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A review by danubooks
The Devil You Know by P.J. Tracy
4.0
A mystery full of scandal and Hollywood glamour confronts Detective Margaret Nolan in her third outing.
The career of Ethan Hobbes, former teen heartthrob and popular actor, is on the verge of destruction. A salacious video of Ethan with an underaged sex partner has been released, and the public is outraged. He swears its a deepfake, and while people like his agent Seth believe him, others don’t….including Seth’s boss, who wants Ethan cut loose immediately. The situation is resolved when, the morning after an A-list party at the home of a Disney head, Ethan’s body is discover amidst the rubble of a rockslide in Malibu. As Detective Nolan begins the investigation, it seems like it might have been a drunken misadventure….but then another body turns up. And another. All are from the highest levels of Hollywood influence, and so are the suspects. When you are investigating people who have risen to the top of the world of make-believe, it is almost impossible to know who can be believed. Nolan is going to need all the help she can get to find out who is behind this string of murders, and to prevent the body count from climbing.
From an author best know for the Monkeewrench series, this is a well-crafted mystery full of plot turns and a fascinating web of characters. You don’t need to have read the first two installments in the series in order to enjoy this one (I hadn’t, though I intend to rectify that). There are several characters who play a supporting role here that were introduced in the earlier works, but not knowing their full backstory doesn’t impede the reading of this one. P J Tracy has always presented well-developed characters and chronicled their relationships within the context of each novel, and the same is true here. I recommend The Devil You Know not just to fans of the Monkeewrench and Nolan series, but to lovers of a well-plotted whodunnit full of complex characters and to those fascinated by the lives and woes of the rich and famous. Many thanks to Sara Beth Haring of St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for letting me get a sneak peak at The Devil You Know
The career of Ethan Hobbes, former teen heartthrob and popular actor, is on the verge of destruction. A salacious video of Ethan with an underaged sex partner has been released, and the public is outraged. He swears its a deepfake, and while people like his agent Seth believe him, others don’t….including Seth’s boss, who wants Ethan cut loose immediately. The situation is resolved when, the morning after an A-list party at the home of a Disney head, Ethan’s body is discover amidst the rubble of a rockslide in Malibu. As Detective Nolan begins the investigation, it seems like it might have been a drunken misadventure….but then another body turns up. And another. All are from the highest levels of Hollywood influence, and so are the suspects. When you are investigating people who have risen to the top of the world of make-believe, it is almost impossible to know who can be believed. Nolan is going to need all the help she can get to find out who is behind this string of murders, and to prevent the body count from climbing.
From an author best know for the Monkeewrench series, this is a well-crafted mystery full of plot turns and a fascinating web of characters. You don’t need to have read the first two installments in the series in order to enjoy this one (I hadn’t, though I intend to rectify that). There are several characters who play a supporting role here that were introduced in the earlier works, but not knowing their full backstory doesn’t impede the reading of this one. P J Tracy has always presented well-developed characters and chronicled their relationships within the context of each novel, and the same is true here. I recommend The Devil You Know not just to fans of the Monkeewrench and Nolan series, but to lovers of a well-plotted whodunnit full of complex characters and to those fascinated by the lives and woes of the rich and famous. Many thanks to Sara Beth Haring of St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for letting me get a sneak peak at The Devil You Know