eBook for review from the publisher and Netgalley.

The book is face paced and I enjoyed it.
The main character Rachel is a single mother of 2 kids and also a vigilante.

A community women is found dead in snow. Police think its suicide but Rachel thinks its a murder and starts investigating on her own. Rachel has a traumatic past due to which she become vigilante .What I can not understand is that how she puts her kids in danger so many times also the kids are her life.

The murder mystery itself is gripping but Rachel choices are not relatable.

I really enjoyed Jason Pinter's Henry Parker series, which focused on a journalist who kept getting himself into dangerous situations. I was therefore keen to read the author's new novel, which introduces a new protagonist, Rachel Marin: single-mother and vigilante.

It's another well-written, well-paced crime novel. Marin inserts herself into an investigation of the supposed suicide of the mayor, which puts her in the crosshairs for both the cops and also more sinister forces. It's a novel that will keep readers guessing, and has a satisfying pay-off.

A good start to a new mystery series. I enjoyed it.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Mother. Badass.

This is a great escapist read! Fast-paced thriller about one woman who has been through A LOT - and came out stronger and armed with the need for justice and helping the others against the predators in the human skin. It is because of her unique knowledge that she can immediately spot a murder in what looks like a suicide, and act on it. The police are, of course, not happy because they see Rachel as a busybody (at best), but she is not to be stopped!

OK, this is no Dostoyevsky. But it is also not a shallow read! Even if we encounter blood and violence here, there is also food for thought (and some maybe less conventional book club can make a great discussion about the justice and protecting the weaker - also done unconventionally.).
Also - this is very readable novel! Fastly moving, intensive, sharp - one fast ride!
To write a catchy book is the work of a storytelling talent, I think - and Mr Pinter is a good thriller writer.

I overall liked the story, but I did NOT like the vascularized, able-to-tell-what-kind-of-gun-was-just-fired, I-know-everyone's-story-just-by-looking-at-them, so-called brilliant Rachel/Olivia.

I don't like when individuals think they are smarter than the cops and go rogue carrying our their own investigation because they care so much. And Rachel/Olivia did so many stupid things in this book that put her and her children at risk, even though her children supposedly meant everything to her. I think this would have been a stronger series if Serrano and Tally were the main characters and Rachel was just in this one as a side character.

I think a lot of detail could be edited - a velvet green tufted sofa - I don't care. And wow, the product placement was strong in this one. I started making note of all the specific products and brands - the LLBean coat, the Max&Ruby sheets, etc., but I got tired of wasting my time.

I have a friend in book club, who is always saying "show, don't tell". I realize that this book isn't literary fiction, but I often thought that this could be used as example of "tell, not show" for a writing instructor.

There are a lot of high ratings for this book. it was a quick read but I'm not sure I'll pick up the next in the series.

This is the first book I have read from this author and really liked the writing style. Rachel was definitely a strong force to be reckoned with, but her decision making left much to be desired when it came to being a single mom. I was a little disappointed with her backstory and what made her turn to improving herself mentally and physically to be more strong. I thought the suspense was good and it really kept me guessing until the end about who the murderer was. I definitely want to read more in the future from this author. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this one and was happy to see it is the first in the series. This had a great mixture of police procedural, mystery, relationships, and family. I really liked the main character, Rachel, and the police detectives. I look forward to the next one!

I was so excited to see that Jason Pinter had a new series out. What a great beginning. I have enjoyed other books of his and I liked this new series just as much! This story was engaging and just the right pace. Thanklyou to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is a great start to a new series. Rachel is a strong heroine with great investigative skills. The story was fast paced and kept me engaged. I look forward to reading more of her adventures.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

When her actions as part of a vigilante group force her to change her life and live under the radar, a young woman settles her small family into a community where she feels safe. She is determined to live a quiet life and bring no attention to herself. But fate has a funny way of ruining intentions. A community woman is found buried in the ice of a local pond. Police say suicide, Our vigilante mom thinks otherwise and starts a journey that will find her arguing with the police and drawing way too much attention to herself and her background. Jason Pinter always has a great back story that gives depth and definition to the heroes in his books. A great read that kept me hooked until the end.

The plot was decent but the reveals were very anticlimactic and many decisions made by characters were unbelievable. I was disappointed to read how the bad guy just confessed everything to the protagonist before trying to kill her, I thought we were past that cliche!

This is the first book in a new series featuring amateur sleuth Rachel Marin.

Marin is a mom to two kids who turns vigilante after an unspeakable crime shatters her life. She changes her identity, moves to a small town in Illinois, and spends much of her next seven years training and preparing herself so no one will ever hurt her or her children again.

But crime seems to follow her.

She sees a news report about a body found on the ice beneath a nearby bridge, and is shocked to discover it’s the town’s disgraced former mayor, Constance Wright.

Most people, including detectives John Serrano and Leslie Tally, initially think suicide. But Rachel knows differently. Much to the annoyance of the detectives, she sets out to prove the woman was murdered, always staying one step ahead of the police. She learns all she can about the victim and every person who might have a motive to kill her.

But her investigative acumen may also be her undoing. The deeper she digs into Wright’s death, the harder it is to keep her own secrets buried. And her sheer determination to get at the truth makes her a target of both the cops and the killer.

In the end, I thought this double mystery was well paced, and a good start for a new series with a strong female protagonist. Some critics has said that Rachel Marin is too good, too strong, too much of a vigilante, and one who made some horrible judgement calls. True, Rachel is a protagonist with many shades. She’s a fierce momma bear whose kids are her first priority. But she also cannot tolerate injustice, and sometimes her compulsion for vigilante action sneaks up on her maternal instincts. Rachel is at war with herself, and that’s what makes her an interesting character study.

I also enjoyed having Detective John Serrano’s background fed to me piecemeal, until he became a fully-rounded character I cared about. I hope that the series focuses equally on Serrano and his partner, as well as Rachel.

I received my copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I hope that Thomas & Mercer were able to correct a few of technical deficiencies in the story before it went to full distribution. First, there was a mention of a rusty aluminum sign. But aluminum doesn’t rust. Second, there’s a scene where a character puts on latex gloves over mittens—a feat that is nearly impossible, since a mitten doesn’t have fingers. And lastly, the main character was able to determine the make, model, and caliber of a handgun by its sound. I’ll just say, if any reader can do this, please let me know. I’d love to use you as an expert technical reference.

In this small town, Rachel Marin does not cause any extra interest. Keeping a low profile is what she seeks and being a single mother of two kids is all she hopes for. Just to lie low after the horrific events that tore her family apart and left her children bereft and tormented.

When a former mayor turns up dead, and especially since the detectives want to deem it suicide, Rachel steps in with theories that support her view that it was murder. Both detectives find Rachel intrusive but they are helpless because she seems to be always one step ahead of them with definite supporting evidence for all her theories.

The story was very good, the characters were strong and appealing - from the detectives going in blind into an investigation which was overcast with political intrigue and corruption and then we have Rachel herself - her inner core of steel where all she wanted to do was protect her children.

Very entertaining read. Beautifully written.

The only thing Rachel Marin was missing was a SuperWoman costume. This is one extraordinary woman, but as smart as she is stupidity shares her space. Why would any sane woman who has been traumatized beyond reason repeatedly put herself and her children in harm’s way?! Because she can and she does, over and over again. Dogged determination to right a wrong beyond what any reasonable person would do. And that my friends was the tipping point into unbelievable and unrealistic for me.

My hope is that in the future installments of the Rachel Marin character she is drawn with a more overall intelligent perspective and allowed a modicum of normalcy. The mystery was well thought out while the details were overwhelming but informative. Sometimes contradictions work well and I think this was the case.

I enjoyed the book and thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy

Rachel Marin met the former mayor a while back .. before she was murdered. The police think this was either an accident or suicide ... but Rachel knows it was murder.

Now all she has to do is to convince the detectives who are leading the investigation. But Rachel has no love of the cops ... she doesn't trust them to do what's right.

Rachel has a secret ... one that traumatized her and her young children. She's changed their names, moved across the country, and started a new life for them.

She's afraid her secrets may be uncovered, but she can't just walk away. She inserts herself into the investigation ... much to the cops' displeasure. They resent her for butting in ... but what she tells them makes them take a second look.

Her sheer determination to get at the truth makes her a target of both the cops ... and a killer.

This is a great start to what looks like will be a terrific series. Rachel is a unique character... and one who will bear watching in the future. As a crime fiction, this is well written with deftly drawn characters and plenty of twists and turns to keep the fingers moving at a fast pace ... just to see what happens next. Looking forward to the next book in this series!

Many thanks to the author / Thomas & Mercer / Amazon Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this terrific crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This was my first Jason Pitner book, but definitely not my last. I have a bit of a girl crush on the main character, Rachel Marin. From a mom making dinner, to a relentless detective ready to do everything to get to the bottom of a recent murder, she's the character we can all rally behind.

Well done Mr. Pitner. I highlight recommend this book to all of my fellow thriller/mystery readers.

A good start to a possibly interesting series. Rachel has a chip on her shoulder, a big chip, after her husband was brutally murdered. Afterwards she takes her children and moves to start fresh but can't seem to not get involved in a new murder. This is where I felt a misstep. I didn't feel like her involvement made sense. Insufficient background was provided as to how she would have known or surmised her conclusions. Additionally, I felt like had this been real life, the police would have shut her down immediately. I needed to take a lot of the story with a grain of salt. This was all balanced out by interesting characters that I'd like to learn more about. Possibly in future installments in the series.