4 ⭐️ read - my first book by the mother/daughter duo writing as PJ Tracy.

I haven't read any of the other books featuring Detective Margaret Nolan, but I didn't feel lost in this particular story.
Like any good procedural/thriller, the authors weave in several seemingly disconnected incidents and then slowly start moving those points closer.
Nolan is trying to figure out these connections, all while keeping an office romance under wraps - without spiking a relationship she really wants while continuing in a job at which she excells.
The plot moves at a good clip with just enough twists to give a little zap at the end.
Enjoyable read.

What an excellent book. The story grabbed me from the beginning and kept me until the very last word. I love the characters and the suspense as they tried to figure out whodunit. I will definitely be reading other books by this author in the future.

City of Secrets is the fourth book in the Detective Maggie Nolan series by PJ Tracy. In this episode Nolan and Crawford (and the rest of the wonderful gang) are investigating the seamy side of Los Angeles, where the gangs and drugs proliferate. The original murder of the company executive of a popular natural pet food company leads the team to a kidnapping of the wife of the former partner. Why are gang members interested in pet food? There are so many different and competing bad guys that it is hard to follow the threads to the kingpins. Meanwhile Sam joins the SWAT team as a consultant and his first case turns out to be related to the first murder. Like the others in the series, there are multiple narrators including possible suspects.

There are also personal developments for Maggie/Remy and Sam/Melody which is part of the joy of modern mystery series. While you don’t have to read the other books in the series to enjoy this book, it is best to begin at the beginning with Deep Into the Dark. While you are at it, read the wonderful Monkeewrench series that the author wrote with her mother.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Press for access to the prepub ebook. I always told my patrons you can’t go wrong with a book from St. Martin’s Press.

Good murder mystery with lots of twists and turns. Likable characters with believable police work, and their frustration with all the zig zagging of this story. Good wrap up, but I would have liked a more thorough epilogue with what happened with the other characters involved, arrests, drug busts, more murder? Maybe in the next book we'll get a glimpse of what ultimately happens with the open cases not associated with the murder. The personal story of the main characters have moved the story arc forward and that was enjoyable. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an early read for an honest opinion.

Interesting plot. Great characters. Held my interest right to the end. Told from the police point of view.

Detective Maggie Nolan and colleagues have quite the adventure when the murder of a pet food CEO takes unexpected turns and multiple secrets are revealed. Bruce Messane’s miraculous turnaround of his company a couple years ago was not as miraculous or innocent as it seems. He also had a very colorful personal life. Adding to the mystery, the wife of his former business partner is kidnapped. There also appears to be a new entrant to the local illegal drug trade with a particularly potent blend of fentanyl. How this connects to Messane is initially unclear other than that his death occurred in a section of LA caught up in a turf battle.

If the case was not enough of a stressor, Maggie and Remy’s relationship is not as secret as would be preferable, and if the boss finds out, one of them will have to leave the homicide division. Remy has his own plans, which involve making his relationship with Maggie stronger. Other recurring characters are also experiencing changes. Sam has a possible new job as a SWAT consultant. Ike, computer guru whose skills trend between legal and illegal as the situation requires, has found a sugary substitute for drinking on the job.

City of Secrets kept my interest as an easy read but not memorable. Sometime one needs a poolside read like this. There are areas where the Tracy could tighten up the writing and develop the characters a bit better. Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review a pre-publication copy of City of Secrets by P.J. Tracy. This is the fourth book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series. I read the previous book, but not the first two. Although their are several refernces to the previous books, it works well as a stand-alone mystery. The characters were well developed and relatable.
The story begins as Detective Maggie Nolan is assigned to a drive-by shooting in a crime-ridden area of Hollywood. Surprisingly, the victim turns out to be the wealthy owner of a very successful pet supply company. What is he doing, sitting in his expensive car in the middle of the night in this part of town? Coincidentally - or not? - the wife of his silent partner in the business is kidnapped. The two crimes seem to be unrelated.
As Dectective Nolan and the Homicide Division investigate the drive-by, the Robbery Division looks into the kidnapping, both trying to find motives and connections between the crimes.
Meanwhile, Maggie's relationship to fellow officer Remy Boudreau heats up. This was an enjoyable read. I recommend it to mystery lovers in general and to readers of Hollywood noir in particular.

What a thrilling read. There are lots of twists and turns. The revelation was a surprise and shock. I loved the characters. There is such a mix of personalties. It’s cleverly written. I didn’t read the first three books in the series and had no problem following the storyline. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I love a good mystery and this one didn’t disappoint. This was not a simple murder, it became stranger and more complex. I enjoyed all the different characters and how they fit into the story. I was intrigued from the beginning and it kept my interest throughout. I Liked the ending and I’ll leave it at that so as not to spoil the ending. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to everyone.

My mind literally spun while reading this book. I love this series and this newest book is no exception. So much happening here and I always hope for an HEA, so am still hopeful for Nolan, Remy, Sam and Melody, but there is so much evil in this world, I continue to hope, it springs eternal, right? The twists and turns, made me delay the finish of this book, unfortunately, I did finish and hope for another. This series would be great for Tv. If you love whodunnit’s, grab this one and hang on for the ride. A fantastic read.

Another good book in this series. I like how the characters have developed and their interaction. This is an entertaining detective with some violence but it is not gruesome as many are b

A man has been shot in his car in a rough area of town and then his former business partner's wife is kidnapped. This is mainly Nolan and Crawford doing the investigating, but there are a wide selection of other police officers, including Remy, Nolan's love interest. I like the way the author is developing their relationship. I have slightly lost track of Sam and Melody, but if you remember them from previous instalments they are here too.

I found the plot well paced and the story as a whole a page-turner. It managed to be realistic without being unduly violent and there is a fair amount of humour too. There were a couple of plot points I might quibble about - would audits etc really have missed what was going on at the pet food company? what was with that decision taken by one of the police officers at the end? - but overall, recommended.

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but after reading this one, I added all of them to my TBR list!

City of Secrets is a complex and suspenseful story with a colorful cast of characters. This was one of those books I was able to settle into easily with only minor disruptions (more on those in a second). The writing is descriptive and detailed, and I was completely caught up in the story.

If I were to offer one very minor, very petty criticism, it would be to mix up the characters' names a bit. I fully recognize we're pretty deep into the Nolan series and this ship has sailed. But as a reader new to the series, I kept having to stop to differentiate between Remy, Ross and Rome. Like I said, it's a petty criticism.

Overall, this book was a great mix of suspense and mystery that kept me guessing until the end. A few twists and turns I didn't expect were a pleasant surprise. And I will definitely be reading more of the Detective Margaret (never referred to as Margaret always Mags, Maggie, or Nolan) Nolan. With character notes until I figure them all out.

This fourth book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series is a real nail-biter! The story begins with the murder of a man few people would like. More crimes follow and seem to be related. Will Margaret see the pattern?

I enjoyed "City of Secrets." It was quite a page-turner, since it was well-written and most of the characters seemed like real people. There's even a very likeable, empathetic dog I'd really like to meet!

Since I was unaware that "City of Secrets" was part of a series, I hadn't known this installment was part of a quartet of Margaret Nolan stories. In my opinion, it works fine as a standalone book.

If you enjoy murder mysteries that escalate in tension and body count, I think you'll like "City of Secrets."

Los Angeles Police Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner have worked a lot of different cases, ones where things aren’t always as they appear. And it’s Nolan’s job to find the truth in the darkness around her. When they’re called to the scene of what looks like a fatal car-jacking, Nolan soon realizes her victim was a founder of a company about to sell for millions, and within a day of his death, his partner’s wife is abducted. As Nolan learns more about the victim and his life, she gets pulled into a disturbing world of sex, violence, and big business; and an even darker world, where whispers of an "Angel of Death" are beginning to surface!
Great book! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a bit of a who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's press\Minotaur books for sharing this book with me!

A terrific read! Everything a good mystery should be.. clever, consistent, engaging, believable, and fast paced… plus the guy gets the girl. Enjoyed every minute. Thanks Net Galley… I love whodunits!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I don’t read many detective novels though I love them dramatized in tv and film. There are many in the cast of characters that I could visualize the plot. I did find myself saying “Who is this?” often as it seems like 25% of the book introduced new characters one after another. The interconnections between characters is pretty dense, and I was surprised by the ending.

I appreciated that this book was classic detective novel without any gratuitous spice (romance) thrown in as side plots.

Trigger warning though for those who are especially sensitive to animal mistreatment, they may find the few references upsetting.

This was the fourth in a series starring Lt. Margaret Nolan, a homicide detective in Los Angeles. Nolan gets assigned to a supposed drive by shooting, but the victim turns out to be a wealthy and respected businessman. What was he doing in a really bad area? The story takes off from there and we see next, the wife of his ex-partner is kidnapped. Is all of this related. More kidnappings, more bodies pile up, what is going on?

The story had many twists and turns and many other areas of law enforcement were brought in before this story came to a close. I have to admit, I did not see where it was going and the ending was a bit of a surprise,

Characters from prior books in this series were also involved, mostly on the sidelines, but nice to hear from them too. I enjoyed this read as I have every novel that P. J. Tracy has published.

I want to say thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for offering me this early read.

Fast paced and intense, City of Secrets is a good book. Lots of action in a short period time with great characters. I really enjoyed the writing style. Well done.