The title was somewhat appropriate, as this book wasn't what I expected. Something was lacking, particularly in regards to this being a cult-based thriller. The pace was too slow for the genre, and some of this was due to overdetailing. Also, the ending felt rushed. This appears to be part of a series, and readers could likely benefit from reading the books in order.

Not Who We Expected by Lisa Black is a very highly recommended investigative thriller and the fourth novel in the Locard Institute series. This can be enjoyed as a standalone novel, but the whole series is definitely worth reading.

Locard Institute forensic experts Ellie Carr and Rachael Davies are contacted by legendary rock star Billy Diamond to find his missing daughter, Devon. She and her boyfriend Carlos, had left Yale six months earlier to take some time off. They went to a career development retreat called Today’s Enlightenment in Nevada and contact between Devon and Billy dwindled away to nothing. Then Carlos's body is found a few miles away from the ranch in the Truckee river and Billy wants to know his daughter is okay.

Ellie goes undercover to join the isolated retreat and find Devon. She quickly understands that the retreat is a cult and attendees follow every word and order from their leader, Galen. In the meantime, Rachel is working with Billy to learn more about Devon and her deceased sister, Isis. Billy knew Isis and she was the reason he contacted Rachel to find his daughter.

As expected the writing is excellent and the fast-paced plot is engaging and increasingly tense. Both Ellie experiences and activities in the cult and Rachel's look into Isis's past are compelling and interesting. Ellie's experiences increasingly indicate a dangerous situation, while Rachel discovers unexpected information about her sister. Black includes an informative afterward concerning cults and additional reading material about them as well as quotes from some cult survivors at the beginning of each new section.

Ellie and Rachel are fully realized, intelligent, complex strong female characters. Having read the previous Locard Institute novels, I know these characters and their past cases but new readers should be able to easily follow the plot without this prior knowledge.

Not Who We Expected is an excellent investigative thriller and I'm eagerly anticipating another future installment of the Locard Institute series. Thanks to Kensington for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

In the 4th installment of the Locard Institute Series, which does well as a standalone, a request by an aging rockstar requesting help finding his daughter kicks off the story. The daughter, Devon, signed up for a career development experience in Nevada with her boyfriend Carlos. When Carlos is found dead Billy Diamond is concerned as he’s heard nothing from his daughter. Ellie Carr and Rachael Davies agree to investigate, taking the case in two directions, Ellie to Nevada and Rachael to work with Billy. Billy is of particular interest to Rachael as she hopes he can shed more light on her sister Isis as Rachael is raising her son and lacks much needed information about her life.

I found myself most interested in Ellie’s investigation into the ‘career development’ group in Nevada. She’s stumped why Devon seems totally happy being an active participant with the group and its leader. Undercover she sees the dark sides of cultism as the leader leads the group in some very dark participation activies. The development of the cult storyline shows how much research the author did to develop and handle a unsettling topic.

Not What We Expected, love the title, was a bit different for me than the previous 3 books in the series, but it had well developed and researched story line, the ongoing development of the 2 lead investigators of the Locard Institute, and of course Ms. Black’s love of plot twists and turns made it a very enjoyable read. Thank you Kensington and NetGalley for the ARC.

Lisa Black is a new author for me, but I had heard of her and that she wrote well and friends had enjoyed some of her books, so I thought I would give her a try. I'm glad I did as I enjoyed this fourth book in A Lockard Institute Thriller Books. Even though I had not read the first three, it was easily read as a stand alone.

Description:
Dynamic forensic analysts Ellie Carr and Rachael Davies return in New York Times bestselling author Lisa Black’s latest riveting Locard Institute thriller, as they solve a deadly mystery unfolding in the shadow of a celebrated rock star.

The two crime experts are enlisted by legendary rock star Billy Diamond to find his missing daughter. A level-headed student at Yale, Devon left six months earlier with her boyfriend, Carlos, for a career development retreat in Nevada. Her calls and notes became less frequent until they stopped. Billy wanted to give his daughter space—but after learning Carlos' body was found a few miles upstream from the ranch, he needs answers.

Rachael and Ellie hatch a plan—as Ellie goes undercover, Rachael will work with Billy to find out about Devon. But Rachael has a second agenda, to find out why Billy seems so familiar with her late sister Isis, whose little boy Rachael is raising. The music idol is hiding something, but what?

The southwest ranch is full of surprises. Devon is not only alive but thriving, and no one mentions Carlos. The attendees follow their leader, Galen, with slavish devotion, and their daily mind-body exercises stretch from brain-numbing to downright treacherous. If Galen is behind some nefarious scheme, how does it relate to the rock star and his daughter?

To answer those questions, Rachael will also have to Who was her sister Isis, really? The answers will draw Ellie and Rachael deeper into danger. In Billy’s world and in Galen's, the living, the missing, and the dead all have secrets.

My Thoughts:
Apparently this was not the type of case the Locard Institute would normally get involved in, but Rachael found the connection the rock star had to her sister Isis, who was murdered and she couldn't resist finding out more if she could. Ellie found much more that she bargained for during her search for Devon - this one gets quite dangerous. Rachael and Ellie worked well as a team even though they were working in separate locations. Both were smart, strong women who were well-trained and good at their jobs. I liked the excerpts at the front of each chapter about cults and felt like the cult culture was well portrayed in the book.

Thanks to Kensington through Netgalley for an advance copy.

The level of violence was not what I expected.

Forensic expert goes undercover in a cult to find and rescue Devon, rock star Billy Diamond's missing daughter. Ellie and Rachael have taken on these undercover assignments before and Ellie is confident she can find Devon and convince her to at least phone her father before he begins his latest tour. All of the cult warning signs are evident and become a life threatening experience for Ellie. I was hooked on the Ellie character and was hanging on waiting for her to be rescued. The final ending was a bit of a let down.

First thank you to Kensington and Net Galley for providing the digital ARC of this book!
3.5 ⭐️
Thrillers are a new genre for me and I’ve been noticing that a lot of them feel the same and don’t actually “thrill” me, more like annoy. This one however really got my heart racing! It focuses a lot on cults and their tactics and the way Lisa Black explored what it feels like emotionally to be surrounded by people who have an utter lack of humanity was anxiety inducing. The “muscle” behind the cult I think could have been utilized more, they kept being set up to be these die hard cult enforcers and then Black didn’t really do anything with it.
There was also one aspect of the big twist that was really misleading and unnecessary and left me thinking huh??
I also feel like the end, where the characters are dealing with the emotional hangover of all the events, was extremely rushed.
Overall a very fun story! I hope there’s some more editing rounds. She used the word gobbledygook way too many times and by different characters and maybe it’s just me but it really distracted me lol.

I have loved all of Lisa Black’s books and Not Who We Expected is a great addition to the Locard Institute Thriller series. The story had a very different feel from Ms. Black’s other books with the inclusion of a cult and an aging rock star. As always, she offers the brilliant weaving of forensics. It’s important to note she does the cult aspect very well with obvious research that makes the participants believable and relatable. Often cult participants are portrayed in a less than favorable light, discounting that the leaders are skilled at manipulation. Ms. Black did a fantastic job at bringing such a sensitive topic to light. Having read the Locard Institute Thriller series from the start, I also appreciated having more insight into Ellie and Rachael’s lives, especially the background for Rachael’s sister. A must read for mystery fans!

This is a great psychological thriller that builds slowly. The ending had a twist I didn’t see coming. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Cults. What an unsettling book.. This is a slowpaced and well written detailed story. Maybe a little too long for my liking but good. I haven't read any of the previous stories in this series but that wasn't a problem. I think you can read it as a standalone.
I received an advance review copy via Netgalley/Kensington Publishing and I’m leaving a voluntary and honest review .

I received an advanced readers copy via NetGalley for an honest review.

Rachael Davies and Ellie Carr are back on the case in the fourth installment of the Locard Institute Thrillers. An investigation sends them in separate directions. Rachael has an unexpected family connection that leads her to the rock star mansion of Billy Diamond. His studious daughter, Devon attended a career development retreat with her boyfriend, Carlos, and then lost contact for weeks. The Locard Institute is hired to find her, which leads Ellie to join the career development retreat. As the mystery unfolds, both Rachael and Ellie discover some hard truths about themselves and their loved ones.

I always enjoy reading a book with strong female characters. These ladies are intelligent, industrious, and fearless. The plot line seems solid. You can tell the author did her research on the subject matter and those who participate in such activities. Previous books in this series were a bit heavier on forensic knowledge.

As much as I enjoyed the previous books in this series, I did not love this one. The pace was a little slow. I did not feel enough mounting tension or suspense. I was never afraid for Ellie’s safety.

Famous rock star, Billy Diamond, has contacted the Locard Institute to help locate his daughter, Devon, after her boyfriend. Carlos’ body is found. The couple when to a retreat of sorts in the southwest where the charismatic leader offers enlightenment and overcoming one’s fears, Ellie goes under cover at the ranch, whilst Racheal stays back doing research. It’s not long before Ellie is cut off for the outside world and dealing with much more than she ever imagined, Lisa Black has such deep characters that are a treasure to read. A very thoughtful and timely mystery. Excellent. Thank you to Kensington Publishing for an advanced copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

This mystery/psychological thriller by Lisa Black did not disappoint. It was a quick read because it kept my attention from the beginning to end.
I highly recommend this series.


Thank you net galley and Kensington for this ARC.

Thank you, Kensington Publishing for the copy of Not Who We Expected by Lisa Black. I loved the premise of this book, but somehow the writing didn’t engage me. I didn’t care about Rachael trying to talk to Billy, but I loved the story of Ellie joining a cult to find Billy’s daughter. Of course, she didn’t know it was a cult at first, but it quickly became evident. I had just read another cult book, so Galen’s tactics were easy to see through from the start. That was probably the reason I got tired of reading everything that happened and it was hard for me to fathom why the ‘clients’ would put up with it. This book was still enjoyable, though, but I wish Ellie had used her fighting skills at some point! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I really enjoyed this book. It is fast paced and page turning. I didn’t want to put it down. This is a fantastic series. Great characters. The plot is fantastic with a nice twist at the end. I highly recommend this book and series.

Lisa Black is a favorite of mine! She consistently delivers stories that truly engage her readers, and her latest book, *Not Who We Expected*, is no exception. The story revolves around a famous rock star whose daughter, Devon, cuts off all communication with him after joining what looks like a retreat but might actually be a cult. In a twist of fate, he hires Rachel, the sister of a deceased friend, to help him find out what’s going on.

Rachel and her partner Ellie come up with a clever plan for Ellie to go undercover at the retreat to check on Devon. At the same time, Rachel is eager to uncover the connection between the rock star and her late sister, who had a bit of a wild side but was supposed to be starting a honest promotional business with him as a client. As Rachel learns more about her sister’s past, she also faces the challenge of raising her sister's child and wanting to know as much as she can about her sister’s life.

Once Ellie enters the retreat, it quickly becomes clear that things aren’t right. She tries to gather information without letting Devon know that her father sent her, but it’s tough, as Devon seems completely under the spell of the leader. The situation grows increasingly alarming and dangerous; they find themselves in an isolated place with no way to communicate with the outside world. With no phones around, it's clear that this group will follow the leader's orders—no matter how extreme they may become. It’s a gripping story filled with twists and turns!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing this is my honest review.

You were running from everything. Rachael from the Locard Institute has been hired by a famous father to find his daughter. She agrees to send Ellie undercover go find her & bring her home. Ellie is sensing that there is more to the ranch than just a retreat. And getting closer to the daughter seems to be hard to do as they are always kept busy. Ellie knows that she needs to get away soon before she is found out. As the people are being brainwashed by the leader Galen and she fears that she will be made an example of. But will she be able to save herself & the young woman before it is too late. A fast paced storyline. Great characters. Good to see the usual characters back.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the copy. This is my voluntary review.

Legendary rock star Billy Diamond hires the Locard Institute to find his daughter who is supposedly at a career enhancement facility in Nevada and has cut off any communication with him. He asks for Ellie Carr, claiming he knew her deceased sister Isis. When Ellie arrives, she quickly learns that the facility is basically a cult and the enigmatic leader Galen is not someone to mess with. Billy is clearly hiding something, but will Ellie figure it out in time to save his daughter?

Not my favorite in the series. The story bogged down in places because of details about cult behaviors, but it was well-researched and I learned a lot about how easy it is to manipulate people.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The latest Locard Institute book takes a different direction then the previous three and I enjoyed the new tack. Ellie Carr heads undercover to convince the wayward daughter of a rock star to return home - definitely not the usual forensic driven case - while Rachael Davies learns more about her estranged sister.

When part of on ongoing series, this could be read out of order. Definitely worth your time!

Great read and good insight into cults/psychological abuse

Forensic expert Ellie is hired by a wealthy, but aging, substance-abusing musician to find his daughter. She and her boyfriend went to a retreat that was supposed to help them with leadership skills and to give them some guidance as they prepared for post-college days. When she stopped contacting her dad, he got concerned.

The author obviously did a lot of research into cults and makes a point at the end to say that the cult could be one abuser. I found this a quick read and very interesting.

Secrets! Lots of secrets!

If you like red herrings and can follow a twisted road meeting multiple characters then sign on in. It’s the best road you’ll take to solve this mystery.