Reacher Fans, Meet Tess, Po, and Pinky. This is a somewhat standard mystery-with-badass-heroes where there is a baddy (in this case, a team of them) who does bad things (we find out, and it is pretty dang terrible - though fortunately the worst of it is off screen and in the past, relative to our current story), and the hero of the series (heroes, in this case) meet up with the baddy through some circumstance... which the baddy winds up not appreciating in the end. ;) Within this scope, this is Hilton's particular blend of charm, wit, charisma, and caring. As with the entire series, you find yourself wanting to see what happens to Tess, Po, and Pinky next - which is the hallmark of any solid procedural. The *singular* reason for the single star deduction is that COVID (and masking) are mentioned heavily throughout the book, and *I DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT COVID*. I am on a one-man war to eliminate this topic from fiction, but the only weapon I really have is this single star deduction - and so I use it on every book I read that mentions COVID, and I mention why in every review. Still, for readers who aren't as adamant about this position as I am or even those who may disagree, there really was nothing too objectionable about this entry in this long running series, and quite a bit of fun escapism (minus the COVID aspects). Very much recommended.

A gripping and tightly kntted plot, a cast of interesting characters, a complex story of underdogs and a couple who wants to run away but is in trouble.
It was a good and entertaining read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Po is furious that the Brogans have roughed up his fiance and partner Tess because they want her to track down Tony Vaughn, who has run off with Leah Brogan, who is pregnant with his child. Unfortunately, Leah and Tony have also run off with money that doesn't belong to them. I'm a fan of this series and this installment, like each of them, is perfectly fine as a standalone because Hilton gives good backstory (but not too much for followers). This is the underside of Maine, with crooks, corruption, and abuse, especially of women. Tess and Po, and their friend Pinky, are opposed to all of that and if they find themselves in a fix, they work together to get out of it. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fast and entertaining read.

Fatal Conflict is the ninth outing for Maine PI Tess Grey and her fiancé and business associate Po Villere, and while in some respects it’s more of the same, I enjoyed this more than the last couple.
These high-octane thrillers all work as stand-alones, as you get all the backstory you need. This one is set during the 2020 lockdown, and there are frequent mentions of it - I personally applaud the author for setting the book in the real world, but if you’re someone who prefers fiction that pretends the pandemic never happened, this would not be the book for you. Hilton does largely avoid any of the political commentary that usually accompanies mentions of Covid in books set in the US.

Leah Brogan and Tony Vaughan are on the run from her murderous family, but when her father threatens Tess to try and track them, he soon discovers he’s messed with the wrong ex-cop. Determined to help even when they don’t know what they’re getting into, Tess & Po, and their flamboyant but fearless best friend Pinky, decide to find the runaways themselves, once more putting their lives on the line.

I’ve mostly enjoyed this series, (I’ve read all except books 2, 3 and 4) although admit I get tired of reading about senseless violence against women by monstrous bad guys - in this case it’s horrendous but in the past so referred to but not described. I do like lots of car chases, fight scenes and aforementioned bad guys getting what’s coming to them - and this delivers all that, along with the usual cheeky banter between our leads. You’d think after this many near-death experiences, Tess would just call the police - her reasons for not doing so are fairly thin, but I guess we can all relate to Lockdown-induced restlessness/recklessness… There’s no real doubt how things will turn out, but it’s a rollicking fun read and I look forward to more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
Fatal Conflict is published on June 7th.

The ninth outing for ex-con Po Villere and former cop turned PI Tess Grey in this action-packed thriller series. The pair are on a mission, to track down Tony Vaughan after the Brogan's come knocking and don't ask nicely. It has everything you'd hope for - high octane action and suspense that will keep you turning the pages.

This book was sent to me electronically for review from Netgalley. It reads like true crime...true life...friendship and family...mystery...intrigue...what will happen next? What happened and why? Are they really missing? Mayhem...murder...intrigue...mystery...although the book moves slowly at times, it is worth the time to read to discover what really happened. This author is gifted in weaving a story that is a can't put down book.

This book was hard to get into and stay in for me. There are a multitude of characters, which in the beginning was hard to keep up with.