Don’t Open the Door is the second book in Allison Brennan’s Reagan Merritt series. While it can be read as a stand-alone, the background information in book prepares one for the events occurring in book two. In this installment Brennan gives her readers a gripping and suspenseful read with a fitting conclusion.

Former US Marshall, Regan Merritt mourns the loss of her son, Chase, who was murdered ten months ago.  The loss of her son coupled with the end of her marriage led to her quitting her job and returning to her roots in Arizona.  The change aided in her healing process, however a call from her former partner, Tommy, opened old wounds. She had no plans to return to Virginia, however, news of Tommy's murder changed her perspective.  She returns determined to find justice for Tommy and her son, Chase.

Sorority Murder gave readers a brief look in to Reagan's past and it left the reader with several questions regarding said past. Well, Don't Open the Door provided the answers to those questions and more. Reagan is resilient, meticulous, determined and a no nonsense individual. All of which made her good at her job as a US Marshall. She's is not the type of woman to have emotional outbursts, which didn't go down well with her ex. I had an interesting time following her journey of discovering the truth. She is one tough cookie and not a woman to mess with.

Reagan's ex vexed my spirit. Despite the evidence staring him in the face he refused to accept it. His actions only helped to make the situation worse and bringing unnecessary danger to their doorsteps.

The pacing, the twists and the suspenseful scenes pulled me into the story. I like that it kept me guessing with every page turn. There were points in the story which had me feeling scared for one of the witnesses. She was quite smart and I hoped she would survive the danger following her. The investigation followed many paths and it was interesting seeing them all merge into one big conclusion. It made me happy to see Reagan getting the closure she needed despite the pain endured during the journey.

Overall, Don’t Open the Door was a captivating story with engaging characters! I am looking forward to more of what Brennan has to offer.

This is the second novel in the Regan Merritt Series.

You could read this book as a stand-alone. The Sorority Murders and Don’t Open the Door are two distinct stories. However, it is nice to get more background on Reagan, so I would definitely recommend reading The Sorority Murders prior, if you can.

I’m a big fan of Allison Brennan! I love the Quinn and Costa series, but this series moves at a much slower pace than that one, and I don’t love love it. Don’t get me wrong, I still really enjoyed the story, but I do admit it took me a while to read and get into it.

Allison is such a great writer! The characters are believable and well-developed. It is rife with mysteries, murder, suspense, and secrets.

Even though it was very slow-paced, the conclusion was unpredictable, and the author is a pro at building suspense. One other thing I just love about Allison Brennan is that she develops such strong, fierce, badass female leads! I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series when they come out.

I did not know this was the second in a duology, and sounds like maybe I should have read the first book ahead of this one for better context. However, once it got going I was ok and able to follow along with the story and enjoyed it very much. I love stories where corruption runs rampant and you don’t know how the good guys will win, and this is one of those stories. Body counts are high and time is running out, and this was quite suspenseful as it got close to the end. I definitely recommend this one but think you should start with the first book, and if it is anything like this one it will be a quick and suspenseful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA Books for the digital copy to review.

Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down. What a ride it was. Fast paced action non stop all the way to the end. It will be interesting to see what and where Regan Merritt goes from here. This was a highly enjoyable book. Can’t wait for the next one to see what develops.

In Allison Brennan's latest book, US Marshal Regan Merritt never believed the FBI’s theory that her ten-year-old son’s murder was tied to her job. Though leads went cold, Regan had to walk away from the marshals, the case and her now ex-husband, Grant, who blamed her for Chase’s death. After Regan receives a chilling voice mail from her former boss, Tommy, claiming new information about her son's murder, she can no longer stay away from her pain-filled past. This is especially true when Tommy is murdered before she can return his call.
Regan is now more determined than ever to find the truth, but the more she digs, the more evidence points to her ex husband as the killer’s true target. As she tries to talk to her ex, Regan discovers something much bigger and far more sinister is at play.

I had always wanted to read an Allison Brennan book, but for some reason I just never found the time. This opportunity arose to read Don’t Open the Door and I took it. As a fan of Lisa Gardner, I had high hopes for this detective/cop led mystery/thriller.

The story follows Reagan, who lost her son under a year before and then her friend who is looking into it is killed. She comes back to her old stomping ground to finish his investigation, not only to learn about her sons murder, but also to find closure for her friend’s investigation and honor him. I instantly like Reagan. She reminds me a lot of myself. I can people, but I don’t always want to people and I am really good at digging deep into things to get the information I need. I should have been a detective. Who knew?

Reagan is a great, strong leading female character that really pulls the story towards her and keeps you interested. I was invested in her journey to discover the truth and loved her power she exuded when talking to people and holding her own in a world surrounded by men. I also really liked Charlie and some of the other people helping her in this journey. I did not, however, like Grant. While I know he was not the antagonist per se, I felt he was. He was so infuriating and really made things go a way it did not have to go. I know he was scared, but he definitely made everything worse for everyone. The writing was smooth and the story flowed nicely as we crept closer to who the bad guy(s) was.

Oddly, I loved the ending of this book. I know that may see weird to some because its not exactly a happy ending. While everything was figured out and solved, it likely wasn’t a happily ever after for the characters. I felt this made it more realistic because not everything ties up in a happy little bow in the end. I am definitely a big fan of Allison Brennan now and can’t wait to see more of Reagan Merritt and other novels as well. Everyone should check these out. Phenomenal reading!

Truth and lies are woven together in this new thriller from Allison Brennan.

Book 2 in the Regan Merritt Series brings more heart wrenching truth about Regan's son's murder after she receives a cryptic voicemail from her former boss, Tommy. Unfortunately, Tommy is gunned down and all the evidence he has collected about the case is missing. As Regan races to put the clues together, danger surrounds her.

This book was riveting in its suspenseful scenes. Brennan did a pheromonal job taking the reader through highs and lows.

Don’t Open the Door is an interesting read with rich characters. The pace is a steady build to a satisfying conclusion. Brennan does an excellent job in giving the reader lots to work with as they sort through all the possibilities and try to solve the case. I appreciate the detail. It isn’t so heavy as it bogs you down but rather just the right amount to put the reader at the scene.

I highly recommend reading Don’t Open the Door. I look forward to what’s next for Regan Merritt.

I love reading thrillers by Allison Brennan. The characters she writes are deep and thought out. The plot keeps me reading and I'm able to speed through the book.

This was one of the books I couldn't put down. 2 days later and I was done. I highly recommend it for anyone who's looking for a fast-paced thriller.

Unfortunately, I did not love this book so I will not be writing a comprehensive review to post on my social media account. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this book did not compare. I wish it focused more on Chase's murder, rather than a whole new plot line.

I have been provided with a review copy of Don't open the Door from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

After reading “Don’t Open the Door” I can assure you, I won’t be opening my door to anyone anytime soon. Brennan has achieve something that not many can for me and that is write a police detective POV that I actually like.

This is the second story I read featuring Regan Merritt and was glad to catch up with this strong and clever character.
Allison Brennan writes solid thriller, fast paced and action packed.
This one kept me guessing and surprising. I loved it and thoroughly enjoyed this gripping story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Second in a series about Marshall Regan Merritt. I did not read the first, but this was fine as a stand-alone. A tragic tale about a woman whose son was murdered, resulting in her divorce, who investigates in efforts to identify her sins murderer. Things are not as they seem in this one. Fast paced with lots of twists and turns.

This is the second in a series but can be read alone. . This is a gripping thriller about a 10 year old that goes missing and his mothers quest to find him. Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC

Former US Marshal Regan has left Virginia to return home and heal after the devastating loss of her son. Her good friend fellow US Marshall Tommy has uncovered new evidence that would bring it all up again. She doesn't want to be involved. But when Tommy is killed while bringing evidence to reopen the case she realizes she owes him and returns to solve his murder, never realizing she will get to the truth of what really happened and why. A good second installment in this series.

I was such a fan of Max Revere and I think that’s the reason it has taken me two books to warm up to Regan Merritt. I don’t want to be too invested in the main character of a short series. But alas it has happened and I am not sure if this was the end book since it does wrap up the main running story and the main character has no plans to go back to the Marshall’s department.

She is an interesting character. Very disciplined and methodical, two things I am not. Of course I have not lost a child. I was so disappointed that the book opens with Tommy’s death, but enjoyed the complex plot that unwound what happened the night Regan’s son was killed. While this one isn’t filled with twists and turns, it is a solid conclusion to what started in The Sorority Murder. I don’t think this one works as a stand alone as it really does rely on the plot of book one.

If you like strong female characters kicking butt and solving crimes, then you should be reading this series.

Suspenseful and emotional, this book had me flying through the pages to get to the end. I enjoyed reading it and was sad when it was over.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about former US Marshall Regan Merritt. After losing her son & divorcing her husband, Regan moved to Arizona to live with her dad. But she returns upon learning of her former boss’ murder after he was investigating her son’s murder while on leave from his job. She quickly learns that nothing is as she thought and there’s lots of moving parts to this puzzle.

I will read everything Allison Brennan publishes and I will love each book.

While this was book two in the series, you can definitely read it as a stand alone. Personally, I’m not sure Regan Merritt is my favorite of the characters Brennan has created, but I do find her intriguing and I’m eager to learn more about her as the series continues to develop.

While the last book focused on Merritt helping someone else despite her own trauma, this book primarily focuses on her past while she tries to figure out why someone killed her best friend while he was investigating Merritt’s son’s murder. And as the secrets are divulged, more people’s lives seem to be at risk.

If you’re looking for a good mystery author, Allison Brennan is the one you should pick up. With numerous series to pick from, she has a bit of everything for everyone and you won’t be sorry.