When a murder happens in a retirement community Detective Kit McKittrick and Dr. Sam Reeves must work together to find the killer. Kit’s been avoiding Sam for the last six months when it seemed like they had a connection, thinking she had little to offer him, but this case has thrown them together again to untangle the many threads in this mystery. Kit can’t avoid Sam anymore with his personal connection to the murder victim and he’s been assigned to assist with the case as the SDPD’s resident psychologist. Kit and her partner Connor, as well as Sam have a lot to uncover.

Kit is a likeable character, and she has a wonderful support system with her adoptive parents, good people who seem to gather all those that need a helping hand. I love Sam! He’s patient with a big heart.

Cheater mixes crime procedure and the personal aspects of the main characters, their extended friends, family, and co-workers. Many of the characters appear again, building on the foundation set in the first book. Sam and Kit’s romance is slow going and one I’m rooting for.

Thank you @berkleypub for my digital copy and @prhaudio for the audio version. My thoughts are my own.
#penguinrandomhousepartner

I really enjoyed book one (𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙇𝙞𝙖𝙧) in Karen Rose’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘰 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 series, so I was excited to receive a digital copy of book two.

In this police procedural, Detective Kitt McKittrick investigates a murder in an upscale retirement home. To her surprise, she encounters Dr. Sam Reeves who volunteers at the facility. (Sam is the former murder suspect Kit found herself strangely attracted to in book one!) Kit has been avoiding Sam in the six months since they apprehended a serial killer, but Sam’s expertise proves to be invaluable to the SDPD and Kit is forced to work with him again! However, she is determined to keep things professional between them.

I enjoyed the retirement home setting, and the secondary characters in this novel. The main female character, Kit, has some hang ups and she is not my favorite character. Though her attraction to Sam is still there, she keeps him at arm’s length, and the romance in this one is basically nonexistent. While the murders pile up, the investigation moves along at a slow pace, with lots of conversation, giving this story a cozy mystery vibe.

I preferred the print version over the audio. Though I normally enjoy Hillary Huber, I don’t think she is the right voice for Kit.

I enjoyed this suspense novel that's a police procedural, but almost felt like a cozy mystery as well. The characters are interesting and I loved the nursing home setting. Kit's background is fascinating and I love the relationship she has with her found family. There wasn't much romance, but the twists and turns of the plot kept my interest high and the story moving right along. I'm curious as to whether or not the romance will be explored in future books. The audiobook is a great way to read this one and the narrator does an excellent job.

I didn’t read the first book in the series and that may play some role in my less than stellar love of this book, but I can say that at no point did I feel like I was lost or that I couldn’t go on without having read it despite this being the continuation of Kit and Sam’s story started in Cold Blooded Liar. I was sadly also expecting a lot more romance than was delivered, as this ended up being about 90% police procedures and maybe 10% romance and I think it may even be more like 95/5. Sam and Kit actually are not very often together which I guess was supposed to up the romance factor because they miss each other, but it came off kinda cheesy and childish. Sam is a police profiler, Clark Kent type guy, who spends his spare time playing piano for the retired people at the old folks home which is where the murder takes place. All the folks in the retirements home try and help solve the crime and yet there's not a lot happening somehow.
A bit predictable and not what I had hoped for but I’m sure loads will enjoy.
Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

4.5 hearts

I love the Romantic Suspense series. I've read them all. I started the series with the first Cincinnati book, with Faith and Deacon. It was actually #16 overall. Then I went back and read the previous 15 books. I would not jump into this in the middle of a series. One could start at the beginning of a city since those stories connect well, and they seem to be labelled on Goodreads.


Cheater is the second in the San Diego stories. This city is a different style of story than all the others. The first book, Cold Blooded Liar, really had no romance. The main characters are Kit McKittrick, a homicide detective and Sam Reeves, a therapist. Sam does some work with profiling for the department. He also does a lot of volunteering in nursing homes.

Kit grew up in the foster system until as a teenager she came to the McKittricks and was adopted. Her impetus to become a police officer started when her sister Wren was murdered. Her background makes her a bit prickly to trust anyone but Sam is willing to wait for her. They end up working together more now and become more friendly. Kit and Sam are on a very slow burn romance.

The investigation centers on murders and thefts at a nursing home. The first victim was a retired homicide lieutenant who Kit met once. Frank, was a decorated and much respected detective. He also had a strong group of friends at the nursing home. Kit and her partner, Connor, are smart and capable in their search for evidence. There are really too many bad actors at the nursing home! It gets dangerous as they narrow down to those responsible.

In the background, the McKittricks continue to support children and foster them. Kit brings in a group of new fosters who connect with Rita, one of their current kids. Rita lost her mother and admires Kit as a person and her profession. I look forward to the continued personal growth of Kit and all her relationships.

Karen Rose's Cheater is the second installment in the author's The San Diego Case Files, and the 29th in the author's Romantic Suspense world. The author and publisher are actually releasing two books a year that are set in San Diego and New Orleans. This series follows two main characters: Homicide Detective Ki McKittrick and Dr. Sam Reeves who is a criminal psychologist. For the record, I did not read Cold Blooded Liar which was the first installment in this series, and the story where Kit and Sam first meet. Hopefully, I will soon.

Kit lost her sister Wren to a killer when she was 16. A failure that still haunts her to this day. Kit still searches for Wren's killer hoping to find answers to a decades-old cold case. Kit was taken in by Harlan and Betty McKittrick who 6 months ago, took in another young girl named Rita who discovered her mother's dead body. Kit loves the water. She lives on a boat, and when she's not solving crimes with the SDPD, she's assisting her foster sister Akiko with her charter fishing business, scuba diving, or playing with her poodle.

Which brings me to the story itself. Death is not an unfamiliar visitor to Shady Oaks Retirement Village, which provides San Diego’s premier elderly support from independent retiree housing to full-time hospice care. But when 85-year-old Franklin Delano Flynn's body is found brutally stabbed and his apartment ransacked, it’s clear there’s someone deadly in their community. Kit and her partner of six months Detective Connor Robinson quickly discover that Shady Oaks is full of skeleton-riddled closets, and most tenants prefer to keep their doors firmly closed to the SDPD.

Unfortunately for the facility, the murder victim was a highly respected former Homicide Lieutenant before he retired 30 years ago. Fortunately for the victim, Kit is a rising star in the department, and she has a reputation as someone who gets the job done. To make matters worse, a second resident is soon found dead, and more bodies will likely be found unless Kit and her team identify and stop the cold-blooded killer. Meanwhile, Dr. Sam Reeves, who works as a profiler for the SPD, is a longtime volunteer at the facility where he honors his late grandfather's memory by playing the piano for the residents.

Because of all the time he spends here, Sam knows all the residents, especially the old man who dared Sam to play a hard rock song he loved. So it shouldn’t be such a surprise when Kit crosses paths with him during her investigation after she’d avoided the criminal psychologist—and the emotions he evokes—for the last six months. Sam’s rapport within the retirement village proves vital to the case, and the pair find themselves working together once again—much to Kit’s dismay. But she is determined to apprehend the shadow of death lurking around Shady Oaks, especially since he knew the victim, and equally determined to ignore the feelings she’s developing for a certain psychologist.

Although this is supposed to be a romantic suspense, it is the mystery itself that is so compelling to the point where you can guess who the killer is, but you will have to wait to find out if you are correct or not. The slow-burn romance between Kit and Sam is something that weighs heavily on the entire story. The two are like planets circling each other because Kit is giving him, and her attraction to him, a wide berth because she doesn’t believe she’s what someone as kind as Sam needs. There is hope that the author will eventually get these two together, but we shall see.

I didn’t read the first book in this series and while I’d have liked to know Sam and Kit’s history, I don’t think I missed too much. Karen Rose did a good job of filling in the reader without re-hashing all of the details, so this book reads like a stand along mystery. I will be picking up that first book and catching up though because I really enjoyed this story and their connection. I was also really surprised at the intricacies in the mystery. Whereas I did guess the killer, it did take me a little while and the journey was completely enjoyable.

Karen Rose did a great job of giving these characters depth and building their back story. I loved Kit’s history of being in a foster home and how she had that soft spot for kids who lived on the street. It added a lot to explain her stand offishnes and made the impact of her building trust with Sam that much greater.

If you like light mysteries with great characters, I think Cheater was an interesting and entertaining read. It is not a romance, but there is a bit of romantic suspense built into the story. There is also a bit of humor and a lot of emotion. This was a well rounded story and I enjoyed it a lot.

3.5 stars

Cheater was a great story! It felt like a good, old-fashioned who-done-it and I loved all the details, the build, and the dots connecting. I found it to be an exciting read that never really had a good stopping place. This was definitely an easy mystery with a side of romance, meaning there wasn't a lot of it, but I was so caught up in the story I rolled with it.

The mystery was awesome and I was hooked. It was fast-paced with all sorts of clues and twists and I was really into it. I would not say this is suspenseful, there was no real grit like in previous books I’ve read from this author. It was light but steady and I found it intriguing. The more I read, the more I needed answers.

The romance focuses on Sam and Kit and it is a continuation from the first book in the series. I say romance loosely because it's a very small portion of the story. After reading the first book in The San Deigo Case Files series, I learned Sam and Kit's story spans over the course of three books and it's a slow burn. There were a lot of looks and hints of feelings but not a lot of explanation as to why Kit held Sam at arm’s length. Since their relationship is drawn out and they didn't make much progress, I felt it took away from their chemistry, which I did feel in the first book. Their relationship continues in a getting-to-know-each-other way and it's a frustrating slow burn.

This is a hard one for me because I was expecting romantic suspense and it’s not what I got but I still really liked it. I found the overall story with the mystery to be a page-turner, it was an entertaining read.

Non-stop intrigue will keep you guessing until the end with Karen Rose's second book in her San Diego Case Files series! The slow burn hints of romance between Detective Kit McKittrick and criminal psychologist Dr. Sam Reeves continues to simmer as they work together to find out who killed a retirement home resident. The characters are endearing and really easy to like, the plot is interesting with lots of quirky and fun characters and the connection between Kit and Sam is addictive even if she is giving him a bit of a run around. I'm looking forward to more to come in the series!

This series is a little bit less dark than some of Rose's work and I find myself enjoying it just as much as I do her more intense serial killer terror. She does murder mystery well, in all formats.

I highly recommend this book as well as the first in the series to anyone who enjoys a whodunnit with the storyline taking a large interest in the main detective and the key players who are solving each case.

This book is out of my typical romance comfort zone but the synopsis was so interesting that I couldn’t resist giving it a shot! And I am SO glad that I did.

A whodunnit with almost an old school feel, this book gripped me from the very first chapter. Reluctant collaborators work together to solve a murder in a retirement community.

A fun cast of characters plus twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Everything I could’ve hoped for out of my first step into more of the mystery genre.

Huge thank you to Berkley Romance for a digital copy of this ARC!

At 25% I am calling this over.

The beginning started out well, with description and a nice conversation between Kit (homicide detective) and Rita, the foster that her parents have taken on. When the setting changed to the senior facility where a murder occurred that Kit will be investigating with her partner, Connor, the writing changed becoming mostly stilted dialogue, sometimes with overly long monologues that didn't sound real. In fact, Kit's monologue right before she exits Connor's car to walk to a dinner sounds like an email to me rather than one side of a conversation. Unfortunately with all of this dialogue, the author forgot to insert a decent amount of description to help the reader feel/imagine the setting. The final straw was when Kit explains to Connor the reason for the dinner although he was the only person who already knew the reason for the dinner.

I think that this author is probably just not for me.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy.

Cheater, by Karen Rose (March 26, 2024) - Many thanks to @netgalley @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the gifted digital and audiobook copies - here is my honest review! After absolutely loving Cold Blooded Liar, my expectations for the second book in this series were extremely high. Although I didn’t love it as much as the first, I did enjoy it a great deal, and I’ll stick with the series because I adore all of the characters Rose has created in this San Diego-set series.

The story picks up six months after Sam and Kit brought down a serial killer. Sam is working as a police consultant, but Kit is giving him, and her attraction to him, a wide berth because she doesn’t believe she’s what someone as kind as Sam needs. Kit is called to the scene of a homicide at a retirement home where a former member of the force has been murdered. He was loved by his friends at the home, the staff, and volunteers - including Sam. As Kit tries to put together the pieces in this homicide, more people connected to the retirement community end up dead, and a more sinister and far-reaching plot begins to take shape.

I loved how this book gave active roles to the members of the retirement community in resolving the mystery, making them important parts of the found family that Kit has built around her. Unlike the first book, this one didn't have as much pressure driving the plot forward. About two-thirds of the way through, it became clear who did it, and you were just along for the ride as Kit and Sam figured out how and why. The book is billed as a "romantic suspense," but I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. Although there is a relationship being set up between Kit and Sam, it's not enough of the story to warrant being billed as such. That being said, I really like these characters, and it was a fun read. The audiobook was also great, with the same narrator as the first book.

“Death is not an unfamiliar visitor to Shady Oaks Retirement Village, which provides San Diego with premier elderly support from independent retiree housing to full-time hospice care. But when a resident’s body is found brutally stabbed and his apartment ransacked, it’s clear there’s someone deadly in their community. Detective Katherine “Kit” McKittrick quickly discovers that Shady Oaks is full of skeleton-riddled closets, and most tenants prefer to keep their doors firmly closed to the SDPD.

A longtime volunteer at the retirement facility, Dr. Sam Reeves honors his late grandfather’s memory by playing the piano for the residents regularly. So it shouldn’t be such a surprise when Kit crosses paths with him during her investigation, after she’d avoided the criminal psychologist—and the emotions he evokes—for the last six months.

Sam’s rapport within the retirement village proves vital to the case, and the pair find themselves working together once again—much to Kit’s dismay. But she is determined to apprehend the shadow of death lurking around Shady Oaks...and equally determined to ignore the feelings she’s developing for a certain psychologist.”

Any fans of psychological thrillers will devour this duology! Thank you to the author and publisher!

The San Diego Case Files series continues when a victim is found stabbed to death at the elite Shady Oaks Retirement Village. From independent living to hospice care, the residents get the best Shady Oaks can offer. It becomes clear from the very start to Detective Katherine "Kit" McKittrick that the murderer has to be someone in the community.

In a very somber setting, Kit runs into a volunteer at Shady Hokes and that is Dr. Sam Reeves, a man with who Kit has a connection, but it is one she does her best to deny. Although a busy criminal psychologist, Sam devotes as much time as possible to the residents, and has developed some very strong bonds.

While Kit begins her investigation, Sam proves to be more than instrumental when it comes to interviewing the various residents and staff. Death is never welcomed, even when natural causes is the case. But, when murder happens in a place where older residents expect nothing less than the best, it definitely leaves a bad taste. Although Same is helpful in a number of ways, his presence is problematic for Kit because of growing feelings for Sam that she is finding more and more difficult to ignore.

In usual Karen Rose style, she does an excellent job bringing both suspense and romance to her readers. The suspense carries from beginning to end and, personally, I enjoyed the slow burn of romance between Kit and Sam. I am sure that their next case will be just as intriguing as this one was, all while their personal relationship taking a turn.

Many thanks to Berkley Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion...

Death at a retirement home is something that doesn't sound out of the ordinary, but when a body of someone who was clearly murdered is found, people start talking. Kit is the homicide detective assigned to the case. She forms a relationship with Sam, who volunteers at the retirement home. They work together to solve this case while keeping their feelings at bay.

I did not give this book a spice rating because there basically is no romance until the very end. I was expecting more romance, since this comes from a romance publisher, but the overall story was still good. Apparently this romance is spread out between three books, so it looks like we will get to see more in book three.

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU IF: You're looking for a good mystery with unique characters and a bit of suspense.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were very likable and really helped the storyline. I even enjoyed following the budding romance. The story was well written and I constantly wanted to continue reading to see what was going to happen next. I thought the chapters were long. They were broken into sections, but I would have preferred the chapters to be shorter.

I missed the first book- and I know that as a result, I missed some things here with regard to Kit and Sam- but it was fine as a procedural standalone with a slow burn romance, Kit, a homicide detective, is investigating a murder in a care facility. Sam, a psychologist, is a volunteer there so the two of them, sorta reluctantly, team up to find the villain, It's not too terribly suspenseful but there are some good twists, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm sure Rose's fans will welcome this.

Cheater by Karen Rose is a very suspenseful continuation of Kit's work as a homicide detective. Through it all, there's still time for Sam and her family.

CHEATER by Author Karen Rose is the second book in the San Diego Case Files and the twenty-ninth book in the Romantic Suspense series. Readers met the main characters in the first book COLD BLOODED LIAR, and while surprised, I was glad to see Kit and Sam's story continue. For fans who may fear picking this one up without having read book one, you'll have no issue as Rose is meticulous in providing enough backstory for readers to jump in at any point.

Det. Kit McKittrick and her partner, Connor, are called to the affluent Shady Oaks retirement facility when a resident is found stabbed to death. When it's discovered the victim was a former decorated police officer who's apparently been murdered over a discovery he made, things quickly escalate. Psychologist Dr. Sam Reeves assists in the investigation as he has an established rapport with several of the patients as both a volunteer and doctor. The only one unhappy to see him is Kit as she continues denying her feelings and holding him at bay. A second untimely death ramps up the urgency along with the discovery of a major theft. There's a killer targeting patients at the retirement home, and Kit is determined to identify them before another life is lost. It's clear someone connected to the home is running an elaborate scheme and profiting off the citizens, then killing when in danger of discovery. Unfortunately, Kit and her team run into one dead end after another. Can they identify a killer before another life is lost?

CHEATER is an intriguing whodunnit police procedure style mystery with a pale side of romance. The retirement home setting supports a large cast of unique, aging characters, some of whom are quite flamboyant, colorful and humorous which helps lighten the tone. The complex, intricately woven plot line is typical of the author with meticulous details and breadcrumbs for both the police and readers to follow. Several plausible red herrings keep Kit and readers guessing. As the story unfolds, Kit and Sam dance around the attraction simmering between them with both afraid to make the first move. While the overall plot line is complex, the story lingers a bit long in the center before picking up again in the final third heading into the climax.

Author Karen Rose is one of my favorite authors in the suspense thriller genre. I'm familiar with her style of writing and have spent many a late-night devouring one of her books. CHEATER has a different vibe than her past work, and some may find it lacking in the typical darkness and sense of malice, evil and urgency normally found in Rose's books. It's entirely possible it's intentional, and the author's going in a new direction with the San Diego series. Rose does an excellent job of highlighting the competency of women in roles of power through Kit's character while also showing her vulnerability when it comes to family and the man she thinks deserves better than her. Recommended to fans of lighter mysteries, thrillers and romance suspense.

Knows how to write suspense as well as keep her readers hooked with each turn of the page, as well as make you want to fell in love with her characters .