Book Summary:
Kaely Quinn’s talents as an FBI behavior analyst are impossible to ignore, no matter how unorthodox her methods. But when a reporter outs her as the daughter of an infamous serial killer, she’s demoted to field agent and transferred to St. Louis.
When the same reporter who ruined her career claims to have received an anonymous poem predicting a string of murders, ending with Kaely’s, the reporter’s ulterior motives bring his claim into question. But when a body is found that fits the poem’s predictions, the threat is undeniable, and the FBI sends Special Agent Noah Hunter to St. Louis.
Initially resentful of the assignment, Noah is surprised at how quickly his respect for Kaely grows, despite her oddities. But with a brazen serial killer who breaks all the normal patterns on the loose, Noah and Kaely are tested to their limits to catch the murderer before anyone else–including Kaely herself–is killed.
My Thoughts:
I was totally drawn in by this haunting cover and the description of this book. Pretty much if it says “serial killer”, my interest is peeked! Does that make me weird? I don’t know, but it’s true! This was my first Nancy Mehl book. I was so intrigued by the concept of a behavioral analyst who had a serial killer as a father. The first chapters were grabbing and totally hooked me into this story. The plot line itself is really what kept my interest in this story more than the characters. I found that I had trouble connecting with Kaely based on some of her behavior and lack of emotion. I had a suspicion early on who the killer might be, and my hunch was correct. I thought the concept of the serial killer announcing his killings in a poem as a sort of game was brilliant. However, I did feel that some of the conclusions that were reached about how the victims were chosen, or locations of the crimes were too random to be realistic. I didn’t know if this book would have any sort of romance or love interest and it really didn’t in my opinion. Perhaps as this series develops we will see more in that area from the characters. I didn’t feel the edge of your seat suspense that I was hoping to feel from this book, however it wasn’t uneventful in any way. There was a plenty of danger related to the circumstances surrounding the serial killer’s victims. The conclusion of the book had a few surprises and revelations. No spoilers, however motives were revealed and there was some closure to some situations. There were a few things at the end of the book that did actually take me by surprise, which I do love it when that happens! I can’t really explain without giving too much away, but it is more character revelation type things, but still…did not see that coming! I love that in a book. It was a total shock. All in all I would definitely read another book in this series, even though this may not have wowed me like I thought it might, it had plenty of plot twists and was a unique story with unique characters. I’m interested in the behavior analysts aspect of these stories and I think that more exposure to these characters might make me become more of a Kaely Quinn fan.
If you would like to dive in to this series you can purchase a copy of the book or learn more about Nancy Mehl by clicking the links below!
*I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Title: At First Glance
