About: Two Girls Down is a mystery thriller written by Louisa Luna. It will be published on 1/9/2018 by Doubleday, an imprint of Random House, 320 pages. The genres are mystery, thriller, crime, and fiction.

My Experience: I started reading Two Girls Down on 12/19/17 and finished it on 12/28/17. I love the start. I read this book during my Christmas travel and sometimes only read snippets of it so I didn’t fully enjoy the read as much as I normally would. I would have loved it if Cap caught some interesting cheaters. The one he caught is so mellow. I do like Vega’s contact “the Bastard” though it would have been great if he’s in the story a bit more. I would love to follow his train of thoughts while he digs around for info. He seems to have a good sense of humor. I like getting to know of the bounty hunter/private investigator profession reading this book.

This book is told in the third person point of view following Jamie Brandt, a single mother of two girls: Kylie 10 and Bailey 8, both went missing while she’s inside the store buying a birthday gift for Kylie’s friend. The story also introduces Max Caplan (Cap), an ex-cop and a current private investigator concerning on catching cheaters for a price. He’s a single dad to a teenage daughter Nell. The third main character is Alice Vega, 33, a bounty hunter specializing on finding missing persons. She doesn’t work with the police unless they want to. She was hired by Jamie’s aunt to find Jamie’s missing daughters. The grief a mom goes through while waiting for news of her daughters is tough. Alice hires Max to help her with the case. They both follow clues that leads to more clues to find the Brandt girls, though often they find more than they were looking for.

This book is well written. It keeps me wanting more and it’s intense at times. The story involves children but foul language and extreme content are in it. The boy in the tank freak me out. I have a love and hate relationship with Vega and Cap. Their mysterious background is not very interesting to read for me, but I do like them doing detective work and chasing after clues. The romance is slow which is good but then it came and it was so sudden and without any passion. There are so many characters in this book so I would recommend if you read, to read it within 3 days so you won’t lose track of who’s who. I lost track of them since I was only able to read a little each day. I love books with clues leading to another clues and though, most of the suspects it points to are troubled individuals that could be predictable, it’s still a great read and I do recommend everyone to read this book! As always, I can’t never guess the ending and this book didn’t fail to surprise me.

Pro: clues leading to more clues, mystery, suspense, fast pace, humor, diversity,

Con: I personally just have a love/hate relationship with main characters

I rate it 4 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the author Louisa Luna, publisher Doubleday, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details

Title: Two Girls Down

Author : Louisa Luna

Publisher: Doubleday

Publication Date: 01/09/18

Dates Read: 12/22/17 - 12/28/17

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars



"You said every day we make a million little choices, and we should
try to make the right ones as much as we can. And you said rarely in life
do the big choices present themselves, so when they do, we have to take
advantage of the opportunity. We have to do the right thing."



Jamie Brandt is your average, worn-out mother of multiple children (plus some drugs.. that's not average, right?). She has two daughters, 10-year-old Kylie and 8-year-old Bailey, and a million things on her to-do list. Jamie makes a quick run inside the mall to pick up a birthday party gift, leaving her girls in the car. When she returns, she experiences every mother's worst nightmare. Her girls are gone.

With very little evidence to go off of and very few (seemingly) reliable witnesses, this case, like many before it, was destined to go cold.

Enter Alice Vega--Kick ass, won't-take-no-for-an-answer, tough-as-nails, female bounty hunter. Yeah, she's that cool. Alice has an impressive track record for finding missing persons and is well known in her field. Jamie Brandt's mother, with little trust in the police's efforts, hires Vega to help track down their girls. But the Denville police department is not willing to lift one finger to aid her efforts, much less work collaboratively for the sake of the missing girls...

Enter Max Caplan, a former police officer, better known as "Cap". He didn't exactly leave the police force on his best "swan song" and is working as a private investigator, catching cheaters and skips, and seems less than passionate about this line of work. Max is your average Joe... hard working guy, single dad, and an all-around "good guy" (despite what the rumors may lead people to believe. Vega recruits the not-initially-willing Cap to tag team the mission to find the Brandt girls and, oh man, they are one awesome team.

Cap and Vega have to jump through many hoops to find leads and are constantly (but amiably) battling one another along the way. They are the perfect balance of gone-rouge-badass and by-the-book-cop.

When I am reading a crime thriller, especially an uncorrected proof ARC, my ratings are primarily driven by engagement level. Before reading I checked out the author's other books and tried to gauge what I should expect from this title. To be honest, I wasn't expecting a lot. I hadn't seen a lot of 'chatter' about this upcoming release and wasn't familiar with the author or any of her previous books.

But y'all.... I set the bar entirely too low for this novel. It more than exceeded my expectations. I was fully engaged the entire time I read. Had it not been the holidays, I would have easily finished this book in 1-2 days.

The suspense was there for the entire course of the novel--the fear of a parent, the determination of those helping, the mystery behind the case, the thrill of the chase. The ending was fantastic but hard to swallow at times. The conclusion of the case of the Brandt girls shines a light on the raw, nasty, psychopathic tendencies that exist inside of some humans. The desires that no one even wants to speak of.

"As soon as you got closer you saw the damage, the disease, not what
monsters and wolves could do, but what regular men could do to a kid."

The thing that I loved the most about this title was the author's ability to create depth in her characters, especially her female characters. I love when an author can bring a character to such life that I feel like, not only that they are a real person, but that I know them. Here's looking at you Vega! This talent always makes me think about the talent that authors have to shape an entire existence other than their own-- an artistic equivalent to acting. Luna's characters came to life on the page for me and I was eating it up!

And on the note of female characters... if you love reading novels where there is a strong female lead, a totally badass lead.. you need to read this one. Vega is so much fun... she's snarky, strong, independent, and ruthless and I love it! And Cap's daughter, Nell, was also a super fun, intelligent, and leader-like character that I enjoyed watching come to life. (They would make a great team... Can we have a sequel please and put that into action?)

All in all.. a great read. A diamond in the rough. A thrill I wasn't expecting. I hope this novel is the come-back that puts Luna's name on the map.



*Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for sharing your novel with reviewers such as myself! 
** I saw what you did there Louisa Luna... a neighbor named Bosch? Maybe I'm wrong, but I would love to think that's a hat-tip to one of the greats of this genre, Mr. Connelly


Review can be viewed at the following links:
Blog: http://offthepressreads.com/two-girls-down/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2212186617
Instagram: @Off_The_Press
Review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble following the publication date.

4.5 stars

I received an ARC of "Two Girls Down" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Doubleday, and Louisa Luna for the opportunity to read this book.

This will probably be the last book that I read for 2017. But, it was a VERY good book to end the year with reading.

"Two Girls Down" is a TRUE mystery and who-done-it!! It is the type that I really like as it had me on EDGE without all of the blood and gore of other novels. It was well-written and was very fast-paced. The main characters were fully developed - I really liked Cap and Alice. I truly hope that the author, Louisa Luna, makes a series with this book as the premiere one. Also, this would be a FANTASTIC movie - it would have a fantastic story-line perfect for a great movie.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone who like thrillers, mysteries, or that type of book. It is also perfect for someone who like GOOD writing with a strong plot and character development. I cannot wait for the NEXT book that Louisa Luna writes!!

DEFINITE recommend!!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Looking back on it, reading a book about kidnapped children is probably not the BEST choice when you are 8 months pregnant... regardless, I really liked this book. It was well paced and kept me guessing! I wanted to read one final book in 2017, and I am glad it was this one because it hit the spot.

My only gripe is the slight romance. Can’t a man and a woman work together without falling in love?!

That being said, I would love to read another book from this author. Or a sequel of these characters!

Stunning from the first page to the last!!! 5 Stars and 5 Thumbs Up and a fist bump!

I sat down one morning, opened this book, and read it straight through. It’s rare to find a book that will not turn you loose...gets its hooks in early and won’t let go.

Why? Alice Vega is one reason, Max Caplan is the other. These two reluctant allies are dynamite! Max Caplan, Cap, is a great guy. He’s a sweetheart in every way. Alice, on the other hand, is prickly...and tough as nails. Alice wants to bully and fight through every situation while Cap wants to take a more reasoned approach. This is a serious roll-reversal from the usual trope, and I loved it!

Alice had to resort to a little underhanded skullduggery to convince Cap to help her, but once they teamed up? It was magic.

Cap’s daughter, Nell, almost steals the show. At sixteen, she is beautiful, smart, athletic and nearly as good a deceive as her dad. They discuss everything in their cozy home.

Oops...I’ve said more about the plot than I would normally do, but there’s a reason. This book is just wonderfully done. This author is new to me, but she’s going on my favorites list. I hope I have the opportunity to read more from her in the future! If you love a great mystery, grab a copy and...

Enjoy!

2shay

Enjoyed this book. I thought there were a few too many characters to keep track of but the main characters of Alice Vega and Caplan were great. A good team and look forward to reading more books featuring them.

A fast, intriguing thriller with two gritty, realistic investigators on the trail of a dual kidnapping. I can see why Lee Child liked this book! A new author to me, I'll be looking out for the next book in what I hope will become a series of books.
The theme of the book is pretty dark as it is about the kidnapping of two girls but it is not so gruesome to put you off reading.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I love smart characters and fortunately this book gave me many. The main characters and side characters are smart and quick. The plot is also smart and quick. The only slight quibble I have is that there are so many characters coming and going that I got confused. And because of vast cast of characters I was surprised by the identity of the the kidnappers.

When two girls go missing, their family hires Alice Vega , a PI who's had success finding missing children, to find them. She enlists the help of Max Caplan, a former policeman. I thought this book was just ok- didn't really care for the characters of the way the story played out.

TWO GIRLS DOWN is an intriguing thriller that revolves around the disappearance of two young girls. Who took them? Why? Are they still alive? Enter Alice Vega, an expert in tracking the missing, and Max "Cap" Caplan, a former homicide investigator and now P.I. The story has so many twists and turns the reader could get whiplash and the ending will be both surprising and inevitable. In particular, Vega is an interesting character. No BS, no patience, no fear, laced with a slice of sociopathy. She will do and say whatever she feels is needed at that moment in time and worry about the consequences later. Laws and rules are merely suggestions in her world. Makes for an unpredictable story.

Alice Vega finds missing people. Max Caplan is a former cop turned private detective in a small Pennsylvania town. When two young girls go missing Vega gets a call from the family and quickly finds herself on the wrong side of the local police. She teams up with Caplan to track down the missing girls but the search is not without danger. What’s the connection between the girls, a local ballet studio, and the drug trade?

This is an edge-of-your-seat read. The deeper you get into the story, the closer you get to edge of your seat. The author has created a complex story that at first seems to make no sense but comes together beautifully in the end. Alice Vega is a hard-edged, bad-ass kind of female character but the more you get to know her the more apparent it becomes that she is much more complex that she at first appears. Max Caplan, when we first meet him, seems very defeated. It appears that his only reason for living is his precocious teenage daughter Nell. But maybe he just needs someone to reignite his spark. Both Caplan and Vega really grew on me as the story developed. Nell is a real treat in the story. She doesn’t play a huge part but when she does show up she adds an element of fun and liveliness to the otherwise rather dark story. Finally, I thought the interplay between the police and the PI’s was unique and added a level of tension to the story that enhanced the drama. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I would highly recommend it, especially if you feeling the need for some thrills.

A good suspense story, kept me guessing as to how they would rescue these 2 girls. Can’t wait to read more stories with Vega as the lead character. Well written.

Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna is a mystery thriller that becomes a race against time as two girls disappear without a trace. The story opens with Jamie Brandt, a struggling single mother, taking her two daughters, Kylie, 10 years old, and Bailey, 8 years old, to a birthday party. She stops quickly at a local store for a birthday present and leaves her daughters in the car. When she returns, the girls are gone. The family hires private investigators, Alice Vega and Max “Cap” Caplan, to find the girls when it becomes obvious that the local police are overwhelmed with the investigation. Soon Vega and Cap are hot on the girls’ trail, following every clue while battling hostilities from the police department. When the trail leads to the most unlikely place, they must race to save the girls. Will they find them in time? Will the girls be returned alive?
Two Girls Down is a suspenseful hunt with many twists and turns that will keep the reader on his or her toes. Every clue is important and the hints will keep the reader guessing until the very end. While I can’t talk about a lot of details in the book, as it would give away too much, I loved each and every character from the hostile cops to the seemingly minor characters. I especially loved the chemistry and camaraderie between Vega and Cap. It was great to see how their relationship builds and how they become a seamless team. I look forward to more books featuring these two. It is a great book that I highly recommend. If you love mysteries, this is a book for you.

Two Girls Down
will be available January 9, 2018
in hardcover and eBook

Two Girls Down
Louisa Luna


MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️
PUBLISHER Doubleday Books
PUBLISHED January 9, 2018

A riveting and entertaining page-turner that will keep you guessing all night long.

SUMMARY
Two young sisters, Kylie, age 10 and Bailey, age 8, disappear from a strip mall parking lot in Denville Pennsylvania. Jamie Brandt, the girls mother was not a bad mother, but she was not a perfect mother either. Jamie’s wealthy aunt hires Alice Vega, a tireless private investigator from California who specializes in child abductions. The local police department refuses to share information with her, so Vega hires a former detective, Max Caplan to assist her in untangling the web of lies. With little to go on Vega and Caplan relentlessly follows one clue to the next in a heroic attempt to find the girls before time runs out.


REVIEW
TWO GIRLS DOWN is a riveting and entertaining mystery and the pages practically turn themselves. The story is intriguing, and it is next to impossible to figure out who had taken the girls. We are drawn to the answer just like a moth is drawn to a flame.

LOUISE LUNA’s character ensemble was perfect, the bad-ass private detective, the disgraced former cop, the not so perfect mom, all came to life as real people on the page. Vega’s self-confidence and her take charge attitude was arresting. You never knew what she was going to do next. She was definitely not a predictable character. She’s a woman who wants to get things done, and get them done in the most expedient way possible. When it comes to finding the missing girls she doesn’t have time for niceties. Teaming her with the more sensitive Caplan was brilliant. Caplan’s relationship with his teenage daughter Nell, was endearing and a cleverly layered part of the story.

Mystery lovers will appreciate this story. While there were some abrupt and surprising jumps backward in time to fill in characters’ backstory it was not enough to detract from the overall goodness of the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jamie Brandt is a single mother who just wants a break from her 8 and 10year old daughters. She gets a break, but not the kind she wants. Both girls disappear from a mall parking lot and the race is on to find them.

It is always good when I discover a new author. This book starts out great and held onto me right to the end. I didn’t see the ending coming at all. It is full of twists and turns and has some great characters. I would give this book 4 1/2 stars. I will definitely read this author again. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy of this book.

2.5 stars! Two Girls Down started off strong for me. I thought Jamie with her kids was easy to relate to and the scene where they go missing a very believable situation. Cap pulled me in immediately. We got bits and pieces of his past and his interactions with his clever daughter to form a good picture of who he was. This was five star worthy and I was excited.

Then enters Vega and it all goes downhill from there...I understand she was supposed to be a bit mysterious. Kind of the cold, lone wolf type. But there's so little to her in the beginning, other than her penchant for violence and her disdain for yoga advice, that I couldn't really care about her and found the references toward her mom at the end annoying rather than interesting or explanatory.

The majority of the characters we meet in the process of the investigation are unmemorable. Cap and Alice would talk about visiting someone and I'd have a hard time remembering who they were. Then add to it the fact that Jamie's reunion with Kylie, which should have been one of the most rewarding parts of the book, was summed up and glossed over, and I feel like this novel lost everything I loved about it in the beginning.

I received a review copy.

They may get on our last nerve, they may exhaust us, but one of a parent’s greatest nightmares is that their child could be kidnapped. It happened in the parking lot in a small Pennsylvania town, two young girls were taken from the car while their harried mother di a quick run in to the local Kmart.

The clues are almost non-existent and the police are ill-equipped to handle this. Enter Alice Vega, private investigator, a woman who will stop at nothing and use any means necessary to find the girls, including bending the law when she needs to. Alice is driven by her own demons, her own nightmares and her need to save the lost.

When Alice brings ex-cop turned PI, Max Caplan on board he becomes her conscience, her voice of reason, her restraint as their methods clash. One thing they will learn is that they make a great team, the young and fiery woman and the older, damaged cop.

Incredible twists, turns of events and the trails that meander to the final resolution. What I found was these characters were more human, more flawed and NOT the “fairytale” version of humans, from the mother to both Alice and Max. If you are looking to make a martyred saint out of any of these characters, forget it, they are too real and THAT is what truly makes this tale of mystery and intrigue! No cardboard cutouts, real characters that breathe, make mistakes and loose control.

TWO GIRLS DOWN by Louisa Luna is edgy, dark, and filled with a labyrinth of trails to follow, will one of those trails finally lead Vega and Cap to the end of their journey before it is too late? Edgy and frightening, read this and you will NEVER let your child out of your grasp, because this is every parent’s nightmare come true.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Doubleday Books.

Publisher: Doubleday (January 9, 2018)
Publication Date: January 9, 2018
Genre: Mystery | Suspense
Print Length: 320 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

"Vega washed her hands in Cap's bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought about death. Which is what she usually did when she looked in strange mirrors in strange bathrooms. It made her think of hospitals and morgues, how a body could look peaceful but only in the way a piece of luggage looks peaceful-it was simply an item that didn't move."....


Kylie and Bailey are 2 little girls left alone in the car outside a KMart. When they disappear, they’re great aunt hires a well known bounty hunter. Alice Vega is good at finding lost children.

When Alice comes to town she gets a former cop, turned private detective, to help her with the case. Max Caplan has a few of his own secrets, like why he really left the force. A drinking problem, a divorce, and maybe a desire to redeem himself in his daughters eyes.

The characters felt real. The story was one you just fall into and can’t let go until you know the truth. Alice is a tough girl, but is she tough enough to overcome the obstacles to the missing girls? The girls grieving mother is falling apart at the seams. Media coverage isn't helping the stress and strain its putting on everyone. Everyone who knows them is suspect.

Descriptive, detailed account of a town that could be Anywhere, USA. With rampant drug issues, an overworked, understaffed police department, they’re going to need the likes of Vega and Cap if they ever hope to find these little girls again. They can get answers in ways cops might not be able to. The police aren't exactly thrilled to have them involved and it shows. Even the FBI is coming to town for this. Getting everyone to work together will be tough.

A thrilling suspense story from start to finish. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next, or how it all would end. The story definitely took a turn I didn’t see coming. It didn’t end the way I expected either. I love a good book that is not always predictable.

Thank you Louisa Luna, Doubleday Books, Netgalley.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the advance reader copy Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna in exchange for an honest review. I love mystery and detective stories and this book did not disappoint! Alice Vega is a successful bounty hunter hired by the family of two young girls who went missing at a mall. Alice is tough to figure out, very savvy when it comes to doing things her own way and she has plenty of resources and a tech guy who can get almost any information she needs. But when it comes to Witness Statements, Alice decides to hire/approach Cap, a disgraced cop who now has his own private investigation firm with a teen daughter who is just as interested in her father’s cases. Mystery lovers will be spellbound by the many twists and turns the case takes as many clues evolve, with Cap and Alice working overtime with no sleep to win over the police department, so they can ALL share clues to find these girls. There are surprises aplenty, but together Cap & Vega keep digging, as time ticks agonizingly fast. Will they find the girls? Will they be alive? If alive, will they be emotionally stable? I also liked the element of romantic interest between Cap & Vega that grows as the tension mounts. Luna’s major characters are well drawn and minor characters in the police department and suspects, friends and families questioned are all interesting and integral. I want to see Alice Vega turn into a mystery series. This is a riveting, mesmerizing detective thriller and will keep mystery lovers turning the pages; highly recommended!

I can already see who would play Vega and Cap in a movie adaptation. Solid story line. Believable characters. I usually get irritated with inner monologue, but these were relevant and helped develop the characters. Epic climax. A must-read.