I have read and recommended the first three PI Jessica Shaw mysteries, and Lisa Gray’s current offering, Lonely Hearts, is another winner. Gray’s characterization of Jessica presents a skillful investigator with quirks and vulnerability adding interest and empathy for the reader. Like Jack Reacher, Shaw has attachment issues, choosing for housing a budget hotel on the Hollywood strip. Surviving on a diet of cheeseburgers, scotch, cigarettes, and vending machine snacks; Jessica meets with prospective clients at the motel diner. And there she encounters a woman urgently seeking Shaw’s assistance in locating a woman and her daughter who have been missing for nearly two decades, and who happen to be the ex-lover and child of a notorious serial killer. The union occurred through a prisoner pen pal program, Lonely Hearts, while the since-executed strangler of fifteen women waited on Death Row. Meanwhile new murders of women also associated with the inmate complicate the investigation. Shaw’s believable techniques, personal issues, and travels through Iconic California locations provide tense and satisfying reading.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another amazing book by Lisa Gray. As per usual it had me guessing until the big reveal. Well done. I can’t wait until the next installment.

I don’t get the appeal in getting in contact with someone imprisoned let alone a serial killer. But then….I’m a scaredy-cat. And just as Erica, I have to wonder if it’s possible to inherit the “evil” gene. The twist towards the end came unexpected and threw me for a loop. The ending though! Not sure I like where this is going.

I love Jessica, in the first book it was said she is woman Reacher (Lee Child series) couse she was traveling and had no home, solving mysteries, crimes.

She still colaborate with Matt her lover from first book. I wait that to happen. Well beside that the story in this book was great. Prison, love, missing women, present and past murders. It was a great mix and full of turns. True crime investigation.

I wait for the next one!

Thank you Netgalley.com and Amazon Publishingfor this arc copy.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although I wasn't blown away by any of the previous novels in the series, I decided to give this one ago because the books got a little increasingly better and the description just sounded much more up my alley. (Of course, all the positive reviews didn't hurt!) It's honestly pretty good and does make for an entertaining before bedtime read with it's bit of a mystery and a story that centers around male serial killers and the women who love them. It's also not overly taxing nor what one would call an emotional heavy hitter, so it makes for a nice combo of light and dark reading.

Writing to incarcerated prisoners is a novel concept. Not sure it would be my choice but proved to be an interesting backdrop for this story. I didn’t figure out the culprit until near the end. All in all it was good book

Lonely hearts by Lisa Gray.
Jessica Shaw book 4.
I enjoyed this book. This is my first book by Lisa and it wo t be the last. I liked the cover that is what drew me in. I liked Pryce and Jessica characters. I hope there is more to come. 5*.

Lonely Hearts is the fourth book in the Jessica Shaw series about a young private investigator in Southern California who solves cold cases and crimes against women. I have read and enjoyed all of the previous instalments but each of them does work on their own as you get enough backstory. These are well-written easy to read mysteries with a prickly and flawed but smart and likeable heroine.

Jessica has settled temporarily in LA and is still working for Connor. When a middle-aged woman asks her to find her childhood friend, Veronica, who has been missing for twenty years, Jessica thinks it'll be a quick easy job. Then she learns that her case connects to a recent murder - both women had been in prison pen-pal relationships with an infamous serial killer. How can the ‘’valley strangler” be back when he was executed a decade ago?

This was a well-plotted and paced mystery with enough red herrings to stop the outcome being too obvious. Jessica has her own problems - including a crush on her boss, and an alcohol problem, but she doesn't wallow in self-pity and gets on with the job. The exploration of the very real phenomenon of women who choose to fall in love with convicts was interesting - but didn't provide many answers.
I liked the different POV chapters, including Jessica's straight arrow cop friend Pryce and his comic-relief partner Medina, and the flashback scenes that show us how Veronica’s story unfolded.

I recommend this series to those who like a strong female main character, without too much swearing, sex or violence, without getting into cosy territory. I look forward to reading more of Jessica's adventures. Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC, I am posting this honest review voluntarily. Lonely Hearts is published today.

The search for a missing woman and her daughter will test Jessica Shaw’s talent as a private investigator. Jessica is contacted by a woman who has lost touch with and is concerned about her friend and her friend’s daughter. Is she missing or has she gone off the grid on purpose? Years ago, her friend was a member of the Lonely-Hearts Club, a pen pal club for prisoners. Meeting and communicating with the notorious serial killer, Travis Dean Ford, she gave birth to his daughter. He has since paid the ultimate price for his crimes, but his daughter and her mother are missing. When Ford’s widow is murdered, she is concerned that his daughter may be the next target. Is someone seeking revenge on behalf of one of the women that he killed…his daughter is alive, but he had murdered their daughter? A fascinating and unique murder mystery. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

This is a crime series I automagically put on my list without even reading the synopsis. I just know I will not be dissappointed and have read all of this author's previous books. The story could probably be read as a standalone, but is better if you have character background from prior books.
Private Investigator Jessica Shaw is still in LA working with her partner, Matt Connor, at MAC Investigations. Still living and working out of a motel room or a diner, still has commitment issues. The attraction between them simmers in the background as the romance takes an unexpected new course.
Jessica is a spunky, no-nonsense, slightly flawed young woman. A relatable person with her own trauma and secrets in the past.
Jessica has a new client who's searching for her missing best friend. Christine Ryan hasn't seen Veronica Lowe in over fifteen years. Christine needs to have closure, is Veronica dead or did she dissappear for other reasons? The connection in the search for Veronica keeps leading Jessica to the Lonely Hearts club.
Bibi Durrant organized this "dating agency" for women to write to men in prison. This was before the internet and people actually used pen and paper to correspond. Insightful glimpse into the psyche of women who have relationships with  imprisoned men.
Meanwhile Detective Jason Pryce has a homicide victim who could intersect with Jessica's case. Jordana Ford, an author and activist, has been found murdered.
Both Veronica and Jordana were involved with convicted serial killer Travis Dean Ford. His death sentence was carried out, but the destruction he caused hasn't ended.
There are good supporting characters and many suspects relating to Veronica's disappearance. The search uncovers even more mysteries, secrets and lies. Each time I developed a new theory another twist or revelation would take me in a new direction. The search for Veronica was full of nail biting suspense. The final reveal came as a complete surprise. My theories were close, but I did not figure out much until very near the ending. I must be slipping or missed clues!
I will be waiting to put the next installment on my list, definitely tecommend.
Thanks so much to Netgalley, Lisa Gray and Thomas & Mercer for the advance digital copy of  "Lonely Hearts" Jessica Shaw thriller #4. These thoughts and opinions are mine alone, given voluntarily.

PI Jessica Shaw's usual cases involve getting the dirt on cheating spouses, but her latest client, Christine Ryan, is a middle aged woman trying to find a missing childhood friend. Twist #1: the friend went missing over 15 years ago. Twist #2: she was a member of The Lonely Hearts Club, a pen pal service for women to meet men in prison, and she before she disappeared, she had fallen in love with and had the child of convicted serial killer Travis Dean Ford. The case takes on new urgency when another woman connected to Ford is found murdered; is Christine's friend still alive? Is she in danger? Even though I figured out one of the twists relatively early, the interesting characters and twisty plot held my attention to the end.

Lonely Hearts by Lisa Gray is the 4th in the Jessica Shaw series and if you have started the series like I did and took a chance and that chance had me hooked with Thin Air. They just blend perfectly. Lonely Hearts I highly recommend the story is seamless in every chapter. Travis Dean Ford is a serial killer , Veronica falls in love with this killer from behind prison walls and bears his child . But they disappeared years ago. But Travis had a wife , Jordana who turned up murdered in the same way Travis’s victims.
Now Christine Ryan has been searching for her childhood friend for years. And now with murder of Jordana she is even more eager to find her friend before someone else does. So she hires Jessica Shaw and if any one can find Veronica and her daughter it will be Jessica .

I love Lisa Gray books great story telling your hooked right from the first few lines. And thank you Net Galley for the chance to read and review Lonely Hearts by Lisa Gray.x

How have I not known about Jessica Shaw before? I really want to read her backstory so before writing this review I added the first books in the series to my wish list. Now, that's done so....Lisa Gray set up book 4 in the series so that it could be picked up and read all one its own. While I am intrigued by the mentions of Jessica's past, they did not keep me from loving this book.

The story moves along until the reader is on that train we all hope will come with a book. It starts off slowly and you are just enjoying the scenery. Seeing the sites. Then you get to a hill. While slowly trudging up that hill, a sense of dread sets in. What happens when we get to the top? We know that soon we will be racing down the other side with no control over the action as it ramps up. This is the analogy I use in class to teach plot. Lonely Hearts had a good plot. Lonely Hearts had an interesting cast of characters. Lonely Hearts had an engaging setting. And I have yet another new series to catch up on.

First time author for me. Great book. Lots of twists and turns. It was very interesting.

Thank you net g was alert for giving me this great opportunity to read this book

I never thought I'd be so happy for a "haboob" to show up! 😆 This latest installment of the Jessica Shaw series did NOT disappoint! I didn't want to finish it...it was that exceptional. I really tried to read it slowly because it's one of those books that you want to savor but it was just too good, I finished it so quickly! 😂📖 I easily fell back into the Jessica's character and was able to become part of her story once again. Thank you Lisa Gray for writing another phenomenal Jessica Shaw book! A definite MUST READ - not to be added to your TBR (to be read) list - this one you need to stop and read! 😉And if you haven't read the first 3 Jessica Shaw books....you are in for a treat! 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️@lisagraywriter

Lonely Hearts, is the second book I have had the pleasure to read but is the fourth book in the Jessica Shaw series. This can be a stand alone read but to get more of the background of Jessica Shaw, starting at the beginning is best. I absolutely love Lisa Gray. She is one of my new favorites to read.

Lonely Hearts, is about a missing woman, Veronica, and her daughter, Mia. Christine, a friend of Veronica's, reaches out to Jessica in order to hire her to locate them. Jessica gets background information from Christine that Veronica had been a pen pal to Travis Dean Ford, a serial killer on death row. They became involved and Mia is their daughter. Sometime later Veronica and Mia disappeared.

Travis later marries Jordana but she was recently murdered the same way as Travis' victims. After speaking to BiBi It comes out that Jordana and Veronica were part of a pen pal group for prisoners called The Lonely Hearts which BiBi had started. As Jessica digs deeper, she puts the pieces together and becomes aware there were more victims left behind.

This is a great follow up to the previous books. I could not stop reading. The story just keeps building and building to a surprising reveal.

The newest book in the Jessie Shaw series gives us another chance to walk with the PI as she tries to solve a missing person case with some very unexpected twists. Jessie has to untangle a mystery that involves a death row inmate and the women who loved him. In the process, she uncovers a unique club of women who want to meet prisoners and pursue a relationship with them. As dead bodies start to accumulate, Jessie wonders if she will find the answers in time to save the next victim. It's an exciting read that keeps you guessing until the end.

I really enjoyed this one. When I saw that the tag line was about falling in love with a serial killer, I was immediately intrigued. After starting the book, it didn’t take long for me to get hooked. I loved the multiple perspectives, in the past and present, so that we got a look into every aspect of the murder and missing person’s case. I also love knowing that this is a series because now I’m interested in going back and finding out more of Jessica Shaw’s adventures. I’ll also be here for any future books in this series because the mystery was so well done and the characters were fascinating.

With every book that comes out in this series, I’m still pulled in from the beginning! With this being the fourth book, you’d think it wouldn’t be as great as the first but my expectations were blown out of the water. Jessica Shaw is a character I want more of. I love the cases she tackles and the journey she’s made from the beginning. I can’t get enough! I highly recommend not just this book but the entire series to everybody who will listen. I can’t wait to see where the next book will take her.

Lonely Hearts, by Lisa Gray, is another entertaining read in the Jessica Shaw series. It's a fast paced murder mystery with plenty of suspense that kept me hooked the whole way through. The main character is fairly likable and has just enough flaws to make her a down to earth and interesting. The secondary characters, the people that she works with, are just as likeable and interesting.
Although finding a missing person can be fairy straightforward for PI Jessica Shaw, her most recent case is anything but. Her newest client,
Christine Ryan, says that she's desperate to find her lifelong friend, who vanished over 15 years ago. She'd had a child with Death Row inmate, Travis Dean Ford, a notorious serial killer. Since his widow was murdered in the same fashion as all his victims were, Christine's worried that Veronica and her daughter are next. That's assuming that they're even still alive.