I really loved Steinbeck and Reed in The Taken Ones, so I was super excited to dive into book 2. I started and stopped this book a couple of times before I finally got into the story. It was super hard for me to get through and I thought the story dragged. I still enjoyed the characters and I would definitely read book 3. 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Jess Lourey for the coolest promo box and ARC - you are the best!!

The first book in this series, “The Taken Ones”, was one of my favorite books I read in 2023 so I was very excited when I saw “The Reaping” was coming out! Here, Steinbeck and Reed’s story picks up almost exactly where it left off. A homicide connected to Steinbeck’s sister’s abduction (a case that had previously gone cold), leads the duo to his hometown of Alku, Minnesota. Not only does the northern town hold dark and sinister secrets, but its folklore was enough to keep me up at night! The legend of “The Blood Witch” and the town’s children disappearing was the stuff nightmares are made of. Deeply atmospheric, Loury painted a dark picture of an otherwise quiet town and its people. For the entirety of this mystery, I could not guess what was coming and the final reveal had my jaw drop.

Told over dual timelines, we find out Steinbeck’s painful past that he has been carrying with him ever since his little sister was abducted decades ago. As with the previous book, Steinbeck and Reed’s partnership has such a starring role. Their differences truly balance them out and I really enjoy their relationship. I hope there is a lot more of it to come!

Believe when I tell you I gasped at the ending…and immediately messaged the author to beg her for another book!

This book can be read by itself, but I highly recommend reading “The Taken Ones” first because it lays a lot of the groundwork for Steinbeck and Reed’s partnership (and its just a really great book!)

“The Reaping” releases September 3, 2024. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_botle) shortly :)

I read the first book in this series last year and absolutely loved it! While I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first, it was still so fun to follow Van and Harry along on a new case! The story moved a bit slow for me at times, but the investigation itself was crazy! The people in the small town of Alku, Minnesota, were cult like and sinister, and I wasn't able to make a guess as to how the investigation was going to unfold. The ending was mind-blowing and has me so freaking excited for book three!

Thank you, @netgalley, @amazonpublishing, and @jesslourey for the #gifted e-arc of this book!

This book absolutely creeped me out to the point it was giving me shivers. 😬

I loved the first book in the Reed/Steineck series, The Taken Ones, and I loved The Reaping even more.

We follow Cold Case agent Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck as they descend on the creepy and secretive Finnish town of Alku, Minnesota as they connect a cold case with a recent brutal murder.

I love when books incorporate folk lore into books and it was done immaculately here. I finished it yesterday and have been thinking about it all day. It’s going to stay with me for awhile. Something about an insulated town where everyone knows each others secrets and don’t welcome outsiders is always so eerie to me. Add in a nursing home for serial killers, a blood witch who stalks the woods and inhumane ways the people in Alku behave - creeeepy.

My jaw was on the floor in the epilogue and I’m going to beg Jess Lourey to please hurry with book #3 in this series because I need it tomorrow. 😂

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I had been not so patiently waiting for the next Steinbeck and Reed book and was thrilled by the opportunity to read an ARC! It was full
of unexpected twists and it was fun to try to figure out the inspirations for some of the places and Minnesota cultural references scattered throughout the book. I will definitely be recommending this book to all my friends and family.

This book was f#cked up, but in a good way! I spent a majority of the time trying to figure out how it was going to get resolved without some paranormal influence. But dang! It worked out, wasn't as crazy far-fetched as I thought it might have to be. That and what a great job of continuing the storyline for both Harry and Van! I love how their histories are twinning together and how each book has slowly unpeeled their pasts. And I love the "Odd Couple" pairing of them. I think it works really well and highlights what they are both missing and needing in their lives. I will miss some of the characters from Alku, but can't wait for the next one in the series!

I really enjoyed this mystery thriller. It had some creepy elements and I enjoyed how the plot moved. These are likable characters, I didn’t read the previous book but you don’t necessarily need to.

3.5⭐️

Steinbeck and Reed book 2

This follows on from The Taken which totally WOWed me, and I’ve loved several others of her books so I was keen to read this one having high expectations.

Harry and Van are on another cold case this one 25 yrs old with a copycat on the loose. In this book Harry is having to confront his past.

The book has a great hook with the first chapter, it’s very creepy. I love the authors use of the retro time period with young characters. This was my favourite aspect. The story line is split between the past incorporating Finnish mythology (which I really liked) and the current investigation. I like the relationship between Harry and Van.
I found the pace slow, there wasn’t enough going on, somethings were built up with the use of suspense when they materialised were underwhelming. Unfortunately my interest waned despite some good use of forensics and genetics and a good imagination to explain things.
Overall I’m afraid that this one didn’t win me over.

A gripping tale of a gruesome murder set in an eerie, isolated community. The story is packed with suspense, strange characters, and unexpected twists. Lourey masterfully builds an unsettling atmosphere with a cult-like edge, where nothing is as it seems and trust is a rare commodity. This haunting, twist-filled masterpiece will leave readers captivated and uneasy long after they finish the book.

ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this twisty read!! Were some of the twists predictable? Yes. But I loved the creepy cult vibes this book gave off!! 🙌

This is the second book in the Steinbeck and Reed Thriller series, but I read it as a standalone and it worked! I do have book one, The Taken Ones, on my shelves which I am looking forward to reading!! I really love the dynamic between the MMC and FMC too!! ❤️

Definitely recommend to thriller lovers, especially those who enjoy darker themes and creepy vibes!! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Jess Lourey for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review!! ❤️

3.5 stars. The Reaping is a follow up book to The Taken Ones by Jess Lourey. Reed and Steinbeck are officially a team when they are looking into a cold case in the Duluth area. The location brings back ghosts for Harry Steinbeck that include his missing sister. The duo also get tangled up in a small town with unusual roots and traditions that will do anything to protect their town including protecting a killer and kill their own.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-arc.*

Jess Lourey has become one of my favorite authors. Her books are captivating, descriptive, quick thrillers. My absolute favorite of hers is The Quarry Girls, but I have read quite a few now. I could not wait to read The Reaping, the second in the Steinbeck and Reed Series. The first one, The Taken Ones was incredible and I loved the short story, Catch Her in a Lie. This could be read as a stand-alone. Harry and Van’s stories are both beating heart. The chapters are short and this book kept my attention throughout the whole read.

Harry and Van are back at it and this time their investigation brings them to Alku, MInnesota, which is close to Harry’s childhood home. Harry is struggling with the loss of his sister when he was a child (the guilt is strong) and a crazy mama! Coming home stirs up all of his madness. Add in the magnetic pull between Harry and Van. And then the case, whoa! It’s a crazy one with cult-like, sacrifices, weird traditions, family drama, child kidnapping? and masks! The case they are working on is someone is found murdered in the same way a family of 5 was murdered 25 years ago. Harry and Van are trying to find the connection, the more they dig, the worse things look, when other cold cases seem to be connected. Watching Harry and Van work together and really draw out each others strengths and tone done each others weaknesses is almost as fun as the cold case!

I cannot wait for book #3! Please give us more Harry and Van. I really enjoyed diving into Harry’s background a little more. If you are looking for a somewhat spooky fall read, I think this one is perfect!

I really enjoy reading Jess Lourey’s thrillers. They’re creepy & atmospheric, but they have the added edge of being inspired by real life events from Minnesota. The way that these events are expanded on & built into a work of fiction is great and the stories are gripping.

I enjoyed returning to the pairing of Van & Harry. While the previous story had Van and her history as the link to the case that they were working on, this story focuses on Harry. We get to see some of his past & why he feels so guilty about the disappearance of his sister. While he & Van work well as a team, I did like the focus being on Harry and his more logic-based approach - it worked well for this story, just as the focus on Van & her approach worked well in The Taken Ones.

This was a slow starter but so worth it - by the time I was at 50%, I didn’t want to put it down! I had to know what secrets were being hidden in Alku and why the citizens were so secretive. It’s creepy & it’s weird and I loved it! I hope we get to see more of Van & Harry.

The Reaping
Jess Lourey
September 3, 2024

In 1881, residents of Finland were fleeing persecution to the United States from an infection of tuberculosis. They came to a small town in Minnesota called Alku. Seven families were the original founders of a sanatorium for those who were too ill to live on their own. When the people left the institution,it was reinvented into the Carlton County Sanitorium for Defectives. It became challenged in many ways and eventually it too became empty. In due course, the town made part of the building a prison. In each era, many townsfolk worked at the site. What the town of Alku also became famous for theBloodWitch,who was supposed to have a reputation for killing the children on the day of the Reaping.
The Reaping will be published by Thomas & Mercer on September 03, 2024. I was able to read the ARC of Jess Lourey’s latest in her Steinbeck and Reed series. I was able to read and review it from NetGalley.
They return to Steinbeck’s hometown in Minnesota to help solve the cold case of a family that was murdered 25 years ago. It drew me into the story but as I became more involved I became lost in some of the mystical tales of characters reinventing themselves as younger people or in some cases creatures. Truthfully I had a problem keeping track of the story line because of this. There were parts of the book that followed the plot while others went back historically in a way I had no idea what was happening.
Please don’t let my view of this novel stir you away from reading it. I have never been a sci fi or fantasy. Do pick up this suspense novel and give it a try. I read many books, some just don’t thrill me. Many readers will think it is super.

*The Reaping* by Jess Lourey is an absolute page-turner. Atmospheric, tense, and dark, this book pulls you in from the first page. The characters are fantastic, with Steinbeck and Reed proving once again that they are professionals at solving cold cases. While the first book gave us a glimpse of Van Reed, this one dives deep into Steinbeck's past, shedding light on what makes him tick. The plot is gripping, centered around a family brutally murdered in the isolated community of Alku, which is portrayed so mysteriously and vividly. When a similar murder happens years later, despite the alleged perpetrator being indisposed, the case gets stranger, leading Van and Harry back to Alku.

The ending is a cliffhanger, but it's so well done that I can't wait to dive into the next book. If you're into intrigue, dark suspense, and thrillers, this series is a must-read. Jess Lourey is a highly recommended author, and this book deserves a full 5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer & Jess Lourey for the arc!

Based on vibes alone, this was creepy and awesome. I really liked the past timelines. It was great to see these characters again, but this one fell a little flat for me.

This can absolutely be read as a standalone as this is the second in the series. Murder, myster, and horror bring together the perfect detective team.

Cold-case detectives Steinbeck and Reed are back and on the case. This time, they are looking into the village of Alku, a remote and insular village, that is a step back in time.

Alku was founded by seven Finnish families and they have their own way. They all own the town and are ruled by a board of '7 Families'. They are also ruled by a Blood Witch, who will often call for a 'reaping'. A terrible murder of an entire family 25 years ago has the same details as a murder that just happened to a guard at the private prison/nursing home in the town of Alku.

As expected Van and Harry are plagued by their own issues - Harry and his missing sister, Van with her nightmares/predictions. Using the motivation from both of these, they work together to save the children of Alku from the long tradition.

As with The Taken Ones, both Harry and Van are complicated characters. Complicated and the kind of book characters that I love. I'm rather avoidant of any series after devoting so much time to Game of Thrones, but I will be the first in line for the Steinbeck and Reed partnership. With every book, we peel back the layers on each of our leads.

Read The Taken Ones (or don’t) and then digging into The Reaping. Jess Lourey has a fantastic duo on her hands.

I love this series. It was the beautiful combination of spooky and crime thriller all mixed into one.

The Steinbeck and Reed series is one of those series that keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

Steinbeck and Reed are in a the Finnish Town of Alku where outsiders are usually not welcome. I love the spooky feel of this town and almost culty vibes. We also got a mention of her other book Bloodlines. It’s fun to see the connections between the books.

Steinbeck and Reed have a great chemistry when it comes to working together and you can really see them flow together.

The plot is there and is full of twist that you won’t see coming. This is the perfect book to curl up with on a dark fall night.

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 326
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Series or Standalone: Book 2 of the Steinbeck and Reed Series

I absolutely loved this book and series! I cannot wait for the next one! 😍 I love how the book ended and I always try to solve the mystery before the end but I didn't see that coming ,I loved it!

Before I cracked this book open, I told myself that I need to go back and read The Taken Ones since it’s the first one in this series and I had every intention of doing just that, buuut I found this book boring.

The setting and characters felt odd to me, not the creepy way that they’re portrayed to be, but in a way that kept me from enjoying the book.

The first 50% was terribly slow, it was hard to keep up with all the characters that were introduced, and it was extremely hard to pick this book up after I set it down so many times. The ending left on a cliffhanger, but I don’t think I can make myself read another book in this series.