This is the eighteenth Joanna Kilbourne mystery so fans will know the backstory. Joanna is now sixty and still married to Zack, who is a lawyer. But getting older doesn't mean no more surprises are left. Joanna finds out that her father was not her biological father. That was his best friend who was also the father of her best friend, Sally. Joanna had adopted Sally's daughter, Taylor, when Sally died suddenly when Taylor was four.
The story of Sally was being made into a movie as Sally had been a famous artist. Taylor becomes friends with the actress who plays her mother and the producers want to make a series featuring both Sally and Joanna and their childhoods. Joanna is thrilled except for having to work with a man named Gabe, who is the executive producer and who makes her feel uneasy.

The lighting director on the movie is another friend of the family. He has a teenage daughter who, after an accident, has the brain of a five year old. This girl is kidnapped and found later walking down the street crying with fifty dollars in her hands and evidence of sexual molestation. Who would do such a thing and to such a helpless victim? Days later, it is revealed that Gabe was the perpetrator and that he had been molesting Taylor's friend the same way. When he plummets to his death from his penthouse balcony, suspicion falls on those Joanne loves. Can she find the murderer?

Gail Bowen has written a series reminiscent of that of Elizabeth George in that the reader becomes invested in the lives of Joanna and her family and follow them from book to book. The book discusses the seamy world of pedophilia and those who suffer from their exposure for years afterward. The revelations that Joanne is given explains much of her own childhood and the reasons her parents always seemed distant and gives her insight into her life. I listened to this book and the narrator did an excellent job and has narrated several of the other books in the series. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

A Darkness of the Heart by Gail Bowen pulled me in from the very beginning. The characters appealed to me, and the author wrote great imagery. I could envision so many details. I enjoyed the added bonus of the characters being mature and realistic. The setting of the small town atmosphere added another layer of authenticity to the book. Athena Karkanis did a great job performing the book. She fit the characters. Thank you #NetGalley and #Bespeak Audio Editions for allowing me to review this great mystery book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an audio version of this book.

I have fallen in love with Gail Bowen and her Joanne Kilbourn Shreve series. I have only read four of the books written since 2015 so I believe there is much history that I only know by the background history in each book.
These books are written by a Canadian and take place in Regina in Sasquechuan. Ms. Bowen actually lives in Regina and the city and it's inhabitants feel true to life.
Joanne is in her second marriage to the now Mayor of Regina. Zach is a paraplegic who wheels about almost as freely as any two footed person. Both are in their sixties and have life-experience that has cemented their integrity and way of life. Neither is a detective or on the police force. Joanne is a centre of the town and, as such--and having a rather large family--not much happens without her knowing about it. And she always gets involved.

I find that nothing about these personalities is sacchranny or mushy. They have issues, their kids have issues but experience and thoughtfulness has allowed them to function in ways that are very believable to me. The only unbelievable thing about these books is how many murders happen but then, there wouldn't be books and we wouldn't get the enjoyment of reading them.

I love listening to the books. The narrator, Athena Karkanis, is good and she is consistent in her voices of the many characters. I believe that a number of the books are being made available on audio which is why I have had the pleasure of reading/listening to four in the past year. I am looking forward to more Joanne Shreve.

This is my third listen in the series and I did keep trying but I do realise that it is not for me. However not to say that this series doesnt have its fans, based on how popular it is. My feelings may be because I am coming in so late. What I love about reading/listening is that you get to experience different genres and experience many talented authors although they may not be to your personal taste - every book read adds something to your knowledge and experience.

I was given a free copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

Ok, so I liked this more than the last one I listened to by this author, but still not overly impressed. The crime part just didn’t feel deep enough. Saying that, I listened all the way through and it kept the housework from being too dull

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review ***

The 18th installment of the Joanne Kilbourne series. Joanne discovers that her biological father is not who she believed it was. This leads to her questioning much of what she has believed about her life.

One of the things that I struggle with most is the way in which seemingly pivotal characters are abandoned. The passage of time between novels is only a few months, however in that short time characters are forgotten and never mentioned again. For me this is a real disruption in the continuity of the series, some of the characters that are forgotten are of real interest and their stories seem unfinished, whereas other characters story's are overdone.

This was enjoyable enough but as a standalone novel. When seen as part of the series it seems a little self indulgent and disappointing.

After consuming the previous two books in the past couple days this one was pretty much a let down for me. It took a different path and was not as intense. Joanne receives news that changes how she views herself. She finds out her father was not really her biological father but her real father was actually the man who was married to friend and Taylor's mother. This makes Taylor her adopted daughter her half-sister. Zack is now back in the courtroom and working long hours there and the film industry he wanted to bring back to Regina has happened. This one was more angst and conjecture than mystery. Still found it interesting enough to finish throughout the day. If there is more in this series I will continue it.

Having listen to a few of the Joanne Kilbourne series by Gail Bowen they have definitely grown on me so I was expecting more from book 18 but maybe the series has gone on too long now as it just didn't gel with me

Normally I love a good psychological thriller but the number of murders that affects this family and the town of Regina in Canada would have me moving towns
The books to me are not gripping but I had started to enjoy the stories enough to move through them very quickly.
The whole series reflects around Joanne Kilbourn and her family so by book 18 there is a lot of history with Joanne her family and the people of Regina and although I do find the family life of the Kilbourn's sickly sweet
I have really enjoyed the previous books but book 18 repeated so much of the characters information I felt like I was listening to books I have previously listened to.so unfortunately this book I am only rating as a three.

I received a free audio book from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for a honest review.

I haven't read any of the other Joanne Killbourn Mysteries although I do have 2 others downloaded on my phone. However when choosing where to start I got mixed up and started with the most recent. I will admit though that I didn't find it hard to follow despite it being the 18th of a series. I feel like these each may ultimately stand on their own although the characters will age and the change. I'm glad I didn't feel lost jumping in so far along and found the mystery sad, disturbing and unfortunately probably very true to life.

The book touches on the darker side of the film industry where men exploit women in order to "help" their careers. We've seen it play out across the media and tv rags and its sick and sad and I felt the same way about the book. I love Taylor and how strong and opinionated she is at 18. With a budding art career she seems to know herself pretty well for someone so young although she has been through quite a bit in her young age.

I think the author handled the subject matter with as much grace as one can while writing about the exploitation of young girls and I wasn't sad to see the outcome of the perpetrator. The book also focuses on what the film industry is willing to put up with in order to make a movie a success. It makes me almost feel guilty about watching movies, but I'm not gonna stop.

Now that I have a taste for the series I'm going to work on an older one and see if I still feel the same way about them. Overall I really liked this book and liked the methodical flow of the mystery.