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Procedural Crime #3
Looks That Kill
She’ll uncover the truth of her childhood
even if it gets her killed
Private investigator Natalie Bolt has secrets—and not just about the attempted murder she witnessed. But revealing her true identity to prosecutor Max Winter could cost her the information he has that she desperately needs. Max has no idea their investigation into a cold case kidnapping victim will lead to Natalie herself. Or that the criminals are still targeting the woman he’s falling for…
even if it gets her killed
Private investigator Natalie Bolt has secrets—and not just about the attempted murder she witnessed. But revealing her true identity to prosecutor Max Winter could cost her the information he has that she desperately needs. Max has no idea their investigation into a cold case kidnapping victim will lead to Natalie herself. Or that the criminals are still targeting the woman he’s falling for…
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2022
About the author
Amanda Stevens
257 books2,210 followersAmanda Stevens is the award-winning author of over fifty novels, including the modern gothic series, The Graveyard Queen. Her books have been described as eerie and atmospheric, “a new take on the classic ghost story.” Born and raised in the rural south, she now resides in Houston, Texas, where she enjoys binge-watching, bike riding and the occasional Horror Night with friends.
The Graveyard Queen trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrCf_e...
http://twitter.com/AmandaStevensTX
http://facebook.com/amandastevensbooks
[email protected]
The Graveyard Queen trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrCf_e...
http://twitter.com/AmandaStevensTX
http://facebook.com/amandastevensbooks
[email protected]
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 29, 2022
I loved this three book trilogy and really liked this book. This book will be much more enjoyable if the prior two books in the trilogy are read first. The main characters in this book are looking into a cold case of a kidnapping several years earlier and each have unexpected connections to the case. (Note: the cast of characters and description on the back of the book gives the name of the female main character as Natalie Bolt, but throughout the book itself, she is called Avery.) I enjoyed the chemistry and teamwork between Avery, a private investigator, and Max a district attorney.
I really loved this trilogy and the fact that the emphasis was on the investigation with some romance included in each story. I like that there was an overarching storyline that continued through each of the three books but that the prior two books also had separate cases that were resolved within that book. I enjoyed the ending, but felt after reading three books, there would be more of a payoff from the ending. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that the readers should have been able to read more interactions between the characters at the end. Perhaps these characters will come back in a new series. If not, it was a good ending to the book and the series. However, with more details and one or two more chapters it could have been great.
I really loved this trilogy and the fact that the emphasis was on the investigation with some romance included in each story. I like that there was an overarching storyline that continued through each of the three books but that the prior two books also had separate cases that were resolved within that book. I enjoyed the ending, but felt after reading three books, there would be more of a payoff from the ending. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that the readers should have been able to read more interactions between the characters at the end. Perhaps these characters will come back in a new series. If not, it was a good ending to the book and the series. However, with more details and one or two more chapters it could have been great.
July 27, 2022
I love this series, and I'm so glad we reached a happily ever after for this family. I love Amanda Steven's intrigues as she puts you through the wringer from page one until the last page. Looks That Kill is extremely hard to review with any kind of depth simply because it would spoil not only this book but the first two books. Amanda carried the mystery through all three books seamlessly, and the way she tied this story up was satisfying and heartwarming. You can't go wrong grabbing this three-part Intrigue series from Amanda Stevens! She'll keep you turning pages book after book.
August 6, 2022
I was not expecting this to go the way it did! Wow, great series and characters who are deep and fleshy! Excellent story and a awesome mystery adventure!!!
August 31, 2022
Good conclusion to the Procedural Crime trilogy. While it can be read as a stand-alone, reading the previous books gives an added depth to understanding events and motives. Also note: in the cast of characters in the front of the book and the book's blurb, the female main character is called Natalie. However, in the book's text, her name is Avery, which is how she is referred to in my review.
Avery is a private investigator from Houston. She came to Black Creek looking for answers about her childhood. She gets caught up in an attempted murder and saves the life of ADA Max Winter. When she discovers he's investigating the same cold case kidnapping that drew her attention, she proposes working together. Max is a by-the-book prosecutor known for his winning record. He isn't sure he trusts what Avery tells him, but something about her draws him in.
I enjoyed following their investigation. Avery is more of a risk-taker than Max and gets into some tense situations though she always manages to get out of them. Max is more restrained, but as a local, he is more familiar with the subjects of the investigation. There are some interesting twists as Max and Avery uncover long-held secrets, not the least of which is a link to Avery herself. The intensity increases as it becomes clear that someone doesn't like their attention. The final confrontation was a nail-biter that I didn't see coming.
The romance between Max and Avery was mainly in the background. There was a connection between them from the moment they met, though trust took a little longer. Along with the connection was an attraction neither could deny, though they agreed to put it on hold until their investigation was over. I liked seeing Avery trust Max with the reason she came to Black Creek and Max's belief in her. The resolution of that reason was emotional and believable. I liked that there were no insta-love declarations between Avery and Max but a good solid plan for future time spent together.
#netgalley
Avery is a private investigator from Houston. She came to Black Creek looking for answers about her childhood. She gets caught up in an attempted murder and saves the life of ADA Max Winter. When she discovers he's investigating the same cold case kidnapping that drew her attention, she proposes working together. Max is a by-the-book prosecutor known for his winning record. He isn't sure he trusts what Avery tells him, but something about her draws him in.
I enjoyed following their investigation. Avery is more of a risk-taker than Max and gets into some tense situations though she always manages to get out of them. Max is more restrained, but as a local, he is more familiar with the subjects of the investigation. There are some interesting twists as Max and Avery uncover long-held secrets, not the least of which is a link to Avery herself. The intensity increases as it becomes clear that someone doesn't like their attention. The final confrontation was a nail-biter that I didn't see coming.
The romance between Max and Avery was mainly in the background. There was a connection between them from the moment they met, though trust took a little longer. Along with the connection was an attraction neither could deny, though they agreed to put it on hold until their investigation was over. I liked seeing Avery trust Max with the reason she came to Black Creek and Max's belief in her. The resolution of that reason was emotional and believable. I liked that there were no insta-love declarations between Avery and Max but a good solid plan for future time spent together.
#netgalley
August 24, 2022
The conclusion of this trilogy was just as good as I hoped it would be.
Maya Lamb’s family had been living a nightmare ever since she’d been taken from her bedroom nearly three decades ago.
Avery comes to the small town of Black Creek looking for answers. She runs into trouble immediately.
Max is helping with the investigation of a home invasion and shooting. He’s not a cop he’s a lawyer.
On rare occasions, he would sometimes go outside and sit on the courthouse steps to watch the night.
Most people would consider it a ghoulish pastime considering what had happened out there, but Max had never been too concerned with what others thought of him.
This author knows how to keep you on the edge with the creepy atmosphere and a 28 year old mystery. The shocking conclusion was totally unexpected.
Maya Lamb’s family had been living a nightmare ever since she’d been taken from her bedroom nearly three decades ago.
Avery comes to the small town of Black Creek looking for answers. She runs into trouble immediately.
Max is helping with the investigation of a home invasion and shooting. He’s not a cop he’s a lawyer.
On rare occasions, he would sometimes go outside and sit on the courthouse steps to watch the night.
Most people would consider it a ghoulish pastime considering what had happened out there, but Max had never been too concerned with what others thought of him.
This author knows how to keep you on the edge with the creepy atmosphere and a 28 year old mystery. The shocking conclusion was totally unexpected.
August 16, 2022
Natalie Bolt is a private investigator with secrets of her own, who travels to Black Creek, Florida, from Texas, to break into a stranger's house, for reasons unknown to us. She just happens to be there when the owner of the house, June Chapman, is shot, and calls 911, but leaves before the police show up. It turns out that June isn't the only person she's going to save that night, though, as she ends up saving the life of ADA Max Winter, as well. When Max finds out who she is, they work together to solve not only the current mystery, but a cold case from 30 years ago that just might lead to Natalie finding out about her own past, and the perpetrators are a whole lot closer to home than anybody thinks.
This is the first book in the Procedural Crime Story series that I had read, but I didn't feel like I missed out on the story because of it as it definitely worked as a stand-alone. I'm a huge fan of Amanda Stevens, and this book just reinforced why! The characters were well-written and multidimensional, the plot was engaging and kept me guessing to the end, and the pacing was spot on. In fact, I enjoyed this book so much, I'm going to go back and read the first two books in the series, as well!
Highly recommend - 5 out of 5 stars.
*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Harlequin Intrigue, and Amanda Stevens for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is the first book in the Procedural Crime Story series that I had read, but I didn't feel like I missed out on the story because of it as it definitely worked as a stand-alone. I'm a huge fan of Amanda Stevens, and this book just reinforced why! The characters were well-written and multidimensional, the plot was engaging and kept me guessing to the end, and the pacing was spot on. In fact, I enjoyed this book so much, I'm going to go back and read the first two books in the series, as well!
Highly recommend - 5 out of 5 stars.
*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Harlequin Intrigue, and Amanda Stevens for the opportunity to read and review this book.
April 14, 2024
I will start by saying I finished this book in one day, practically in one sitting. This is thanks to two things: a lovely day on the back patio with not a lot of interruptions and this well told story moved fast!
I didn't read the first two books in the trilogy, but I will go look for them and complete the story. That I didn't read the first two books did not diminish my enjoyment of this book.
I will also say that I haven't read a Harlequin novel in a very very long time. I used to read my grandmother's Harlequin Romances way back in the day and loved them. Then I meandered away from romance in my stories. But Harlequin has upped the game lo these many years now and have quite the library of all sorts of tales.
That and I am a huge fan of Amanda Stevens and I knew this was going to be good and needed to be added to my cart when I saw it on the shelf of wherever I found it.
Good strong characters with a highly engaging story.
I can definitely recommend this book and likely this trilogy, and absolutely can recommend this author.
I didn't read the first two books in the trilogy, but I will go look for them and complete the story. That I didn't read the first two books did not diminish my enjoyment of this book.
I will also say that I haven't read a Harlequin novel in a very very long time. I used to read my grandmother's Harlequin Romances way back in the day and loved them. Then I meandered away from romance in my stories. But Harlequin has upped the game lo these many years now and have quite the library of all sorts of tales.
That and I am a huge fan of Amanda Stevens and I knew this was going to be good and needed to be added to my cart when I saw it on the shelf of wherever I found it.
Good strong characters with a highly engaging story.
I can definitely recommend this book and likely this trilogy, and absolutely can recommend this author.
September 15, 2022
Natalie is a private investigator who managed to land herself at the wrong place and time when she witnesses an attempted murder. Max is on the case while looking into an old cold case. He never expected to come across Natalie saving his life as well as finding her in a bit of a situation when someone someone seems to have targeted her.
I love mystery suspense novels and this book was a pretty interesting one. I loved how easily I fell into this book and the whole mystery surrounding that cold case and seeing as pieces were slowly and surly coming to light. I enjoyed that this book kept me on my toes too wondering when the person might strike or wondering who was behind what. This was just a fascinating book and I really enjoyed it. Highly Recommend!
I love mystery suspense novels and this book was a pretty interesting one. I loved how easily I fell into this book and the whole mystery surrounding that cold case and seeing as pieces were slowly and surly coming to light. I enjoyed that this book kept me on my toes too wondering when the person might strike or wondering who was behind what. This was just a fascinating book and I really enjoyed it. Highly Recommend!
August 14, 2022
Looks That Kill by Amanda Stevens was an action packed mystery. I had not read the other two books in the series and still enjoyed this mystery immensely.
Natalie was a private detective who wanted to research her adoption. From the first scene you know she is going to be quite the character. I enjoyed her risk taking methods. Max was the straight laced district attorney that seemed to bend the rules with Natalie. The author created some great scenes between them that I adored. Great balance of mystery and suspense with the relationship with Natalie and Max. I would recommend and will look for more books by Amanda.
Natalie was a private detective who wanted to research her adoption. From the first scene you know she is going to be quite the character. I enjoyed her risk taking methods. Max was the straight laced district attorney that seemed to bend the rules with Natalie. The author created some great scenes between them that I adored. Great balance of mystery and suspense with the relationship with Natalie and Max. I would recommend and will look for more books by Amanda.
Read
August 1, 2022Romantic Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Police Procedural Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
A Procedural Crime Story (Book #3)
Miniseries
A Procedural Crime Story (Book #3)
Read
August 1, 2022Romantic Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Police Procedural Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
A Procedural Crime Story (Book #3)
Miniseries
A Procedural Crime Story (Book #3)
January 30, 2023
Good story and charters. Natalie and Max learn to trust each other while finding the truth of a 28 year old child abduction case.
October 11, 2023
Another great read, great mystery, and it close out the mysteries of this series very well!
December 12, 2024
Quick easy read. I really enjoyed the mystery; there were plenty of twists and turns i didn't see coming.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews