Second book in a series, Great serial killer murder thriller mystery edge of your seat with plenty of thrills

Thanks Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

Dr. George Baylor (the serial killer from the book 1 of this series) after killing three students escapes from LA and he shows up on the east coast in this book. Det. Matt Jones is recovering from the wounds from the shooting in the 1st book, he is finally cleared to return to work and is assigned to the task force which is hunting Dr. Baylor. There are new series of murders happening in Philadelphia and everyone except Matt thinks Dr. Baylor is at it again. Matt has a whole different theory and it was super fun to follow Det. Jones in this book!


Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC

This was a fast paced, action thriller with some wit mixed in. I found it very hard to put down and look forward to reading more of this authors work
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Prior to reading this book, I had never heard about the author nor his main character Matt Jones. While this book wasn't the first book in the series and throughout the book there are references to earlier events for our hero, I didn't feel it disturbed my enjoyment of the book.
Matt Jones is called to Philadelphia where he is deputized as a US Marshall to assist working on a case involving a serial killer and some truly gruesome murders of entire families.
The story is horrific and it has some interesting twists and turns along the way and I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I initially thought I would.
I will soon be checking out the other books in the series along with author's other works.
Highly recommended.

First of all, you must read the first book because this one picks up 6 weeks after the events of that novel. Honestly, I liked the first one more. This one was okay, but of the two, I prefer the first.

The Love Killings (Detective Matt Jones Book 2)

I hadn't realised when I read this that it was book 2 in the series.
I don't like reading books out of order normally, but as I didn't know..... I don't think it took anything away from the reading pleasure.
The hunt is on for a serial killer. Can the team find the killer.
A great read as a standalone, i don't feel i missed out on anything by not reading the first one.
A great interesting page turner.

Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Love Killings. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Six weeks after Detective Matt Jones becomes involved in his first murder case, he is still coming to terms with the fact that his father hired an assassin to kill him. Called into work by his new supervisor, Lt. Howard McKensie, in the middle of the night, Jones knows it is not an ordinary case. Dr. George Baylor seems to have struck again and an assistant US prosecuting attorney by the name of Ken Doyle has requested Jones for his expertise in the matter. Temporarily relocating to Philadelphia as an agent for the government was not in Matt's game plan, but he does have some unfinished business in the area. With a complicated and dangerous serial killer lurking in the shadows, who is Matt Jones more threatened by - his father or Baylor?

As this book builds upon the events in City of Echoes, it is essential to read the series in order. Detective Matt Jones is a complicated man and it is impossible to get a clear picture of his character without the continuity of the story. The only problem that I had with The Love Killings was the fact that the criminals contained within are all masterminds. A sophisticated killer is not all that common, especially one with a planned signature, so I did not feel it was a successful part of the plot. That being said, I am definitely interested in seeing where author Robert Ellis takes Detective Matt Jones into the future. Readers who like police procedural thrillers and suspense would like this determined and interesting main character, as well as the complicated plot twists.

Murder mysteries and really mysteries in general usually spark my interest. Each chapter of this book kept me coming back for more, and what to know what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed reading this book. Overall it was a moderate read when it comes to speed.

The Love Killings is book 2 in the Detective Matt Jones Thriller. I would recommend that you read the first book City of Echoes first to really appreciate the depth and twistedness of the story. This series has it all! Crooked cops; psychopaths; narcissists; sexual abuse; child abandonment; hidden family histories; murder (lots of it); career junkies; politicians. It has everything and more you want in a great book! And I suspect there might be a number 3 coming....

Disappointing. Simply not up to the standard set in the first book in the series. Most troubling were a blizzard of continuity errors that a halfway decent editing job would have picked up, but they weren't picked up and that left the book feeling like a rush job. The author needs better editors.

For the past six weeks, LAPD detective Matt Jones has been recovering from the wrong end of a hit man’s bullet. Before he can look for payback, Jones finds himself enlisted in the manhunt for an old foe. Dr. George Baylor, the serial killer who escaped after murdering three coeds in LA, resurfaces on the East Coast. This time, an entire family has been slaughtered in their home outside Philadelphia, and the doctor’s fingerprints are all over the crime scene.

With panic rising, the FBI seeks Jones’s help, and the hunt for this brutal mass killer is on. But so is the hunt for the man who paid to have Jones shot. When a second family is found murdered, the search for the killer becomes frantic, and Jones’s shocking personal history explodes before his eyes. With his two missions welded together as one, Jones enters the madman’s world—a place of unimaginable terror—and hopes that if he survives, he can find his way out.



Wow!!!! If you really want to jump start your reading year, you most definitely want to start with one that has all the key ingredients for a great read! I’m happy to say, I’ve found the recipe in The Love Killings.

LAPD Detective Matt Jones was a man not exactly looking for his next bit of excitement as he was recovering from being shot and nearly killed a few weeks prior. Unfortunately for Jones, he’s summoned into his lieutenant’s office to receive some rather bad news. He’s been sought to assist in a special task force to seek out a serial killer Jones was all too familiar with. Dr. George Baylor. Baylor is a psychopathic serial killer accused of murdering three coeds in LA, and now his modus operandi appears to have resurfaced on the East Coast. A family has been brutally murdered just outside of Philadelphia and the police and FBI think Dr. Baylor is their man.

Oh, but wait a minute. . .is Dr. Baylor their killer? Jones teams up with Special Agent Kate Brown, and together they try to fit the fragmented pieces of this bloodied puzzle. What was done to those families was so repulsive, Jones was anxious to catch his killer. He couldn’t believe a human was capable of such evil. When Jones took two steps forward, the case knocked him five back. He became increasingly frustrated with the entire investigation. As he forged ahead, another family is brutally murdered and Dr. Baylor is still being focused on by the FBI and police alike. Jones’ gut was gnawing at him because he felt something wasn’t quite right about these murders. Is it possible there is a copycat serial killer on their hands? Or, is Dr. Baylor playing an even more sinister mind game with law enforcement? You better trust and believe, when you find out what is really going on, the reader will be glued to each and every page.

What a dynamic explosive read! My mind was completely blown by how well written this book was and the action that took place. The reader will have a first-class seat to everything happening and from every characters’ perspective. Emotions easily evoked while you follow Jones through his chaotic journey. An amazing and fast-paced read. When I tell you I hated to put this book down, I literally read it in two days. I could have finished in one, but I had to go to work. Hot damn, this is the way to kick start the reading year!

Mello & June gives The Love Killings five stars and counting. OMG I loved this book!!!! Ellis is one hell of a writer and if you’re an action/suspense type of reader, you’ve got to add this book to your list; however, I don’t think you’ll want to leave it there. I’d read this immediately. So far, one of the best action suspense books I’ve read in a long while. I rank Ellis’ writing up there with Andrew Gross and my favorite legal authors, Pamela Samuels-Young and Scott Pratt. Ellis brought the pain, literally. Holy **#%&%# Outstanding read! Make sure you pick up your copy and/or download to your eReaders. You will not be sorry! This is the second installment in the Matt Jones series, but it reads as a standalone. I’m intrigued enough now to read the first novel. Looking forward to that! Way to go, Ellis! You’ve made me a fan!

Killing story. Twists with the police involvement on a personal level.