I haven't read any other books by Kathy Reichs so I don't have anything to compare this one with. Overall I enjoyed this book and I wouldn't hesitate to read more from this author.

4 stars from me for this thriller.

Already reviewed previously, have reviewed and sent feedback already.

Love Tempe Brennan, well it goes without saying really, doesn't it? So, I was wary of a new series by one of my fave authors. I needn't have worried though for, in Two Nights, Reichs has come up with a stunning hook, a beautifully flawed female protagonist who compares (very favourably in my mind to Zoe Sharp's Charlie fox series) and a brilliantly paced plot.
Sunday Night is my kind of girl. She's strong, stubborn, feisty, intelligent and above all she takes no shit ... just as well really for in Two nights there is shit a plenty.
Guilt tripped into helping find a missing girl whose family have been annihilated in a bomb attack, Sunday come out of her self enforced retirement with a reluctance that immediately signals the start of a great book.
Not going to give away the treason behind the Book title, just going to say it's well worth the read to find that out.
Sunday's traumatic past resonates with the present as the plot unfolds and it takes all her spirit and resilience to get her through this.
I'm already looking forward to the next 'Night' thriller.

Sunnie Night, is a singularly unique character creation - a Great Read:
Kathy Reichs departs from her Temperance Brennan novels in this stand alone thriller featuring a somewhat unique character: Sunday (or Sunnie) Night. Sunnie packs guns and brawn but has lots of brains too. The title of the book refers to Sunnie and her twin brother, August. They were brought up by a guardian Beau, an ex-cop. Sunnie is encouraged by Beau to take up Private Investigation after several career failures: in both the Armed Services and the Police Force.
The plot revolves around the search for killers of three family members (although one, Stella, may still be alive). Sunnie is fortunate that her investigation is funded by a very wealthy older relative of the victims and so money is of no concern.
This novel is so totally different in style, content and personalities from those of the Temperance Brennan series, Ms Reich's well known creation. A refreshing change.
I found it took me a couple of chapters to get into the book in terms of prose style and characterisation but worth persevering: a good story and I suspect there may be more to come from this character. A gripping thriller.

I enjoyed the storyline but it took a while for me to find Sunny credible...too sharp-edged, too damaged, too indestructible. For those who enjoy Reich's work I would suggest they read this but I was disappointed!!

This book was brilliant. I absolutely loved the main character I just found it hard to get through at parts.

Full disclosure, I've never read any of the Temperance Brennan books so I come into this novel by Kathy Reichs without any expectations or baggage. Our protagonist is called Sunday Night and comes with enough emotional baggage of her own. As a comparison she makes some of the characters in Karin Slaughter's infamous Grant County series look like extras from Brooklyn Nine Nine. Sunday is ex-cop and ex-military, haunted by past events she's cut herself off from society and is living a secluded and quite life when a friend comes calling with an offer. Matriarch, Opaline Drucker is searching for her granddaughter Stella. Having disappeared after a school bombing that killed Stella's mother and young brother, Opaline is convinced Stella is alive and wants Sunday to find her and bring justice to the perpetrators of whats believed to be a racially motivated attack. Sunday agrees and with the help of her brother Gus is launched into a complex investigation with several twists and turns.

This has all the makings of a long running series. Sunday's full traumatic history is slowly revealed to the reader and there's hints of more to be uncovered. Sunday is no shrinking violet though and I always find it tremendous fun to read a book with a main character who's so handy and capable that they seem to have every possibility covered. Her and Gus banter back and forth as only a sister and brother can and I'm glad Kathy Reichs chose to go down this route with her characters rather than have a messy romantic entanglement which i think would really have jarred with the story. Speaking of the plot, it zips along and barely stops to catch breath. There's a little something missing here, though, that I can't quite put my finger on. I don't know that if its maybe that the character of Sunday is so cut off from the world that she also becomes cut off from the reader too. This is a very good thriller though and Kathy Reichs hasn't been afraid to take some chances. A definite must for any fan.

I received a ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

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Julie Quick's review Nov 15, 2017 · edit
liked it

I love Kathy Reichs Tempe Brennan series for the grittiness and the insight into the world of forensics. This new series has created a new and flawed character that I see as having real potential in the same way as Tempe Brennan . No, the writing is not stellar and the suspense, not quite what I expect from Reichs, but she is feeling her way into new territory here and I'm prepared to go with her.
We are dealing with the new threat of anti Muslim extremists here and so the plot is very up to date.
I have no specific criticism, but this novel just did not take me to the suspenseful heights that I hoped. I am however, optimistic for the future of the series and give it a good rating of 3.5. I have rounded down for Goodreads as this is not a 4 star rating for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this novel free of charge and this does not alter my review in any way.

This book was provided free by Netgalley in exchange for a honest and fair review:

My thoughts

Kathy Reichs takes a break from her normal leading character of Temprance Brennan and introduces us to Sunni Night, former army and police officer injured out of the service due to her reckless behaviour. Reichs masterfully intriduces us to her new character, slowlt revealing the history that has made Sunni the way she is. A complex story of a missing teenager and a home grown terrorist plot, Sunnie and her brother Gus 9Hence the title Two Nights) travel from cost to coast chasing down the bombers who killed 3 innocent peope and snatched a fourth to conver t otheir ideals.

 The way that Reich writes this novel is extremely clever, the flashback scenes will leave you wondering if it is the missing girls memories or Sunnies, this is not revealed until close to the end of the novel. The wists and turns are ingenious and written with Reich’s flair for the dramatic keeps you on the edge of your seat. The character of Sunnie is brilliantly written and you can empathise with her wish for solitude. Hopefully there will be further books that will feature Sunnie and Gus, as although they are tough cop types they are easier to relate to than the extermely educated Brennan (not that the Brennan books aren’t brilliant because they are). If you are a Reichs fan this is a must read.

I was very excited to start a new Kathy Reichs, as I've been a huge fan of Bones (the tv show) as well as the Temperance Brennan series. This book is a stand alone, and was a bit of getting used to - I kept on expecting Tempe to pop in! Even though the main character's name didn't really do it for me, it was entertaining to read a Reichs book with another heroine character! Entertaining and recommended!

Great book, had me on the edge of my seat a few times. I felt a bit let down by the last few pages but overall I would definitely recommend.

This is the first novel I have read by Kathy Reichs so I assume this is not up to her usual standard. The book seemed clumsy and became a bit dreary. In the end it became a chore to read it and I nearly didn't finish it. Reichs has a hugely loyal fanbase so either I'm missing something or this was a rare slip-up from her.

I was quite disappointed in this book. I didn't feel it was up to Kathy's usual standard. It was still a good story though.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I can safely say I have read every book in Kathy Reichs’ two other series, so I know what to expect from her writing. I was really excited to read TWO NIGHTS from the POV of a new character.

There are elements of this novel that are reminiscent of Reichs’ other works, but Sunnie is such a different character from Tempe Brennan that from the very beginning you know you’re not reading a Brennan novel. Sunnie shoots first and asks questions later, which gets her into a few sticky situations.

I really like the mystery element of the story and I feel that is something Reichs does really well. I do think it’s a shame this is a standalone novel if I’m honest because it’s set up as a great start to a series. I feel like Sunnie had a lot to say in this novel and has a lot more she could say afterwards.

I wanted to really like this as I am a fan of Kathy but found this hard work. Nearly gave up but persevered through to the end

Having enjoyed Kathy Reichs' previous books I jumped into this one sure I would adore the book, characters and story....I was wrong and I'm sad that I didn't enjoy Two Nights.
Although I didn't enjoy this book it is a quick read with short snappy characters, quick speech and spunky commentary. The story line is fast paced and easy to follow.
The characters, especially the main character, lacked any redeeming qualities for me. I didn't enjoy Sunday so found it hard to stick with her. I put the book down several times because of my personally dislike for the character. When I did finish it I still didn't feel anything for her, perhaps thats a fault in my character?
Overall I couldn't recommend the book, unfortunately. I'll be sticking to Temperance and Bones.

First book by this author that I have read so can't compare this stand alone to her series of books. I enjoyed the book and think the characters were well developed. Will be reading her other books.

This is a ‘stand-alone’ book but one that would easily lend itself to become a series. If that was the case, I would hope that the ‘demons’ Sunnie has aren’t overplayed. It is great to have background and understanding of why the main protagonist behaves as she does, her character and relationships. As a reader, I want them and understand the need for them. But there also needs to be a way forward whether that is to overcome, or accept and be able to live with, them. It would be interesting to see how that would be handled. I would welcome more from Kathy Reichs should she decide to write more.

Review
If it were possible I would have given this 3.5 stars.
Kathy Reichs, well know for her Tempe Brennen series, branches away from the world of forensics and FBI investigations into the world of private investigation with her new book Two Nights. This may not be loved by all those who are Kath Reichs Tempe followers but I very much enjoyed it, it is well written as you would expect from Kathy Reichs, it has pace, the characters are great and it's a terrific read.

As you guys know, I am a bit of a fan of Kathy Reichs. And it's been a while since I read a good thriller lately, so when I heard that her latest was a standalone, I got excited and a little nervous. So, I requested madly on NetGalley and started trying to power-read it once I finished Invasion of the Tearling when I knew I was going to an event where Kathy Reichs was at (want to read my write-up? TA-DAH!!!).

Well, I finished this last week (just before my blog break, FYI) and I've had time to thing about my thoughts and feels on this. But before I go head-first, let's talk about that this is about.

Sunday Night is a woman with scars - both physical and psychological - and a woman who is running from her past, burying secrets and trying to build a life as far removed from her childhood as possible.

But someone comes to her for a job, needing a private investigator, Sunnie feels like she has to take it. A girl is missing and Sunnie is drawn to this child. And the child vanished mere moments after a bomb went off outside a Jewish school, killing her mother and brother. Is the girl dead, snatched or has something more terrifying and disturbing happened?

As Sunnie hunts down the truth, her past begins to blur with her present and soon, one has wonder how connected Sunnie and this child is...

Ok, now it's time to talk about this. If I am honest, it's not the best Kathy Reichs I've read, but it's solid. It's fast-paced, full of action, drama and the twists kept me on my toes. All very Kathy Reichs. I can see this working as a mini TV drama (three episodes, maybe, to keep the plot and action tight) and I can see this being the start of a new series (which I would be on board with).

However - yes, there is a however. Like I said, this isn't my fave Kathy Reichs. There are things that people won't warm to. For a start, Sunday Night isn't Temperance Brennan. People are going to compare - I did for a first few pages. This is natural. But, unlike Tempe who is warm and relatable, Sunnie is cold and very prickly. It takes time to warm to her as a character. I liked characters like this but I know some of you won't - plus, with Sunnie not apologising for her coldness, some of you won't like her at all.

While I liked the pacing and the twists, there's something about the story that doesn't right with me. I like the ideas and theories Kathy throws at us - cults, home-grown terrorism, zealots, etc - but there were times I did feel a little overwhelmed. It's as if Kathy was throwing a lot of ideas at the wall and seeing what would stick. It felt messy at times.

Though there were moments that I felt disjoined from the book, I did like it. Maybe not as much compared to other Kathy Reichs's novels but it's refreshing to see an author try and write new characters and ideas outside their series. And I do think Two Nights would make a good TV adaption and is a good solid start to a series, if Kathy wants to return to Sunday Night and her complex backstory. If for nothing else, I want to spend more time with Sunday's brother, August...