I am the odd person out who did not love this book but it's me, not the book.

I absolutely adored book one in this series and was dying to dive into this one. But the themes in The Reaping were not my thing.

Book one was a classic serial killer procedural while The Reaping leaned more toward folk horror. For me, things got a little weird. Even a lot weird. On the positive side, I got to know Harry a lot better as this was really his book.

If you love books about seriously creepy small towns, this book will be for you! And can't wait for book three in the series which I will happily read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the eARC.

I did not know this was in a series or follows a duo of detectives at first. It did set me up for a little learning curve, but I adjusted well. This book was fine, but didn't make me feel super excited to pick up.

This is the second book in the series but my first and I had no trouble following the plot. Either the books don't intertwine or the author does a good job of explaining what was needed from book one.

This is the perfect time to read this as we are heading into spooky season and this book is creepy. A current murder that resembles an old cold case. In an odd town that has founding families like in the olden days. This book really plays that up making it feel like it is historical rather than current.

Everyone has a secret and seems to be harboring everyone else's secrets. It's an atmospheric read with a horror vibe. That cover really sets the tone in this police procedural that feels more than that.

James Daniels is a new to me narrator. He helped bring the creepy, eerie atmosphere to life. The story was easy to follow and kept me engaged.

Jess Lourey is a author that is new to me. I was drawn in by the description of the book and it didn't disappoint. It was dark and suspenseful. I was able to see the characters in my head they seemed so real.

In 1998 an Alku, Minnesota, a family of five was brutally murdered in their sleep. Without any solid leads the investigation was relegated to the cold case files, where it sat for twenty-five years. When a recent homicide is connected to Alku’s unsolved mass murders, Agent Harry Steinbeck and cold case agent Evangeline Reed of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are there to investigate.

This is the second book in the Steinbeck and Reed series, 3rd if you count the prequel, and I recommend reading at least The Taken Ones first. To be honest, I almost didn't recognize Evangeline (Van) Reed in this book. Perhaps she wasn't described well in the other books or I wasn't paying attention but I had pictured her as older and slightly dowdy whereas here she sounds like a much younger bouncy blonde (almost white-haired) with a quick sense of humour. Nevertheless, I think she's more likeable now and contrasts well with Harry who is rather reserved and buttoned up. Although it's fictional, the town and people of Alku sound very creepy. I imagine there really are pockets of similar cultures in areas of the United States. As in the first book, there's a bit of the supernatural thrown in but it wasn't front and centre. We learn more about Harry's background and even get to meet his mother. Much as I like the two main characters, I'm hoping there's not a romance in future books. This one also ends in a bit of a cliffhanger and I'll be there for the next book.

TW: Self-harm

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: September 3, 2024

This is the second book in the Steinbeck & Reed series. When they are sent to Duluth to investigate a series of murders involving a strange Finnish settlement near there, it brings back many memories for Harry, being that is where his sister disappeared. He has been avoiding that area ever since. The settlement is a creepy community with many strange beliefs that they have to sort through to find the truth. This is a book that grips you from the first page to the last. Great characters along with a great plot.

I loved The Taken Ones and couldn’t wait to dive into the second book of the series! This was a dark, twisted and engaging story that follows a murder investigation in a creepy, close-knit town. It was a slow burn but I enjoyed all the details and uncovered secrets leading up to the shocking ending! I also liked getting more insight into detective, Harry Steinbeck’s life. Similar to the first book, this story deals with folklore, adding to the mystery and an atmospheric experience. A great read to add to your fall TBR!

The 2nd installment in the Reed & Steinbeck series was a win for me! THE REAPING follows Harry Reed and Evangeline Steinbeck’s first investigation as partners. I loved their dynamic, especially when they started to warm up to each other and crack little jokes. We get a peek in Harry’s traumatic past, adding a lot of depth to his character. The investigation takes place in Alku Minnesota, a HAUNTING insular small town filled with very secretive inhabitants. The setting made this crime fiction thriller feel incredibly unique to me. This is my third Jess Lourey book and I have enjoyed each one!

Thank you very much Thomas & Mercer or the opportunity to read this ARC!

A new murder, in the same way as a cold case from 1998 occurs in the small secluded town of Alku Minnesota. Steinbeck and Reed are back together on a case, seeing if they can solve the decade old murder in a town so small it takes “taking car of your own” to a whole new level.

These stories are slow, police procedurals. Not much happens besides trying to find clues and roaming around town. This story had a lot of lore in it, with a blood witch who keeps the town safe, but also will reap your children and kill them to put the town back in order again.

This story was told from the perspective on Harry this time, so we learn more about his past, his missing sister, and his trauma related to that. The ending, leaving the opening for the next story to continue was my favourite part. The lore and such was a little out of my wheel house.

Unfortunately , this was a DNF for me. At 20% in, I was confused about the plot and characters of the book, due to the authors writing style.

If you like dark, spooky thrillers as much as I do, you won't want to miss Jess Lourey's latest crime thriller. Forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck and cold case agent Van Reed are quickly becoming two of my favourite characters as we get to know more about their dark pasts and coping mechanisms. The Reaping is a sequel to their last thriller The Taken Ones but it can also be read as a standalone as Harry and Evangeline take on a new case about a family in Alku, Minnesota who were murdered in their sleep. As they start to investigate, children in this strangely close-knit town start disappearing and there is also a connection to a nursing home for serial killers. Be sure to read or listen to the acknowledgements as it has more info about the origins of the story and even includes an apology to Finland, as the Finnish people in this story are definitely not representative of one of the happiest countries in the world!
I enjoyed this book even more than the first one in the series and can't wait to find out what these two will investigate next.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


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

4.5 hearts

I was surprised to see this was a different narrator than the first book until I realized the point of view is Harry Steinbeck rather than Van Reed. It's quite fascinating to have it and I wonder if all the books in the series will alternate this way. They both have secrets and fears on which we are getting more information.

I love that Harry is a germophobe. As a scientist, he knows the risks. He is the point of view here and I love that we get to know him and his past in The Reaping, as we got Van's in The Taken Ones. The Epilogue has always been in the other's point of view. I would highly recommend reading the books in order.

This team is part of a cold case squad at the BCA in Minnesota. Van has 10 years experience as a homicide detective in Minneapolis and made the switch to the BCA when her partner died (of a heart attack). Harry is a highly respected forensic scientist. They travel to a small Finnish village outside Duluth (Harry's home town) when a recent murder has similarities to a cold case of 25 years ago.

The investigation, as in the last book, is more difficult because the local homicide detective on the case is not helpful at all. The town is very insular and no one will provide information or answer questions beyond the small amount of details already known. Everyone in town is involved in their main business a psychiatric prison for serial killers Harry and Van keep looking at things and Van keeps having nightmares which lead her to ask about certain things.

When the town's children start disappearing, they dig deeper and try to work faster to save them. The Finnish legends and rituals holding the adults in solidarity. The horrors of the case are enough to make the team of Harry and Van even stronger.

I absolutely LOVE the alternating point of view which suits the presentation of Harry and Van between the books. The plots involve frustrating ignorance of the truth for the ease of overlooking it. The children force the light and improve the future. For me, the Minnesota settings are really fun since I have lived there. I appreciated the author's note on how she came to write this story and created fictional scenarios on top of some real places. I can't wait for more in this series!

Sometimes you read a book that leaves you staring into space without realizing because all you can do after finishing it is blink. This was that book for me. And I am appalled to look at reviews and consistently see that book one was better, and I am appalled because book one has been on my TBR pile of books for a year without being touched. I have enjoyed several of Jess Lourey’s books quite a bit, but I was still taken off guard by this one. It was beyond creepy and I couldn’t help but think that a movie based on this book was freak me out (and I laugh at scary movies). I wonder if part of why it was so beyond creepy was it was based on Finnish roots and while they are the happiest people in the planet doesn’t everyone have secrets (this is a joke, I think we Americans could learn a lot from other cultures especially the Finnish on how to be happy). I liked the two main characters and their back stories and the ending frustrated me to no end because now I need book 3 and I guess I’ll have to settle for book 1…I don’t think I can summarize this one without botching it or giving away too much, so I will say if you like folklore tied to present tense, gruesome murder, small towns hiding big secrets than just do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

The mere thought of reading a series out of order makes my skin crawl, and yet that’s exactly what I found myself doing with The Reaping, Jess Lourey’s latest thriller. (It was an accident!) It’s the second in her ‘Steinbeck and Reed’ series, revolving around decades-old unsolved cold cases, a crumbling sanatorium, missing children, ritual sacrifice, troubling flashbacks, unnerving cult vibes, and more. (A hell of a lot more.) Though there were some moments where I realized the book was clearly referencing plot points from the first novel, The Taken Ones, it’s a testament to Lourey’s writing that I could easily read this as a standalone. [Editor’s note: Now, do I recommend doing that? No. Why miss out on key details that help flesh out the rest of the story?! Especially when the ending of The Reaping hints at how the complicated pasts of Agents Harry Steinbeck and Evangeline Reed are far more connected than they initially realized. But anyway!]

Before we go any further, here’s the official plot synopsis, courtesy of the publisher:

“In 1998 an Alku, Minnesota, family of five was brutally murdered in their sleep. The event shook the insulated community but, without any solid leads, was relegated to the cold case files, where it moldered for twenty-five years. Until today.

Agent Harry Steinbeck hoped never to return to the northland, a place that holds terrible memories of his sister’s abduction. But when a recent homicide is connected to Alku’s unsolved mass murder, he and cold case agent Evangeline Reed have no choice but to investigate.The case grows impossibly darker as, one by one, the children of Alku begin disappearing. And Harry and Van can’t shake the sensation that someone is watching every move they make.

As an elusive killer’s trail leads to a truth more sinister than either imagined, Harry knows there’s only one way to crack this he must finally face the secrets of his own past — even if doing so will cost him everything.”

There’s a good deal of Story™️ happening in this one. Between the flashbacks from different characters and multiple POVs, as well as the various murder cases Steinbeck and Reed are investigating, it might feel a little overwhelming to dive in and orient yourself . . . which I only say because I found it that way, OK? (It’s fine, I can admit it.)

I was turned off by the opening chapter, which recounts a shocking (and somewhat murky) moment from a supporting character’s past — having finished The Reaping, I can understand why it’s included and comes first, but I wish things kicked off with a different memory, one that gives a clearer hint as to who the characters involved are (or were, in this case). That character’s POV chapters, which are peppered throughout, were my least favorite part of the novel, as I never got accustomed to his (very specific) speech patterns. He felt more like a caricature than a character.

That aspect of the novel aside, I really enjoyed how Lourey wrapped Finnish folk tales and mythology up into a more traditional detective procedural, with Evangeline and Harry attempting to solve two gory murder cases that are both connected to the weird, wild town of Alku. Initial descriptions of the town and its townspeople — who all bear similar facial structures and have a . . . unique way of speaking, let’s say — were giving major Children of the Corn vibes, especially during the agents first drive into town. (Remind me to never go to Minnesota. Never!!!) I mean, this town even has a nursing home for ailing serial killers on the premises. A nursing home for serial killers! At that point you might as well just pack it all up because you’re officially residing in hell. (Side note, someone please write a horror novel centered around a nursing home for serial killers. Please.)

This book is excellent at building dread, suspense, and atmosphere, as each f*cked-up revelation about the town is peeled away to finally reveal the black, spreading rot at the heart of Alku. Does everything fall neatly into place in the end? Not 100 percent. Some things are quite a stretch, some are just plain silly. (Oddly enough, if you’ve seen M. Night Shyamalan’s Split and/or Glass, there are soooo many elements of The Reaping that reminded me of those movies. IYKYK.) It’s an interesting story with plenty of twists and turns, and the two main characters make a great team. I also humbly request a return on all that building sexual tension between them in the next book in the series, or else I will die. Thank you.

The Reaping hits shelves on Sept. 3. Shout out to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

There is something about these characters that is truly unique. I loved getting a bigger glimpse of Harry. And I love how Van and Harry interact. Both carry heavy burdens of the past while trying to help others in their jobs. The end really has my curiosity peaked. Can’t wait for more in this series.

I loved The Taken Ones and couldn’t wait to dive into the second book of the series! This was a dark, twisted and engaging story that follows a murder investigation in a creepy, close-knit town. It was a slow burn but I enjoyed all the details and uncovered secrets leading up to the shocking ending! I also liked getting more insight into detective, Harry Steinbeck’s life. Similar to the first book, this story deals with folklore, adding to the mystery and an atmospheric experience. A great read to add to your fall TBR!

I really enjoyed this book. It was creepy and kept me engaged. I loved the characters and their relationship. It was just enough horror that I had to keep going.

Ugh I just love Steinbeck and Reed! I was so excited when I read there was going to be another book in their series after reading and loving The Taken Ones and The Reaping did not disappoint! Jess Lourey’s books are my favorite police procedurals, I just love her writing style. I was hooked in from the beginning and throughout the book. The Reaping was an atmospheric mystery that will keep you guessing and on your toes. The twists and red herrings kept me engrossed and I can’t wait to see what’s next from Jess!

This book is right up my alley. I’m not a huge “in your face” horror person. I do like these kind of eerily creepy books that are mixed in with some police investigation. So I’ll just say if you’re looking for some fast paced hugely gory story you may not love this.
I did find Van and Harry to be interesting characters and I will definitely be picking up any future books in the series.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, Jess Lowry, and Little, Brown, and Company for the ebook. This was a creepy and thrilling read that had my head spinning. Wow! I loved the cultural aspects intertwined with the story. A crazy read!