Duplicity by Jane Haseldine is a 2017 Kensington publication.

The trial for Nicky Rossi is about to start, and Assistant District Attorney David Tanner is prosecuting. This puts crime reporter, Julia Gooden, in between a rock and a hard place because she's been assigned to cover the trial. Her bosses want her to use all the sources at her disposal, meaning David, while David is telling her he can’t reveal any inside information to his wife.

All bets are off, though, when an explosion rocks the courthouse, injuring David and killing a key witness. Now Julia is teaming up with her old friend, Detective Raymond Navarro, to find out to solve the crime. Along the way, Julia discovers a lightly woven web of revenge, lies, and corruption, some of which is painfully personal…

This is another solid installment in this series. I like the crime drama tone, which gives the story a richer texture. My impressions from the first book were validated, but I never expected things to turn out the way they did. These developments will change the course of the series, so I’m curious to see how things will progress from here.

The only thing lacking in this installment was the emotional pull that was so strong in book one. That said, the thread featuring the disappearance of Julia’s brother, promises to heat up in future installments, which is a strong incentive to get started on book three sooner, rather than later!

Overall, this was an absorbing, twist-y piece of crime fiction. I’m very interested in seeing how the series will progress from here!!

Julia has a nose for news and a back story involving her missing brother that haunts her. Both collide in this fast paced novel of corruption and abuse of power. Haseldine makes good use of the Detroit setting. Good characters and a tricky plot make it a good read.

This second book in the Julia Gooden Mystery series, ratchets up a notch with crime, suspense and edge of your seat action. Julia is still trying to repair her relationship with her husband, recently working as District Attorney. She wants to work things out for the sake of her children as well as still loving her husband. Still working as a reporter, they get thrown together due to a major trial that David is prosecuting. As she tries to get some information about a surprise witness in the upcoming trial when tragedy strikes. With a bombing in the courthouse, the witness is dead and David is severely killed. Julia was outside the courthouse when it exploded and she wants to find out who was responsible, sure it was Rossi, the man on trial. This is the beginning of dangerous investigation for Julia and many others. Julia, however, is not willing to give up until she brings Rossi to justice.

Julia is a huge risk-taker, which is unsettling for me as a reader. She is the mother of two young boys who she is extremely overprotective of, yet takes many chances with her own life. Having said that, she is smart and able to put things together very well. Navarro, her ex-boyfriend and detective, is once again there to protect her and help her put the pieces together. I really like him in this role. He does not push her into anything, yet has her back when she jumps into dangerous situations. David, her husband, was not the man everyone thought he was and we see his true colours in this book. The story is very fast-paced and had me using every spare moment I had to listen to this story. The plotline seemed to be typical gang/drug/Italian family type story, but there were lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing. The ending was very satisfying and I will definitely continue with the Julia Gooden series.

Kensington Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Duplicity. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Julia Gooden is a successful crime reporter whose marriage is on shaky ground. Her husband, Assistant District Attorney David Tanner, is set to prosecute crime boss Nick Rossi, with the destruction of his illegal empire set to crumble with one very important witness. When a bomb goes off outside the courthouse, leaving both the case and the court in shambles, will Julia be able to help the police determine the suspect and the motive? As Julia has ties to Nick's uncle, Salvadore Gallo, will her connection help or hinder the investigation? When the investigation makes an unexpected and personal twist, how will Julia proceed?

Duplicity is well paced and the characters are fully developed. I really like Julia Gooden, as her background has made her strong and determined. I particularly like how the author has given her a strong moral compass and, although Julia may do some investigation on her own, she always loops back around to the proper authorities. Duplicity is the perfect title for this novel and I thoroughly enjoy reading it. I would definitely recommend it to other readers and I look forward to uncovering more truths with Julia Gooden in future novels.

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This is the second installment in the Julia Gooden series and although it's a sequel it can be read as a stand alone. This book had lots of twists and thrills. If your looking for a great new mystery series then read this series!!! You won't be disappointed!

Thank you. Reading this book I always felt like the girl standing in the corner at a party. You know what I mean. well after I finished I learned it was #2 in a series. The book was ok seriously but once I purchase the first book it will feel like I joined the party and left the corner

Everyone has a face they want to hide. For you and me, we hide what happened to us when were kids. For others, they hide their duplicitous acts.

Julia Gooden is on a story but the story turns personal when her husband/lawyer District Attorney David Tanner is caught in the crossfire. Set in Detroit and mafia type crime, Julia is a determined to get to the truth. The thing about truth is it always cost something. Trying to protect her husband and son, she uncovers more to the story than she thought possible. It is a case of can you handle the truth.

I think what makes her character compelling is that she does not shy away from her desire to find the story and to bring justice to the forefront no matter what the cost. She balances her career, her marriage and her families well being. She is currently estranged from her husband but together they are working to come together. As her husband is seriously injured, she with the help of Detective Raymond Navarro of the Detroit PD who is also a former boyfriend who would do anything for her, try to uncover who would try to kill her husband. Even though Julia knows it is Nick Rossi who has come to trial and David Tanner has a key witness to finally put Rossi behind bars, she still needs to find the proof before his trial is thrown out.

This is a fast paced thriller that has many turns and surprises. Relationship tensions drive the plot that keep you turning the pages.

A Special Thank You to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This is book 2 in the Julia Gooden Mystery series but it can be read as a stand alone.
I was hooked from page 2 and just sorry it took me so long to get to it....
This book is a real page turner that becomes better and better as the book goes along.
A very fast paced thriller.
Excellent read.

Thank you Netgalley the Publisher and Author for a chance to read this book

I really enjoyed this fast-paced mystery. I was slightly disappointed when I figured it all out but, the author wasn't done there and added a new twist to the story! This book definitely lives up to its name, well worth the read!

This book is not worth the time to slog through. Long drawn out unnecessary details and Julia is annoying as all get out. I will definitely avoid this author in the future.

A good book with enough twists and turns to keep you engaged through the book. Although I found Julia a little unrealistic as she kept placing herself in danger even though she had a young family to think of, I quite enjoyed the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Kensington Books for the review copy of this novel.

I had not read anything by the author and will now put her on my to read list. This was a fairly typical journalist turned investigative reporter type novel, but with excellent characters that you care about throughout. I liked the way the whole legal procedural piece was linked in and was intrigued by the way the author worked the family situations.

I will be on the lookout for more from Jane Haseldine.

You have to have your wits about you when you read this novel. Contrary to what the rather gothic-toned cover would have you believe – this is a modern, action-packed thriller where the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys’ are clearly defined.

The novel’s protagonist is thirty-seven year old Julia Gooden, a seasoned crime reporter in the crime-ridden city of Detroit, Michigan. The mother of two young boys, she is separated from her attorney husband, David Tanner, though at the beginning of this novel they are attempting a reconciliation. She is beautiful and very fit due to her passion for running. It is usual for Julia to run ten miles in the morning before leaving for work.

Nick Rossi is a kingpin in Detroit organized crime and now heads a vast and powerful illegal empire. He deals a lot of his ‘business’ at the lush Detroit MGM Grand Hotel. The local police and even the FBI have had him in their sights for years. Julia’s husband David is now in the process of prosecuting Rossi in a huge trial which has the power to make or break his career and his aspiration to be a District Attorney.

Navarro is a Detroit cop. Long ago he and Julia had a relationship and as far as Navarro is concerned she is the ‘one that got away‘. Though he cares for Julia still, he will not divulge the name of the surprise witness against Rossi. Knowing who this witness is could be a tremendous coup for her journalistic career.

Knowing that David and Navarro are unwilling to help her get her story, she uses her myriad other contacts that she has built up over her years in Detroit, however she is scooped by a rival journalist. The day that the mystery witness is brought to the courthouse, there is a tragic bombing which kills the witness as well as several bystanders and gravely injures the judge and Julia’s husband, David.

Believing Rossi to be responsible for the bombing, now Julia’s fight against Rossi and his minions is personal, and she will go to any lengths to bring him to justice.

Her investigations are aided by Navarro and the more they find out, the muddier the case seems to get – and the more dangerous it is to Julia and her young sons.

A fast-paced novel, “Duplicity” is well named. Duplicitous behavior is prevalent, making apprehending the guilty problematic. As well as duplicity, this is a novel of hard core corruption, lies, and betrayal. Thankfully, the ending rewards the reader by tying things up quite well. I enjoyed the read, though found some of the action scenes rather ‘over the top’. And the gangsters? Well, they were just SO evil with absolutely no humanity showing at all… Almost like caricatures of how criminals should be. Julia’s character was well rendered, but even she was just a little too ‘perfect’ to be quite believable. But then, this is fiction! “Duplicity” delivers a tension-filled roller coaster read for all who enjoy action-packed crime thrillers.

It has been described by the publisher as #2 in the Julia Gooden mystery series. I’d say it is more of a thriller than a mystery, but that is just my opinion. Although Navarro and his coworkers are police, this is not really a police procedural either. Most of the time Navarro has little contact with his superiors – almost as if he is calling the shots… If anyone is interested in reading the first Julia Gooden novel, the title is “The last time she saw him“.

Don’t let the fact that it is the second book in a series deter you from reading it. I have not read the first novel in the series and I can attest that it works very well as a stand-alone. It is a curious mixture of political thriller, romantic suspense, and gangster story. A page-turner for sure, with SO much action and adrenaline inducing scenes that you’ll feel as though you’ve just watched a “Die Hard” movie. For that reason I think this novel will have a strong appeal for audiences of both sexes.

Wow, this book is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. I really enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it for people who enjoy a good mystery/thriller. I also enjoyed the first book in the series, The Last Time She Saw Him. Duplicity can be read as a stand alone, but you get a deeper understanding by reading the books in order. Looking forward to the next book by this author.

Great book! It will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. Julia is a take no crap reporter trying to reconcile with husband. She thought she could trust him again, but after he is put in the ICU, due to a bombing she starts to investigate and she finds evidence to the contrary. Storyline is very intriguing and the characters and relationships are well written and have depth. Lots of action!

Evidently Duplicity by Jane Haseldine is the second book in the Julia Gooden Mystery series, however I easily read it as a standalone.Jane Haseldine included just enough back story to make me feel up to speed, though it took a couple chapters for me to feel comfortable.I believe there is an overarching mystery that will continue throughout the series. Based on my enjoyment of Duplicity, I will most likely seek out book one and continue the series. Ms. Haseldine has created very multi-layered, intriguing characters. I had a hard time at first with the heroine's tendency to jump first and damn the consequences, but the twists and turns the author placed in the story required her (and my!) leap of faith. I ended up really engaged by the well-crafted story and the many surprises in the plot were not telegraphed which I so appreciated.
If you are looking for a series that will take you on a roller-coaster ride, this one looks to fit the bill.

I was first drawn to this book by its vibrant cover ~ the wonderful contrast of the azure blue with the black crows eerily sitting amongst tree branches.
The reader just doesn't know who to trust, the title describes the characters to a tee as being untrustworthy and no one is safe...
A fantastic story which I look forward to continuing the series in the next book.

This is a great read! This is a great mystery centered around reporter, Julia Gooden. Murder, mystery, and great characters and details. I look forward to more in this series!

Awesome suspense. The plot is filled with many twists and turns. I was hooked from page one. Great characters development