BOOK: Unstable
SERIES: Pike, Wisconsin #3 - can be read as standalone
GENRE: thriller
TROPES & THEMES: serial killer, mystery-solving, psychological thriller, light romance side plot, small town, second chance romance, grief
CLIFFHANGER: no
HOTTIE METER: 🔥
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
RELEASE DATE: April 26th, 2022

Picked this book up because of the beautiful cover stayed to learn who is the killer...

Rachel comes back to her hometown to solve a murder. There her ex-husband is a sheriff and together they are caught in a web of solving current and cold cases intertwined in secrets, mistaken identities, complicated family relationships.

As with many thriller books, it is better to go in blind. So, I don't want to give too much away.
You don't have to read previous books to read this one.

I loved the tension, pace of the story, and anticipations.
Even though I like thrillers with romance subplots, this one didn't disappoint. The healthy representation of second chance romance with a couple who had to work through their past trauma and come back together while also working in the same intense field was very refreshing.

* Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

A suspenseful serial killer in a small town mystery. Complex plot and interesting characters. I enjoyed the subplot romance between the sheriff and his ex-wife who comes back to town to investigate because it was realistic and didn’t overpower the story.

Another great read set in Pike. Zac has a murder case on his hands and he's never faced one before. If that wasn't enough, the case brings his ex wife to town. They must work together to discover the answers to both their cases.
This one had me hooked from the beginning. The case is gruesome and dark. Twists and shocking reveals kept me on the edge of my seat. I was stunned when the villain was revealed!
The brewing second chance romance had me rooting for these two. And hoping Zac would have to work for it. I really liked Rachel. The chemistry is hot. Each has to overcome things from the past and I enjoyed Rachel's journey. I did feel like Zac got a bit of a pass and would have liked to see him actually facing his past decisions and his mother.
I really enjoyed that characters from previous books made an appearance. The way things weaved together was well done.

A great suspense mystery that will keep you guessing til the end!

Book 3 in the Pike series, I'd read the first 2 and received and ARC of book 3 and if you are picking this one up first, you could easily read it as a stand alone as different characters take the lead in each book. This one getting a solid 4.5stars from me.

Alexandra serves up a short list of potential suspects for the twisted serial killer who moves from trainee to the master, recreating old crimes and just when you think the killer has been revealed, think again.

Woven in is the a second chance romance between the main characters Zac and Rachel, childhood sweethearts who marry young but have things fall apart only to rekindle when they find themselves working together as partners as they hunt a serial killer before more lives are lost..

A body is found on top of the grave of a man who has been dead for 28 years, or has he. Multiple women disappear and their bodies turn up they display evidence of torture. Who is committing these murders, I didn’t suspect who it was until the author revealed the identity of the killer. The suspense in this book will have you on the edge of your seat. This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. This author can always be depended on to provide an entertaining book. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

A great thriller that keeps you on your toes the whole time.

A man has been dead for 28 years, or has he and if hasn't been dead who's in his grave? The only person who can give real answers has dementia and everyone is a suspect.

When Zac's ex-wife comes back to Pike to solve a cold case will they be able to work together or get in each other's way?

A great read.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book 3 in the Pike, Wisconsin series did not disappoint. Great story-great characters-great pacing.

Thank you #netgalley and #kensingtonbooks #zebra for the eARC.

Unstable is book three in the Pike Wisconsin series by Alexandra Ivy. I really enjoyed this book it was fast paced and had quite a few twists that kept me guessing who the villain was. It is a thriller with a little romance throw in. Thanks Netgalley for this arc

Let's see if I can summarize this well. It's a great book with a complex plot, but the author does a really good job of explaining it well in the story:

In the farming community of Pike, Wisconsin, Interim Sheriff Zac Evans is hoping for some peace and quiet after recent big cases rocked the community. But one evening makes it apparent that isn't going to happen: the body of a local man is found freshly killed in a cemetery, lying on top of a grave. The weird part? The grave is supposed to be his, after he allegedly died more than 25 years ago. Instead of his body, the body of a local woman, presumed to have run away is found buried there instead. Zac's ex-wife soon shows up, having found the supposed dead man's fingerprints at a cold case crime scene, and soon it becomes apparent that the deceased wasn't just not dead, he was part of a very sinister legacy which someone in Pike is determined to carry on. Zac and Rachel must work fast to catch before the women of Pike become victims.

This book is number three in a series, but can absolutely be read as a standalone. I had no problem picking up the plot without having read the other two in the series.

Like I said, this plot was complex, but well explained and I absolutely loved how everything, past and present was weaved together. This doesn't have dual timelines, like so man modern stories, so the author relies on telling the historical crimes through the investigation and does a really good job of it. I was not lost at all. The villains in this one are brutal and will send a shiver up your spine, exactly the way a good mystery/thriller should. The elements were all there, I loved it!

The ending was a little predictable. There were only a couple visible suspects and even then, really only the bad guy was really the only truly capable one, IMO. All the clues were laid out there. But it was still a pretty good set-up, and I enjoyed reading the reveal and big final scene. It was well done.

The romantic element of the book was also well done. It wasn't too much and it didn't take over the mystery plot line - there weren't any cheesy, dangerous risks taken by them in the line of duty that made you roll your eyes or anything. It was just enough. I wouldn't mind seeing more of these two in the future.

Overall, I plan on following this series in the future. It was a great, quick read. One that was absolutely worth the time!

Talk about a chilling read...

Unstable by Alexandra Ivy, which is the third book in her Pike, Wisconsin series, is a very suspenseful, chilling serial killer thriller. The plot is nicely paced and well-thought-out. The characters are well developed and the storyline flows smoothly. I enjoyed following along with cold case Detective Rachel Fisher and her ex-husband Pike interim sheriff Zac Evans as they raced to stop a serial killer and managed to rekindle their relationship. This was a fascinating read about a brutal serial killer.

This is the third in the Pike Wisconsin series, can easily be read as a standalone, I've read all. It is adult fiction with brutal murders by a psychopathic serial killer. It includes tension building suspense, romantic undercurrents and an atmospheric small town setting.
Zac Evans is the interim sheriff in small town Pike, Wisconsin. The former dairy town has fallen on hard times and now boasts more dive bars than industry. Zac has three sheriffs, Anthony, Greg, and Lindsay, all if which he inherited. Their skills and knowledge are lacking and will be tested.
Zac is called out to an abandoned pickup, no driver, engine running, door open. Strangely the vehicle is registered to a man who died years ago. Jude Henley is buried at the town cemetery.
Zac's ex-wife, Rachel, works in cold cases and Jude's name has surfaced. She travels back home to investigate and is soon confronting old family wounds, familiar emotions about her first true love while working with him to catch a serial killer.
Turns out Jude wasn't in the grave, but there is a skeleton. What follows is tangled web of lies, deceit, illicit affairs, and more murders. The killer begins to taunt Zac with cryptic notes and clues.
There are long buried secrets exposed as the killer spirals and it becomes a race against the clock to catch him.
The plot and premise is good, there is no lack of action packed suspense. There are many viable suspects however; character development and background could have gone a step further. Some characters were just confusing and inconsistent. The relationship development for Zac and Rachel was well done. I've enjoyed this series and will watch for the next installment.
Thanks to Netgalley, Alexandria Ivy and to Kensington Books Zebra for the advance digital copy of "Unstable". These are my personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

I have not read the first 2 books of this series. This is the Third book of the Pike series. This book is a suspenseful thriller with a dollop of romance.
Jude's body was found on his grave with a bullet through his head. So what's weird about that? The body was on his grave. According to which, he died 30 years ago. As Zac, Sheriff of the small town, and his ex-wife, a cold case file's investigator, work their way through the investigation, their relationship also starts changing.
Though the mystery/thriller stayed in the forefront of this book, the romance also appealed to me. I did not feel a strong connection to the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I never know what to expect from Alexandra Ivy, but this is another good one with a good twist at the end. I can honestly say I had no idea who the bad guy was until the end.

Ok, phew. Where to begin. This is my first read by this author. The synopsis caught my attention while browsing @netgalley. A man, that was supposed to be dead many years ago was found in a cemetery with a bullet in his head, laying over a grave that belonged to him. The body that was found inside that grave was a woman named Staci Gale, who the town though had run away many years ago. Sparked my interest

The new sheriff in the town of Pike, Wisconsin is Zach Evans, who grew up in this small town where everyone knows everyone, and I mean everrryyone! His ex-wife Rachel, is also part of this investigation as the murder of this woman fits a cold case she is working on. Both her and Zach work together to find out who killed these two people and women are now being kidnapped and murdered in the same manner

This was edge of your seat type of thriller and everyone is a suspect. I mean EVERYONE. Just when you thought you could possibly have it figure it out, nope here comes someone else who is questionable. Heck, I even thought at one point it was Zach! It was a little confusing though that there were a lot of characters jumping in, which I guess increased your adrenaline, but maybe a few should have kept at bay. It was still a good thriller

Thank you @netgalley, @kensingtonbooks and author for this digital ARC in exchange for my review. This book is set to publish April 26, 2022

I love a good suspense novel and Alexandra Ivy is one of the best. Lots of twists and turns and you think you know who is the killer and she surprises you once again. Her stories have strong characters that you easily become attached too, that you are cheering on. Don’t miss out on her latest novel, Unstable

Interim sheriff, Zac and Officer Rachel were married once but that was eight years ago. Now she is back in Zac's town in an official capacity investigating a cold case which ends up being a serial killer case. Zac and Rachel never got over loving each other and they rekindle that flame as they work together. Lots of surprises and romance make this a great read. I highly recommend this thrilling romantic suspense by Alexandra Ivy.

A serial killer and a possible copycat killer in a small town. A sheriff working with his ex wife as old feelings ignite. This mystery was interesting with lots of possible suspects

Even though this is part of a series it read really well as a standalone but, I will be going back to read book 1 and 2. This is my first Alexandra Ivy indulge and I found it to be just that... indulgent! I like the book told from a few different POVs the killer POV was like a tease... just enough to add some edge to the book never knowing when he would pop up! I like the "vintage" VCR tapes incorporated as I still remember the days as a kid popping those in to watch a movie. I definitely want to go back and see how Rachel and Zac were in books in 1 and 2, their characters seemed to really have a developmental spike in book number 3 to finally face the past all while on the hunt for a serial killer! I have to say I couldn't place until the end who the killer was he really was "invisible" to me as the twists kept the guesses at a high number of whodunit while still revealing clues!! Small towns can never really keep secrets buried! Thank you NetGalley for the copy to enjoy and indulge in!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Zebra publishing for an e-arc of this novel due for release on April 26, 2022.

5 starts all the way. This was an awesome, unputdownable mystery/thriller. I had never read anything by Alexandra Ivy before, but since reading this book I am now reading some of her backlist mysteries and looking for others that are not available at my local store at this time.

You can't go wrong picking up this book if you like a good mystery.

First off the previous books in this series were ok and I went into this one expecting ok what I got was edge of your seat suspenseful greatness!

Zac Evans is a small town sheriff with a serial killer in his backyard. When a man supposedly years dead turns up murdered in a local cemetery the puzzle begins.

The student becomes the master.

Rachel Evans is Zac’s ex wife and in charge of cold cases. Word of this murder leads her back to Pike. The killer is playing with them.

Let’s add some spice to the game. I’ll give you 24 hours to find us. Tick tock.


Little bit lacking in the romance department but that doesn’t take away from the story at all.
The ending was a total shock and creepy as he**
This story knocked it out of the park.It was outstanding.