“City of Secrets” by P. J. Tracy was a quick and easy to follow thriller that takes place in LA and revolves around the murder of a Pet Food CEO who’s company is too big to fail. Adding to this mystery is the fact that he was a sex addict who had an affair with his business partners wife, and she is kidnapped. There are many twists and turns and extra excitement when street fentanyl is found in pet food boxes! The main character is a female detective who is realistic and interesting as is her relationship with a fellow detective which has to stay a secret from the rest of their department. This book was an enjoyable read with a creative plot.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honey review.

4.5 STARS

Margaret “Maggie” Nolan’s job as a detective in the LAPD keeps her stress levels high solving complex cases with her more experienced partner. As Maggie delves into rich and famous juxtaposed with the underbelly of Los Angeles crime lords, she comes across a strange case of a wealthy man out of place in one of the most dangerous areas of the city. At first, it looks like a car-jacking gone wrong until she pieces together the victim’s backstory; he was about to sell his pet food company for many millions. Nolan, as she is referred to in the text, along with her support team, uncovers quite a bit of nefarious activity while dealing with the seamier side of life.

Maggie has several issues going on in this investigation including her intimate relationship with another detective, Remy Beaudreau, which if discovered, would be deeply frowned upon by her captain and department. Adding more complexities to the case, the victim, Bruce Messane, had a former partner; he and his wife are kidnapped but no ransom is demanded. Maggie struggles with the dichotomy of wanting to help serve and protect without internalizing all the death and evil she sees daily.

This book has several other main characters’ whose POV’s are part of the whole including Sam Easton, a wounded veteran who has become an ancillary assistant on some cases for Maggie and her partner, Al Crawford. Sam has his own struggles with PTSD while trying to find his place in the civilian world after having been involved in a deadly event in the first book, DEEP INTO DARK. While this book is billed as a standalone, it is a part of a series which are best read in order for the character development and total enjoyment.

With all the complex characters and their stories, readers will be challenged to try figuring out from the clues what is going on and why. I have enjoyed this series thus far, and look forward to seeing how things progress for Maggie in her job as well as what she and Remy will decide about their relationship going forward. The highlights and low-lights of LA make for an interesting backdrop of this intense and drama filled story.

The writing is fluid, the main characters are realistically likeable and the story was nicely detailed.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

When a fatal carjacking proves to be a murder, Los Angeles Police Detectives Margaret Nolan and Al Crawford find themselves thrown into the middle of a twisted case. The victim, Bruce Messane, was the founder, president, and CEO of Peppy Pets, a pet food company which he was in the process of selling to Wilder Foods.

The next day, their case takes a strange turn when Nicole, the wife of Messane’s former business partner, Doctor Rome Bechtold, is kidnapped. When hints of drugs and financial mismanagement arise, the detectives find themselves with more questions than answers.

Who killed Bruce Messane? And why? And what does Nicole’s kidnapping have to do with the case?

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Fourth in the author’s Detective Margaret Nolan series, “City of Secrets” there is sufficient backstory for readers new to the series and for the book to work as a standalone. The suspenseful plot pulls readers into the telling of the tale from the outset.

The plot is complex and intriguing; unexpected revelations and plot twists keep readers guessing as the unfolding narrative takes some clever turns. With all the expected characters in place, readers are sure to be pleased with the continuing developments in the detectives’ personal lives.

Readers who enjoy police procedurals will find much to appreciate in this absorbing tale.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#CityofSecrets #NetGalley

4 ⭐️ read - my first book by the mother/daughter duo writing as PJ Tracy.

I haven't read any of the other books featuring Detective Margaret Nolan, but I didn't feel lost in this particular story.
Like any good procedural/thriller, the authors weave in several seemingly disconnected incidents and then slowly start moving those points closer.
Nolan is trying to figure out these connections, all while keeping an office romance under wraps - without spiking a relationship she really wants while continuing in a job at which she excells.
The plot moves at a good clip with just enough twists to give a little zap at the end.
Enjoyable read.

What an excellent book. The story grabbed me from the beginning and kept me until the very last word. I love the characters and the suspense as they tried to figure out whodunit. I will definitely be reading other books by this author in the future.

City of Secrets is the fourth book in the Detective Maggie Nolan series by PJ Tracy. In this episode Nolan and Crawford (and the rest of the wonderful gang) are investigating the seamy side of Los Angeles, where the gangs and drugs proliferate. The original murder of the company executive of a popular natural pet food company leads the team to a kidnapping of the wife of the former partner. Why are gang members interested in pet food? There are so many different and competing bad guys that it is hard to follow the threads to the kingpins. Meanwhile Sam joins the SWAT team as a consultant and his first case turns out to be related to the first murder. Like the others in the series, there are multiple narrators including possible suspects.

There are also personal developments for Maggie/Remy and Sam/Melody which is part of the joy of modern mystery series. While you don’t have to read the other books in the series to enjoy this book, it is best to begin at the beginning with Deep Into the Dark. While you are at it, read the wonderful Monkeewrench series that the author wrote with her mother.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Press for access to the prepub ebook. I always told my patrons you can’t go wrong with a book from St. Martin’s Press.

Good murder mystery with lots of twists and turns. Likable characters with believable police work, and their frustration with all the zig zagging of this story. Good wrap up, but I would have liked a more thorough epilogue with what happened with the other characters involved, arrests, drug busts, more murder? Maybe in the next book we'll get a glimpse of what ultimately happens with the open cases not associated with the murder. The personal story of the main characters have moved the story arc forward and that was enjoyable. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an early read for an honest opinion.

Interesting plot. Great characters. Held my interest right to the end. Told from the police point of view.

Detective Maggie Nolan and colleagues have quite the adventure when the murder of a pet food CEO takes unexpected turns and multiple secrets are revealed. Bruce Messane’s miraculous turnaround of his company a couple years ago was not as miraculous or innocent as it seems. He also had a very colorful personal life. Adding to the mystery, the wife of his former business partner is kidnapped. There also appears to be a new entrant to the local illegal drug trade with a particularly potent blend of fentanyl. How this connects to Messane is initially unclear other than that his death occurred in a section of LA caught up in a turf battle.

If the case was not enough of a stressor, Maggie and Remy’s relationship is not as secret as would be preferable, and if the boss finds out, one of them will have to leave the homicide division. Remy has his own plans, which involve making his relationship with Maggie stronger. Other recurring characters are also experiencing changes. Sam has a possible new job as a SWAT consultant. Ike, computer guru whose skills trend between legal and illegal as the situation requires, has found a sugary substitute for drinking on the job.

City of Secrets kept my interest as an easy read but not memorable. Sometime one needs a poolside read like this. There are areas where the Tracy could tighten up the writing and develop the characters a bit better. Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review a pre-publication copy of City of Secrets by P.J. Tracy. This is the fourth book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series. I read the previous book, but not the first two. Although their are several refernces to the previous books, it works well as a stand-alone mystery. The characters were well developed and relatable.
The story begins as Detective Maggie Nolan is assigned to a drive-by shooting in a crime-ridden area of Hollywood. Surprisingly, the victim turns out to be the wealthy owner of a very successful pet supply company. What is he doing, sitting in his expensive car in the middle of the night in this part of town? Coincidentally - or not? - the wife of his silent partner in the business is kidnapped. The two crimes seem to be unrelated.
As Dectective Nolan and the Homicide Division investigate the drive-by, the Robbery Division looks into the kidnapping, both trying to find motives and connections between the crimes.
Meanwhile, Maggie's relationship to fellow officer Remy Boudreau heats up. This was an enjoyable read. I recommend it to mystery lovers in general and to readers of Hollywood noir in particular.

What a thrilling read. There are lots of twists and turns. The revelation was a surprise and shock. I loved the characters. There is such a mix of personalties. It’s cleverly written. I didn’t read the first three books in the series and had no problem following the storyline. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I love a good mystery and this one didn’t disappoint. This was not a simple murder, it became stranger and more complex. I enjoyed all the different characters and how they fit into the story. I was intrigued from the beginning and it kept my interest throughout. I Liked the ending and I’ll leave it at that so as not to spoil the ending. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to everyone.

My mind literally spun while reading this book. I love this series and this newest book is no exception. So much happening here and I always hope for an HEA, so am still hopeful for Nolan, Remy, Sam and Melody, but there is so much evil in this world, I continue to hope, it springs eternal, right? The twists and turns, made me delay the finish of this book, unfortunately, I did finish and hope for another. This series would be great for Tv. If you love whodunnit’s, grab this one and hang on for the ride. A fantastic read.

Another good book in this series. I like how the characters have developed and their interaction. This is an entertaining detective with some violence but it is not gruesome as many are b

A man has been shot in his car in a rough area of town and then his former business partner's wife is kidnapped. This is mainly Nolan and Crawford doing the investigating, but there are a wide selection of other police officers, including Remy, Nolan's love interest. I like the way the author is developing their relationship. I have slightly lost track of Sam and Melody, but if you remember them from previous instalments they are here too.

I found the plot well paced and the story as a whole a page-turner. It managed to be realistic without being unduly violent and there is a fair amount of humour too. There were a couple of plot points I might quibble about - would audits etc really have missed what was going on at the pet food company? what was with that decision taken by one of the police officers at the end? - but overall, recommended.

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but after reading this one, I added all of them to my TBR list!

City of Secrets is a complex and suspenseful story with a colorful cast of characters. This was one of those books I was able to settle into easily with only minor disruptions (more on those in a second). The writing is descriptive and detailed, and I was completely caught up in the story.

If I were to offer one very minor, very petty criticism, it would be to mix up the characters' names a bit. I fully recognize we're pretty deep into the Nolan series and this ship has sailed. But as a reader new to the series, I kept having to stop to differentiate between Remy, Ross and Rome. Like I said, it's a petty criticism.

Overall, this book was a great mix of suspense and mystery that kept me guessing until the end. A few twists and turns I didn't expect were a pleasant surprise. And I will definitely be reading more of the Detective Margaret (never referred to as Margaret always Mags, Maggie, or Nolan) Nolan. With character notes until I figure them all out.

This fourth book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series is a real nail-biter! The story begins with the murder of a man few people would like. More crimes follow and seem to be related. Will Margaret see the pattern?

I enjoyed "City of Secrets." It was quite a page-turner, since it was well-written and most of the characters seemed like real people. There's even a very likeable, empathetic dog I'd really like to meet!

Since I was unaware that "City of Secrets" was part of a series, I hadn't known this installment was part of a quartet of Margaret Nolan stories. In my opinion, it works fine as a standalone book.

If you enjoy murder mysteries that escalate in tension and body count, I think you'll like "City of Secrets."

Los Angeles Police Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner have worked a lot of different cases, ones where things aren’t always as they appear. And it’s Nolan’s job to find the truth in the darkness around her. When they’re called to the scene of what looks like a fatal car-jacking, Nolan soon realizes her victim was a founder of a company about to sell for millions, and within a day of his death, his partner’s wife is abducted. As Nolan learns more about the victim and his life, she gets pulled into a disturbing world of sex, violence, and big business; and an even darker world, where whispers of an "Angel of Death" are beginning to surface!
Great book! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a bit of a who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's press\Minotaur books for sharing this book with me!