Jo Riskin is struggling with the death of her husband but she's on the job working hard. Now the murder of a young woman whose body is found in a dumpster opens up new questions for her, with few answers. Well done. Good read.

Book source ~ NetGalley

Grand Rapids Lieutenant Jo Riskin and Detective Lynae Parker get a case involving a dead 15-yr-old girl in a dumpster. While in the middle of investigating the death of Megan Tillman, Jo gets word that a criminal being charged for a third time has information about the case involving her police officer husband’s death and wants to make a deal. So, while she and her team are working the Tillman case, Jo and Lynae are also chasing down this new lead. Jo doesn’t just want it, she needs it. It’s been 2 years since her husband was killed on the job and all leads to his killer have dead ended. Will this be the one to finally put Mike to rest?

Wow. Just, wow. This book grabs and doesn’t let go. I cottoned onto the killer before Jo and her team settled on the who, but they got there with excellent detective work. The investigative journey is believable and exciting, the writing is fantastic, the characters awesome, the mystery twisty, and the dialogue flows. Mystery/suspense lovers must not pass this one by. Seriously. Don’t skip it.

The characters were full of depth and likeable.
Unfortunately the story was fairly predictable.

New book -- New author -- New series! 4.5 Stars

Lt. Jo Riskin, along with her partner Det. Lynae Parker, are called to investigate a body found in a dumpster. The body turns out to be a 15-year-old teenager who was last seen in an abortion clinic. She has been badly battered.

When they find that a friend of her father's gave her money for the abortion, the investigators immediately place him as the main suspect. He denies that the baby was his and he had an alibi ..of sorts. She also had a boyfriend that had broken up with her when he found out she was pregnant.

Secrets and lies abound as they rummage through the young girl's life and last moments.

Meanwhile, Jo is looking onto another case on her own time. Her husband, also a cop, was killed during a drug raid. His killer has never been caught. She can't move on until she brings to justice the man who killed him.

This crime drama, the author's debut novel, is very well written with entertaining and believable characters. I really enjoyed the relationship between the partners .... who are also best of friends. The ending was a bit of a surprise. I think there's the tiniest hint that the death of her husband and how it has affected her will continue in the next book.

Many thanks to the author / Red Adept Publishing, LLC / and Netgalley for the digital copy of WARPED AMBITION. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Warped Ambition is a murder mystery and police procedural that will appeal to any fans of the genre. The story opens with a teenager, Megan, who is struggling with the decision of whether or not to get an abortion. Unfortunately for her, she ends up murdered.

The detective who investigates the case is Lieutenant Jo Riskin. She’s got some baggage of her own, because she’s still grieving for her murdered husband and the unborn child she lost after his murder. Jo has a quirky aunt and a concerned partner, who, along with her job, help keep her life exciting.

The story follows the investigation into the murder of Megan, but there is also a parallel narrative about Jo’s own investigation into her husband’s murder. It happened two years ago, but she won’t let it go. She keeps the case files at home and pores over them when she can’t sleep, which is often. So, the reader gets two stories in one. Jo is always on the lookout for leads in her private case, although she can’t investigate it outright since she’s too close to it and could potentially damage the case if she did too much digging on her own.

Jo’s partner, Lynae, is also dealing with some issues of her own, which only come to light when they deal with a witness in the case. The issue of domestic violence is one that is not often dealt with in fiction and it was good to see it addressed here, through these characters.

The story is paced well with clues being dug up just frequently enough to keep the reader on their toes. You can try to figure out whodunit as you read, and, if you are observant, you can figure it out. I always find that the most enjoyable part of mysteries, that the reader can participate and try to unravel the clues too. Can you solve the mystery before the detectives in the novel can? That’s always fun to try.

The characters are well fleshed out and seem real to the reader. They deal with real-world issues and have real-world emotions. The heroine is an appealing character who is likeable and the reader cares about what happens to her. There is a subtle use of humor that I found really well-done. Like when the quirky aunt tries to get Jo to go on a cruise and she doesn’t want to go, but gets out of it in a funny way that puts her aunt off the pursuit. I laughed at the way Lynae and Jo did it. They were very creative!

The dialog is believable and the story concludes with no loose ends. The fact that you get two mysteries in one is neat. Resolution with no cliffhangers is the preferable way to end a story, in my opinion, and this book delivers that neatly.

I enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to any fans of mystery or police procedural stories.

I thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

When Megan Tillman's body is found in a dumpster Lieutenant Jo Riskin is the one to deal with the case alongside her partner Lynae Parker. It seems 15 year old Megan was pregnant and Jo feels this has to has to have a bearing on why she was killed but who knew she was pregnant? They are not short of suspects and It seems at least one has the influence to make it difficult for them to question them, They keep hitting dead ends until they get a surprising lucky break, in the background Jo is still grieving for her husband who was killed in the line of duty 2 years ago but no one was ever caught. I loved following these two strong women characters throughout the investigation and though we do touch upon their personal life there is so much more to learn.
I loved the book and can't wait for the next, I do hope there will be a next following these characters. A great debut book and a definate page turner.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of the book.

4 and ½ stars

When the body of a fifteen-year old girl in found in a dumpster, every cop on the scene feels as though they have stepped into a nightmare.

Lieutenant Jo Riskin and her partner, Lynae Parker, answer the call. They find the girl’s purse which leads them to the parents of the girl in a rich neighborhood. What was Megan Tillman doing in a slum neighborhood? When the autopsy is finished, there is more devastating news to impart to the parents.

After questioning friends, family and acquaintances, Jo and Lynae seemed to get nowhere. At the same time, Jo gets word from another detective that someone wants to talk to her. It turns out to be about a cop killing. Jo hopes it is about her husband, Mike, who was killed in the line of duty two years earlier.

With the aid of forensics, the case of Megan Tillman moves along. Piecing together clues, Jo and her team move along toward an arrest. Politics rears its ugly head when they are told to go easy on one of the suspects. Jo takes this for what it’s worth.

While the murderer doesn’t come as any surprise to me, it was fascinating to read how the police achieved their success.

Oh yeah, and that other case? Jo, Lynae and her team solve that one too.

This book is very well written, typo-free and well plotted. I truly enjoyed it and am pleased that a first time author made such a big hit. I can’t wait for the next in the series!

Thanking Netgalley and Red Adept Publishing, LLC for forwarding me a copy of this book for me to read.

Great mystery. There is a current murder for the police detective to solve, but also a past one. Her husband was killed while on duty as a police detective. Both murderers become obvious, but one is eager to read how the cases are resolved. There were times when it became difficult to read through the tears. I was happy to see that this was book 1. I look forward to reading 2. I am thrilled to have discovered this author and series.

This is an awesome criminal mystery,a police procedural that is easy to read and follow due to the way the author draws you into the story. There are well developed characters and great plots, Lt.Jo Riskin has a super bunch working with her. As you go on this trail with Lt. Jo she becomes a friend,as do her co-workers,and you keep hurrying to see what happens next! I definitely am waiting for the next from this author!! Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this wonderful story,author Debbie S. Tenbrink and publisher Red Adept, I offer this review with honest delight after I finished this story.