ARC Book Review- Shattered by Allison Brennan

A new cold case has Max Revere's attention and this time it draws in FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid and her family. Will Max and Lucy find the answers they need before another killing is discovered?

My Rating for SHATTERED is: 5 Stars and a Recommended Read

For Max Revere, finding the truth is her call as she investigates cold cases that catch her attention. When one of her college friends calls her up to help find the truth in the matter of his son’s death. Is his wife a killer or did someone else do it? Max can’t help since the trial is less than 2 weeks away and the police as well as the DA insist they have the right person on trial for the murder. When Max finds three other cases that are similar in nature, she dives into those cold cases hoping that in solving those cases she might be able to help her friend.

What Max gets when she goes to San Diego and the first cold case/murder, Justin Stanton, is a father determined to find the answers to his son’s murder but when she finds out the father wants her to work with his former sister-in-law, well let’s just say Max is less than pleased. But when FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid Rogan strolls through the door, Max finds herself facing a woman who is determined to find justice, to find the truth in her nephew’s murder as well as the other two cold cases. Lucy finds Max’s theory compelling and intrigued from the start. But as these two formable women draw closer to the answers they search for, another child is in the cross-hairs of the killer. Will Max and Lucy be able to figure the truth out and get justice for those three families? And will Max be able to tell her friend what the truth is in his son’s murder without breaking his already fragile heart into a million pieces?

SHATTERED brings two series by this acclaimed and talented author together in a story that literally will leave you on the edge of your seat, flipping (or in my case swiping the screen) pages to see where Max and Lucy go next. It’s tense, engrossing and downright enthralling as the reader finally finds out what happened to Lucy’s nephew twenty years before. This story is layered and totally intriguing with a few twists I didn’t see coming. The writing is tight and the pace of the story flows quickly. I highly enjoyed Max and Lucy together and apart as both women try to work within the parameters of the law and their own ethics and morals. What really intrigued me was how Max couldn’t read Lucy at all. Max takes pride in figuring people out and it was fun to see her so stymied over trying to see what makes Lucy tick, so to speak. I also loved seeing the Kincaid family again. Those scenes are heartbreaking, joyful and at times quite tension filled as family dynamics go into play, even in a fictional world such as this one. Ms. Brennan does a wonderful job conveying so many characters personalities and vulnerabilities within the pages of SHATTERED. I loved how Lucy has grown as a person with in the series and her love story with Sean continues though not as focused in the story as it is Lucy’s series.

SHATTERED is more than a mystery/thriller, its about the characters as well. They are well written, multidimensional people that I would adore meeting and basking in their presence for a day, heck even an hour. Sean and Lucy are delightful especially since I finished Make Them Pay (Lucy Kincaid #12) and Two to Die For (two book anthology) recently. The author does an amazing job having the characters grow with each book, showing how they are strong yet also putting the spotlight on their vulnerabilities as well. Max and Lucy are tough women, determined to find truth and justice no matter what, even as they cross lines at times to get that information. Ms. Brennan delivers a heart pounding ride from start to finish and its one you cannot help but want to go along with them. All I can say is buckle up, it’s about to get bumpy!

If you haven’t tried either series I highly recommend you grab the books, settle in and binge read them. They are highly entertaining and this is one author I automatically buy or pre-order because her books are just that good. I look forward to seeing where both Lucy and Max go in the future and see what this author has in store for them next because the ending of Shattered leaves the reader with not answers but a whole lot more questions than ever before.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Find Shattered on sale on August 22nd and you can pre-order the book at Amazon now

Max Revere Series:

Book 1: Notorious

Book 2: Compulsion

Book 3: Poisonous

Book 4: Shattered (out on 8/22/17)

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Check out Two to Die For as it includes two stories set in these series for the readers to enjoy while they wait for the next books in the series. 

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Discover the entire reading list of the Lucy Kincaid series HERE

The next book in this series is out on January 30th, 2018 and you can pre-order Breaking Point, from Amazon now!

About 'Breaking Point':

Bella Caruso survived a nightmare of abuse and betrayal. Today, she has dedicated her life to saving other young women from the hell that almost killed her―first as an officer of the law, then by stepping outside the law and into the darkness where true evil dwells. Now, it appears that the darkness has taken her once again.

JT Caruso often worries about his sister, given her line of work. This time, when he learns that Bella is working undercover to find a missing girl involved in a dangerous prostitution ring, JT asks FBI Special Agent Lucy Kincaid for help.

Even with Lucy’s extensive experience in running down human traffickers, finding Bella will not be easy. Not only because she is in too deep. But because Bella, who will not rest until she saves the girl, doesn’t want to be found…