Karen Rose knows how to hook readers with a prologue and keep them engaged throughout a novel. Cheater , the second book in her San Diego Case Files series, is no different. It combines a police procedural with a hint of romantic suspense. Featuring homicide detective Kit McKittrick and criminal psychologist and profiler Dr. Sam Reeves, the story is a great crime thriller that keeps readers on an emotional rollercoaster.

Kit and Connor are called to the Shady Oaks Retirement Village where a resident’s body was found stabbed and his apartment ransacked. It turns out that Sam volunteers there by playing the piano and taking song requests. Kit and Sam met in book one in the series, but Kit has been avoiding him. Now, with his rapport within the retirement community, they find themselves working together once again.

Kit and Sam are both likeable and relatable characters. Kit is focused, dedicated, hardworking, and is a rising star in the homicide department with her high closure rate. She loves the water and lives on a boat she’s renting from an older brother along with her poodle, Snickerdoodle. While she occasionally helps one of her foster sisters with her charter fishing business on weekends, she’s mainly solving crimes with the San Diego Police Department along with her new partner Detective Connor Robinson. She’s fearful of a romantic relationship, feels things deeply, and often puts up a wall between herself and others.

Sam has a private practice, but also works part-time with the police as a profiler. He’s kind, calming, compassionate, patient, observant, trustworthy, and has a soothing way about him. He’s also good at getting people to talk. While both go through transformations during the story, there’s still room for these dynamic characters to continue to grow in future books. The supporting characters have varying depths, but provide support or conflict to enrich the reading experience. It was great to see Harlan, Betsy, and Rita again and catch up with them.

The writing is fluid and descriptive which helps readers envision the scenes without disrupting or slowing the flow. It’s well-plotted with a few twists, and the storyline is gripping at times and heartwarming at other times. Add to that plenty of conflict and a strong but vulnerable protagonist who has a keen sense of justice, and readers will be on the edge of their seats. The ending brings several surprises and plenty of action. Themes include foster care, elder care, adoption, trust, found family, greed, murder, secrets, grief, curiosity, friendship, volunteerism, and much more.

Overall, this was intriguing, entertaining, suspenseful, and had an action-packed ending with compelling characters that kept me turning the pages. With exciting scenes and a fascinating story line, this fantastic thriller kept me fully engaged. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. As a police procedural and murder mystery, this was great. Will the romance finally take off in book three?

Berkley Publishing Group and Karen Rose provided a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently expected to be March 26, 2024.

One thing to know about this author is that she writes long stories. But the cool thing about it is the plot engages you enough that the story moves rather quickly.

Cheater has a lot of different plot twists, some of which you see coming, but many are a surprise that adds layers to the story. Just when we think we’re figuring something out about the murder mystery, Rose adds another twist, and off we go in another direction.

This book has a lot of unique characters that add dimension and texture to the story. I did have some love-hate moments with the characters and with parts of the plot as well.

Sam is a sweet man, but he certainly has the patience of Job. Kit is great at her job but is absolutely terrified of any type of feelings. This makes the “romance“ in the story nonexistent.

We feel the tension and the yearning but it’s a bit wild that the term romantic suspense is how this book is classified because if you’re looking for romance in the story, you’re not going to find it.

If you’re classifying how good the book is in terms of the police procedural and murder mystery then I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a big range of quirky characters, annoying characters, and a good balance of everything else besides the romance.

Overall, Cheater is a multi-dimensional book with a plot that is highly engaging and well-developed. The twists and turns alone make it well worth the read.

Cheater by Karen Rose is the 2nd book in her The San Diego Case Files series. The story takes place at Shady Oaks Retirement Village, which provides elderly support from independent housing to hospice care. When a resident’s body is found stabbed to death, Detective Kit McKittrick is on the scene, with her partner, Connor; as they are both homicide detectives. In a short time, there are another two deaths, with three bodies all connected to the retirement home. It is clear someone deadly is in the home.

Kit is surprised to see Dr. Sam Reeves at Shady Oaks (last book Kit walked away from a relationship with Sam). Sam volunteers at the retirement home playing the piano, as well as offer help to the elderly. Sam is a psychologist, knowing a lot about Shady Oaks, and will play a big part of the investigation, helping the SDPD. Sam was close to some of the residents, especially Frankie (who was killed), a former cop; to his shock, Frankie’s best friend, Benny died the following day.

Kit and Connor begin their interviews with staff and some residents, and when the Shady Oaks security officer is missing, they learn he too was murdered; as well as discovering that Benny did not die a normal death. Shady Oaks is an expensive place to reside, and with a number of residents being wealthy. Kit begins to suspect that some of the staff is stealing from residents; with Connor, her colleagues at SDPD, they will need unravel the case, which includes wealthy items stolen. Besides the three deaths, other staff are part of the thefts; however, they need to discover who is behind the actual murders.

I really liked Kit and Connor together as partners, as they made a great team. Some of the residents were terrific, such as Georgia and Eloise, who were very close to Frank and Benny. I also enjoyed Kit’s family, and how they opened their arms to help young teenagers who need to have homes. Of course, I liked Sam, who was a great guy. He strongly cared about Kit, but he knew she needed to open her heart.
Cheater was an exciting, intense and fantastic thriller; with Kit being a fabulous detective. As we reached the last quarter of the book, there were a number twists and turns, with the murderer willing to kill anyone trying to stop them. Cheater was so very well written by Karen Rose, who always writes fantastic mystery thrillers.

So excited to see that the author is continuing this series! She usually doesn’t follow the same characters so this was a pleasant surprise.
I found the mystery to be interesting and kept me guessing. It was a quick read.
The relationship between the characters does develop more from the first book which was nice to see. Their romance is definitely a slow burn.
A good mystery read with a dash of romance.

Cheater by Karen Rose is a gripping murder mystery that sends shockwaves through an upscale retirement community. This riveting second installment of the San Diego Case Files series is filled with high-stakes suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The high-octane thrill ride of this novel kept me up far too late at night, unable to put it down.

This was my first by this author and I started this without realizing these two main characters (although this really feels like there’s just one main character) already had a book. Initially I was worried I missed a lot and would need to stop and go back but this really felt like a standalone! I was very appreciative of that. They give all the backstory you’d need to get caught up and I really got the full picture of the world.

This is essentially a whodunnit police procedural. This is a step out of my normal genre but I like thrillers and mysteries so I enjoyed this! I would not call this romantic suspense. I would not go into this expecting much romance at all. It’s not that it’s closed door etc there is no door, no shenanigans happening. I don’t think the blurb is very accurate. It makes it sound like Kit and Sam work closely in solving this murder and while they do work together most of their scenes are while they are apart. They talk to and about each other but it’s pretty stagnant the whole time and the focus is on the crime solving. I did enjoy the little wink we got at the end and I thought they are both great people and sweet, but I just don’t consider this romance.

I enjoyed the procedural nature of this. It felt like watching an episode of Bones or CSI (mostly in vibes, Kit is a homicide detective to be clear). The reactions and dialogue felt pretty rooted in 2024 which was nice. It gave the many side characters humanity and just by the way it wasn’t difficult to follow all the characters. The only bit that got skimmable was whenever they reviewed what just happened either Kit reporting to her boss or explaining everything at the very end. It’s not that big of a chunk and not a big deal, I’m just stating because of that paired with the marketed as romance and it’s not really romance, I went with 4 stars.

But overall I really enjoyed the nursing home setting and characters. There are some high adrenaline moments and some side family (and found family) moments too. Overall if you like crime fiction, procedurals, especially from a more female lens (I mean that in the best way possible, we get to see Kit be so freaking competent at her job and women in powerful positions get unquestioned respect) I would recommend this! Thank you to Berkley for the ARC. Also side note the color and feel of the hardback is gorgeous.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Kit's next case takes her to a retirement home where a man is found deceased. She delves into his passed when their is another body. Kit and her partner thinks the cases are connected and will use everything they know to solve these murders. A great read.

This book keeps you turning the pages for the intrigue. You will follow along with the detectives as they try to solve one murder which quickly blossoms into much more. Each step from finding a suspect only for him to be dead to digging into his live uncovers a new avenue of the investigation. As each avenue is uncovered you are pulled along. The book will keep you guessing on how the murders and the coins and the nursing home all tie together. It is in the intrigue that this book hits its stride.
However, Kit and Sam are really a no go until the end. Much of the book is spent in the will they or won’t they stage. It put you in mind of those old crime dramas where the main couple could not get together until later seasons. Sam is easier to describe and much easier to like because he is this compassionate man who volunteers at the retirement home and helps strangers on the street find their way. Kit, despite, the love she received from her adoptive parents is very afraid to open herself up. You know she is caring because of the interaction with her foster sister but her fear is just bigger. All that is a long way to say this is not really a very romantic book even though it is categorized as romantic suspense.
This book was the middle game. We met the characters and learned their story in the previous book. We have a mystery, Wren’s death, that looms in the background in this book that I suspect will be solved in the next. I also suspect we will move the slow burn relationship along, so I have high hopes for the next book. This book probably deserves an extra half star for the intrigue, but it is a bit overly long and drawn out which prevents me overlooking how slow the romance burned. Normally, I enjoy Karen Rose’s books but this one is not her best. But as I said, she has some great well-established characters to carry into the next book so I hope it is a fitting conclusion for these characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Cheater is the second book in Ms. Rose’s San Diego branch of her Romantic Suspense series. I did enjoy reading the storyline and the suspense but I still wasn’t invested in Sam and Kit’s story.

Usually Karen Rose books end in an HEA (Happily Ever After) or an HFN (Happily For Now) but she’s taken a different approach in her San Diego series by continuing Sam and Kit’s painfully slow dance. Is it chemistry? Is it love? Is it too soon? Is it too late?

I think the thing that is getting to me is that while the suspense aspect wraps up at the end of each book, we don’t get the completion or satisfaction of an HEA. Sure I’ve read books where this is the case, but this glacially-paced relationship development sometimes takes me out of the story. With the storyline going one speed, I feel the romantic aspect isn’t keeping pace. I am sure there is a method to Ms. Rose’s madness, but it’s driving me crazy.

It’s the same thing that’s bugged me in the last book. There’s also a big differential imbalance between the two characters. Kit’s a hard nose cop keeping her emotions locked down too tight and keeps most people–especially Sam–at a distance. And Sam is a freakin’ sweetheart that volunteers his time at a retirement home, always has time for those in need, loves out loud and has made it clear he is interested in Kit, but she won’t bridge the gap between them. It seems like they were getting closer in Cheater, but I just didn’t feel it.

The suspense aspect of the story is exciting, dangerous and intriguing but I feel the romance is still falling flat. And I hate it because I want to love this story but my square pegs of emotion are not fitting into the round holes of the storyline.

4 Stars - Suspense
1 Star - Romance

Throughout all my bellyaching, these issues still won’t stop me from reading future books in the San Diego series. Inquiring minds gotta know if these two will actually gain some traction and ignite some sparks.

I’m a longtime fan of this author, I’ve given many of her books a 5 star rating. However, I can’t in good conscience award this particular story the same rating. How can this rightly be called romantic suspense if the romance is nonexistent? There is not even a kiss until the very end of the book.

I was not hooked or invested in this story, and didn’t mind putting my kindle down to take breaks. The book moved very slowly for both the investigation and the romance. I would also say it was very repetitive, especially in the first half of the book.

Overall, if you’re looking to read something in this authors collection, this would not be the series I recommend. Go for the Sacramento series, much more suspenseful and addicting of a read.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

Deaths are occurring at a retirement facility. Detective Kit McKittrick is back and trying to solve the murders. Everywhere she turns there is something else that could relate to the case and she isn’t sure where to turn. There are a couple of residents of the retirement facility that are quite the characters. The book is filled with suspense and a romance. This is the second book in a series but could easily be read as a stand alone. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This book was definitely interesting and quite well written with awesome pacing, as one might expect from Rose’s books.. It was a page turner and kept me guessing till the very end. Plot twist was absolutely nerve wracking. Would definitely be recommending to all the Romantic-thriller/mystery addicts!

I had such high expectations for this book, because I enjoyed Cold-Blooded Liar but felt it was lacking in romance and this title was featuring the same characters. Karen Rose has a habit of writing a series that features different characters each book and I wasn't holding my breath on this one, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a continuation of Kit and Sam's story. Unfortunately, it was also about 95% police procedural and 5% romance which isn't what I want when I'm reading something that's supposed to be romantic suspense. Sam and Kit actually spend very little time together and the "romance" consisted of every other character mentioning how the two sure did want each other with lots of blushing and/or denying from Kit and Sam. Ugh. These are adult characters, not teenagers. There was also a ton of repetition. "Six months ago" was mentioned 36 times according to my kindle and because the two main characters were not investigating together a lot of that was repeated as well. What we did get was constant reaffirmation of how saintly Betsy and Harlan were and how they can work miracles with runaways and virtually everything they touch turns to gold. And how spunky the little old ladies at the retirement home are, with rhinestone-covered walkers and blue hair and dirty minds - the whole thing was just so cliché and over the top I spent most of the time trying to resist rolling my eyes. Sam was a weepy, nerdy, Clark-Kent-glasses type who was so pure and good that he spent his spare time playing the piano at the retirement home for the elderly, and the poor murder victim is the one who requests The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden, because of course he does. It was just too much. I was bored. I did not like this. It was so over the top and corny and Wren's unsolved murder seems to still hang in the balance so I'm guessing there will be more of this series, but I will not be reading it. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this DRC in exchange for an honest review. Others will probably love this and if you're looking for a typical run of the mill mystery to solve, this wouldn't be a bad choice, but romantic suspense it is not.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing a DRC of this title for review.

The second book in the San Diego Case Files series, Cheater reunites Detective Kit McKittrick and psychologist Sam Reeves as they attempt to solve a series of suspicious murders related to a swanky retirement village. Fans of Rose’s previous works will find a lot to love in Cheater, whose perfectly balanced slow-burn romance, character development, and intricately-plotted mysteries will leave readers (including me!) clamoring for more. One of my favorite romantic suspense novels in 2023, I will definitely be sure to recommend this one to our patrons. 5 stars/5.

Cheater is the second book in The San Diego Case Files. Murder in a retirement home and Detective Kit is on the job. She is surprised to see Dr Sam there playing the piano. They have a rocky relationship but have to work together to solve the murders. I loved the secondary characters at the retirement home and would love to see more of them. Loved this book. I would recommend you read the first book to understand the characters.

Welcome back Detective Kit McKittrick and psychologist Sam Reeves 😊

Although this is book two in the San Diego Case Files series it still works just as well as a stand-alone, but obviously I highly recommend book one, Cold Blooded Liar, one because it’s a great book, and two, you will understand Kit and Sam and their relationship a lot better which adds more depth and layers to the plot.

Set in Shady Oaks retirement village where Dr Sam Reeves volunteers, it all begins with a murder of one of the elderly residents and it is Kit’s job to find the killer and the Why of the seemingly senseless murder.

But things don’t stop at the one dead body. Soon she has three bodies on her hands all connected to Shady Oaks.
Shady Oaks retirement village isn’t a cheap place to reside and the old adage, Follow the money, is what cracks this case wide open leading the police, with the help of criminal psychologist, Sam, down a rabbit warren of lines of enquiry, none of them leading them in the right direction.

Are the victims close friends in danger? Is the threat internal or external? These are all questions that need answers and fast.
For me the two female residents of Shady Oaks stole the show in this book. Miss Eloise and Georgia Shearer. Their characters are brilliant and you can’t help but to fall in love with them!

It’s definitely a slow burner of a storyline, the same as the slow fragile flame of Kit and Sam’s relationship but it all builds up to an explosive ending.

As much as Shady Oaks has had it’s more than fair share of death and drama I hope that there will be another book with the brilliant old ladies as well as Kit and Sam. I’m not ready to say goodbye to them all just yet!

As always Karen Rose has delivered another stela masterpiece and delivered us with yet another binge worthy read.
Cheater by Karen Rose will be published on the 28 Mar. 2024 and is available to preorder now from your local bookshop or online.

A massive thank you to the author Karen Rose, publishers Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for my digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest and independent review.