This book pulled me in from the beginning. Kate Green is back at work covering HER sport and engaging with people from her younger playing days. Alexa Kane, a former teammate from her teen soccer camp is found murdered at the women’s Olympic soccer game that she is covering as a reporter for TRP.
There are a lot of layers to the book and they play out well; her tenuous relationship with her detective father who is assigned to the case, her co-worker and boyfriend who is vying for an anchor job that is also offered to Kate, and her supportive children.
The book flips from the present time to years ago when Kate and her friend attended teen soccer Identification Camps for several summers. Their friendship is based on a love of soccer and being “newbies” while navigating the dynamics of the camp and other players. One of the other players from camp is the current coach of the Women’s Olympic soccer team. Present day, there is still some animosity between the coach and Kate due to events that happened at the camp. Did that lead to the murder?
Kate is also still trying to work out what happened with her dad Liam all those years ago that severed their family. They are reestablishing their relationship but Kate is sure there is something about on old case that is more than it seems.
Great read! I am looking forward to another Kate Green book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Elise Hart Kipness for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing! I loved it everything about it! Kate Green series started out with book #1 Lights Out that came out 11/01/23.

It happens during The Olympic Games for the Soccer USA National Team, so you can imagine all the pressure and commitment of everyone involved.

This story has everything, it’s suspenseful, informative, competitive, and it goes beyond with so much more.

I really enjoyed the drama, suspense, the troubled friendship from the past that collided with the present, and also the intense stress that athletes deals with it, specially during special events like the Olympic Games.

Kate Green character is strong, funny and so dedicated, I am sure you will enjoy her too!

Thank you so much @elise and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Also thank you again Elise for the incredible gifted box.

This book is coming out on 09/17/24

Quick Summary: Reporter Kate Green is back, this time as the main reporter for women’s Olympic soccer. The coach of the USA women’s team is Savannah Baker, Kate’s former teammate and nemesis from her days of playing competitive youth soccer. In a shocking and unexpected twist, Kate and Savannah’s former teammate, Alexa Kane, is found dead in the therapy room ice bath after a game. Alexa hasn’t played for years and had no reason to be there. Kate’s father and NYPD detective Liam is on the case, along with the FBI, as they try to track down the murderer. Can Kate beat them to it, without making herself a target as well?

Thoughts: A reader new to this series could certainly read this novel as a stand-alone, but I would recommend starting with Lights Out to get a feel for the protagonist and her history. I got into this one very quickly, and enjoyed the flashbacks to the youth camps and difficult history between Kate, Savannah and Alexa. It really highlighted the intense pressure on young athletes and how that culture and environment can act on them in negative ways. Then the novel takes an unexpected twist as Kate finds out troubling things about Alexa’s past that she could not have guessed. If you enjoy thrillers and are a sports fan, you cannot go wrong with this series. Thanks to Thomas and Mercer/Amazon Publishing for the copy to read.

An absolute blast of a story -- with incredible dual timelines that only build for more tension. I can't wait to see what's next for Kate Green -- and highly recommend A Dangerous Play for all.

I made a mistake as I didn’t realize this was a series. While it didn’t require reading the first, I don’t like to read books in a series without starting at the beginning. I can’t stop thinking I’m missing something.

In the second installment of the Kate Green series, the title character is hopeful her coverage of the women’s Olympic soccer team will be enough to reignite her career as a sports reporter. After all, as a former player and Olympian herself, she can add a lot of insight.

Of course, nothing can ever be that simple. When a famous former teammate of Kate’s is found murdered, Kate finds herself forced to face secrets from her past as she investigates the gruesome death.

Kate is a likable protagonist; she is smart and willing to admit her shortcomings, meaning she does not typically do things to make the reader roll their eyes in frustration. It is refreshing for a main character to have self-worth rather than fall for romantic tropes. Her desire to make amends for her past only adds to her likability.

Fans of the first book in the series won’t be surprised to see Kate’s father reprising his role in this book. This time, the reader is given more insight into the hardened NYPD detective’s history. This allows a solid set up for the next book in the series.

While this is book two, it can be read as a standalone. However, the reader will gain more understanding of the full family dynamic by reading the first book. This series is a great choice for fans of the genre.

An absorbing mystery set in the world of women's football, the story follows how reporter Kate Green comes to find herself in the unenviable position of encountering a dead body in the women's locker room.

Not only that, the corpse belongs to Alexa Kane, a former teammate during Kate's years in the junior game. Kate has a troubled history with Alexa, who was part of a traumatic incident that occurred involving the current national coach, Savannah Baker.

In order to find out the full story of what lies behind this discovery, Kate will have to navigate through a maze that involves working with her previously estranged father, re-examining past relationships and uncovering unexpected links, and navigating a potential threat to her relationship - as well as, eventually, her life.

The characters are well done, and the story will appeal to sports fans. It gets 3.5 stars.

Great storytelling and fun insider content from the world of sport! Another winner for this author. I love it!

DANGEROUS PLAY is everything readers look for in a thriller: whip-smart protagonist, engaging mystery, and surprises on every page, all delivered by an author who clearly knows the fascinating world she brings us into..

I really enjoyed Book 1 of the Kate Green mystery series and am thrilled about Book 2 as well! Elise Hart Kipness is thoroughly qualified to present her sports reporter lead and the author's past experience rings particularly true here. A fascinating behind the curtain peek at a reporter hot on the trail of a compelling story. This one is very timely given the Olympics are around the corner. I'll be watching women's soccer with renewed vigor because of this book.

This book has a fascinating storyline full of unexpected twists and turns, with elements of intrigue, suspense, and mystery that will keep you engaged until the very end.

I recommend starting with the first book, Lights Out, to better understand the character's background. However, it's still easy to follow the story without it.

Kate is covering women's Olympic soccer. With her experience and days playing with head coach Savannah Baker, Kate is sure to get the story to reestablish her career.

She just didn’t expect that story to involve murder.

When famous jewelry designer Alexa Kane is found dead in the locker room, Kate’s promising future screeches to a halt as her past resurfaces. Alexa played with Kate and Savannah on the US youth national team...Savannah wants to keep a secret about a camp incident involving Kate and Alexa when they were teenagers. Kate feels guilty about what happened to Alexa and believes she failed her when she needed her the most. Determined to repair the past, Kate is on a mission to find out who killed Alexa. The story follows a timeline or back-and-forth approach to provide a better understanding of the characters and the story, but it is easy to follow... This is a great read and the author did a fantastic job...I would be interested in reading more of their work, especially in this series.

Content, mention of child abuse, bully and rape.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the eARC.

Dangerous Play by Elise Hart Kipness is book 2 in the Kate Green series. I did read book 1, but Dangerous Play could be read as a standalone book.

After a tumultuous murder case that almost cost more than her job, sports reporter Kate Green is back on assignment covering women’s Olympic soccer.

When famous jewelry designer Alexa Kane is found dead in the locker room, Kate’s promising future screeches to a halt as her past resurfaces. Alexa played with Kate and Savannah on the U.S. Youth National Team, but there was no reason for her to be at the stadium now.

Kate’s investigation puts her in close contact with her estranged father, an NYPD detective. As their secrets collide, Kate must decide which ones to keep and which to reveal to stop the killer.

The story was interesting, and it was interesting to immerse yourself in the soccer world and the Olympics. I like Kate as a character. There were some slow parts, but overall, it was a solid read and a good story. I would read more by this author and in this series.

#DangerousPlayKateGreenBand2 #NetGalley @AmazonPub

After a tumultuous murder case that almost cost more than her job, sports reporter Kate Green is back on assignment covering women’s Olympic soccer. Between her experience with athletic stardom and days playing with Savannah Baker, head coach of the USA team, Kate is sure to get the story that will reestablish her career. She just didn’t expect that story to involve murder. When famous jewelry designer Alexa Kane is found dead in the locker room, Kate’s promising future screeches to a halt as her past resurfaces. Alexa played with Kate and Savannah on the U.S. Youth National Team, but there was no reason for her to be at the stadium now. Kate’s investigation puts her in close contact with her estranged father, an NYPD detective who has his own past to answer for. As their secrets collide, Kate will have to decide which ones to keep, and which ones to reveal to stop the killer! Good book! This book was a bit different for me! It had the usual, it had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a decent who done it and a few crazy twists and turns! The storyline was interesting! It wasn't one of my top favorites but worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

After reading LIGHTS OUT, Elise Hart Kipness's debut mystery, I was excited to return to Kate Green's turbulent world, and DANGEROUS PLAY delivered. In this sequel, crime comes to the New York Olympics, and the victim -- jewelry designer Alexa Kane -- has close ties to Kate and her soccer pro past, rousing suspicions about Alexa's life, the head coach of the USA team, and their entourage. With a flair for conveying the complexity of friendships and a meticulous eye for all things sports, Elise Hart Kipness delivers another big win.

I loved the first in the series Lights Out, which was her debut.

I loved this book, which is second in the series about the complicated Kate Green. She is a sports reporter who is gritty, emotional, head strong, determined and raw. Her past has been tough, but she is looking forward to her new assignment covering women’s Olympic soccer and hoping for a fresh start.

Nothing like a murder, to bring reporters to the forefront. Alexa Kane is a famous designer who is found dead in the locker room. Kate knew Alexa from her time with the US youth national team. Why is she in the locker room?? She is not part of the team.
Once again she is thrown into a investigation which involves her father, who is an NYPD detective. I hope this series continues.
My colleagues and I at #thrillerbookloversthepulse are RAVING about this series. I highly recommend if you like strong female detective stories.

Dangerous Play by E.H. Kipness is the second book in the Kate Green Series. For best reading experience I recommend to read the books in order. The previous book is Lights Out.
Sports reporter Kate Green is back at her job and her latest assignement is reporting about Women's Olympic Soccer.
What happens next she never could have guessed. A complex read full of twists and unexpected turns that had me guessing till the last page.
Blurb:After a tumultuous case that almost cost more than her job, sports reporter Kate Green is back on assignment covering women’s Olympic soccer. Between her experience with athletic stardom and days playing with Savannah Baker, head coach of the USA team, Kate is sure to get the story that will reestablish her career.
She just didn’t expect that story to involve that.
When jewelry designer Alexa is found in the locker room, Kate’s promising future screeches to a halt as her past resurfaces. Alexa played with Kate and Savannah on the US youth national team , but there was no reason for her to be at the stadium now.
Kate’s investigation puts her in close contact with her estranged father, an NYPD detective who has his own past to answer for. As their secrets collide, Kate will have to decide which ones to keep—and which ones to reveal.