3.5 stars

Final Fix by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson is the eighth in the Detective Rachel Ryder series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Severn River Publishing 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)
Detective Rachel Ryder left her 15 year career on the Chicago police force, and moved to Hamby Georgia, after the death of her husband Tommy. The people responsible are dead.   She still has a friend and father-figure in Chicago, and Lenny remains a true mentor.  She has fought both police corruption and the drug cartel since being in Hamby.  Her boss is Chief Jimmy Abernathy, and her partner is Rob Bishop, a veteran of 30 years.  Other members of the team are Detectives Justin Michels and Lauren Levy, as well as CSI Nikki and  IT Tech Bubba.  Rachel's best friend is Savannah, her boss's wife, and Rachel is dating DEA Agent Kyle Olsen.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
While at the local fair with her team, Rachel runs into Sean Higgins, an old friend.  Sean is acting weird, and he later texts her, asking for her to come to the ranch the next morning.   When she arrives, Rachel finds Sean dead from an apparent overdose,  and not far away, his daughter screaming from her bassinet.  Rachel is determined to find out what really happened, because she is sure that Sean would never have over-dosed.   Almost everyone she talks to agrees.

However, there is no denying the fact that something had been troubling Sean. Rachel thinks he discovered something sinister regarding fellow ranch owners.  Trying to replicate Sean's investigation leads Rachel and her team into dangerous territory.


My Opinions:
Another quick read in this series.

I wasn't as fond of the plot in this one -- topics of drug cartels are almost as bad as police corruption in my opinion.  But that's just me.  Thankfully, some of  the characters really appealed to me, and thus made the plot a little more palatable.  I continue to love Bishop, Savannah, and Jimmy.  As we get to know them, I am starting to like Levy, Michels and Bubba.  Unfortunately, Rachel continues to annoy me. I'm not even sure what it was in this book.  She comes across as a know-it-all, and only she can solve the case (any case, always).  A little too quick-tempered to be in the position she is in, and I can't believe Kyle sticks around.

That being said, the author is really good at writing dialogue, and it always feels natural.

So, although not my favorite in the series, it was still a fast and entertaining read.

This book is number 8 in the series. This book was fast paced and twisty. Everything in the book was great , the characters, plot , the writing style and even the ending.

Detective Rachel Ryder is faced with a new case involving a man from her past. After a chance encounter and a scheduled meeting, the old friend ends up dead. Now Rachel and her team must solve the murder. Although the scene appears to be a drug overdose, Rachel has her doubts about whether the victim would have used drugs while taking care of his infant daughter. It's a great story with a surprise ending!

Final Fix by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
Rachel Ryder #8

Intense, tightly woven, intricately plotted story that grabbed me on page one and kept me reading till the wee hours of the morning…literally. I started reading around 10pm thinking that I would read till midnight and turn the light off BUT couldn’t stop reading then or even when the electricity was cut at 2am…kept reading till I finished a bit after 3am then had a bit of trouble getting to sleep. This is a wonderful addition to the series!

What I liked:
* Rachel: widow, detective, team player, determined, dedicated, intelligent, does what it takes, has a bit of a temper, in a relationship with DEA agent Kyle, takes this case personally
* Bishop: Detective, Rachel’s work partner, mature, professional, a good balance for Rachel’s personality, on a health regime and, in a relationship with Cathy unless she messes things up
* Kyle: Rachel’s significant other and has moved in with her, DEA agent, recovering from gunshot, assists with this case, really like him with and for Katie
* The team: Bubba (tech), Nikki (CSI), Michels & Levy (detectives), Jimmy (police chief), Dr. Barron (coroner) – all do their jobs professionally and work together well
* Tony Garcia: Ex-detective from Chicago now a PI, left his job due to corrupt cops, works undercover on this case, might show up again as he and Levy have some chemistry they are acting on
* The police procedural aspects of the story
* The plot, pacing, writing, twists, and turns
* That all of the threads of case were tied together by the end of the story and the bad guys caught
* Knowing that there will be another book to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Knowing that there are evil people in the world as bad as or worse than the ones in this book – people who consider people and animals easily expendable.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to the BookSirens, NetGalley, and Severn River Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

A tightly woven mystery for Detective Rachel Ryder. When Rachel is asked to visit her friend, Sean, she is shocked to find him dead with a syringe in his arm and his baby daughter crying in her crib. She calls for support and tends to the baby until help arrives. It is obvious to her that that this was meant to appear as a suicide, but she knows that he wouldn’t have killed himself. The clock is ticking as they must find evidence that he was murdered to keep his death from being closed and classified as a suicide. As they investigate, it seems that Sean had a disagreement with other local horse ranches which will lead them to question the owners and their staff. What is going on at the ranches that caused Sean to want to talk to her? At one ranch, there is a higher rate of horses dying from heart attacks. Was this something that Sean was concerned about? Rachel will not give up until she finds out who murdered her friend. Continuing characters add a family feeling to this series. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

This book is one jaw dropper after another! It was worth losing sleep. I couldn't put it down. Rachel and her team have a case that hits close. I was glued to the pages. The reveal was exciting and shocking. I'm never disappointed with this series.

Another gripping Rachel Ryder story to surpass the last! I don't know how the author does it, but she continues to create a world of big city crime in a small town outside of Atlanta for the determined detective who has moved to the area from Chicago and the rest of the police department to solve and arrest the villains. This time the murder is close to home when a friend is found dead after a run of suspicious equine deaths have happened. Is there one crime or two and who is the culprit. Lots of twists and turns in this gritty crime drama that will have you on the edge of your seat turning pages and cheering the police department on. The characters are extremely well designed to be realistic and likable. The plots are well written with clues peppered in and the crimes untwisted in a believable manner. For those that love action, there will be enough to keep you excited without it being too much for those who need a bit less. The balance is, as always, very well thought out. I love this series and this book is just another wonderful example of why! The most difficult thing about this series is waiting for the next Rachel Ryder mystery to be written!!

Let’s me start by saying that I’m a huge fan of this series. And I was sad at the victim in this book. This book was fast paced and twisted. Rachel is such a great character. I hope there will be more in the series. I love how her and her partners relationship has evolved.

I did think the ending was a bit rushed once we got there. But all in all another great addition to series.

This is an entertaining police procedural with great characters and dialogue, and it has a good pace. The base for the plot, however, isn't very logic.

I really enjoyed the book, fast moving, complex but interesting all the way through. The characters are well done, intricate. It only took me about 2 hours to read. I liked that the title is descriptive of the story. I thought it was like Dunkin Donuts paid for sponsorship since it was mentioned many times. #FinalFix #NetGalley

Final Fix is the eighth book the Rachel Ryder series. You’re hooked right away with the first few pages. An old friend of Rachel’s ends up dead and Rachel is determined to find out who did it. Lots of fun banter between characters, action, and a bit of mystery. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Severn River Publishing and NetGalley for giving me an E-arc to give my honest opinion.

Final Fix is book eight in the Rachel Ryder series by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson.
After reading three books out of order in this series I think I need to start from the beginning. Because book two, five and eight were very entertaining stories.
An entertaining read with characters that are intriguing and engaging and suck you in with twists and turns to keep you guessing.
A masterfully written mystery with a fascinating plot.

Thank You NetGalley and Severn River Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Final Fix by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson is an exciting crime thriller book. Detective Rachel Ryder stumbles upon a case that will force her to confront her past like never before.

It was sad about the death that occurred at the story's beginning, but it sure set the stage for what was to come.

This book and the series have great characters. I really liked Detective Lauren Levy. Savannah was funny and sooo pregnant!! Every character is developed well and is realistic in their dialogue and mannerisms.

The characters' banter and humor/sarcasm with each other is hilarious and brings such realism to the characters and the scenes.

Final Fix is a very good mystery. I learned a bit about the horse-buying business, and I liked the cartel element. The story had good suspense, good twists, believable characters, and a good storyline that held my interest.

I would recommend this book, this series, and this author. I cannot wait for me to come!

#NetGalley @SvrnRvrPublish

Final Fix is a fast paced book with twists and turns I never saw coming.

Rachel has a friend who wants to meet with her and it seems urgent. He turned up dead from what appears to be a drug overdose before the meeting could take place. Convinced that it was murder Rachel starts an investigation that takes her through the world of of Mexican Cartels.

The characters are well written. Aspenson includes a dash of humor with her mysteries and it makes this book all the better for it.

A great addition to the Rachel Ryder series! Fast-paced, full of twists and turns ... this one took me a while to figure out as there were so many different things going on.

Looking forward to the next case! Hope to continue to see Rachel and Kyle working together again.

Thank you #netgalley and #severnriverpublishing for the eARC.

Great book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, mystery, murder, Mexican cartel, FBI, great police work, a sort of who done it, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle!! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!