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Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Review: The Devil You Know by P.J. Tracy

Author: P.J. Tracy
Publisher: Minatour Books
Publication Date: January 2023

LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan returns in The Devil You Know, the next book in the series where P. J. Tracy “seems to have found her literary sweet spot” (New York Times Book Review).

Los Angeles has many faces: the real LA where regular people live and work, the degenerate underbelly of any big city, and the rarified world of wealth, power, and celebrity. LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan’s latest case plunges her into this insular realm of privilege, and gives her a glimpse of the darkness behind the glitter.

The body of beloved actor Evan Hobbes is found in the rubble of a Malibu rockslide a day after a fake video ruins his career. It’s not clear to Nolan if it’s an accident, a suicide, or a murder, and things get murkier as the investigation expands to his luminary friends and colleagues. Meanwhile, Hobbes’ agent is dealing with damage control, his psychotic boss, and a woman he’s scorned. But when his powerful brother-in-law is murdered, he and Nolan both find themselves entangled in a scandalous deception of deadly proportion that shakes the very foundation of Hollywood’s untouchables.

The Devil You Know is the third book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series.  I  think this one works OK as a stand alone book. There aren't really many spoilers for the first two books.  This time around, she is investigating the deaths of some elite players in Hollywood.  

This was definitely not my favorite of the three.  There were too many characters and suspects. I listened to the audiobook and I found myself drifting and had to re-listen to parts.  It's more of a straight msytery.  I didn't feel any of the thrill that I felt in the first two books.  I felt like I was wathcing a storyline of the week in a weekly cop show.  It did nothing to advance or grow the main characters.  It was fine.   

Not sure why Seth was included in this one.  His story-line contributed nothing to the book.  I didn't love where his relationship with his female friend went.  It didn't feel authentic and just felt awkward.  Maybe the ancestor that he decides to investigate in the end will be relevant in the next book.  I just feel like it could have been left out of this one and nothing would have been lost.  The same with Maggie's relationship with Remy.  If he didn't show up in this one, nothing would have been lost.  

I would say if you are a fan of the first two books, try this one out.  It's fine, it's just not up to the same standards as the first two books. 



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