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A review by lynguy1
The Devil You Know by P.J. Tracy
4.0
This is the third book in the series featuring Los Angeles Police Department Detective Margaret Nolan. The first chapter grabs readers and pulls them into a police procedural that is full of murder, investigation, and the personal lives of the characters.
Margaret is competitive, hates to lose, loves her job, and has a sense of humor. However, she also isn’t sure where she wants her relationship with Detective Remy Beaudreau to go. She’s relatable and the secondary characters were very well developed. However, there are a lot of them. It might be easier to assimilate them if one has read the first two books in the series as some are reoccurring characters.
After the first chapter, the second chapter seemed somewhat out of place. It took a while for both chapters to fit into the story line. However, the novel is enjoyable and everything comes together well. The plot is twisty and the story gradually builds momentum, but the conclusion was slightly predictable. Despite this, I enjoyed the descriptive story that had a great mix of investigation and the personal lives of the characters.
The author balances the shocking and upsetting aspects of the novel with the personal lives of several of the main characters plus the ongoing investigation. With actors, police officers, talent agents, veterans, and musicians, there is a look at the life behind the scenes that many don’t see. Themes include death, murder, friendship, family, privilege, and much more.
Overall, this was a complex police procedural with compelling characters. With the several sub-plots, it kept me turning the pages. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. While this worked as a standalone novel for me, I believe the series would be best read in order.
St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and P.J. Tracy provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for January 17, 2023.
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My 3.86 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
Margaret is competitive, hates to lose, loves her job, and has a sense of humor. However, she also isn’t sure where she wants her relationship with Detective Remy Beaudreau to go. She’s relatable and the secondary characters were very well developed. However, there are a lot of them. It might be easier to assimilate them if one has read the first two books in the series as some are reoccurring characters.
After the first chapter, the second chapter seemed somewhat out of place. It took a while for both chapters to fit into the story line. However, the novel is enjoyable and everything comes together well. The plot is twisty and the story gradually builds momentum, but the conclusion was slightly predictable. Despite this, I enjoyed the descriptive story that had a great mix of investigation and the personal lives of the characters.
The author balances the shocking and upsetting aspects of the novel with the personal lives of several of the main characters plus the ongoing investigation. With actors, police officers, talent agents, veterans, and musicians, there is a look at the life behind the scenes that many don’t see. Themes include death, murder, friendship, family, privilege, and much more.
Overall, this was a complex police procedural with compelling characters. With the several sub-plots, it kept me turning the pages. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. While this worked as a standalone novel for me, I believe the series would be best read in order.
St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and P.J. Tracy provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for January 17, 2023.
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My 3.86 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.