Member Reviews

A big crime operation, murder, sex, and drugs. There is a romantic angle thrown in for balance too. This is book 4 in the series. I haven’t read the other 3, but had no trouble with knowing the characters or following the story.

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I am enjoying the Quinn & Costa series and Seven Girls Gone is a great addition to it. It is book four, and although you can read it as a standalone story, I recommend this whole series. Detective Beau Hebert is investigating a string of unexplained deaths and/or disappearances of young women in St. Augustine, Louisiana over the last three years. He is being not getting anywhere, being stonewalled and knowing that there is corruption within the police and the courts. He calls his friend, Michael Harris, an FBI agent with the Mobile Response Team, for help. They arrive in nearby Lafayette and realize that they will get no help from the locals, and that this is a challenging case. With LAPD detective Kara Quinn working undercover to dig into the women’s murders and team leader Matt Costa officially investigating the in-custody death of a witness, Beau might finally have a chance at solving the case. The only problem is that is you talk, you disappear or die.

I have to say that listening this this book gave me a real creepy, crawly feeling. Several of the characters (some police officers) were greasy and disgusting and I wanted to reach in and smack some of them. How Kara kept her cool is beyond me. I really enjoy this series. The characters are well developed and the plots intriguing. Trying to figure out who the good guys were was difficult and the fear of talking made this story even harder to solve. Corruption is a huge part of this story, greed, power and crimes that were far reaching all made this one interesting, gripping, but harder to figure out. The reveal was jaw dropping, but it made sense. This is also a romantic suspense story and we continue to see Kara and Matt trying to have a relationship while working together. I like that aspect of the story, as it seems quite realistic. Overall, this was a gritty, fast paced, police procedural with great characters and well developed story line. I definitely recommend it.

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Set in the Louisiana swampland I was hot and itchy as soon as I started this sweltering hot novel. A small time cop is overwhelmed and calls in Kara and Matt, the super duo. So many young women die, corruption is a way of life, drugs abound and nobody cares, and if they do, they have no power. I really enjoy this series and read them mostly for the latest on Kara.

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This is the fourth installment in the Costa and Quinn books by Allison Brennan. I don’t believe I’ve read this author before, and found the writing skilled and engaging, as well as the Louisiana setting and teamwork from various agencies. But the set-up felt long and involved. I wasn’t completely wrapped up in the story. Still, a good read, especially if this is an author or series you follow.

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This author does it again . I love these characters and their interplay together . I’ve read several in this series and they feel like old friends.
This one was really good and had a fast paced keep you guessing plot .
Thanks to Netgalley for letting me review this book

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I'm a huge fan of Allison Brennan lately! I did not know this was book 4 in a series; it reads really nicely as a standalone. The mystery is solid and kept me interested, and I liked the chemistry between our two characters. I thought the Bayou setting was perfect for this story, and the setting almost felt like a character, which I love.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

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In the last three years, seven women have turned up dead in the small town of St. Augustine, Louisiana. Detective Herbert seems to be the only one in his department that cares. Why does no one else in the department care? Since Detective Herbert can’t get anyone in his department to care, he reaches out to his friend on the FBI Mobile Response Team. Will the team be able to solve the murders before it’s too late?

This is the fourth installment in the Quinn and Costa series. Unfortunately, it’s my least favorite in the series for several reasons. First, it took me a very long time to get into the book. The introduction to the case lasted about half the book. Next, Kara did not go undercover in this book, which usually adds a lot of anticipation and details to the story. Last, Quinn and Costa didn’t have much of a relationship in this book. However, I really enjoyed the last quarter of the book, where the action picked up and the team began to solve the case. For these reasons, I rate the book 3/5 stars.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for an early edition of Seven Girls Gone (Quinn & Costa #4) by Allison Brennan. I am still enjoying the series, but less than I enjoyed the first 2 books. In my opinion, too much time is being spent on Quinn’s inability to have a relationship, however it may be done for the next book. It is secondary to the stories and for me does not add to the books, but rather takes away from the story.

I enjoy Quinn and Costa and their personalities in the books. Both characters were well developed in book one. I do find that I have forgotten the other characters from one book to the next, which might suggest they are not as well developed (or that I just do not focus on them).
This story line took Quinn and Costa to Louisiana where 7 women have been murdered, with local law enforcement writing off the murders as unsolvable. One officer Beau, is not happy with the lack of investigation into these murders and calls in the FBI to help him. The story has good twists and turns and the author does a good job of keeping the puzzle puzzling until about 2/3 of the way through the book, where she writes a natural solution. I found it to be a good transition, rather than the typically gotcha twist at the end.

The author captures small town southern culture well, as well as the struggles we have when faced with ethical decisions that have no good answer. The story line moves a little slower than the other books in the series, but was OK. I would continue to recommend this series and do look forward to the next one.

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Costas and Quinn are back together again! I am excited to see where Kara and Matt go after the last book.
The way this team works together and their dynamics when putting a case together truly makes for a fantastic read. This case is especially interesting. I was over the moon with the setting being in Louisiana. The rich culture it has was definitely brought out as well as the corruption. To see how the team came forward to help Michael's friend Beau, help solve these murders.
I will say that Kara drives me crazy. Her recklessness when approaching a case drives me crazy at times.
The slow burn relationship between her and Matt is coming to a head soon. You can see it slowly playing out. I'm hoping they get their stuff together in the next book.
This book contained so many moving parts, but once they came together, it was explosive!
Author Allison Brennan knows how to write a great investigative procedural with suspense and mystery woven altogether.
I will absolutely continue with this series and encourage you to read this as well.

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Police detective Beau Hebert has his hands full trying to investigate the murder of women in his small town of St. Augustine, Louisiana. He’s the only one who seems to care. With a corrupt police force, he doesn’t know who to trust.
Another great read by Allison Brennan. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Seven Girls Gone is the fourth book in the Quinn and Costa series by Allison Brennan and it was a fantastic read!

Women are being murdered or are missing in St. Augustine, Louisiana. Beau Herbert, a cop for the town is trying find the killer but is stymied at every turn by the Chief of Police and the DA. Evidence has gone missing, suspects are released due to lack of evidence. Beau turns to his friend, Michael for advice. Micheal is part of the FBIs Mobile Response team and decides to bring in the FBI to get to the bottom of what is going on, He comes down with his partner Kara Quinn who is an LA detective on loan to his team . What they uncover is corruption that runs far deeper than the police department and they race to find those responsible before another person ends up dead.

A fast paced, well written mystery/thriller with an intriguing plot that kept me guessing to the end.

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This was so good. I am new to Allison Brennan, so I was not sure what to expect. I am thrilled to say I have a new author to catch up on. This story was so good. I was sucked in from the beginning and turned pages as fast as I could. I loved the mystery that was cleverly woven throughout the story. This story gives a little bit of everything, suspense, romance, action and really good villains. Looking forward to the next one.

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Another great addition to this series! It might take a little bit to get into, but it's worth the wait. Well written and a definite winner. Can't wait to see what's next.

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This was a super interesting read and I really liked that the investigation was in Louisiana and that it dealt with the drug running and prostitution in these small towns and how they had to work around the corruption in the sheriff’s dept. there and how even the FBI in New Orleans wouldn’t help them really since the small towns are very insular and clam up when law enforcement shows up since a lot of the town will be working with the drug dealers. Kara is really great since she is such a good undercover agent and was really good at investigating by herself undercover. Kara and Matt finally figure out their relationship and Kara has to reconcile with the fact that she will never be able to go back to her old life in LA and that she will have to move forward with her life.

Thanks to Mira and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

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Another great book in this series. It was kind of nice not having Catherine in this book as much or at all. It does take Matt awhile to figure some things out personally with Kara but he does get there eventually. It is always hard to read about small town corruption even if it a fiction book. You always feel for the people who have to live in the town but are just regular people wanting to live a decent life and have to put up the bad people who take over a town. This is a fast-paced book and one you won't want to put down.

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Seven Girls Gone, by author Allison Brennan, is the Fourth installment in the authors Quinn and Costa series. Police detective Beau Hebert is battling the corrupt St. Augustine, Louisiana police department while in charge of an investigation of six local women who have gone missing or have been found dead with one woman, Lily, still missing. When Beau tracks down Jean Paul LeBlanc, wanted for fatally shooting a bartender, Jean Paul begs Beau to let him go, he claims he has valuable information about the dead women.

Torn between wanting the truth and doing his duty, Beau reluctantly arrests the man. The next night, a local woman named Ernestine calls Beau in a panic, then she too goes missing. When Jean Paul turns up dead in jail, Beau, a former naval officer, calls in the only person he can trust: former Navy SEAL Michael Harris, now a member of the FBI’s Mobile Response Team. Michael and his partner LAPD detective Kara Quinn travel to the small bayou town in the heart of Louisiana.

They will quietly assist Beau in his investigation into the dead women, while Special Agent Mathias Costa, who runs the new Mobile Response Team at the FBI, comes down "officially" to investigate the death of a suspect in police custody which doesn't to well with the locals. Costa's team includes analyst Ryder Kim, forensic specialist Jim Esteban, Zack Heller, a white-collar crimes expert, and LA Police Detective Kara Quinn has been an undercover cop for 12 years.

Kara cannot return to LA at the moment because of an incident that happened during the first installment. She's now on loan to the FBI, and assigned to Matt's team. Two two have had some interesting moments over the course of this series, and it's become a matter or what's more important. The relationship, or the job which Kara is really good at. It doesn’t take long before Kara finds a young witness, Winnie, who knows more than she’s willing to say. But Kara finds that she may become a target to some really awful cops.

To make matters worse, Matt butts heads with Chief of Police Richard Dubois who may know more than he wishes to reveal. In a town where everyone knows everyone and secrets stay buried, it’s going to take the entire team working around the clock not only to solve multiple murders, but expose deep-seated corruption that extends far beyond the small town borders. Talking gets you killed in this town. The team has their work cut out for them. Between the brothel, the drug-trafficking, and the corrupt officials, they are thinking there may be more than one murderer.

On a personal note, I am happy that Brennan doesn't insert her own politics into the story. She sticks to telling a story. She takes a legitimate look at a small town Southern town in Louisiana, which has a history of corruption, and doesn't hold back in exposing the local cops, the Sheriff, and others including a wannabe be Congress member. I hope that when and if the author writes another book in this series, she addresses Kara's former job, as well as her future in the FBI.

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SEVEN GIRLS GONE: Brennan creates long-running series with characters you want to visit over and over. I love Matt Costa’s and Kara Quinn’s partnership. The bayou acts as its own character taking center stage. I highly recommend this novel.
#SevenGirlsGone

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Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for an advanced reader’s copy of this title. All opinions are my own and are honestly given.

As women keep winding up dead in his small Louisiana town and the corrupt local police department refuses to investigate, detective Beau Hebert reaches out to an old friend on the FBI’s Mobile Response Team to get to the bottom of these murders. As Kara Quinn, Matt Costa, and the rest of the MRT seek to find the who is killing these young women, they quickly realize the corruption goes far deeper than they realize— and that these people will do anything to keep their secrets buried.

Seven Girls Gone was a fantastic read— definitely my favorite mystery/thriller in 2023 so far and tied as one of my favorites in this series (which are all great!). SGG is moody and atmospheric, and readers feel the claustrophobic bayou humidity as the MRT find themselves thwarted by powerful actors that will keep their secrets at all costs and never quite know who they can trust. Brennan does a great job with balancing engrossing mystery with character development, as the MRT team continues to grow together and Kara and Matt continue to explore a possible relationship. Brennan stays at the top of her game in her series. Seven Girls Gone is a great fit for our collection in physical and digital formats, and I will definitely be recommending it to our mystery-loving patrons. 5 stars.

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The FBI mobile response team is on the go again when they head to small-town Louisiana. Filled with corruption, violence and drugs “in St. Augustine being arrested didn’t always mean you were guilty and being released didn’t always mean you were innocent.”
Most everything in St. Augustine was not what it seemed, even when it had the appearance of being cut and dried.
When Beau Hebert found himself over his head trying to expose the corruption in his town and police force, he calls in his friend, Michael, who just so happens to work for the FBI mobile response team. It quickly is ascertained that the FBI needs to be involved and the team moves in.
With six girls dead and one still not accounted for, something is rotten in the town of St. Augustine, but with a HOST of suspects, shoddy police work and a coroner that does the least investigative work possible, it’s hard to pin anything or anyone down. Not to mention if you talk you have a strange way of ending up dead. It’s up to the response team to break it all open, and save those that they can, including their own…BUT…can St. Augustine be saved??
It was nice to catch up with Quinn and Costa, but this book had so many characters that all seemed to be connected in someway that at times it was just darn hard to follow!! While it had an intriguing plot, characters that were both lovable and deplorable, this wasn’t my favorite Quinn and Costa book, but I definitely can’t wait for the next one! Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

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Seven Girls Gone by Allison Brennan is the fourth in the Detective Quinn and  FBI Agent Costa Series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harlequin - MIRA and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
Under Assistant Director Tony Greer,  Special Agent Mathias Costa runs the new Mobile Response Team at the FBI. The goal is to travel to locations which have minimal law enforcement and offer their assistance. The team consists of Matt, analyst Ryder Kim, former Navy SEAL Michael Harris, forensic specialist Jim Esteban, and Zack Heller, a white-collar crimes expert.  LA Police Detective Kara Quinn has been an undercover cop for 12 years, and since she is cannot return to LA at the moment, she is on loan to the FBI, and assigned to Matt's team.  Kara and Matt have a "thing" going on.  Forensic Psychiatrist Catherine Howard is back working with Matt after taking a leave to deal with her sister's death.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Women are being killed in the small town of St. Augustine, Louisiana.  Beau Hebert, a police detective seems to be the only one who cares.  He is sure that witnesses are being silenced (one way or another), and that the police force is corrupt.  He doesn't know who to trust.  He calls his old Navy friend, Michael Harris for some advice.

Instead of advice, Michael and Kara show up at Beau's door, with the entire Mobile Team of the FBI on their way.  Beau isn't sure this is what he wanted, but eventually realizes that it may be the only way to get justice for the dead girls.

But the town has a lot of secrets, and no one wants to open up.  Talking gets you killed in this town.  The team has their work cut out for them.  Between the brothel, the drug-trafficking, and the corrupt officials, they are thinking there may be more than one murderer.


My Opinions:
Well, the fact that I felt this book was a little long comes as no surprise.  Every book in the series is a little long.  There is, perhaps, a little too much extraneous details that we don't really need to know (example....Mimi's history with her husband).  However, the book was really good, and it moved at a fair pace.

I'm not a fan of stories about police corruption, but this book had a lot of other things going on as well, so it was just one piece of the puzzle...the entire picture was great!

I am getting used to Kara, and although I still think she's a little reckless, she was abiding by the rules in this one, and it made a difference.  I actually am starting to really see that this team has become a family.

So, overall, I still felt the book was a little long, but it was good.

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