A Forgotten Kill delivered an action-packed, police procedural puzzle with an utterly detestable serial killer to chase and all my favourite characters from the first book back in fine form.

The plot in this one picks right back up on the amazing action from the first book in this series, and immediately sucks you into the whodunnit bad guy doing bad things with Agent Vega hot on his heels.

I love Dani Vega as a character - bad ass, fearless and brilliant, she is just so much fun to read as a lead character. And I SO appreciate how @authorisabella doesn’t derail Dani’s character with any stereotypical female character tropes - she’s not tripping over herself for a romance, she isn’t distracted from the job by something flighty, and she never needs to be rescued. It’s refreshing and it’s just a delight to read.

No spoilers for this but I will say the serial killer was one hell of a puzzle and I LOVED how deranged he ended up being. The case was complicated and brilliantly woven together and the whole thing comes together in an explosive and hugely satisfying end.

Which is your sign to jump on board and get this on your spring TBR. It can totally be read as a standalone but I can assure you, both books in this series are worth a spin.

Many thanks to @amazonpublishing for the copy!

Once again Isabella Maldonado gave us a thrilling chase through a maze to catch a killer. This time the puzzle revolved around years of information, disguises, and the streets of New York.

The mystery is solid. I was surprised that one part of the clue didn’t come to light quicker. It stuck out to me immediately when it appeared on the page, it was the only thing that made sense. It would have made solving it quicker, but it would have proven that the team is smart and can see what is right in front of them.

I’m not a fan of the covers. It doesn’t help that the promos keep referring to The Cipher because the artwork is similar for the two series. I actually agreed to read the book thinking it was part of the Cipher series based on the cover design. I think there should be a definitive difference in the covers for the series which focus on two women.

I do hope that Maldonado isn’t going to create the usual trope of the boss getting involved with an underling. It would be nice to keep Wu and Vega’s relationship completely professional. Let her get involved with Flint or another NYC cop, just not anyone on her team or in her chain of command. It takes away from the strong diversity that Maldonado has created.

The killer works for me. The mystery resolves logistically. Maldonaldo should use more of her secondary characters, but hopefully that will come in time. I can’t wait to see where Vega goes next.

Isabella Maldonado knows how to keep her readers engaged and holding their breath. In this second in the Daniela Vega series, a prolific killer leads the FBI and city police through a fast-paced race to a showdown full of action. A capable woman driven by her heart, Vega sometimes makes questionable decisions but for the right reasons. I was most interested in how the author wove into this story Vega’s family history, revealing more to us readers about why Vega is so independent and passionate about the law. Some scenes were too perfectly resolved to be believable, and some word choices/phrasing distracted me from the story - otherwise this would have been a 5 star read for me.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this edge of the seat thriller.

"A Forgotten Kill" is a gripping thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. FBI Special Agent Daniela Vega's quest for justice and redemption is a compelling and emotional journey that delves into the complexities of family, memory, and identity. As Dani reopens her mother's case and hunts down a serial killer, the stakes are higher than ever, with each revelation bringing her closer to the truth about her father's death. Author Isabella Maldonado masterfully weaves together a suspenseful plot with well-developed characters, making this novel a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers.

This is second in the Daniela Vega series, and I cannot recommend this series enough! 
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Quick synopsis: Daniela (an FBI agent and former Army Ranger) wants to look back into her father's murder, and stumbles upon a serial killer that has stayed under the radar for 10 years. 
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This is just as action packed as the first book in the series, and every time it seems like it's all coming to a climax, more keeps happening. There were a few minor things I didn't love about this-- plot gaps maybe? not quite holes, but some inconsistencies...hopefully they're fixed in the published version. Also Dani is basically superwoman, between her military training and codebreaking, so it was just a tad farfetched.
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That said, with just a tad suspension of disbelief, I was completely invested in this, could not put it down! And I loved the way it came together in the ending. I hope there's more to come for this series!

Loved this book and character. I don't know why but the hand to hand combat fighting that Dani would go through was thrilling.
This is my first book by this author, doing research to see what else I can read from her.

Rating - 5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - March 7, 2024
Publication Date - March 26, 2024

*I received an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @authorisabella, @amazonpublishing and @netgalley!

Even though this is the second book in the series, I was able to follow along well without reading the first one! Something I liked about A Forgotten Kill is that it feels like you are reading several stories at the same time because you are following and investigating several murders. This book is more procedural with mystery and less suspense but I actually liked it. I also really enjoyed the parts with behavioral analysis... you can definitely tell that Isabella is a retired police captain through her writing! I feel like some people stay away from procedural books because they can become kind of dry but the author did a great job of adding those procedural aspects with it enhancing the story instead of taking away from it. This book is also fast paced, which can be great for getting out of a book slump. I couldn’t guess the reveal! I honestly had no idea and was completely surprised.

Get excited to read A Forgotten Kill, available March 26, 2024! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

While helping the New York City police, FBI agent Dani Vega identifies the pattern of a serial killer. As the NYPD and FBI work together to find this twisted killer, a link emerges tying the case to Vega’s past.

I finished this fast-paced, action-packed thriller in less than a day. It was unputdownable!

Dani Vega is a total b@d@$$!!! She’s a former Army Ranger and trained codebreaker. Not only can she take of herself in just about any situation, she’s willing to sacrifice herself to save others. Like her teammates, I’m in awe of her!

“Warriors brought the battle to the enemy to keep others safe, and she was a warrior.”

I thought the first book in this series was excellent, but this book took it up several notches. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the suspense level high. This heart-pounding thriller weaves the past and present seamlessly as well. I’m looking forward to Dani Vega’s next case.

A Forgotten Kill is the ideal book for fans of police procedurals and/or thrillers with serial killer POVs.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the early copy of this book.

This is the 1st book from this author and I enjoyed it. Dani is a very interesting and strong character. I look forward to the next book.
The mystery was interesting and how the 2 cases connected was unexpected.

A well written and clever thriller featuring a dynamic and intriguing character in FBI SA Dani Vega. Dani sees patterns others don't so she's puled into an investigation that opens old wounds. I missed the first book but that wasn't a problem because this is nicely crafted. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.

This author has become a one-click author. Dani is definitely one of my favorite characters. Once I started this book I didn't want to put it down. As a true crime junkie this book pulled me right in.

The suspense and action that unfolded on Dani's quest for the truth kept me invested. Did I mention there was also a serial killer?

Isabella, definitely does an amazing job of delivering the story so you just want to finish the book in ine sitting, then find yourself wanting more.

I really love Isabella Maldonado's style of mysteries! This one started strong with a serial killer stalking his next victim and Dani realizing that she might not know the whole truth about her father's murder. The mystery took so many twists and turns. It kept me on my toes, and I really enjoyed the story! I can't wait to see what she will write next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Forgotten Kill was a superb follow-up to A Killer's Game. Daniela Vega is one remarkable woman and one of my favorite characters in mystery thriller fiction. An FBI agent with Ranger experience, Dani is highly skilled in cryptanalysis and code-breaking which allows her to see patterns that others might not see. Coming off her most recent case, Dani is pulled into a serial killer case while investigating her father's murder. This pits her wits and skills against an extremely intelligent murderer who leads the FBI and NYPD on quite a chase.

I cannot recommend this book and series highly enough and I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC.

As a big fan of Maldonado’s Nina Guerrera series, I decided to check out her other work, starting with her Daniela Vega series. I like Maldonado; she’s a good writer and storyteller. As a seasoned (20+yrs), former FBI agent, she uses that experience to give her stories credibility that so many readers demand. Me? I like it when a story rings true, but my enjoyment of a story isn’t contingent on a story’s level of believability. Personally, the crazier the story, the more entertaining it is for me. While this story had a serial killer with a really crazy MO, I would not be surprised if Maldonado came across a nutcase like this wacko during her FBI career. That thought is very exciting to me, regardless of whether or not it’s true.

So, the book summary pretty much lays out the primary storyline of Dani assisting two NYPD cops in investigating a serial killer in exchange for the NYPD opening up the case of Dani’s father's murder 10yrs earlier. Initially, Dani is on leave while the FBI investigates her actions during a previous investigation, which is why she has time to assist the NYPD. There is also the secondary storyline between Dani and her aunt (her father’s sister), who have a very contentious relationship because the aunt says Dani is just like her mother. Dani’s mother was convicted of killing Dani’s father and is now in a mental institution and has been pretty much non-verbal ever since she was committed.

Most of the story flips back and forth between Dani and the killer, Connor, who is operating on a really crazy kill calendar along with varying methods and even locations. As a former code breaker, when she was in special forces, Dani breaks Connor’s code pretty quickly, just not quick enough to catch him before he kills. Connor knows Dani is onto him and that he needs to step up his game to continue with his plans and kill calendar.

I LOVE DANI!!! She is such a bad@$$!!! The reader gets to see a lot more of that too. Maldonado delves deeper into Dani’s character development. The conclusion of the family background was a bit of a tear-jerker though. I'm very curious to see how Maldonado addresses that in the next installment. In the meantime, I’m going to check out her Veranda Cruz series. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Books for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #Thomas&Mercer #AForgottenKill

FBI Agent Dani Vega is on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation into her previous case when she gets a call from the doctors at Bellevue: her mother is showing signs of lucidity. Catatonic since the gruesome murder of her husband and Dani's father when Dani was seventeen, she is believed to be the one who killed him. Dani walked in on the murder and was instrumental in the case that led to her mother's incarceration.

When her mother says that she didn't murder her husband, Dani decides to look into the case again. She goes to the NYC Police Detective who investigated. He agrees to give her the files on her father's case if she will look at some of his open cases to see if he has a serial killer. Dani is a former Army Ranger who was trained to analyze patterns. She determines, rather quickly, that not only are the cases related, but that they are only part of a long string of murders all perpetrated by the same serial killer.

This discovery leads to the formation of a task force between the FBI and the various police forces of the places in NYC where the killer has operated. The investigation is tense and uses lots of new tools to link the 31 murders. But the killer has caught wind of the investigation and doesn't want Dani and the task force to succeed in stopping him.

This was an excellent and fast-paced thriller. Depending on how you feel about characters who are ultra-competent, the characters are interesting. Dani, herself, is a former Army Ranger with well-honed physical skills and with an almost preternatural ability to solve puzzles. But she is also a grieving daughter who lost her father to murder and was taken in by an aunt who was emotionally abusive to her because of her resemblance to her mother whom the aunt feels stole her baby brother from her. She feels guilt that her eyewitness testimony resulted in her mother's commitment to Bellevue.

I enjoyed this story and couldn't put it down until I reached the conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Isabella Maldonado had me on the hook after the Nina Guerrera series. After reading A Killer’s Game I was anxious for more from this author. A Forgotten Kill was no exception from the fast paced read I’ve experienced from this author. When Dani Vega starts working on a series of murders she could not have easily predicted the path they would take her on. Alongside Flint, Dani discovers connections that were unseen in past investigations that lead right into her own personal past. I enjoy the strong female lead that is encompassed in these reads. Dani Vega will stop at nothing to catch are unforeseen killer in this read. Recommending to everyone!

“Warriors brought the battle to the enemy to keep others safe, and she was warrior. If that involved sacrificing herself, so be it.”

I loved Maldonado’s Nina Guerrera series and this one is no different. This book had a very different feel than book one- A Killer’s Game- but still had the same protagonist and suspense.

While this is second in the series, it could be read as a stand-alone. In the beginning it talks about Vega having to do polygraphs and such as follow-up from her previous mission because her actions required review, but they don’t go into any details.

There would be no spoilers other than that Vega survived the underground bunker maze of Hunger-Games-style fatal puzzles which isn’t really a surprise since she is the face of the series.


The premise of A Forgotten Kill is two-fold: a serial killer that has been operating in the New York boroughs undetected for years, and the violent death of Vega’s father in their home a decade ago.

We find out in the first book that Dani came home one day to find her mother over her father’s stabbed body. All the evidence pointed to her mother, who was mentally unstable, killing her father, who was physically unstable. Dani’s statement helped convict her mother who rather than going to trial was committed to a psyche ward.

But her mother has a moment of lucidity in present day and tells Vega that she didn’t do it. Now that Vega is older with more criminology experience, she decides to look into the case and see if there is any truth to what her mother is telling her.

In order to have access to the case files she agrees to help with a possible serial killer case. Her knowledge of cryptanalysis and puzzles helps her crack it open and takes her and her team on a fast-paced investigation to capture him before he kills again.



I liked the second half better than the first half of the book. At 50% it seemed like things were wrapping up and I was wondering how the last half was going to go to keep me engaged. But the action picked up and the snags in the process extend the chase wrapping up the book quite nicely!

I also like that Maldonado is able to write thrillers where the main character doesn’t have to have a side love story. That’s fine and all, but sometimes it’s nice just to focus on the action and not worry about the romantic side of things. It’s possible something could develop here, there is some groundwork laid that could support that direction, but her character feels full even without that because of her closeness to her family.

Maldonado’s expertise in the criminology field really shines through in her books. Sometimes I found myself questioning- Well why didn’t they just do this? Or wouldn’t this have worked better? and she ends up qualifying those decisions later and setting me straight! She covers her bases, does her research, and creates a realistic investigation and chase that is compelling and engaging!



After reading the first book, I had thought maybe Dani’s siblings would start to play a bigger role in the stories, but they were pretty absent from this book. As the series continues, I’m still hoping for a Vega Sibling Dream Team moment.

I did learn some new things in this book:

- Dogs not only can sniff out drugs, but now they can sniff out electronics! They can detect the chemical compounds used in electronics. So that’s pretty cool!

- I already knew about 3D printing, but I’m discovering more and more uses for it. For example, they needed a person’s fingerprints to open something and they had the fingerprint in the AFIS database so they 3D printed the fingerprint so they could use it. Pretty crazy! And also, a little bit uncomfortable knowing that anyone can have a 3D printer and can gain access to people’s fingerprints…

- You can extract DNA even from clothing years later that has been washed.

- Julian dates- this was the trick that Vega figured out in one of the puzzles and for some reason it took me awhile to understand. I didn’t realize this was still used anywhere. It’s a five digit date beginning with the last two digits of the year followed by the day of the year out of 365 (changes on leap years). The military uses this for ease in subtracting or adding dates together without access to a calendar or spreadsheet.

- I think I heard about the Vigenere square tool when I read the book The Rose Code, but it was used here again and I just think encryption like that is so cool. Here is a website that walks you through it if you want to create your own code!


Recommendation

Maldonado is basically an automatic read for me. She writes great thrillers without all the language and sexual content often found in other books. Her background in criminology is a vast resource for creating her characters and plots.

If you are looking for a book that has a (female) detective and FBI stuff, this is a great option! If you are looking for a book with a serial killer, this is a great option!

The only reason I would not recommend this book would be if the type of serial killer he is a trigger for you or would be too hard to read. Any discussion around the rape/murders is pretty much all third-party and clinical so it’s not too graphic or drawn out, but we do hear some of the killer’s thoughts regarding the women and what triggered him to begin doing what he’s doing.

Overall, this is a great series to start or to go back and read some of Maldonado’s other books!


[Content Advisory: 8 f-words and 19 s-words, the serial killer in this one is a voyeur and rapes his victims on camera before killing them and so there are different descriptions of this as the police are tracking down evidence.]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

As she proved in book one of this series, FBI Special Agent Daniela Vega is a breed apart. So, of course when she is relooking at the tragic death of her father, she stumbles upon a serial killer who has gone years undetected in NYC. Her mind just is on a different level.

The author did a great job setting up this story. Not only giving the reader details on how the serial killer evaded the authorities for so long, but also how he hunted his victims. With the killer's POV, we also learn what made him start the killings to begin with. This is a story where the killer and agent are equally matched in intelligence, it's just a matter of who will get the upper hand in the end.

I loved how Vega is not treated any differently by the authorities she works with. They don't dismiss her because she is a woman, maybe because she never proves to be anything other than badass.

The one minor critique I will give was the never-ending "near misses" Vega and Co. have near the end. They were crisscrossing the city repeatedly as the killer outsmarted them. Yes, it was very entertaining, but a bit over the top, imo. Nevertheless, this book, like the first, is action packed and page turner. And I loved how one small piece of evidence was what changed everything, ultimately giving Vega some closure.

If you love fast paced police procedurals, check this one out!

BIPOC Police Procedural Mystery Thriller following an FBI agent and former code breaker as she tracks down a serial killer in exchange for reopening her father's murder case and uncovers truths that change everything.

5/5 stars: Maldonado's a favorite author and her newest book doesn't disappoint. This is the second entry in the Daniela Vega series, which is a Police Procedural Mystery Thriller that takes place in New York and features an FBI agent who's a former Ranger with cryptanalysis training. Once again, Maldonado brings her extensive law enforcement background and experience to bear in writing of this action-packed, non-stop twisty, turny tale that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the big reveal. The patterns, codes and riddles in this book are fascinating and I love seeing Dani and her team at work figure out the answers. And of course Maldonado's character work is stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Dani's smart, quick and tough and it's great catching back up with her and her colleagues. And it was great seeing Dani and her family get resolution in her father's murder case. In addition to Dani's POV, this book includes chapters in the killer's POV, which provides an interesting addition to the story. But due to the sensitive topics tackled, you may want to check out the CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, A Killer's Game.

I received this eARC thanks to Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.