So how does the successful CEO of a company end up in the seedier part of LA with a bullet hole between his eyes? That’s the question Margaret Nolan and her partner, Al Crawford ask themselves as they are caught up in a twisted plot that includes everyday criminals, gangs and a crime syndicate.
I found it hard to keep up at first with all the characters and twists. But the author tied the book up nicely and I imagine the next in this series to be just as interesting. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for the arc. This review is my honest opinion.

These characters have so much depth. Nolan is dogged and I felt like I was unraveling the case right alongside her. It kept me guessing. I'm a big Remy fan so I enjoyed that aspect as well. And then we see more of Sam. It's interesting to see how the cases and characters intertwine. Another great read!

City of Secrets by P. J. Tracy is another great fast paced thriller. Margaret Nolan and her team are working to solve a crime that has far reaching tentacles. I really like how Tracy includes past characters like Sam.

Another great and exciting installment in the series! The plot is trickier and twistier than ever and the characters we have grown to love continue to delight as they grow and evolve. I can’t wait to find out what’s next!

Review from Fantastic Fiction:
LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan returns in P. J. Tracy’s City of Secrets, the next book in the series praised by the New York Times Book Review: “Tracy seems to have found her literary sweet spot.”

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.

One of today's finest crime writers, P. J. Tracy has created a series that is a rich and authentic portrait of LA, filled with the tragedy and optimism of her multi-layered characters and a story guaranteed to keep readers enthralled.
I have read an enjoyed all this Author’s books.

I just absolutely had so much fun getting to go along on these characters journey. I was just swept away and I just absolutely can’t get enough of this series or its wonderful characters. This author just has away of drawing you in with her wonderful stories and you just can’t get enough of them. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

City of Secrets (Detective Margaret Nolan #4)
by P. J. Tracy

I'm really getting attached to these characters after four books. LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner Detective Al Crawford are a great match. They are nothing alike with Margaret young and fit and Al, not those things at all. It seems Margaret has decided to stop nagging Al about his eating so much and is actually using food to get what she wants out of her coworkers...great coffee and pastries are the way to the heart and getting far in life. This series makes great use of recurring characters and I hope to see them again in the future.

A fatal carjacking leads to so much more and turns out to be connected to cases Margaret's coworkers are handling. What might have been a simple murder of a guy in the wrong place at a wrong time leads to a much darker world. People delving into things that are better left alone, powerful good and bad guys and gals, and the downtrodden not being able to escape the evil trying to control everyone and everything.

It get confusing at times because even though I might have known more than the characters since I was able to see more POVs than they saw, I really needed things explained towards the end. I got the explanations and help to understand what had happened. Things are not as they seem, people are not black and white, and some people have to chose whether their conscience will allow them to live with gray areas in their life. I liked that in this book Margaret was able to do her job without super hero heroics unlike earlier books. Other departments are allowed to do their jobs and it was interesting watching how all the groups worked together.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Aug. 20, 2024
“City of Secrets” is the fourth novel in the Detective Margaret Nolan series by author P.J. Tracy, best known for her Monkeewrench series of novels. I was introduced to Tracy and her Nolan series with the third novel, “The Devil You Know”, so I have some background although I have no doubt missed major plot points by not reading the first or second Nolan novels.
Margaret Nolan and her partner are called out to a car jacking in a derelict part of Los Angeles, however when they arrive, Nolan immediately recognizes that something is way off. The murder victim is the multi million-dollar owner of a pet foods company and, when his business partner and his business partner’s wife are abducted the next day, Nolan knows something deeper is going on. As the investigation brings in many other police and federal agencies, the dangers only increase and it is up to Margaret and her team to solve it before more bodies fall.
As stated, it is highly recommended that these novels be read in chronological order. Although I read the third and fourth one as stand-alones, it’s entirely possible, but I always felt a step behind as I made my way through book four. Margaret is a strong protagonist, and if you’re familiar with female-detective police procedurals, “Secrets” is in your wheelhouse.
There are a multitude of characters in “Secrets”, beyond the detectives, officers and government agency officials. The criminal collection alone is rather lengthy, so be prepared to pay close attention to the who’s-who. Although Margaret is the primary narrator, other characters (some shady and some not) will get their chance in the spotlight, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story from both sides.
The ending has some nice twists, unexpected and not, and there is non-stop action to get you there. The plot of “Secrets” is wrapped up nicely, with all the I’s dotted and t’s crossed.
Margaret and her team are brave, funny, emotional and human (I love Ike and his passion for red licorice) and I enjoyed following their journey. I look forward to more Nolan, and hopefully in the meantime I’ll have time to catch up on the Tracy books I have missed!

City of Secrets by PJ Tracy is a good installment in the Margeret Nolan series.
A CEO is killed a drive by shooting. When his ex-partner’s wife is kidnapped, Nolan knows something sinister is going on.
I really like the supporting characters, Nolan’s partner AL Crawford, Remy Boudreau, and Sam Easton. Since this is the fourth book in the series. I enjoyed learning more about Nolan and the rest of the main characters.
The writing was very good, and I like the turn of phrases Ms. Tracy has in her books. I really enjoyed the Monkeywrench series she wrote with her mother. I am glad she is writing a new series which is just as good.

I think this is the best book so far in the series. This is a terrific crime thriller with a kidnapping, murder, lots of mystery and twists. I hope there is a fifth book!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm going to have to admit this author isn't for me anymore. I loved the books she wrote with her mother but I think her mother made the biggest contribution. The solo books are less organized, the people are less believable and less likeable, and there is nothing logical about the sequence of events. A lot of the time a bad guy would do something terrible to hide something else terrible, but not only is that lazy writing, irrational and violent reactions are a good way to get caught.
When something bad happened, the reactions were the same sort of melodrama, but people are more complicated than that. The initial premise sounded interesting but the plot ended up not really following.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

n the verge of selling his company for 100 million dollars, owner and co-founder of Peppy Pets Bruce Mesane is found murdered in a bad neighborhood of L.A. Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner are having trouble finding any forensic evidence and the people of the neighborhood are afraid to talk. A lot of different pieces of information will have to come together to solve this crime. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love the story being told from different points of view and I love the twists in the story. There is a line in the book about how cases can be simple or like a 5000-piece puzzle with missing pieces without a picture. This is more the later. I found the story fascinating.

Margaret Nolan and her partner are called to the scene of what looks like a fatal car-jacking, but things aren't adding up. The victim is Bruce Messane, the owner of a multi-million-dollar pet food company that is on the verge of being sold for a huge sum. The neighborhood isn't one where that man would normally be found.

Then, Bruce's former partner Rome Bechtold's wife is kidnapped. And shortly thereafter Rome is kidnapped too.

Meanwhile, Nolan boyfriend Remy, who is also a homicide detective, is dealing with the self-inflicted death of a former plastic surgeon who lost his job for selling opioids. The dead plastic surgeon was a friend of Bruce Messane.

This twisty thriller, told from multiple viewpoints, was a fast-paced story. I liked the way the various viewpoints came together to tell the story. I also liked that gritty nature of the story where drugs and crime were rife and where sometimes the police looked the other way in the name of justice.

I really enjoy the Detective Margaret Nolan series. Well paced, quick read, police procedural with engaging characters and a few surprise twists. This is the fourth book in the series and can easily be read as a stand alone but you'll get spoilers for the developing relationships between the recurring characters. I strongly recommend starting with "Deep in the Dark" and reading the entire series in order. I also recommend P.J. Tracy's Monkeewrench series which currently has 10 books. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced reader copy

This is the second P.J. Tracy book I have read, and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite mystery writers. City of Secrets was a well-written mystery that kept me on my toes. While I did guess what would happen and what would happen (to an extent), I was completely surprised by the ending. I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the copy of City Of Secrets by P. J. Tracy. It took me a long time to get into this book. The basic story was really good, but some of the substories were distracting, and there were so many characters it was hard to keep track of how they all fit. I Like the various reveals, but I’m not sure this book was really for me. If you already love this series you will love this book.

This was my first book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series, and I can confidently say that I plan on picking up other books in the series. The book started out with an apparent carjacking, but the author wove a nice story where more mystery and intrigue was added in an appropriate way. It kept me interested in the book, and I can appreciate the writing style of the author. I am looking forward to learning more about the main characters in the series and to read about their other mysteries.

City of Secrets is another heart pounding entertaining read that has you turning the pages as quickly as you can.

Detective Maggie Nolan is back with the usual team behind her racing against the clock to find out who killed well known business man Bruce Messane.

City of Secrets has it all: kidnapping, murder, psychopaths, twists and turns and an ending I did not see coming.

Although this is the 3rd book in the series it certainly can be read as a stand alone but I predict you will want to go back and read the other three.

P.J. Tracy had me hooked from cover to cover and I cant wait to see where she and Maggie will take us next.

I will be first in line for my copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur books for the privilege of reading and reviewing City of Secrets.

City of Secrets by P. J. Tracy is a thrilling, twisty novel with surprises that keep revealing themselves as layers are peeled away to reveal a core of criminal activity spanning a wide variety of crimes.
Well-written and full of suspense, Tracy weaves a complex tale that involves a wide variety of characters both from the law enforcement world and the criminals they pursue. By the end, the manner in which all of the disparate threads come together is surprising and skillfully woven together for a satisfying conclusion.
I look forward to reading more of Detective Margaret Nolan's adventures.
I am happy to have received an ARC of #CityofSecrets from #NetGalley.

City of Secrets
By P.J. Tracy

This is the fourth is a series of crime thrillers starring Detective Maggie Nolan and her partner, Al Crawford. In this one, the murder victim is one Bruce Messane, co-owner of pet food company and sex addict. His body is found in his luxury car in a shady area of LA, far from his multi-million dollar home.

Bruce's partner, Dr. Rome Bechtold, receives a text showing that his wife, Nicole, has been kidnapped. Coincidentally, Nicole has been having an affair with Bruce!

Added to all this is the fact that fentanyl is found in pet food boxes produced by Peppy Pets, their company. The timing couldn't be worse; Peppy Pets is in negotiations for a massive buyout.

This book has everything: sex, drugs, humor, romance. Solving the case along with Maggie and Al is like solving a complicated jigsaw puzzle. Great fun for readers, especially if you like puzzles!