Author: Erica Spindler
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date of publication: August 2017
Officer Miranda Rader of the Hammond PD in Louisiana is known for her honesty, integrity, and steady hand in a crisis—but that wasn’t always so. Miranda comes from Jasper, just south of Hammond, a place about the size of a good spit on a hot day, and her side of the tracks was the wrong one. She’s worked hard to leave the girl she used to be behind and earn respect in her position as an officer.
However, when Miranda and her partner are called to investigate the murder of one of the town’s most beloved college professors, they’re unprepared for the gruesomeness of the scene. This murder is unlike any they’ve ever investigated, and just when Miranda thinks she’s seen the worst of it, she finds a piece of evidence that chills her to the core: a faded newspaper clipping about a terrible night from her long-buried past. Then another man turns up dead, this one a retired cop, and not just any cop—Clint Wheeler, the cop who took her statement that night. Two murders, two very different men, two killings that on the surface had nothing in common—except Miranda. 14 years ago.
And when her fingerprints turn up at the scene of the first murder, Miranda once again finds herself under the microscope, her honesty and integrity doubted, her motivations questioned. Alone again, the trust of her colleagues shattered, Miranda must try to trust the instincts she’s pushed down for so long, and decide what’s right—before it’s too late.
The Other Girl is the latest stand alone from Erica Spindler. For the most part I enjoyed this mystery. I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong in most of my theory about what was going on. In fact, the reveal was fairly surprising. The story waffles between the investigation now and the events of her abduction when she was fifteen. The mystery was the strongest and most engaging part of the story.
What I didn't care for was Miranda herself. She made a lot of dumb decisions throughout the investigation that ended up getting her into more trouble. I'm not sure she is a character I would want to read more about in the future. I also could have done without the romance. It fell flat for me and really wasn't too necessary. I don't feel like the story would have suffered without it. It's a fairly quick read, so I recommend giving it a try. It wasn't as strong as The Fist Wife (which I loved). But, it's still worth picking up.
Author: Erica Spindler
Publisher: Erica Spindler
Date of publication: November 2016
The countdown continues . . .
Detectives Micki Dare and Zach Harris are back in TRIPLE SIX, their second adventure in Erica Spindler’s supernatural thriller series The Lightkeepers.
It's been three months since that night - the night that Micki almost died. Physically, she's healed but the nightmares remain, and she can't shake the feeling that more happened that night than Zach is telling her. The only thing she can do is try to carry on as normal and solve the latest case she and Zach have been assigned to.
A string of brutal home invasions are rocking New Orleans and the families targeted seemingly have nothing in common. Why were these victims chosen? The deeper Micki and Zach go into the case, the more they realize something isn't right. There's something . . . familiar about the person doing this - and it's a familiarity Micki has been trying to forget. Suddenly, this case is hitting too close to home and Micki has to decide if she really wants to learn the truth about that night . . .
Triple Six is the sequel to The Final Seven which I reviewed last year. I would say you might want to read the first book before this one in order to really have a handle on what is going in the second book. The author does do a good job of catching the reader up, but I still think readers would benefit from having the first book under their belt.
This story takes place about 3 months after the events of the first book. Micki and Zach are working well together and solving cases. However, Micki isn't convinced that Zach has told her everything about the night that she almost died. Now an old threat is back and seems to be wrapped up in the current string of home invasions. I'm not going to talk about the plot too much as there is a lot packed into this and I don't want to give spoilers.
I liked this one sightly more than the first one. I thought Micki and Zach felt more comfortable with each other as partners. The one character that just annoyed me to no end was Angel. She was so whiny and ungrateful here. She is clearly being duped but is too dumb to see it. Then she wonders why Micki wants to keep such a close eye on her. She just seemed too naive for an 18YO who had been in foster care and seen more than the average person. The mystery wasn't too hard to figure out but there were a couple of surprised thrown in. The ending clearly leaves room for a third book. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Author: Erica Spindler
Publisher: Sphere
Date of publication: February 2016
The first Saturday in July. . .
A missing coed . . .
The number seven carved into her door . . .
The countdown has begun.
THE FINAL SEVEN
New Orleans Detective Micki Dee Dare is a seasoned, no-nonsense cop. She doesn't need a partner, especially not Zach “Hollywood” Harris, an irreverent charmer, fresh out of an experimental FBI program. And her assignment — keep him alive while he fights crime using the special skills he brings to the table — is not what she signed up for. But the die has been cast and there's nothing she can do about it.
The Final Seven was a random audio pick from my library. I had really liked The First Wife, so I was hoping to like this one just as much. The Final Seven is completely different from the The First Wife. It's the first in a new supernatural mystery series. For the most part, I did enjoy the book. Micki is a detective who is assigned a new partner. Zach is an undercover FBI agent, well kind of, who is assigned to be Micki's partner. It seems that the government has acknowledged there is a 6th sense and the FBI has been using "sixers" for a while. Now it's time to infiltrate the local police departments with them. Micki's job is to keep Zach safe and keep things quiet.
I was completely on board with the plot of this book. I really like the premise and characters. Micki is pretty tough as nails and reminded me a lot of Eve Dallas from the "In Death" series. I also thought Zach was funny and refreshing. I liked how he always kept coming out smelling like a rose in any situation.
The mystery of the missing coeds was going really well...until the last 20% of the book. I'm not sure I still understand what the Lightkeepers are and what the Dark was trying to do. The last scene for me was confusing and I'm still not sure what happened. I did like it enough to go onto the next book, but I am really hoping the author builds the world a little better than she did in this book.
