Cover Image: The Value of Sylver and Gold

The Value of Sylver and Gold

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I absolutely loved the first Sylver and Gold book so I eagerly opened this.. there were elements of the story I absolutely loved- I love the team and how they work so well together, I love the relationship between Sylver and Gold and I enjoy the serial killer aspect. I didn’t love the way the FBI just disappeared part way through the story and I didn’t like Mason at all. It felt like we were meant to distrust him. I also thought the serial killer was particularly easy to find and found it hard to believe that the FBI couldn’t do that themselves. All in all I did enjoy the book but mainly for the relationships. I’m looking forward to another one

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed the first book in this series, and was looking forward to the second, but I found this to be just ok.

Fair warning, spoilers throughout.

This picks up about a year after the first book, with Reid and London now in an established relationship and Reid continuing her work as a consultant to the BPD. I found this to be the first unrealistic thing, even with everyone who worked with her having to sign a NDA, I’d think it unlikely that word hadn’t gotten out at all about her particular gifts.

The case in this book involves the FBI and a lead agent with a personal involvement in the case that… goes nowhere. I mean, their involvement sort of has some closure, but then there’s no follow up, nothing about the victim or the aftermath, they just drop out of the story at about the 80% mark. Given that the agent came to Reid for help and that was the driving plot in the book, that felt like a weird choice.

London is also personally targeted by the killer, not once, but twice (and the killer’s method of kidnapping and killing women beggared belief, I found it extremely unlikely that one person could do all of that or that it wouldn’t be more widely know about if they could). The resolution to the killer’s storyline was also too pat.

The stories seem to be heading towards the team working outside the BPD in the future, although I wasn’t sure whether the readers were supposed to trust London’s friend Mason, he seemed kind of skeevy to me.

I did enjoy Reid and London’s growing relationship and the bond between Reid and her team, although I did miss Mugshot, who was barely in the book. There was also some resolution for Reid around her relationship with her grandmother.

Overall, this was only an ok read, but if you enjoyed the first book, you’ll want to read this, and those who enjoy books heavier on the crime than the romance will likely enjoy this more than I did. 3 stars.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed the first novel of this series, Sylver and Gold, and I dove eagerly into The Value of Sylver and Gold. If you're unfamiliar with our leading duo, Detective Reid Sylver and Detective London Gold of the Boston Police Department, I strongly urge you to start with their debut narrative.

This sequel sees Reid's unique expertise being sought by the FBI to crack a daunting case involving a serial killer in DC. Unwilling to undertake the task without her formidable team, they collectively plunge into the challenge, bridging the realms of the living and otherwise. There is so much action within this novel, and I was captivated from start to finish.

Without diving deep into spoilers, I'll refrain from further details. Highly recommend a read if you enjoy your crime thrillers with lots of action, passion and witty banter.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

3.5
I think this was an entertaining sequel, and i love the group. It would be cool to explore the past 20 years of their careers perhaps.
It did feel a tad repetitive in writing at times, and i felt the ending was rather rushed, but its so easy to read i'm happy to read the next.
Thank you netgalley :)

Was this review helpful?

I love a good crime novel and this one didn't disappoint. If you read and enjoyed the first book in the series I would highly recommend that you read this one. Fast paced, interesting and nerve-wrecking at times. The value of Sylver and Gold is a delightful read that balances romance, personal growth, and mystery in an enchanting narrative. With its well-crafted characters, evocative writing, and profound themes, this novel is sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone seeking an engaging and emotionally resonant story.

Was this review helpful?

I loved the first book but I couldn't really immerse myself into this one. Something felt off with this second installment. It started strong but somewhere along the way it lost it's momentum. The drama around the character from London's past felt unnecessary and weird. At the end, everything wrapped up too quickly and neatly.

Was this review helpful?

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

sylver and gold has a sort of rhyme to it,,, a bit like cagney and lacey and rizzoli and isles and they are also a kick ass duo that solves crime

but with the added bonus that sylver can speak to the dead and manages to solve crimes through speaking to the victims, spirits can lie so her record of closures on cases is high

theres a new serial killer in town and his sights are set on gold.... and when she gets kidnapped by him its all hands on deck to find her but sylvers skills cant help this time so its good old fashioned police work

interesting concept that draws you in with some criminal minds stuff thrown in... really enjoyed the banter between characters as they seemed a fun crowd but a deadly force for fighting crime

Was this review helpful?

Gripping Lesbian crime novel, with a side order of the paranormal, as one speaks to dead people. The group of Police officers are funny, more efficient than the FBI, which is a whole plot line and the story of this particular serial killer is terrifying and graphic, so maybe don't read it at night. Overall fast paced and enjoyable.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed the first book, Sylver and Gold and this one was just as entertaining. Retired Detective Reid Sylver and Detective London Gold not only work together but are now in a romantic relationship. It was interesting to observe how they chose to balance work and home life. Reid has skills that make her a valuable person when solving cases. London is very intuitive and although younger than Reid she holds her own very well. This police procedural has an paranormal perspective that is extremely intriguing. Reid along with her team are pulled in by the FBI to capture a very smart serial killer that has out smarted the FBI for almost three years. As the story unfolded I turned page to page with anticipation because the action was nonstop as the search for the serial killer became personal. Book three would be awesome!

Was this review helpful?

Mystery, humor and action all packed into one book. This second book with Sylver and Gold show them in an established relationship and a genuine strong connection between both women. I like the way the team interacts and there was enough action and suspense to keep the plot going. Very solid follow up and a must read for those who like thrillers and/or police procedurals.

***Thank you Bold Stroke Books and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book***

Was this review helpful?

Brilliant. If you've not read the first book, Sylver and Good, I highly recommend you do. The sequel is just as good, with a great crime story, likeable character and some comical moments thrown in from the team.

All in all, I enjoyed this book, 4 out of 5

Was this review helpful?

I have been waiting rather impatiently for The Value of Sylver and Gold to land in my e-reader.

I fell in love with Reid Sylver, London Gold, and all the secondary characters that make up their police squad family in Sylver and Gold, the first book in the ‘Sylver and Gold’ series by Michelle Larkin. I became quite invested in these people and their story during that first novel. I’m overjoyed to be able to visit with them again as they search for the next evil psychopath that comes their way.

For those of you who have not read the first book, these stories have a touch of the paranormal since Reid Sylver has the ability to talk to the dead. This can come in handy when you are a homicide detective. Reid’s ability attracts the FBI who are desperately searching for an extremely sick serial killer that has already murdered at least eighteen women. Reid, London and the team agree to help, only to have London end up kidnapped by the killer. Now it’s a race to find her before it’s too late.

This second novel of the series is just as exciting as the first and has all the qualities I look for in a tale like this. We have a well written police procedural with a paranormal slant. All of the characters are just as I remember them, believable and loveable in their own quirky ways, and the romance between Reid and London has endured and strengthened. Reid’s character also continues to evolve and grow as she wrestles with her paranormal abilities.

If you enjoy reading police procedurals that are full of excitement, suspense, romance, and with a touch of paranormal, then this novel and the series is exactly what you’re looking for. I suppose you could read this second book as a standalone, but I would urge you to read them both in order. Then you can join me in asking (begging, really) the author for another story in this series.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This story is the sequel to Larkins first book Sylver and Gold. Reid Sylver and London Gold and their team of detectives are out to stop a serial killer. They team up with the Assistant Director of the FBI to catch the psychopath who is abducting and killing women.

I liked the mystery and action of this book and the killer was especially evil. Larkin had me tense with her descriptions of his evil plotting and screaming. Sylver’s character has developed her psychic abilities and uses them to solve the crime. Lots of fun banter between the detectives. And Sylver and Gold have a black moment towards the end when a new character enters the story.

Larkin left a few storylines open, so hopefully she will write us another book with these fun characters and their next adventure in crime solving.

ARC received from Net Galley for an honest and voluntary review.

Was this review helpful?

Really good continuation of this series. The relationship between the main characters just seems to get better and better, and I liked that we got to know more about Sylvers team in this book. Sylvers head voice throughout this book was equal parts hilarious and scary at times especially when she had conversations with the ghosts that appeared to her, and Golds humor was pretty funny as well, but you could tell that she was a bit more career driven and motivated to prove herself at every turn, so tended to jump in to a situation with both feet before thinking about the consequences whereas Sylver was more cautious in how she went about trying to catch a serial killer especially when said killer targeted Gold. I really liked this addition to the paranormal series that this author has written and I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family and look forward to what's next from this author and series.

Was this review helpful?

I was so excited to see a sequel to Sylver and Gold. These two are such great characters and their story in the first book was so much fun. Their banter was great and I loved their chemistry together as well as the team they work with.
Some aspects of that appear in this sequel but it didn’t quite hit the same marks as the first for me. I liked the plot, the serial killer aspect was interesting and Russo coming in and taking over worked well, moving the story forward. Their banter started out great as well and the team uniting game me all the feels.
Unfortunately the story kind of veered off track when they left town to fly into Washington DC. I’ve been a fan of police procedurals since I was in high school and the case here was too light on the details to really keep me invested. I liked the expansion of the role of Sylver’s unique abilities and Russo seemed to as well but then Russo seems to just drop off the face of the earth. When that happens a new character is introduced that causes some friction between our two MCs. This is right after a particularly emotional scene and Sylver acts like a petulant teenager and it just feels out of place and overly dramatic after the nice scene they had just before. The character that causes this fiasco is not overly endearing either and I really feel the story would have been better off without the drama he introduces.
In addition to the loose ends left with the Russo storyline it just felt like the plot was trying to do too much in too little time leaving it all feel a bit unfinished to me. I did like seeing this couple and would likely read additional books in the series in hopes that we’d see more of what was in book one. Unfortunately this one just fell a bit short of that for me.

Was this review helpful?

3.25 stars. This series mixes crime investigations with a touch of paranormal and I loved the first book in the series and had very high expectations for this second book. This second book started really strong and had me hooked very fast, but I think the author wanted too much and the story suffered from that in the end. It was a nice read with good aspects and the potential for a great book, but it didn’t quite get there for me.

This is a series and it is best read as a series even though the cases are stand-alone stories. I think you might miss too much information to enjoy this book without having read the first book, plus the first book is a joy to read.

I liked reading more about Sylver and Gold, they are a fantastic couple and the banter between them and their team is what makes this book a lot of fun to read. I also greatly enjoyed the paranormal storyline, which had a few new surprises from what’s known from the first book and it’s good to see that there is still growth possible (even in books to come). Together they again hunt a serial killer and about halfway this book had me on the edge of my seat. However, to my surprise, the book took a turn and from there the story lost it for me. A character from Gold’s past is introduced causing drama between Sylver and Gold. They acted very out of character and on top of that I didn’t like the new character or the storyline at all. Because of all this drama there was little focus and time left for the serial killer case, which in the end felt too easy and convenient. There were also some unresolved parts, but this could be intentional to be picked up in the next book in the series.

All in all, this book had a great start, but wanted a bit too much in too little time/pages. I’m still a fan of Sylver and Gold and look forward to reading the next book in the series, my only hope is that this will be without this character from the past.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed Larkin writing style. This is definitely a page turner. The book is quite humorous, romantic and intense at the same time. well done, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Thank you, Bold Stokes Books, and NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

With this second book in the ‘Sylver and Gold’ series. If you’ve read the first book then you’ll be happy to know we again have the chance to visit with Reid and London. Great plot with some twists and turns. Great characters, we have Reid and London along with the same cast as the first book.
Another serial killer is on the hunt and the gang has been asked if they could help the FBI. It turns out one of the women captured happens to be the wife of one of the agents.
As time has passed Reid has felt her ‘powers’ were growing.but she hesitates telling anyone how she feels, including London. Now they are on the hunt for the killer and it’s a race against time. Very, very nice read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

Was this review helpful?

Because of the spoilers I used in writing this review, my review is only available on Goodreads so I could use the appropriate spoiler tags: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5475497414

Was this review helpful?

This is book 2 of the Sylver and Gold series which should be read in chronological order. Even more, I recommend reading book two immediately after reading book one, Sylver and Gold. This is because the main characters’ relationship arc, along with their professional careers, relationships with colleagues, and family lives pick up where book one left and readers will miss a lot otherwise.

The series is mainly a police procedural but there is a paranormal element that is so well integrated into the story that is believable and organic to the plot. Michelle Larkin has a very characteristic writing style with elements of humour and sarcasm which balances very well the more gruesome aspects of the case.

Both main characters have great chemistry, proof of Larkin’s great dialogue writing. The banter between Sylver and Gold, mixed with affection makes for very entertaining and sometimes endearing scenes. This is a typical opposites-attract romance where both leads complement each other well and are empowered together.

There is a lot of action which will keep you on the edge of your seat, a lot of tension and pressure to solve the case at hand. All the characters, main and secondary, play an important role in getting the killer in jail before he strikes again, this time against one of their own.

If you are looking for a police procedural with a side of romance and don’t mind a bit of a paranormal twist, then this series is for you. I hope the author decides to write book three soon. 4.5 stars.

ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?