The search for a serial killer leads an FBI agent to revisit a violent tragedy in her past.

FBI agent Daniella Vega is a formidable opponent to the criminals she pursues. With her background as an Army Ranger, she has substantial abilities both physical and mental to analyze a situation and pursue, attack and defend when needed. After a violent but successful end to her most recent case, some higher up in her chain of command are concerned about tactics she used and want her sidelined for a time. Seemingly out of the blue, Dani receives a call from a doctor supervising her mother Camila’s care at the secure psychiatric ward at Bellevue, where she has been committed since killing Dani’s father in an apparent psychotic break. It was Dani who found her father’s dead body with Camila bent over him, the bloody knife still in her hand, and Dani’s testimony that was largely responsible for the police determining her mother’s guilt. After years of being either catatonic or incoherent, Camila has started having moments of lucidity and, during one such occasion asked to be able to give Dani some important information directly. As Dani is on the sidelines at work she goes to see Camila, who tells her that she didn’t kill Dani’s father. It is far from clear whether Camila is telling the truth or has reimagined what happened to absolve herself of guilt, but Dani is troubled enough by those events and her own role in the matter to decide to look into things. When she contacts the NYPD detective originally in charge of the case, he is reluctant to open up the files for Dani to see. A deal is struck….if Dani can use her known skill at determining patterns to see if several of the detective’s unsolved murder cases are, as he has always suspected, connected he will let her see his case files on her father’s murder. When Dani not only is able to connect the detective’s cases but dozens of other unsolved murders as well, it becomes clear that a serial killer has been operating undetected for years. Dani is asked to be part of a joint task force to try to identify the killer and stop him from killing again. It soon becomes personal….not only is the killer focusing on Dani, but there may be a connection to her father’s death. Dani and the rest of the team will need to be at the top of their game to identify the killer and take him off the streets before he kills again.
Dani Vega is a fantastic new protagonist, first seen in A Killer’s Game. She is not only able to kick ass in the physical sense, she is also possessed of a natural talent for breaking codes and seeing puzzles that was further honed during her time as a Ranger. Her immediate supervisor values her abilities and tends to give her leeway in her pursuit of targets, but there are those above him who see her as a loose cannon and want her muzzled or transferred out. She is close to her younger siblings, but is a pariah in the eyes of the paternal aunt who took them in after their father’s death and mother’s commitment to Bellevue. Her life is a continual struggle between opposing forces; in A Forgotten Kill Dani has to balance her need to determine the truth of her family’s past with a fast moving investigation in the present that needs her complete focus, knowing all the while that one misstep could mean not only an innocent person’s death but also give the nervous powers-that-be the opportunity to remove her from the job that is the driving force of her life. With a fast-paced plot and well-developed characters, this latest installment of the Dani Vega series is a great read….I highly recommend it! Fans of Lisa Gardner, Tess Gerritsen and Kendra Elliot should give Ms Maldonado’s new series a try, as should anyone who is looking for a fast moving thriller with a strong female lead. Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercier for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to both Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of A Forgotten Kill. This book is #2 in the Daniela Vega series and the expected publication date is March 26, 2024.

"FBI Special Agent Daniela 'Dani' Vega was seventeen when her mother murdered her father. Ten years after Dani’s own damning eyewitness testimony sealed her mother’s fate, she’s starting to have doubts. What if she got it all wrong?" If THAT's not the stuff of nightmares!

It was fun meeting up with Dani again and I liked reading a bit more about her family's background. Dani is a Former Army Ranger, and she's up for any fight that may come her way! She's also an FBI agent, and thanks to her cryptanalysis abilities, she can also see patterns where others can't.

I enjoyed learning a bit more about cryptanalysis, even though a couple of times felt like info dumps and my eyes started to cross as I tried to read them. I was SHOCKED by the twist towards the end.

I have loved all of the books in the Nina Guerrera Series (I hope there will be more books!) and the Daniela Vega series is equally addicting!

What I love about Maldonado writing and her characters is how easy it is to follow the story and what is happening to the characters. She always has an interesting back story in for her characters and that makes the plot so much more intriguing that it pushes you to continue to read. I find what I can’t put her thrillers down, that I need to have the time to finish it in one sitting. I highly recommend a Forgotten Kill and any others of Maldonado books. This is the second in the “Daniela Vega” series. Daniela is a FBI agent and a former codebreaker, who just finished a case that that didn’t end well, and she thought she might lose her job. Her boss told her to spend time with her family but instead Dani decides to work on her father’s murder. Her mother was convicted and was considered mentally unfit to be put on trial. But she is starting to become somewhat coherent and tells Dani that she didn’t do it. She speaks to the homicide detective who worked on her father’s case, and he said that he would go over the case notes with her if she helped him with some ongoing cases that look like they are connected. Well Dani figured out the connection and the police realize that this serial killer has killed more than 30 women over the years. The police and FBI put together a task force and Dani is included. But what they don’t know is that the serial killer finds out about Dani and starts to stalk her. Read to find out if Dani catches this serial killer or will he catch her in his net. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

FBI Special Agent Dani Vega was young when her mother was convicted of killing her father. She is beginning to have doubts and in order to see the evidence she must help another Detective with a serial killer case. Lots of action, mystery and a surprise to me as who done it. Hope there are more books in this series.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of A Forgotten Kill by Isabella Maldonado. This is the second book in the Dani Vega series. I liked the first book but it didn’t measure up to the Nina Guerrera series so I was ecstatic when this book did. I liked learning more about Dani’s family and her past. I also liked the codes Dani had to figure out even though they were over my head! This is shaping up to be another stellar series so you should check it out!

Great book!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had it all! It had high suspense, action packed, murder, mystery, serial killers, great police work, a fantastic shocking who done it, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was so very interesting and had me glued to my kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Definitely don't miss out on this fantastic read! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!