Dark Highway

This was a good mystery.

Jessica is hire to look for a missing woman Laurie who is artist and have been missing for two months the only thing the police found was her abandoned vehicle.

As she and her boss Matt look into her disappearance the missing woman mother Renee give them a possible lead of two other missing women who also last seen on Twentynine Palms Highway which is very isolating.

As you read it jumps from Jessica to Matt as they investigate ,to the missing women and what they were doing before they disappears and to the criminals who doing this you get inside their heads as they go about their life without realizing that they are in danger. I like Jessica and Matt as they work together but I coulda done without their romantic relationship. I rather they investigate while they try to put pieces together which I was enjoying until romance part came. Still looking forward to reading more about Jessica.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

PI Jessica Shaw has been hired by the family of Laurie Simmonds, who disappeared from the Twenty Nine Palms Highway two months earlier. The police have given up on the search and Jessica and her partner Matt, discover that Laurie is not the first woman to disappear from that same stretch of highway. There appears to be a link between the missing women and some former friends from college, but as soon as Jessica begins to follow the lead, Laurie’s parent unexpectedly call off the search. Why would parents give up on finding their missing daughter? Even if she’s not officially on the case any more, Jessica continues to look for the missing women, determined to uncover the truth no matter what the cost

Dark Highway by Lisa Gray is filled with non-stop suspense as private investigator Jessica Shaw tracks down answers to a missing person case. This is the third book in the Jessica Shaw series and I could not tear myself away from this story! The gripping worry of a missing child is enough for the parents of Laurie Simmonds to hire MAC investigations to try to find their daughter.
Matt Connor has just hired Jessica to work with him as she is preparing to get her PI license. They take the case of the missing artist and begin to find more missing women in the area of the Twenty-Nine Palms highway. When the identity of a body is found in a shallow grave, the case takes a huge turn. What is the link between the missing women and the dead body? Jessica discovers it goes back to a previous generation of fraternity brothers and an event in the basement of their campus residence.
I won't post spoilers, but this was a perfect weekend read. The mystery and trail of clues kept me so engrossed in the story I went to sleep with my Kindle in my hands and it fell onto my sleeping dog. We both jumped up and yelped!
Publication Date: November 19, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book,

This is a riveting page-turner from the start.
Flashbacks to the lives of several women are meshed into a clever and twisted investigation into a missing girl which takes them all over the Hollywood area from rich to poor, extremes of wealth and arrogance to pain and loss.
Yes, if you stick with the main subplot, you can work out who the killer is, but is still a twisted story with false clues and leads that finally come together in a stunning finale.

Dark Highway is the third in the intriguing and addicting Jessica Shaw series. Jessica is a private eye with a knack for missing persons cases. Her own past makes her uniquely qualified for the work even as she deals with the trauma from her history. When her crush becomes her mentor, Jessica gets drawn into a case of a missing girl.; The girl's mother actually managed to link more disappearances to her daughter even if the police will not listen. Escalating quickly, the case evolves into danger and the past comes back to haunt a lot of people. I figured out the whodunit about halfway through but the story is compelling enough that I had to see how it all turned out. Jessica is an unique and intriguing character with her own brand of flaws. The chemistry she shares with Connor just adds a little seasoning to the story. The ending contained a nice little surprise and Jessica's cases always leave you coming back for more. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This book is the third book in a series. Private investigator Jessica is asked to find Laurie's daughter who has been missing for a year. She later finds out their maybe two other missing persons cases similar to Laurie's daughter. This book kept me riveted until the last page. I cant wait to read Lisa Unger's next book.

Dark Highway by Lisa Gray Author – 5 Stars
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
ISBN: 9781542021135

I have enjoyed all three books in the Jessica Shaw series. This is the best one yet. Knowing Jessica’s traumatic background as a missing child herself explains her passion for solving missing person cases.

The plot of Dark Highway is twisted and clever involving multiple missing women with flashbacks to their pasts. Although complex, it is easy to follow the characters. I enjoyed the intricacy of the story. There is some background into Jessica’s past and a bit of romantic chemistry with Connor, Jessica’s business partner, that add to understanding her.

The pace never slows as Jessica investigates the cases of four missing women. She is hired by a mother to find her daughter who has been missing for two months. While pursuing the case, she uncovers other similar unsolved missing person cases. Although she is later fired by her client, she can’t walk away and continues to investigate to an unexpected conclusion.

Lisa Gray is talented author. I’m a fan and look forward to more books in the Jessica Shaw series. It is a delight to read books with intelligent and unique stories.

Reviewer: Nancy

When Laurie Simmonds parents hire Jessica Shaw to help locate their missing daughter she is expecting it to be a case of a young girl taking off for some adventure and excitement ehat she is not expecting is that Laurie is just one of a number of girls who have disappeared in the twenty nine palms highway area

This is the 3rd in the series and is growing more and more with every new book

Jessica Shaw investigates the case of a missing woman in Lisa Gray's latest book. Jessica, along with another PI, is tasked with finding Laurie Simmonds, a woman who hasn't been seen in two months. As Jessica digs deeper
into the case she starts to see similarities with the disappearances of two other women. Is the same person responsible? She starts to put the case together once she digs deeper into the background of the people closest to the missing women. Another solid entry in the Jessica Shaw series, even if some parts are slower than others.

I was so happy to see another book continuing the Jessica Shaw series by Lisa Gray. I loved "Thin Air" and now this one. Great story line and the characters are well developed. I hope to read many more Jessica Shaw stories by Lisa Gray.

I've been reading many domestic thrillers lately and needed a change from killer husbands and psychotic boyfriends. Dark Highway was a terrific detective mystery and I'll be thinking about the twists and turns of the plot for some time.
Three women have been missing over a period of a few years and their only connection is a remote California highway. Detective Connor and his new recruit Jessica are determined to solve the cases, while working out their own tentative relationship.
I read this book in two days and stayed awake both nights to finish just one more chapter. Three quarters through the book I had solved part of the mystery, but there was so much that I had not guessed and a great final twist.

After the last Jessica Shaw book, Lisa Gray has completely redeemed herself in my mine with this follow up book! I felt like this book was more of the quintessential Jessica and had an interesting mystery and story. i will say that the ending had me queasy just a little bit, and I've never been the victim of a sexual assault. So if you are, or that bothers you, you might want to skip a few pages. I wish she had explained more of Connor's story that happened near the end of the book but hopefully she will cover that more indepth in the next installment!

Thank you to both NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me the opportunity to review Lisa Gray’s latest novel, Dark Highway.

Dark Highway is the third installment in the Jessica Shaw series. It is not necessary to read the first two before diving into this one. All the reader needs to know is that Jessica Shaw is a private investigator who handles missing persons cases in Los Angeles, California.

Jessica and her work partner, Matt Connor, have been hired to find a wealthy woman’s 24-year old daughter. During a preliminary interview, the woman reveals that her daughter is not the only woman missing from the community.

The novel alternates between different timelines and perspectives, starting with Jessica and continuing with a new character every other chapter. From the quirky octogenarian and block captain, Mrs. DuBois, to the meticulous stalker and primary suspect himself, Burden, the reader learns more about the missing women and their backstories.

Initially, their connection seems tenuous at best, linked only by the desolate Twentynine Palms Highway. As Jessica and Matt get deeper into the investigation, a patchwork of clues reveals a strong connection: all of the women know someone who attended the since shuttered Palms University.

Just as Jessica is starting to connect the dots, the client fires her and Matt. Ignoring Matt’s command to drop the now unfunded case, Jessica doggedly pursues the answer to what happened to those women. When a stranger breaks into Jessica’s motel room and leaves behind a significant thread of evidence, she knows she is on the right track.

The novel is fast-paced and keeps the reader guessing the entire time, down to the shocking twist in the epilogue. Although there was some odd phrasing and strangely arranged syntax, the overall flow was gripping and I found myself wanting to turn to the next page. I think it helped that she chose to make each of the women’s backstories the bulk of the novel, as opposed to learning about them through straight procedural work done by Jessica or Matt.

Ms. Gray certainly has a knack for telling stories and I am glad I stuck with her series. After the first book left a bad impression, I wasn’t sure whether I could return to her writing, but it has steadily improved with each new novel released. Book three is easily my favorite of the series and I genuinely believe the author has hit her stride. Cannot wait to see what she does with the fourth Jessica Shaw novel.

PI Jessica Shaw and her boss, Matt Connor are hired to find Laurie Simmonds, who disappeared 2 months ago in LA. They soon realise that Laurie isn’t the only woman to have disappeared, she may be connected with at least 2 others. As the investigation continues, more leads come up but the PIs are suddenly told to drop the investigation by Lauries father. Needless to say, that’s not going to happen, if Jessica has her way.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s well written and intriguing. It’s told from different perspectives, which adds to the tension. It’s fast paced, and even if you think you’ve guessed who dunnit, there is still a twist I don’t think you will see.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book

This is the first book i have read by Lisa Gray so I wasn't sure what to expect. I really enjoyed the book, a fast paced storyline that had me gripped from the first page .There was a few red herrings along the way to trick you but it all comes together at the end. I will definitely look to read the other books in this series and future books by Lisa.

Dark Highway is a perfect detective mystery. Three women have been missing over a period of a few years and their only connection is a remote California highway. Jessica Shaw and her work partner have been hired to find one of these missing girls. The book is written with the perspectives of various characters all somehow connected to this mystery. As the reader you get to know the victims, the murderer and his motives and the detectives work progress as the story unfolds. What seems to be just a serial killer on the loose attacking women on a lone road turns out to be deeper than what we see at surface level. The main victim in this book will stay with me for some time because of how tragic and eloquent she was described by the author. Lisa Gray did an exquisite job in creating strong relatable characters that as a reader you instantly connect with. I will be interested to see the next installment of where the road leads Jessica Shaw and her detective skills.

Jess Shaw is back in this 3rd novel of the series. Working towards getting her PI license, Jess is working with Connor, but this decision may be problematic, given their brief but intense history. The two of them are hired by a wealthy woman to find her missing daughter, who seemed to have disappeared into thin air. As Jess and Connor begin their investigation, they find 2 cold cases involving similar disappearances of young women, but there is no obvious connection among the 3. However, more detective work unearths a woman's disappearance 2 decades old, yet this body has been recently found in the barren land along the Twentynine Palms highway. Just as they're making headway, the husband of the woman who hired them orders them they are fired. Jess, though, cannot stop. As she unravels the complicated tapestry of the missing women, Jess finds the connection and solves the case. However, in the midst of the investigation, she gives-in to her feelings for Connor only to find out her trust has once again been misplaced. It will keep you guessing until the end. I still wish that Jess could find some happiness -- maybe in the next book.

I absolutely adore this series. Jessica Shaw is the quintessential damaged PI and she is charming and relatable. I hope that this series goes on forever!

Jessica Hired To Find a Missing Girl, But That Number Keeps Growing

The novel opens with four young men driving down a deserted desert highway with a dead woman in the trunk. The atmosphere within the car isn’t any better. As directed by Dusty the driver stopped alongside of the road. Dusty grabbed two flashlights and popped the truck. He told one of them to grab the shovel and start digging.

The storyline switches to Jessica Shaw on her first day of work for Matt Connor with whom she worked in the first novel of this series. Jessica and Matt are sitting with a Laurie’s mother in a restaurant. Laurie has been missing for two months. During the interview, Laurie’s mother told Jessica that her van was discovered on the shoulder of the Twentynine Palms Highway. Also disclosed during the interview were the identities of two other women who disappeared on that same highway. While hired to find one woman, there are now two additional missing women.

The main storyline proceeds with trying to link these three cases as it can’t be a coincidence that all three disappeared along the same desolate highway. I would like to say that the main story line had many twists and turns, but for the first part of the novel, there seems to be only dead ends. My interest was maintained during this part of the novel by flashback chapters in the voice of the victims that describe their interaction with a mysterious individual. There are flashbacks with the victim from the prologue that provides the background leading up to her death. Also, there is another thread in the voice of what appears to be an abductor working on a new abduction. Otherwise, the story is told in the voice of Jessica and Connor. You may have the feeling that all the different voices past and present would cause this novel to be difficult to follow. I did not find that to be the case. In fact, it solidified the grip on my attention.

The B-storylines are centered on Jessica and Matt. From their few days together in the first novel, she found him to be equal parts infuriating and arousing, and he was a frequent liar. As Jessica still needs more hours to qualify to a PI license in California, she asked for a job from Matt. Since less is known about Matt, his B-storyline is a little richer. Their interaction was quite entertaining, especially when a literary grenade exploded! LAPD Detective Payne, Jessica’s father’s old friend, makes an appearance in the B-storyline and a cameo in the main storyline.

As for aspects of the novel about which some reader may object, there was a detailed description of a rape in the voice of the victim so it was more horrifying than titillating. Otherwise there are not any intimate scenes though there was a close call. There is a measurable level of vulgar and questionable language, but it did not rise to an objectionable level for me. In the last chapter when Jessica was driving off away from the sunset, there was one significant loose end that was not tied up. I was starting to be upset. Then, I discovered that there was an epilogue that tied up that loose end to my relief.

I really enjoyed reading Dark Highway. In my opinion, it is an excellent addition to this series. If you liked Thin Air or Bad Memory, you should read Dark Highway. If you haven’t read the those previous novel, you can start reading with this novel as adequate background is provided so you should not feel that you are missing anything. I rate this novel with five stars.

I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Thomas & Mercer with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

I have read Lisa Gray’s books before and she never disappoints. This book drew me in from page one and didn’t let me go until the very end. The characters are strongly drawn and I loved the dialogue, which added such colour to the story. There are many good mysteries out there - this one covers the full range of key ingredients, from suspense to technical detail to characters in whom you can really invest.

Book 3 in the series sees Jessica logging hours towards her California PI license, this time working with Matt Connor. When a missing person investigation comes up, Jessica is drawn to the case, and quickly finds that it's bigger than it seems. Jessica is an engaging character, and you can't help but root for her.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have read the previous Jessica Shaw PI books so that is very helpful. The mystery of 3 seemingly unconnected missing women is tackled by Jessica Shaw and her new boss Matt Connor. There's still chemistry between Matt and Jessica although he is hiding something from her. The mystery and various pov / timeliness weren't confusing to me at all. While I tried to guess things, the plot moved along at a fast clip. I enjoyed it and would read the next one.

I haven't read any previous Jessica Shaw books but that didn't put me off at all, and I was invested in this story right away with no confusion. Very well paced and I liked the characters. Will be checking out the rest of the series for sure

Promising beginning! Who were these guys and what did they do?? Then it changes to Jessica and her story. I didn't really relate to her .As I went on, I forgot the beginning of the book, which was actually really important in the end. There were so many different timelines it got a little confusing and tedious. I probably made a mistake by reading this book without reading the first two in the series. I would have realized that these are probably not really the books for me. But I got a free copy and felt I should finish it and review it so I started skimming parts of the book. so I could find out what happened. I'm so glad I did- the end was really good. I was so surprised! I wish I had been able to get into the book better and had taken the time to savor the whole book. Maybe I'll try again at a later date.

DARK HIGHWAY....Lisa Grey
Her pleas had gone unnoticed as Nick, Junior, and Zee stood by and watched frozen in fear of Dusty. Cade had been sweet on her and had persuaded her to come, it changed when Dusty came, it turned deadly.
Renee, the mother, Jessica and Matt, as private investigators, yet none would say that Laurie Simmons may not be alive.
Deserted strand of highway along twenty nine palms, her van was found, no personal items in it. With the news that 2 others had gone missing in this same area, Story showing that the criminals are going on an about their lives without a thought of the nightmare that had taken place out there. The romance between Jessie and Matt seemed out of place when they should be focus on working the case.
The plot was good and flowed well, giving us a good mystery. As well as showing the love for a child, you want to continue searching till found.
Given ARC by Net Galley and Amazon UK for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

Third book in Jessica Shaw P.I. series.
Jessica is employed by the parents of LA artist Laurie Simmonds to find what happened to her on the 29 Palms Highway.
Jessica discovers there’s are another two women missing from the same area and she and her partner Matt find out these are linked to a group of old college fraternity friends.
Well written, pacy story with likeable main characters (with a few flaws).
This is my favourite so far.
4 Stars.
Thanks to Netgalley For allowing me to read this in return for a fair review.

Dark Highway is the third book in the P.I. Jessica Shaw series. It started well but about half way through I started to lose interest. The missing women's characters started to merge and I couldn't get back into the book. Struggled to finish it, I much prefered the previous Jessica Shaw story.

Dark Highway by Lisa Gray.

When a young artist, Laurie Simmonds, goes missing and her camper van is found abandoned at the Twentynine Palms Highway two months later, Jessica Shaw and Matt Cooper are brought in by her parents to investigate what happened. They discover two other women have gone missing with similar connections. When the identify of a body is discovered in a shallow grave off the highway, this story takes a sharp turn and secrets begin to unravel.

Dark Highway is a fast paced, mysterious thriller with twists that kept me guessing right up until the end! This story is centred around revenge and grief but all is not what it seems. This novel is told through alternating perspectives and different timelines. I enjoyed the engagement between the different character stories, it was well scripted, overlapping but not confounding.

The characters are excellently portrayed, well drawn and distinguishable. The story line was full of suspense and I loved watching the stories come together, I couldn’t put this book down! It has everything you want from a gripping, mysterious read.

I have to admit that this is my first book from the Jessica Shaw series but I will most definitely be adding the first two books in the series to my list!

4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me to read and review Dark Highway.

I’ve mentioned a few times, or maybe more…. that I don’t love series. I read the Kinsey Milhone books by Sue Grafton and that is one of the few series I ever read and looked forward to the coming novels. But Lisa’s series about Jessica Shaw have been excellent and somehow she crafts suspense in every chapter that keeps you turning the pages quickly.

Once you begin reading, you don’t want to stop and that’s the best kind of book. Dark Highway is the latest story and its a must-read.

Check it out:

LA-based artist Laurie Simmonds disappeared two months ago, her campervan abandoned on the isolated Twentynine Palms Highway, miles from anything—or anyone. With the police investigation stalled, her parents put all their faith in private investigator Jessica Shaw to find out the truth of what happened.

Jessica and her partner Matt Connor discover that two other women are missing, their disappearances connected to the same highway. When a link emerges between these women and a group of former college friends, Jessica feels certain they’re closing in on their target.

But no sooner do they follow this up than Laurie’s parents get spooked and drop the case. Jessica is blindsided but determined not to give up: three women are missing, and many more may be at risk. She can’t turn her back on them. But the more she pulls at the threads of the truth, the closer she comes to danger. Can she find out who’s behind these crimes before they come for her?

Though the Jessica Shaw books are a series and this is number 3, you don’t have to read the other books ahead of this one. I think they can be read out of sequence and you won’t be totally lost. Since this comes out on November 19, you have time to read the first couple of books in the series if you want!

Pre-order it here.

This was definitely the best of Lisa Gray so far. She is really evolving into a great story writer with great characters and plots and lots of twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and really look forward to reading the next one,

An interesting, fast-paced, suspenseful layered mystery…

This is the third book in the Jessica Shaw series that can be read as a stand-alone.

Private Investigator Jessica Shaw has returned to Los Angeles joining up with another investigator, Matt Conner, whom she had met previously, while she works on getting licensed in the state. Experienced in missing persons cases she works on locating a woman whose vehicle was abandoned on the Twentynine Palms Highway two months prior. With the police not having made headway into finding their daughter, Laurie Simmonds, the parents sought outside assistance. Research reveals that Laurie was one of three women to vanish from that particular highway. Are these disappearances related? When Jessica finds the correlation between these missing women she knows she’s closer to learning what happened to them but then the clients cancel the investigation. Why would parents do such a thing? There are secrets being kept and Jessica is not one to give up on a case even if there’s no payday at the end.

This book is an interesting, fast-paced, suspenseful layered mystery with a compelling heroine. There are multiple points of view and different timelines as the lives of the missing women unfold around the time of their disappearance which gives the victims real depth. What is happening in the present truly began in the past and Jessica follows the many threads. She’s uniquely qualified to understand the emotions of those searching for the missing.

Though not a prerequisite, having read the previous books in the series gave this reader a deeper understanding of Jessica who has continued to grow over time as life throws its darts at her, she’s an intelligent, tough woman with relatable vulnerabilities. Jessica and Matt have a shared history before this reunion and there are intense moments between them that could prove challenging, sometimes the line between professional and personal can become blurred. I was disappointed in the character of Matt who I had liked in the first book but you never know what an author will do in subsequent books, perhaps he’s still redeemable.

An advanced reading copy was obtained from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book is well written, with excellent characters and a very good plot. The problem is all the jumping back in time, which leads to repetition and could be left out as we learn everything from the investigation anyway.

After reading the first two Jessica Shaw books by Lisa Gray, Thin Air and Bad Memory, I was thrilled to be chosen to review the third in the series, Dark Highway. It is due to be published by Amazon Publishing UK on 19th November 2020. I am back reading my favourite genre and particularly enjoy series where you can really get involved with the characters, like I have with Jessica Shaw. She returns in Dark Highway working as an investigator to get her PI licence, and the case is to find a missing girl. Although it can be read as a stand-alone novel there are references to Jessica’s backstory from the previous books that influence her motivation and behaviour. As the story unfolds and more women are discovered missing Jessica becomes more determined to find them and answers to the mystery surrounding their disappearances. This fast paced page turner is full of surprises that keep you enthralled until the very end. Can’t wait for number 4!
Thank you NetGalley and Amazon for the opportunity to read and review this great book.

Once again another fabulous book by Lisa Gray. I cannot get enough of Jessica Shaw. She’s spunky, tenacious, and fearless. Everything you want in a lead character, really. Dark Highway offers twists you won’t see coming and really just all all around exhilarating, fun read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This is the third in the series and is even better than the previous two.
Easy reading and it will keep you enthralled throughout.

The start of a cold case concerning three women that have a desert road as the common denominator leads to twists and turns to keep one guessing with a satisfying result. Strong characters, well written tension best read under the doona if you are a sooky-la-la.
An independent review for NetGalley / Amazon Publishing

An interesting, fast-paced, suspenseful layered mystery…

This is the third book in the Jessica Shaw series that can be read as a stand-alone.

Private Investigator Jessica Shaw has returned to Los Angeles joining up with another investigator, Matt Conner, whom she had met previously, while she works on getting licensed in the state. Experienced in missing persons cases she works on locating a woman whose vehicle was abandoned on the Twentynine Palms Highway two months prior. With the police not having made headway into finding their daughter, Laurie Simmonds, the parents sought outside assistance. Research reveals that Laurie was one of three women to vanish from that particular highway. Are these disappearances related? When Jessica finds the correlation between these missing women she knows she’s closer to learning what happened to them but then the clients cancel the investigation. Why would parents do such a thing? There are secrets being kept and Jessica is not one to give up on a case even if there’s no payday at the end.

This book is an interesting, fast-paced, suspenseful layered mystery with a compelling heroine. There are multiple points of view and different timelines as the lives of the missing women unfold around the time of their disappearance which gives the victims real depth. What is happening in the present truly began in the past and Jessica follows the many threads. She’s uniquely qualified to understand the emotions of those searching for the missing.

Though not a prerequisite, having read the previous books in the series gave this reader a deeper understanding of Jessica who has continued to grow over time as life throws its darts at her, she’s an intelligent, tough woman with relatable vulnerabilities. Jessica and Matt have a shared history before this reunion and there are intense moments between them that could prove challenging, sometimes the line between professional and personal can become blurred. I was disappointed in the character of Matt who I had liked in the first book but you never know what an author will do in subsequent books, perhaps he’s still redeemable.

A Solid Entry.....
The third in the Jessica Shaw series and a solid entry. Jessica and Matt are on the trail of some missing persons which all appear to be connected to the same area of isolated highway but further they discover links between the women. With the police investigation not going anywhere, the duo are determined to crack the case. An enjoyable read with plenty of twists and turns along the way

This is book 3 in the Jessica Shaw series and I think you need to read the previous books in the series to get a better understanding of Jessica and why she’s working in a private investigator office in order to get her PI license. And book 1 in the series actually introduces the reader to Matt Connor, Jessica’s boss at the PI agency and explains their relationship in more detail than this book.
‘Dark Highway’ begins when Matt and Jessica are hired to look into the disappearance of LA artist Laurie Simmonds who was last seen on an isolated stretch of highway, hours from where she lived. As they begin to investigate, Jessica and Matt discover two other women have disappeared who were last seen on that same stretch of highway and who all have a connection to a crime committed 30 years ago.
I found a ‘Dark Highway’ a bit slow to begin with. It took me until 50% in to really get into the book. I also found it s big confusing and hard to follow with the back and forth in time jumps and chapters from multiple characters perspectives. But it all came together in the end for a great conclusion. And a twist at the very end was good, I wasn’t expecting it. Overall a very solid mystery/suspense novel. 3.5 stars from me.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel, particularly the burgeoning relationship between Jessica and Connor, and the plot twist at the end. My two (minor) criticisms are that 1) the story is a bit repetitive at times when the author covers the same events from multiple viewpoints; and 2) though this is a “Jessica Shaw mystery,” many chapters are devoted to other characters, and their flashbacks, making Jessica at times seem like only a secondary character. Even so, I’d definitely continue with this series.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Great thriller, with a great storyline and great characters, I read this in 2 days

RECOMMEND fully. Jessica & Connor ( the main characters) both P. I. s, are hired to find one missing woman but turns into three. Well written, with lots of mystery surrounding the case. Enjoyed immensely! First time reading this author but will definitely backtrack to read the first two in the series. Thanks to NetGalley & Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this book.

A huge thank you to NetGalley for the copy of Dark Highway by Lisa Gray. It’s packed full of suspense that keeps you guessing until the end. Jessica Shaw is a character you want to continue reading about. She’s a character who’s Journey you want to follow, no matter where she goes. I’ve been a fan since Thin Air and love the direction she’s headed in. It’s a book that any ‘mystery/suspense’ reader should read.

I liked the idea, but the whole book unfortunately didn't work for me. And it's mostly my fault.

There are some very specific things about books that I don't really like, and sadly two of them appeared in this book. First, I don't like flashbacks. Very often I simply skip them. Here, chapters about the past events made almost half of the book. And although I tried to read them, I had the feeling that they did not bring anything new to the main story, except maybe adding depth. Which is actually good. It just wasn’t up to my alley.

The second thing is narrating from too many points of view. There is Jessica POV and Matt POV, there are three points of view for each of the three victims, there is mysterious Dea POV, and there is a point of view of a man who might be the murderer. Oh, and in the prologue, we have a scene from another POV, which does not come back later. It was too much for me. These two things made it not a book for me.

But like I said, I like the general idea of the plot. The way the murders were related to each other and how they were related to past events. And although I fairly quickly predicted who the murderer was and why they chose these particular victims, it was an enjoyable and quick read.

I also liked the characters, especially Jessica and Matt. I haven't read the previous books in this series, so I don't know their story that well. But they're fine, although Jessica, in my opinion, took unnecessary risks sometimes. Also, I'm not entirely sure about the relationship between Jessica and Matt, it is so unreasonably complicated. But maybe this thread will be developed more in the next books.

Overall, it's a good book that just didn't work for me. But I may read previous books in this series or the next ones one day.

This is a solid mystery novel. It was a bit confusing at first with the introduction of several victims and suspects during different time frames, but once I got it all sorted out I began to enjoy the story more. Jessica Shaw is a good protagonist as a PI looking for answers and her side story makes for more drama.

A good mystery thriller. Jessica is a strong female PI who teams up with Connor on a missing persons case and what follows is a solid mystery thriller that follows the tale of a number of missing women. There are strands of predictability, but, overall I found it to be an enjoyable, good read and I’d recommend.
The relationship between Jessica and Connor is an interesting one and despite this being the third in a series it’s a strong standalone and I’m grateful to NetGalley and Amazon publishers for the opportunity to preview.

The third book in the series with PI Jessica Shaw. The story is intertwined with the past events in a nice way. The prologue is an important part in the story though I forgot what I read and went back to read it two thirds of the way after guessing the suspense. That doesn't spoil the conclusion and the epilogue which was befitting. The PIs could do well without the romantic relationship which slows the pace. 4.5 stars. A good series.

Well, well, well, what a surprise this book turned out to be. It is the 3rd book in the series, but could be read as a stand alone. This was my first Lisa Gray novel and my first book of the Jessica Shaw series, but I definitely want to go back to book one and learn more about Jessica.

Jessica has become a private investigator and is at loose ends. She connects with Matt Connor, owner of MAC Investigations. He gives her a missing persons case - a young woman has disappeared near Joshua Tree and her family is desperate to find her. Jessica's investigation connects to the disappearance of two other young women. What is the commonality? If she can figure that out, she can maybe figure out what happened to all of them.

The story and plotting is very good. I liked learning that Jessica herself was once a missing person - that is apparently the story in book one. The conclusion of the novel is action packed and adrenaline inducing, even if you figure out the "whodunnit" part early. Two things keep me from giving this book 5 stars - the first part is all the POV's and timeline shifts. As a reader, it's hard to connect all these people and dots at first and makes the beginning of the book a little disjointed. The 2nd sour note, for me, came when Jessica is "given" the clue that unravels the whole case. It's clunky to the story.

All in all, this was a really good mystery/detective novel and I am excited to have found a new author and series to pursue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC of this book.

interesting mystery, how the disappearance of one woman is linked to three others over a thirty year period. it got confusing at times with the different stories and timeline but ultimately made sense. likeable heroine, the pi working the case

Another thrilling book in the Jessica Shaw series! Jessica is hired to find a missing women and she ends up finding more missing women that are some how linked . You will have to read to find out! I really like Jessica she's a strong female not a fan of Matt. I think the author can just keep the books with Jessica in them. Really like this series and look forward to hopefully more. Great mystery!

Another fab read in the Jessica Shaw series. Such an interesting character and I love how the setting changes with each book as Jessica, being somewhat of a drifter moves on.
Lots of twists and turns to keep the reader turning those pages.

Dark Highway is the third in the Jessica Shaw series from Lisa Gray and it is fair to say that it is a bloody cracker! With a killer hook opening line and a prologue that just reached out and lured me right in, I was hooked from the start!
Lisa Gray writes so effortlessly that you would think this was the 23rd in the series and not the third. She has created a character and put her in a world that feels so real, I open the pages and immediately I am immersed in Jessica Shaw’s world.
Jessica is such a well-rounded and well developed character and that relationship with fellow Private Investigator, Matt Connor is dynamite, I can almost see the sparks flying off the pages! It’s a relationship that would be termed “it’s complicated” if Jessica Shaw had a Facebook page but there is definitely a real connection between them both.
The dialogue just flows so smoothly; it’s hard to believe the author isn’t American, she really has nailed it. Added to this, the sense of place is breath-taking, close your eyes and you can picture yourself in LA. She paints such a vivid picture, it is incredible!
The plot has all the twists and turns you could ask for from a crime thriller and the story is teased out through the use of the POV of the past victims, which I really enjoyed. As they seek to uncover what happened to missing artist, Laura Simmons, it soon becomes clear the desert highway has a dark history and Jessica Shaw won’t stop until and has uncovered it. Not only was this plot action filled and tense, it also drew out all the emotions as the story unfolded; sadness and anger merged together as I read and she took it right to the wire at that end and boy what an ending!
If you haven’t read any of this author’s books then do yourself a favour and get clicking now! You won’t be disappointed!

This is the third book in the Jessica Shaw series. It is not necessary to read the first two before diving into this one. All the reader needs to know is that Jessica Shaw is a private investigator who handles missing persons cases in Los Angeles, California. Dark Highway is a fast paced, mysterious thriller with twists that kept me guessing right up until the end. The characters are excellently portrayed and I couldn’t put this book down.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Private investigator Jessica Shaw, who specializes in missing persons cases, takes a job working for an investigator named Connor. They quickly find themselves hired by a woman to investigate her daughter who went missing in the desert east of LA. Two other missing women were last seen in the same area.

This is the third novel in this series and all can be read as stand alones. I really enjoy this series. I find them to be really engaging procedurals and I like the character of Jessica Shaw a lot. I can't wait for the next one.

Really good thriller that kept me reading into the night. This is a very cleverly thought out story. Jessica is an strong determined character who is determined to get answers. I really liked the twist at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Jessica Shaw and her partner Matt Conner have been hired to find Laurie Simmonds, who disappeared two months ago. Her van was found on a remote stretch of highway. While they are investigating they learn that two other women have gone missing in the same area. Never to be seen again. A good crime thriller which kept me reading late into the night.
Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I actually liked the case; I mean, it was rather sad, with what happened in the past and how it was related with the present time. I thought Jessica did well to work things out and connected the dots.

HOWEVER, I didn't like how "busy" the perspectives here. I didn't remember the previous books to be like that; there was Pryce's chapters in addition to Jessica, but in this book, there was Connor, the victims, the villain, and it was too much. This series is called Jessica Show and it didn't have enough Jessica, in my opinion.

And I really, REALLY didn't like how this author trying to develop Jessica and Connor. I mean, make them work or not. Don't just tangle things, and then added such a BIG DRAMA out of it

I am not really happy with that part, so now I'm not exactly looking forward to the next book 😞

Great page turner!
This is the third book in the series, and I think the best. Jessica Shaw is hired to find a missing artist, a woman named Laurie Simmonds. Her mom is frustrated that the police have stopped searching, even after her van is found abandoned . Laurie's mom lets Jessica and her partner, Matt, know that other woman have also disappeared from the same road.
Jessica and Matt believe there is a link between the woman and some former fiends from college. When a body is discovered in the area where the woman have disappeared, the story takes a different path.
This story was everything you want in a suspense....keeps you guessing and glued to the pages to see what happens next.
I received an advanced copy of the story in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview Dark Highway by Lisa Gray. This is a series book with the lead as a young woman, Jess, Private Investigator, and her partner, Matt.
Jess learns about a missing woman who vanished from a highway in her camper. When it is found, the woman is no where to be found.
As Jess and Matt start to look into this missing person case, they learn that others have disappeared from this highway. There seems to be more to this case and many coincidences that cannot be mistaken.
As the plot unfolds, the complicated history and landscape produce a sinister scenerio that starts Jess to wonder if she can solve this case.
Good series.
3 stars.

Another top notch Jessica Shaw mystery. I enjoyed the other books in the series and was eager to read this one. I’m trying to figure out how to review without giving too much away! But this really kept me guessing (thought I had it figured out, boy was I wrong!). I liked the returning characters, except for her love interest who I hope she replaces with someone who has his head on straight.

Amazing read. I too was conflicted about whether I sympathized with Burden's actions. I loved the end twist. Will definitely read more by Lisa Gray, a wonderful writer.

Another great book in the Jessica Shaw series from Lisa Gray. Jessica is on the trail of a serial killer who is targeting women in along a certain highway. The women don’t seem to have anything that connects them, but do they? Lots of twist and turns along the way, and a very satisfying but surprising ending.

Lisa Gray has become one of my favorite mystery writers. She does a great job of exploring the background of the her characters and making that background an interesting part of her storylines.

Be prepared to read this one in a single night!

A good crime thriller with an intriguing plot and excellent characterization. Lisa Gray keeps the readers engaged with unforeseen plot twists and compelling investigative work by the main character and her partner.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #DarkHighway which was read and reviewed voluntarily.

Overall, this was a solid mystery. I have read all the books in this series and have enjoyed them all. I was interested to see how all of the stories tied together. I was pleased with how they did, but, at times it was easy to get some of the characters confused.. This was an enjoyable read, I just had 2 qualms: the last few chapters seemed rushed and some of the language didn’t match the locale (California). I look forward to the next book in the series and hope to see more character development for the other characters.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica Shaw #3

Laurie Simmonds disappeared two months ago, her campervan abandoned on the isolated Twentynine Palms Highway, miles from anywhere or anyone. The police investigation has been stalled so her parents have put their faith in private investigator, Jessica Shaw, to find out the truth of what happened. Jessica and her partner Matt Connor discover two other women are missing .

I did not know that this book was part of a series when I requested it but it did read well as a standalone. This is a fast paced thriller with lots of twists. We are told the story through multiple points of view. Jessica Shaw is a fearless and likeable character. There's quite a few characters that are introduced at the beginning which made it confusing. This is a great suspenseful read that will keep you guessing. My first read by the author but it won't be my last.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #AmazonPublishingGroupUK and the author #LisaGray for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Gray brings us the third in the Jessica Shaw series but in a pinch you can read them separately and out of order - however, it’s always good to have some background on Jessica and her partner Matt, investigators extraordinaire. This outing, a missing woman, Laurie Simmonds vanished on an isolated road and the police are baffled. We learn in various flashbacks and different POV’s that there is a series kidnapper very close. Fast paced thriller with layers of twists. Jessica is a wonderful character and I definitely want her searching for me if I ever vanish.

After reading and loving the first two books in this series, I was so excited to see where the story would lead in book 3. Maybe I had my expectations too high but this book felt very underwhelming to me. I had no problem figuring out the big twist and from early on I knew where the book was going. While I did enjoy seeing Jessica again, overall the story just felt one dimensional to me. Also there should have been a major trigger warning for rape included in the beginning of this book.

While this book is part of a series, I do not feel like you have to read the first two books to understand what is going on.

A solid mystery, as usual I would have benefitted from reading the other books in the series, I am forever doing this and not reading previous books and it does make a difference. I did still enjoy this book although I found it a little slow in places. I would read more books in this series, and I thought this was an entertaining read.

Twentynine Palms Highway is as isolated as it sounds. It is also the last known location of artist Laurie Simmonds before she disappeared leaving only her campervan behind. Jessica Shaw is the private eye Laurie's parents have hired to try and find their daughter before suddenly changing their mind soon after it is discovered two other girls have also disappeared nearby.

Working with her boss Matt Connor her discoveries led them to believe they were getting close to at least working out what happened before they are removed from the case by Laurie's parents. Jessica is unwilling to let things go, but she is searching for a dangerous perp who is beginning to set their sights on her.

This is a fast paced, completely engrossing, storyline which draws you in and holds you until the very last page. Although I hadn't read the previous books I enjoyed this and didn't feel disadvantaged.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. If you are looking for an easy way to lose a few hours this might just be it.

I am fast becoming addicted to this series and Jessica Shaw grows as a character with every book. Jessica is a Private Eye who, until recently, had been itinerant, picking up jobs as she travelled. Now though, needing to up her hours to get her California PI licence, she has taken on a job working in L.A. with Matt Connor, a PI she goes back a way with and with whom she has some chemistry.

Jessica is in part driven by discovering that she herself was a missing child and that helps fuel her ability to dig deep into missing person cases. This time, Matt’s Agency has been tasked with tracing a missing 24 year old young woman, Laurie, the artist daughter of a wealthy couple.

Jessica is intrigued by this case because the mother has gone to some lengths to suggest that her daughter’s disappearance is linked to other missing women who have disappeared in the same vicinity. The woman’s father though is sceptical and unhelpful; he clearly feels his wife is clutching at damaged straws.

Dark Highway utilises different timelines and characters to give the reader a bird’s eye view of each of the women who went missing, and to introduce witnesses and potential suspects. We learn about the lives of these women and how they lived prior to their disappearance, but it is Jessica’s investigation techniques that will have to piece together what any connection might be and whether that can be helpful in leading to Laurie’s recovery.

The book is fast-paced and the narrative flows really well, despite the changing voices and timelines which serve to keep the readers interest high as we understand the events that led up to the disappearances and also offered some hints as to why they may have been taken.

Jessica, doggedly determined, unsure about what she’s doing back working with Matt Connor but liking it just the same, is an investigator you’d love to go for a drink with. An independent woman who seeks to keep her vulnerable side tucked away, she is a character you warm to, not least because you see and feel, as she investigates the missing women, how strongly she needs to find out what happened to them.

Lisa Gray’s book doesn’t hesitate to go dark and there is one completely relevant, disturbing scene which leads the reader into understanding exactly why these crimes have been committed. Her sense of place and atmosphere is excellent and if I never have to visit the Twentynine Palms Highway, (California State Route 62) I will not fear I have lost out!

VERDICT: Gray brings drama and thrills to these missing person investigations. A gripping narrative arc, some tight plotting and warm, relatable characters make this third book in the series unmissable.

A young woman is missing and her mother contacts Matt Connor of MAC Investigations. With the help of former detective Jessica Shaw, who is now working with Matt, they take the case. Jessica knows about missing persons…she once was one. Finding out that there are two other missing woman who disappeared in the same general area widens the investigation. By adding the two other women to their case, they hope to ascertain if the three women were connected in any way. I was a little confused at first as the story rotates back and forth from the past to the present, but once I realized who the original murder victim was, the story really took off. A very unique and twisted mystery with an ending that I did not see coming. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Dark Highway by Lisa Gray picks up where Bad Memory left off. Private Investigator Jessica Shaw picks up a missing persons case on the first day of her new job at MAC Investigations. 24 year old Laurie Simmonds disappeared without a trace a year earlier. Laurie’s mom hires MAC to search for her believing that there is a link to her daughter’s case and two other missing girls. Jessica’s investigation leads her to some suspicious links between the three women, but is it truly a connection or just a coincidence? And will working with her former love interest prove to be a good idea or lead to more heartbreak?

I really enjoyed this book. I had a really hard time putting it it down. I’ve become a big fan of Jessica Shaw and as much as I wanted to solve the mystery I also wanted to find out what would happened between her and Matt Conner.

The story was a very intriguing one and it was fast! Made me feel like I was on the Starship Enterprise! Jessica Shaw is drawn into a case of a missing woman at the request of her parents. Soon, she finds herself faced with he fact that there are other missing women and she feels there is a "link" involved.

I didn't realize this was Lisa Gray's third book in the series. Now I'm on a quest to read the two books that I've missed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing house for allowing me AC!

Wow. Lisa Gray is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me. Her Jessica Shaw series is just incredible, and Dark Highway was no different. Going into this third book, I was a little apprehensive as Bad Memory was such an incredible book and I was worried that Dark Highway would not live up. I was definitely wrong. Dark Highway is my favourite book in the series so far, and I cannot wait to see what happens in Jessica’s story next. I could not rate this any less than 5 stars!

Murder mysteries are one of my top genres to read, but I think it is because of this that I can be quite selective. I often find they are predictable, or the plot just isn’t developed. Dark Highway has all the components of what I consider a phenomenal murder mystery. An inimitable plot, that was suspenseful and plausible, but not predictable. I was sat reading and my family had to put up with all of my theories, many of which were wrong or quickly changed once I read another part of the puzzle!

I remember reading and reviewing Bad Memory, the second book in this series, and saying that it was a spectacularly written novel. I am going to amend my statement. Lisa Gray is a spectacular writer. I say this because Dark Highway was fast-paced and held my attention throughout. The flashbacks and multiple point of views, something that I struggle with when reading, were absolutely fascinating and added to the overall impact of the novel. This is all the result of Lisa Gray and her incredible writing. She takes a stylistic choice that has the potential to be disjointed and detached, and makes it flow seamlessly. I could not speak any higher of a book as I am.

This book, I have no doubt, will be on my list of favourite reads of 2020. I will be recommending this book, and the Jessica Shaw series to anyone and everyone who will listen. If you are searching for a murder mystery series that will completely captivate you, provide an intriguing plot and main character, and have a story that will leave you questioning what is right and wrong, I recommend you pick up Dark Highway, and the rest of the Jessica Shaw series. This book was truly incredible, and I look forward to reading Lisa Gray’s future books.

Dark Highway is the third instalment in the Private Investigator Jessica Shaw series, set in Los Angeles, California. Jessica specialises in missing persons cases and is currently logging hours towards her California PI license working for Matt Connor’s company MAC Investigations, with whom she has a chemistry with from previous books. The story opens with Nick, Junior, Zee and Dusty driving down the highway in Zee’s Cutlass with a dead woman in the trunk. They stop and Dusty directs his fearful acquaintances to dig a grave and bury the body. Meanwhile, Jessica and Matt hold a meeting with a wealthy new client, Renee Simmonds, the mother of twenty-four-year-old missing Venice artist Laurie Simmonds, who has been missing for two months. Renee informs them that Laurie’s VW campervan was found on the shoulder of a remote and deserted stretch of Twentynine Palms Highway and strangely none of her personal items were inside. Renee feels she has no choice but to hire PIs as the police investigation has stalled. They also know that two other young women, Mallory Wilcox and Amanda Meyers, disappeared from the same area in similar circumstances in cases stretching back three decades.

It doesn't take long before, out of the blue, Laurie’s parents remove MAC from the case. Jessica feels they were getting close to discovering the truth about the three missing girls and isn't about to give up now. This is a compulsive and exciting thriller with a whole lot of action, a believable plot and a cast of engaging characters. I found I wasn't so keen on the sexual tension or romantic attraction between Jessica and Matt as it didn't really add much to the story. That said, I love Jessica as a protagonist as she's a strong, independent woman who knows her own mind, gets results and is nobody's fool. The plot is quite convoluted as it shifts between multiple points of view as well as including flashbacks and although at the beginning it took a little getting used to it, I felt that the transitions were executed pretty seamlessly. There's also a backstory to Jessica that is interesting and is explored more throughout this book. There are ample twists and turns and a great use of red herrings/misdirection with Gray really pulling out all of the stops by ratcheting up the tension towards the end culminating in a spectacular conclusion. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Amazon Publishing for an ARC.

Dark Highway is the third book in the well-written Jessica Shaw series, about a prickly but determined PI working cases in small-town Southern California, by Scottish former journalist Lisa Gray. I had read the two previous instalments but you can easily get into this as a stand-alone, as you get all the necessary backstory and it doesn’t spoil the earlier books either. I enjoyed this missing-person case and am liking Jessica more and more as the series progresses.

Lonely and looking for work, Jessica has ignored her better judgement and gone to untrustworthy but attractive fellow PI Matt Connor for a job. A young artist has gone missing in the desert and her anxious parents hire Matt & Jessica to find her. They soon discover that other women have also vanished in the same area - how do these cases connect to the fate of a young bartender thirty years earlier?

This was a smoothly paced mystery with intriguing characters, and a great sense of place, although for me there were too many clues, so that it was obvious what was going on by at least half way through - I prefer the suspense to last for most of the book. I was still glued to the kindle to find out how things would turn out, and definitely liked the unexpected ending. Jessica is tough but compassionate and smart enough to both solve the mystery and get herself out of trouble without her unreliable partner. I’ll happily continue this series to read more of her adventures.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon UK for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review. Trigger warning for rape (mentioned, not described in detail) and violent attempted rape (described.) Dark Highway is published today.

This is the 3rd book in the Jessica Shaw series. Jessica has teamed up with Connor to solve the mystery of 3 women who have disappeared. Matt Connor is definitely not at the top of my favorite character people - enough said there.

Jessica starts pulling together the pieces of the missing women and the story jumps from her current day investigation to the past where each of the missing women are showcased. It does jump back and forth a little too much for my preference but I understand why it was done. It fleshes out each of the missing women.

I liked how Ms. Gray pulled all the pieces together from the introduction scene, to the missing women, to the families that missed them and the reason behind the crime.

At first I could book the book down, but the further I read the harder it was to put down. This is a solid addition to the series and I look forward to the next book.

If you're searching for a missing person, Jessica Shaw is the one you want on your team. When Laurie Simmonds disappeared from a motel on the Twenty Nine Palms Highway, her family hires her to find their daughter. Jessica and her boss, Matt, discover that Laurie is not the first woman to go missing on this highway. As the pair is following leads to the past of some former college friends and discovering a link between those friends and the missing girls, Laurie's parents ask them to stop their investigation. Jessica has a hard time understanding why parents would do such a thing and continues on the case on her own. She has to find out, what happened, the truth to all the missing girls.
This was a thrilling read and I recommend to read this series in order to fully understand the person that is Jessica Shaw.

A solid four star read. Good premise. Great characters. Enjoyed the style of writing. Plenty of mystery to keep me interested. I guessed the culprit hence the four star review. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

A good entry into the Jessica Shaw series. As usual, Lisa Grey does a great job of creating mystery and intrigue throughout the novel. Loved the setting of LA once again. Unfortunately, the wide array of narrators let this installment down a bit.

Dark Highway would have gotten 5 stars but the authors style of writing or choice of writing from so many different points of view will have readers trying to remember what happened or read the same scene over again with a "Different point of view." Really its the same story and nothing much was added to the story. The flash backs sometimes helped move the story forward but most of the time just stalled out the movement of the story.

Readers will enjoy the lead characters and be able to enjoy the read.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Lisa Gray Dark Highway.

I struggled with this book, probably because it is the third in a series that I haven't read before. The story was good and didn't end where I thought it would however the pace was rather stop/start. I'd recommend starting at book 1 because starting at book 3 was too confusing.

I downloaded this book from Netgalley on a whim, attracted by the book cover, ominously dark and rather restrained compared to other mysteries and thrillers (my latest pet peeve is the thriller cover with a woman running away seen from behind – I’ve seen it way too much). I really lucked out on this one; I’m glad I discovered Lisa Gray and that she has other books out there!

I didn’t know that it was part of a series, but it did read very well independently, although I missed some back stories about PI Jessica Shaw and how she came to work for another PI. I didn’t get to understand exactly why she needed some practice hours before having her own license and business, and what kind of dark trauma she experienced before, but I found her endearing enough, and tenacious as hell, which is a good quality for a PI!

In this story, several people go missing around Los Angeles and Southern California. One is a young female artist, whose affluent parents are paying for a private investigation, as the police is not convinced that the disappearance is suspicious. The young woman’s van was found in a remote part of Twenty Nine Palms highway, without any personal belongings inside, and her mother has heard of two other women disappearing in the same area over a decade or more. Still, given that the client is rather highly strung, the idea that those disappearances might be connected is rather far-fetched, as the three potential victims have nothing in common.

The story really took me for a ride! (pun wholly intended) I began to suspect who the bad guy was at about 3/4 of the book, and still the end of the book managed to pull out some more surprises. The book is clearly more about plots and twists than about character development, and I frankly didn’t care much for Jessica’s personal life itself. There are some titillating flashbacks but not so much that the pace didn’t flow smoothly: I really couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

I didn’t know that the book focused on Twenty Nine Palms Highway of all places, and had I known, I might have skipped the book and missed out. This place (I’ve never been to California) always reminds me of one particular movie, that really shocked me when I watched it many years ago. When it comes to movies I’m really a scaredy cat, but I’m quite ok with violence in books, funnily enough!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book for review consideration.

From page one, I knew that Dark Highway wasn’t for me: a bunch of riffraff driving around in a car with a dead body in the trunk (I am not giving anything away here, this is the first sentence), a nasty, nosy cleaner going through her employer’s garbage and medicine cabinet and crowing about the misfortunes of her wealthy friend who gave her a job. There was nothing decent or likeable about these people and they were not worth my time. Give it a chance up to Chapter 3, then cut my loses.

Thank you to Net Gallery for giving me the opportunity to review many other wonderful books (unfortunately this wasn’t one of them) in exchange for an unbiased review.

The third in the Jessica Shaw series but it stands alone.
jessica is working on becoming a PI in CA. She becomes involved in a case of a missing woman. A case that turns into much much more. A page-turner that I read in one sitting.

I was given a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

What starts as a standard missing person story develops into a real mystery once it is discovered that this was not the first person to go missing along that road. It quickly becomes a hunt to find the connection between these women and so to discover what really happened to them all. A mediocre start but the build up was great and the ending was really good with a final surprise in the last gew pages.

This mystery held my interest and kept me guessing. I loved the setting and felt the plot was fast paced
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

This was a very satisfying entry in the Jessica Shaw series. I loved the mystery and the story and the act of revenge and the uncovering of certain somebodies. I really liked how Gray built up the story and laid it out. It wasn’t the hardest story to figure out, but that was some of the joy of the read. I highly recommend the story for readers of this series, but also for the casual thriller/mystery reader. It’s good stuff.

Dark Highway is the third Jessica Shaw thriller from Lisa Gray. I really hope you haven’t been snoozing on these excellent stories as they are already really high on my annual “most wanted” list. Regular readers may have realised I much prefer reading about recurring characters; I really enjoy following the character evolution as new books are released and Jessica Shaw has already got a cracking back story in place which the author has been able to build on in Dark Highway. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy Dark Highway as a stand alone thriller if you haven’t read the first two books – you most certainly can come into this one with no prior knowledge of Jessica and her previous expolits.

We join the story with a hell of an opening paragraph. Eighteen words and scene guaranteed to keep you reading – no spoilers but I will confirm the presence of a corpse. So straight into the action and a small group with a big problem and there is division in their ranks. Lisa Gray doing exactly what is needed to draw me into her world once again.

Cut to Jessica Shaw and she is hired to find missing artist Laurie Simmonds. She hasn’t been seen for a couple of months and her mother wants her found – even suggesting there is a connection to other missing women. Jessica and her partner, Matt, start digging and it isn’t long before Jessica thinks there may be some truth in the suggestion that there are some common elements to the disappearances she is looking into. However, Laurie’s father is about to pull the plug on Jessica’s case and bring her investigations crashing to a halt.

Laurie will need to convince Matt that they can’t just walk away from these missing women. Matt and Laurie have some history and there is more than a little chemistry between them but their relationship is currently a business one and doing pro-bono work will not pay the bills. A confrontation is brewing and Jessica knows she can’t simply forget about Laurie Simmonds.

Dark Highway is a multi layered story which also takes readers back a few years to follow the story of a single mum, working in a bar near the same highway where Laurie Simmonds was last seen. The steps back in time give readers a brief respite from Jessicas troubles but you know that there is going to be some connection between past and present events. Well there may be but I certainly must confess to being well off the mark as a tried to guess where the story was heading. Dark times lie ahead and the author takes the readers to some grim scenes which sustain the excellent edgy feel of this series.

Although I have not had the opportunity to hear the Dark Highway audiobook yet I did listen to the previous book (Bad Memory) through Audible and I was delighted to see Amy Landon is returning to narrate Dark Highway. Amy did a magnificent job on Bad Memory and I thought her voice captured the tone and feel of the story perfectly – I am quite sure that magnificience will carry over into Dark Highway. Audiobooks are always a more enjoyable experience when the narrator is such a good fit for the story you are listening to.

As I alluded to at the start of my review – I am a huge fan of the Jessica Shaw books. I strongly encourage everyone to read Dark Highway and if you are new to the series you can’t go far wrong if you pick up Thin Air and Bad Memory too.

A young woman's disappearance from the middle of nowhere on Twentynine Palms Highway....if you've travelled this road, it could be the road to nowhere....leaves so many unanswered questions that her parents hire private investigators to find her, and so enters Jessica Shaw. Very quickly, her investigation reveals there have been several young women disappear along the same stretch of highway never to be found. As she moves closer to an answer, the girl's parents suddenly change their minds. WTH? This story moves quickly with the characters always a step ahead of the readers. Multiple POVs add layers of mystery and several more questions to Jessica's search but they also add suspects and motives that keep us all guessing. An excellent 3rd book in a well written series.

When young artist Laurie Simmonds disappears without a trace, save for her campervan found abandoned on an isolated highway miles from home, her parents hire private investigator Jessica Shaw to figure out where their daughter is. Jessica and her partner soon discover that this desolate stretch of highway in the California desert has dark connections to several other missing women and a long-forgotten college scandal.

Page-turner! I did NOT want to put this one down. The plot has a good pace with an ending full of adrenaline and a sympathetic villain which I enjoy in a story. There were a lot of perspectives going on which at times made it hard to keep track, especially towards the beginning when trying to find how they’re all related, but also added depth to the overall plot. I constantly found myself trying to put my own detective skills to the test to sort everything out before Jessica. Overall an enjoyable read I would recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced review copy of this book, but as always al opinions are my own!

This is a fairly even-keeled mystery novel. Some twists, all the necessary detective work, with a romance thrown in. This is the third book in the series and Jessica keeps getting better!

I am loving this series, its gets better with ever new book. It is a great story with many twists and turns, it kept me gripped throughout.
I'm looking forward to reading more.

Lisa Gray is a strong storyteller and her mystery-suspense series improves with each new title. As with the previous thrillers Thin Air and Bad Memory, this one features feisty private investigator Jessica Shaw. The sorrows and challenges if Jessica’s past make her a relatable character. Meanwhile, her daring responses to the dangerous predicament keep the reader turning pages.

Possibly my favorite book in the Shaw series. Well written, engaging, and filled with suspense. Worth the read.

I wish they would drop the romance subplot - minor criticism.

This was a very good mystery told from several POV. It was fast paced, suspenseful, and a great addition to the series. I loved that there were multiple clues as I followed along on the investigation.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

Laurie Simmonds disappeared two months ago, her campervan abandoned on the isolated Twentynine Palms Highway, miles from anywhere or anyone. The police investigation has been stalled so her parents have put their faith in private investigator, Jessica Shaw, to find out the truth of what happened. Jessica and her partner Matt Connor discover two other women are missing .

I did not know that this book was part of a series when I requested it but it did read well as a standalone. This is a fast paced thriller with lots of twists. We are told the story through multiple points of view. Jessica Shaw is a fearless and likeable character. There's quite a few characters that are introduced at the beginning which made it confusing. This is a great suspenseful read that will keep you guessing. My first read by the author but it won't be my last.

I find this series to be riveting and this newest book didn't disappoint. In fact, I think it's the best so far. Jessica Shaw is one of my favorite protagonists. She's tough, smart and incredibly vulnerable. The book is full of twists and turns and a little more of Jessica's background comes to light.

Fabulous story that I could not put down. Would highly recommend to fans of this genre. Great writing, and I will look for more from this author.

The book was great, but I did not feel it was time for this type of fiction. I'll be continuing reading it in another period of time and for sure I'll love it!

Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

I love this series, each time getting to know Jessica a bit better, this action packed book kept me guessing until the very end, Jessica saw a connection between three missing women and doesn't stop until she finds it, I hope there is another in the series. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC for reivew.

Non stop suspense and non stop twists and turns. I normally don't like when perspectives change during the book but every chapter left you on a cliff hanger and you learned a lot about the characters which made you feel empathy for them and wanted them to succeed