Dune Thompson is trying to make up for it the fact that his grandfather was a serial killer and more than ever now that there is a copycat killer and that's killing in the same style as his grandpa. Quinn Peterson has had a rock growing up and see things in a different light when it comes to different things and is offering to help Dunes find this copycat killer before that person strikes again.

I really enjoyed this book and following them off to see how they work to solve this mystery. While it wasn't action packed there was plenty of going on to keep me hooked. It was interesting seeing how Quinn's unusual pass help with things here and there. I really enjoyed it when it came to finding the person nothing came out as unexpected and that really kept me on my toes wondering what would happen next. Man I'm having a hard time talking about this without giving too much away this really is a great book just read this book if you like mystery suspense kind of books with a bit of romance that wasn't too much. Overall great book highly recommend.

This is my first book by this author and therefore my first book in this series. It was obvious by the time I finished the character descriptions that there was A LOT of backstory I would be missing in starting with this read. It sounds extremely interesting and I’d highly recommend you start with the first book in this series. That said, let’s get on to discussing this book. We enter where the previous book left off (though I don’t believe it to be a cliff hanger series) and plop right in the middle of a ranch with brothers and significant others - a whole mess of people, a family. I was very intrigued and drawn into the cult, serial killer, and different attitudes and backgrounds of our mains. It was an harrowing read and definitely darker than most. Though, I suppose that’s to be expected with the serial killer angle.

Terrific book that I read in one sitting. This is the first book in this series I have read, but there is enough backstory provided that I didn't feel lost while reading it. I plan to read the earlier books and get the details I've missed.

Quinn recently escaped her dangerous cult family after decades of abuse and fear. She now lives on the Thompson ranch with her twin sister, whose life she saved and is recovering from the injuries she received. Quinn has trouble adjusting to "normal" life and uses biting wit and sarcasm to hide her discomfort. She also has her share of pride and hides her inability to read from everyone except her eleven-year-old niece, who is teaching her. Quinn's life in the cult has taught her many skills, including observing and recognizing patterns.

Dunne Thompson is one of the brothers whose ranch this is. Former military, he is still recovering from an injury on his last mission. He isn't as able to do ranch work as the others because of it, leaving him too much time for his latest obsession. After spending years trying to atone for his serial killer grandfather, Dunne is now trying to track down a copycat killer. He's dismayed when Quinn finds his "murder board" and stunned when she spots patterns neither he nor his brothers saw.

A keen observer of human nature, Quinn quickly realizes that Dunne plans to go off on his own to stop the killer. I loved watching her foil his attempt to leave her behind and make a case for going with him. It doesn't take long for Quinn to prove her worth and for Dunne to accept her help. It doesn't come easy for him, as he knows the danger and fears for her safety.

From here to the end, the action is fast, furious, and creepy to terrifying. I loved seeing the teamwork between Dunne and Quinn, balancing each other's strengths and weaknesses. The twists and turns led to a development I never saw coming. The final confrontation had me on the edge of my seat until it was over.

The romance between Quinn and Dunne was pretty mild. Quinn has noticed Dunne among all the brothers but doesn't recognize the feelings he stirs in her at first. Dunne is surprised by his reaction to her and tries to bury it. But the more he gets to know her, the more he sees the vulnerability beneath the attitude, which speaks to his lonely heart. Despite his recognition of her abilities, he is very protective of her. Neither expects the attraction that flares between them, but Dunne is careful to keep it slow and easy. I loved the ending and her surprise at being asked for something as normal as a date.

This is a Romantic Suspense, and this is the 5th book in the Covert Cowboy Soldiers series. I did not read any other books in this series before picking up this book, but I think this book is fine to read as a standalone. I have to say I was a little confessed at the beginning of this book, but I slowly got the information I needed. I did love the characters in this book. There was a big mystery that went throughout this series, and the mystery came to an end in this book. The ending of this book was so great...WOW. The suspense and action was so great in this book. The romance was ok. I really enjoyed this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Intrigue) or author (Nicole Helm) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Quinn hasn’t had a normal life, most recently she took a bullet meant for her sister. Now she is stuck at a compound with her sister, niece, and set of ex-military brothers. This isn’t how she pictured her life and isn’t sure if she wants to run for the hills or dig in and plant roots.

Dunne doesn’t let much bother him, his military training drilled that into his psyche. But when a copycat killer starts leaving messages at each scene, appearing to be directed at him, he must get involved to save lives before anyone else finds out his secret.

Dunne sets out to find the killer, reluctantly letting Quinn tag along. Her investigative skills are coming in handy solving some pieces of the puzzle already. He will protect her at all costs though, she is important to people he cares about. And maybe, just maybe, she is becoming important to him as well.

Quinn knew Dunne wouldn’t take her along willingly, so she made sure he had no choice. This whole copycat case was intriguing her, and she wanted to be there when he confronted the killer. Even with all the survival skills she acquired in her previous life, she was ill prepared for exactly what they would run into on the hunt.

Overall, this read was a positive one. I did feel like there were a lot of repeated scenes and character monologues, feeling like unnecessary filler to make the story longer. I enjoy the writing style of Ms Helm greatly, but this one was a little hard to get all the way through.

If you have read any of the Covert Cowboy Solider books you know the Thompson brothers, noble, protective and out to do the right thing. Well strap in, your in for a wild ride! This one you won’t see coming, it’s got so many twists and turns you don’t want to miss out. Releases April 25th!

Casing the Copycat by Nicole Helm is the first novel in her Covert Cowboy Soldiers series I've read, and it most certainly won't be the last. I'll admit to some character confusion from the outset because all the characters introduced were new to me, and their relationships well-developed in previous novels. However, it certainly didn't affect my enjoyment of this novel, which was one gruesome yet addictive read. Although it's been billed as romantic suspense, the romance really took a back seat in this novel, which is the main reason I'm giving it a 4.5-star rather than a 5-star rating.

The main characters in this novel are Dunne, former soldier, now out of the military due to a broken femur, and Quinn, who escaped her dangerous and bizarre cult family, who abused, debased and terrorized her for decades. All are now living on the Thompson Ranch, where Quinn finally met up with and saved the life of her twin sister, Jessie, in a previous novel, and where the remaining characters are all calling themselves brothers, but are instead all brothers-in-arms rather than genetically related. All the men on this Wyoming ranch have altered their identities, and bid farewell to whomever they were before. Quinn, who was born into the cult, has no birth certificate, and there's no record of her anywhere--she's a ghost.

Back in the 1970s, Dunne's grandfather was known as The Eye Socket Killer, a serial killer who committed grisley crimes (he removed the eyeballs of all his victims) before he was stopped, but apparently, according to the newspapers and other intel gathered by the Thompson brothers, there's a copycat killer on the loose, now committing the same bizarre and horrific crimes as Dunne's grandfather, and Dunne desperately wants to stop him.

The basement of the ranch house is where the "brothers" have been collecting data about the more recent crimes, but when inquisitive Quinn, who is quite the puzzle solver, having survived a terrible upbringing within the cult, much of it being about the search for treasure, sneaks downstairs, she astounds Dunne by recognizing patterns and clues in the posted photos and articles that Dunne and his brothers totally missed, and it's not long before she forces herself into what Dunne had planned to be his solo attempt to find and apprehend the copycat killer.

Once Quinn figures out that the copycat is really sending a message directly to Dunne, and the two head off to Nebraska to try and find the killer, things don't go at all as planned, and from that point on, hang onto your hat, because things are going to get really complicated, really dangerous and more bizarre than you can possibly imagine, which made this one hard novel to put down, and one which almost read like a horror novel, but kudos to Ms. Helm for writing one extremely original read.

While I would have loved more romance between Quinn and Dunne, possibly even in an epilogue, Casing the Copycat was still one unpredictable and unsettling read, and if you can handle the grisly details, it's one I highly recommend, although I also recommend reading this series in the order it was written, something I plan to do as well. This novel is scheduled for release on 4/25/23.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Dunne and Quinn come from disturbing backgrounds and certainly rub each other the wrong way. When Quinn finds out about a serial killer that Dunne is investigating she inserts herself into the investigation and helps provide information.

As they pursue the developments they both become just a tad more human to each other and start to open up to one another. BUT will it be too late or will the serial killer catch them before they can work on these feelings for one another.

Casing the Copycat (Covert Cowboy Soldiers #5) by Nicole Helm
This is the 5th book in the series, and I will go back and read more of them. This book can be read as a standalone. Dunne Thompson and Quinn Peterson both have horrid backgrounds. His grandfather was a serial killer, and her father was a twisted evil man. They end up working together to catch a copycat killer. This book kept me on the edge of my seat not wanting to stop reading to eat or sleep. There is angst, suspense, danger, pure evil, self-doubt, mind games, attraction, respect, witty conversations, a few laughs and tears all getting us to a dramatic and wonderful HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Entertaining Action-packed Tragic Twisted Wonderful characters Romantic Haunting Witty Page-turner Happily Ever After Informative Scary Easy-to-read Unpredictable Great world building.

Casing the copycat by Nicole Helm was an excellent addition to the Covert Cowboy Soldiers series, but also a uniquely told story. The entire book happens over the course of seventy-two hours, and the majority of it is between Dunne and Quinn. Dunne's grandfather was a known serial killer, and there is a new one copying his MO to toy with Dunne. Whoever they are, they know he's still alive, even though the military made sure he was dead on paper. Dunne couldn't, in good conscience, continue to let this person kill because of him, and decided he couldn't wait for the cops to find him. He'd have to track him down himself.

Enter Quinn, a woman who has been recovering on the ranch after saving her twin sister. Jessie, from death. New to living a normal life outside of a cult, Quinn is bored and immediately picks up on the secrets of Dunne and his brothers. When she discovers their murder board, she sees patterns that even Dunne doesn't see. Her determination to go with him to help decipher the clues, in the end, is what will save Dunne's life.

Their arrival in Nebraska is without fanfare until they run across things they shouldn't. Because this story is told tightly and between just two characters, it's hard not to give spoilers. Suffice it to say, with Quinn on his side, there's no way Dunne will fail in casing this copycat. The chemistry between Quinn and Dunne is palpable, but the romance is slow and easy because of Quinn's past. The reader will appreciate Quinn's quirky personality and determination to do the right thing, which will endear her to the reader as the series continues. I give Casing the Copycat five stars for its unique storyline, its perfect pacing, and its break-the-mold couple that you'll fall in love with faster than you can say Nebraska.

I started this novel not knowing what to expect since I didn’t read the other novels in the series, however it gives enough information on the previous novels that it can be read as a standalone.

I have to start with this, this book is not like any harlequin novel I’ve read before, it has much more depth that usual which was awesome, you really get to connect to the characters.

The twists and turns in this novel honestly have me shook… I was not expecting what happened at ALL. The Group of - not gunna stay it cause I think that would be a spoiler- were creepy as fuck!!!! And I was hooked.

Honestly first book I’ve read in a while that only had a few kisses and made me still enjoy the book!

Would recommend to legit ANYONE who loves a murder mystery!

10/10

Only complaint is that I went back to buy all the previous books but the one before this one isn’t released yet either!!! I did put it in my want to read list!

Trust when I say your girl will be first in line to buy it!


Discloser: I was given an advanced copy of this book for an honest review! I have nothing to gain by lying or making my review “good”.

Good book and series! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, and so many crazy twists and turns! it was nice to see all the characters again! Lol The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I will definitely recommend reading this book and series , as they're well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!