Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I love legal thrillers and police investigations, so I read this book in one sitting. This is a book packed with an intense storyline that really keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I felt really connected to the main character which is normally hard with a fast paced book. I really cared about her and what she was going through

Great thriller, kept me turning the pages and I would highly recommend to other people. Look forward to reading more by this author.

Fantastic read for triller addict
Jess was a great character and plot storey line . I was glued to each page and found it difficult to put the book down.
No unnessary waffling such a great read and flow to book

Not a bad sequel to the first book in this series. However, there *were* a bit too many unbelievable plot twists in this one, which made it hard for me to appreciate it as much as the first. But all in all, I still enjoyed it. Look forward to the next one in this series! (Here’s to hoping I have a little more free time soon so it doesn’t take me another 3 weeks to get through my next read ha!)

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of the e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Victor Methos is an attorney. He writes very realistic legal thrillers. His books are fast reads, with excellent characters. A great "escape" book. Recommended author and all books.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and the author for an ARC copy, and I apologise for the delay, as I try to catch up on all Net Galley books and author books that are sent to me personally.

Bestselling author Victor Methos’s acclaimed series continues as prosecutor Jessica Yardley races to catch an art-obsessed serial killer before she becomes his next masterpiece.

Retiring prosecutor Jessica Yardley can’t turn down one last investigation. This time, it’s a set of murders inspired by a series of grisly paintings called The Night Things. She’s the only one who can catch the killer, who’s left a trail of bodies in a rural community outside of Las Vegas.

But, with encouragement from an FBI agent and a local cop, she remains to help solve this crime and prosecute the killer when a second woman is found on Crimson Lake Road, unconscious and left for dead. She is in a house on the same road as the previous victim and she is displayed to replicate a second painting from the same series.

She continues to follow up with her after her release and the two strike up an immediate friendship, but when Jessica suspects the second victims boyfriend may be the killer, their friendship will be tested.

But the more Jessica finds out, the less clear her case becomes. Out of options, she’s forced to consult her serial killer ex-husband—to gain additional insight into the crimes and the killer’s motivations.

There are other suspects, including a child abuser who’s own daughter is reported missing. As Jessica gets more and more drawn in, can she solve who the killer is or will she become the next victim?

By the time Jessica realizes that pursuing this case is a deadly mistake, it’s too late to turn back. Can she catch the killer, or will she be the final addition to a killer’s masterpiece?

Well I have read books by Victor Methos before, of course as a former defence lawyer with a successful career you know he will get his court procedure correct. If you like court dramas, police thrillers you will enjoy this series.

To me, honestly it become a little heavy going and a bit slow, I lost the flow of the book, as it changed from thriller to court drama. I also felt the story with Tara a little far fetched.

Good characters, but heavy going. A Three star for me.

Crimson Lake Road by Victor Methos is a combination of police procedural, serial murder mystery and legal drama. In Las Vegas, a woman is brutally murdered and her body is left displayed to replicate a famous and disturbing painting. Jessica Yardley, a prosecutor, is getting ready to move from Las Vegas to start a new career elsewhere. But, with encouragement from an FBI agent and a local cop, she remains to help solve this crime and prosecute the killer when a second woman is found on Crimson Lake Road, unconscious and left for dead. She is in a house on the same road as the previous victim and she is displayed to replicate a second painting from the same series. The problem is that there are two more paintings in the series: will there be two more victims and who will they be? This is a well-paced mystery with plenty of red herrings and a flawed yet engaging and dedicated lead character. There is a warning about this book: the violence is graphic and quite gruesome at times. But the story moves along with intrigue and suspense and nothing is revealed till the very end. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Crimson Lake Road is a follow-up to The Killer's Wife, an excellent start to this series and I would give Crimson Lake Road 3.5 stars. I felt that the drama and excitement of the first book was somewhat lacking in this one and that Jessica Yardley acted quite a bit out of character as compared with The Killer's Wife. Not only that but I was suspicious early on of one of the characters and thought that Jessica, based on her past experiences, should have been wary from the start.

There were also inconsistencies that came into play throughout the book and often the story started to drift off into tangents that interrupted the flow and often felt unfinished.

Despite some of these flaws, I still quite enjoyed reading this second installment and, not only will I look forward to the next book in the series, but I will also look for other books by this author. I thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC.

This is an excellent legal thriller. The characters are bold and likable and the storyline is gritty and well written. If sexual assault or child abuse is something you struggle reading about this book is definitely not for you. For me this book was a must read and the twists and turns are excellent.

This is the second in a series but it read very well all on its own. There is enough backstory included soon so a reader is caught up to the previous action right away.

I enjoyed the good balance of character development and investigative action. The character development centered on a prosecuting attorney with a complex situation. She had been, unknowingly, married to a serial murderer. He's now in prison but the whole experience haunts her. She's ready to retire and move elsewhere when a gruesome case temporarily becomes her responsibility. I liked how she faced her own demons to help uncover the murderer.

But it is not a simple case and that leads to a plot also incorporating a detailed investigation. All the evidence seems to point to one person. The relationships and past history exposed during the investigation are complex, leading to a number of twists and surprises near the end of the book.

The murders are somewhat gruesome, patterned after gruesome paintings. The motive for the killings was puzzling until near the end when past events and relationships came to light. Methos' writing style was easy to comprehend. The book was entertaining and I will be looking for more from this author.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Crimson Lake Road is the second book in the Desert Plains series by Victor Methos. Federal prosecutor Jessica Yardley has decided to retire but she feels compelled to take part in one final investigation. A series of murders have occurred that are seemingly tied to a set of macabre paintings.

This book is a solid police procedural as well as a courtroom drama. However, I’m sure it wouldn’t appeal to everyone. There are some rather graphic descriptions of torture and murder, as well as indications of child abuse. It can be uncomfortable to read. On the other hand, the plot is well-done and there are enough twists to keep a reader interested. Nevertheless, I didn’t find myself very invested in the characters and that made the book a little less appealing to me.

Victor Methos is a very good author and I will continue to read his stories. I’m just not sure if the Desert Plains books are the right ones for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Book two of the Desert Plains series didn't disappoint, however it's pretty important to read book one first. Super enjoyed this one, though the pacing is slower than I'd like for a thriller, the depth of the investigation + the remarkable genius and slightly frightening thought processes of her daughter make up for that. Enjoyed this one.

I love a good mystery/thriller series and this one is so good. I enjoyed this first but I think I enjoyed this one even more. I continued to connect with characters, the story line and can't wait for the next book to read.

I’ve previously enjoyed a number of Victor Methos’ books, but this one just didn’t keep my attention. I got about 30% through before deciding not to finish it. I admit, I’m not an art buff, and the analysis of the works of art which were apparently the motive for this serial killer droned on too long for me. I regret not finishing because I really liked the last Jessica Yardley story, and was looking forward to this book for months, but sometimes it just doesn’t work.

Cross-posted to Goodreads.

Fair warning this book is not for everyone. There are some pretty gruesome depictions of murders and there is a sub-plot happening at the same time which deals with the abduction and torture of teenage girls.

One of the big issues I have with this author is their constant switch between a character's first name and their last name. In some passages our main character is Yardley (her last name), in others, she is Jessica (her first name). This is the same for every single character in this story it seems except for her daughter Tara. It bogs things down because it becomes confusing. When I read about a victim named Angela for pages, only to then suddenly read about a victim named River, I start to wonder if I have an incomplete copy of a story. But no, that is just the way it is written.

Another glaring issue is that at times these characters acted completely out of character. (For arguments sake I'm going to call her Yardley) does some things at various points that really just seem unlike her. I also found it completely inconceivable that the "villain" of this piece would just leave one of their victims not only unrestrained, but alone so that they might have the chance of escaping.

However, from the looks of things this is going to be a three part series, and considering I've read both books one and two? I will read the third just to see how the author chooses to wrap this all up.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Written by a former criminal lawyer, this is a solid legal thriller and, though it’s the second in a series, I didn’t have any particular difficulty picking up the background of the major characters, specifically Jessica Yardley, the US Attorney who is the central protagonist here.

The action kicks off straight away with the discovery of a gruesome murder scene - except, shockingly, the victim has survived what appears to be a serial killer. Jessica quickly befriends Angela River, the survivor, as she looks into the case, involving herself not only to be sure the investigators follow necessary procedure for a ‘clean’ conviction once they find the perpetrator, but out of concern for Angela, who she very much likes.

Unfortunately, Jessica has terrible taste in people, as evidenced by her ex-husband (a serial killer) and her last boyfriend (a copycat killer). Even her daughter Tara, a math savant, is beginning to show worryingly sociopathic tendencies, and in fact we the readers discover some things about Tara which would destroy Jessica if she knew. Tara’s character arc and eventual fate are surely going to be a strong theme throughout this series.

The courtroom scenes are probably the strongest part of this book; there were some other bits I was thrown by early on - like the two experienced detectives finding a woman lying on a table and not checking her pulse, just assuming she was dead. Literally the first thing first responders are taught to do is check for a pulse. I just didn’t buy that they wouldn’t do it, and this was in the first couple of pages, so my suspension of disbelief was damaged from early on.

There was a lot to like here: I liked the twists and turns and the complicated motives that were slowly revealed as the story went on. I’m not at all sure I liked the way things ended, because as Jake Peralta would say “Cool story. Still murder” and Jessica knew very well that mitigating circumstances would play a big role in how the perpetrator was sentenced. I have the feeling her choices could definitely come back to bite her at a later date.

Readers should be aware that this is a story with triggers for child sexual abuse as well as the gory adult violence described on-page. This was a plot development which rather took me by surprise, as it’s not hinted at in the blurb. Jessica, contemplating retiring from her post at the beginning of the book, takes a sidestep into prosecuting child-related crimes by the end, so it seems that’s the direction the series may be taking.

I enjoyed the read, but it felt a little disjointed at times, especially once defence attorney Dylan Aster came on the scene, around the midpoint of the book. It felt like the author was having a lot more fun writing Aster than Yardley from that point on. Maybe Aster is getting his own books, I don’t know, but I thought he got too much focus here. This needed tightening up to keep the focus of the story where it needed to be.

I’ll give this four stars, because it did keep my attention and the mystery had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing, but I could see a lot of places where it could have been improved.

A few months ago I was scrolling through Amazon for some new thriller books to read and that’s how I come across Victor Methos ‘ books. When the opportunity arises to read his newest story, I couldn’t pass it and here I am.
Crimson Lake Road is available now and I, for one, enjoyed it immensely.
It’s darker and goes more towards the psychological side of the characters and what motivates both the killer and the main character in this race against each other.
I’ve always found art-themed books intriguing because there seems to be a veil covering the artists and their world.
Fast-paced, challenging and full of unexpected twists, this is another must-read thriller that many readers will enjoy.

Wow oh wow what a story! It was superb and that twist at the end was a total surprise. I liked the characters. I also liked that the characters had personal lives so the book at several sub plots. This author blew me away. He has caught my interest for sure.