Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
A fantastic read that kept me on the edge of my seat. Loved the twists and turns and many unexpected happenings.
I have read a few of this author's books and mostly understand the back story. It was made a bit more complicated
since both of Brennan's main characters appear in this novel. Two strong female characters to whom I could relate.
Both of their love interests took only peripheral roles in this book which I liked. What can I say more? Read it. It will
keep you entertained.

Okay, so I've got to be honest and say that I read the first Max Revere novel and didn't like it at all. Max just came across hard and unlikable and frustrating. I didn't end up continuing with the series despite my love of Allison Brennan. I only tried this one because it featured Lucy Kincaid, and I am nothing if not addicted to anything Kincaid/Rogan. As I started this book, I still wasn't fond of Max, and I didn't trust her motives with Lucy. The more I read though the more I respected Max and began to begrudgingly like her. The interplay between Max and Lucy was really interesting with neither really trusting at first and each trying to figure the other out.

Lucy was at her best, and we also got to revisit several members of her family. I loved the self discovery and the self confidence that built with the characters. The story really drew me in , and by the end, I was liking Max and feeling a need to know more about what might happen between her and David. Any future Lucy Kincaid book was definitely going to be on my reading list, but it looks like Max Revere #5 will be too.

Net Galley provided an ARC for honest review.

4+ Stars!

Fast-paced, spine-chilling, and extremely disturbing!

In this latest novel by Brennan she gives us an exciting crossover thriller featuring Max, the tough and tenacious investigative journalist of this series, and Lucy the troubled, extremely clever FBI agent from her other series as they take on a 20-year-old cold case that highlights just how psychologically and emotionally devastating the loss of a loved one, especially a child, can be on the entire family and may not be quite as cold as first believed.

The writing is clear and tight. The characterization is well done. And the plot is a skillfully executed police procedural with twists, turns, emotion, family drama, heartbreak, lies, murder and an ending that will not only satisfy but leave you wanting more.

Shattered is a highly entertaining, harrowing whodunit that doesn't disappoint and even though it's the fourth book in the series it can definitely be read as a standalone novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I requested an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley, I had NO idea it was a series, and apparently even further, this book combines characters from two different series.  Nonetheless, after reading the book cover to cover, I can assure you that even if you didn't know that there was a series, or even two series, this book totally serves as a stand alone.  In fact, now I'm so curious about the other books in both series, that I'm definitely adding Allison Brennan to my "must reads" in the future!

The protagonist is Maxine "Max" Revere, who is an investigative reporter who specializes in missing persons and cold cases. In this story, Max travels from New York to Arizona to help an old college ex-boyfriend, John Caldwell, who has since married his wife, Blair.  John begs Max to help his family, as his son, Peter was recently murdered and Blair is on trial for that murder.  He brings her to see how Peter's murder is similar to three cold cases and John is crazy upset that his wife is being charged.  Max must determine if she is guilty or if the young boy is the latest victim of a serial killer.

Max is used to calling the shots and uses the staff from her show to fact check so she is rather "put out" at first when she is pressured to work with a partner, FBI agent Lucy Kincaid, the cousin of one of the victims of the older cases Max is looking into. For Max it is quite an adjustment learning to take direction from others instead of leading the charge.

Since I haven't read Ms. Brennan's previous series, I didn't know Lucy Kincaid or her husband, Sean, but neither of them made a great first impression to me.  I felt that Sean is overprotective of Lucy and he was very pushy. In fact, if he felt that anyone disagreed with him, he was a bit of a bully.  As the story progresses, these key characters become much more likable to readers as we understand a bit of their history.

The process of getting to the bottom of the murders, trying to find a connection between them and understand the motivations of the murderer was truly riveting. I felt that each page I turned could be "the page" - the one that would reveal the truth, but it didn't turn out that way until the end. I found that Lucy and Max both brought their differing styles and talents to to resolve these heartbreaking and unsolved crimes. As the story progresses, it becomes absolutely necessary to both of them to find the "killer" because they realize another child is slated to be murdered.

As everyone knows, I don’t write spoilers.  I will say though that this story is so well written and the characters are very developed that I felt like I could know them.  I have to say that the last scene of this story had me chomping at the bit to read the next Maxine Revere book! I'm not even sure when the next one comes out, but believe me, but I can’t wait! 

I received an advanced readers digital copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review and unbiased opinion. Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!

I LOVE the Maxine Revere series! She’s an investigative reporter driven to solve cold murder cases. Max can be abrasive, but she’s principled, and loyal, and underneath all the prickle she’s got a heart. These stories start off tackling the evidence, witnesses; a bit crime procedural, but the tension increases bit by bit as we get closer to the truth! Shattered was a nail-biter by the end!

Maxine is approached by a John Caldwell, a former boyfriend from college, when his wife is accused of murdering their eight-year-old son, Peter. He wants Max to look into similar cases and prove his wife is innocent. Max is intrigued by the three cold cases and quickly spots similarities, but one of the unsolved cases is of seven-year-old Justin Stanton and she’s facing a major road block if she doesn’t agree to work with FBI agent Lucy Kincaid, Justin’s aunt.

Max is infuriated by the forced partnering; both Lucy and Max like to run the show and don’t trust easily. Max isn’t certain that Lucy won’t take over and run with all the information she’s uncovered, and Lucy’s not certain that Max won’t exploit her family’s tragedy for sensationalism and ratings. Surprisingly, they end up working very well together; respect, trust, and admiration slowly growing between them. The dynamic between Max and Lucy was fascinating, each trying to figure each other out. They were great together, and I hope we get to see them work together again!

The process of getting to the bottom of the murders, trying to find a connection between them and understand the motivations of the murderer was riveting. Lucy and Max both bring their talents to the table and tackle these heartbreaking, unsolved crimes. It becomes imperative to find this person when they realize another child might be in danger! By the end things were very intense, and I was so nervous for all involved!

As far as reading the Lucy Kincaid series first, I don’t think it’s necessary. I have read the first Lucy Kincaid book and others where she’s a secondary character or in the periphery, so I did have some prior knowledge of her past, but her background is detailed enough in Shattered to grasp the emotional toll Justin’s murder had on Lucy and the family. Justin and Lucy were best friends, both seven when he was abducted and murdered, a tragic event that forever shaped her future.

I think you could read Shattered as a standalone, but without reading the past Maxine Revere books you’d miss fundamental parts of her personality. She’s driven to find the truth, and get justice for victims. She can be kind of a bitch sometimes, but she’s totally grown on me! Also, you wouldn’t understand the relationship struggles she’s having: with Nick, her boyfriend and David her assistant/bodyguard and platonic friend. I was pleased with the final outcomes. I wasn’t thrilled with Nick at all by the end of the last book. I’m happy that Max is finally recognizing that she needs and deserves more, especially after seeing the love and absolute trust between Sean and Lucy.

While this current mystery is solved to satisfaction, the last scene has me chomping at the bit to get the next Maxine Revere book! I haven’t seen any information on a release date, but I can’t wait!

A copy was kindly provided by Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review is also posted at The Readers Den.

Shattered by Allison Brennan was a great “who done it”. I did not realize when I picked out the book that it was the latest in a series and I do not think it hindered me. Max Revere is a nontraditional crime reporter. She takes cold cases and works with her team to figure out what happened and who was the guilty of the crime.

An old college friend begs Max to help him prove his wife did not kill their son. Since Max does not work on current crimes, he convinces her that his child’s death is similar to other children’s deaths, that she can investigate. It is looking into the older crimes that Max realizes that this may be the work of a serial killer. She is forced to accept help from FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid, the aunt of the boy murdered twenty years ago. Between Max’s ability to track down old information and Lucy’s ability to step into the mind of the killer, the case begins to narrow down the suspects and then they realize a young boy is soon to be the next victim.

I was hooked right from the start and couldn’t wait to discover what was going to happen next. The characters and the twists and turns of the storyline kept me right on the edge. I really enjoyed how all the information was laid out and how I fell totally into the story.

Shattered by Allison Brennan was a great book to read.

This book took me out of my usual genre reading and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience! Max Revere is an investigative reporter who has been asked, no begged, to look into the possibility of a serial killer of young boys and how it may relate to the killing of his son. She usually only investigates cold cases but promises to take a look. This brings in Lucy Kincaid who was related to one of the earlier victims. Can they work together? Can they trust each other enough to not explode and bring it all down?

There is a lot of backstory which I found helpful but made the early part of the story lag but even though there was so much I slogged through it and tried to keep it all straight. Once the backstory was over and the rest took over, the book flew and was GREAT. For this reason, I will be on the lookout for the next book in the series (either Max or Lucy).

**Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

"It was so much easier to hate than it was to forgive."

I've read quite a few of author Brennan's books in the past - those being in her Lucy Kincaid series. This is the first book of hers I've read with Max Revere as a protagonist. In fact, both Max and Lucy star in this book.

I did feel a little lost, even though Brennan filled in the backstories quite adeptly, because I haven't read all the books in both series. But I was still able to enjoy this uncommonly good psychological thriller.

Max Revere is an independently wealthy investigative reporter. She investigates cold crimes plus hosts a monthly network show about cold crimes called "Maximum Exposure." She gets a lead on three cold cases - murders of young boys whose cold cases have many similarities.

She finds that to have access to the family of one of the young boys she's going to have to work cooperatively with rookie FBI agent Lucy Kincaid Rogan - and Max doesn't like to share.

This was an exceptionally well-written story. There were a lot of characters and a couple of different storylines but the author kept everything easy to understand, exciting to read about, developed the characters so that they were easy to imagine and tied up all the loose ends.

Brennan's writing just keeps getting better and better. This wasn't the first book of hers I've read and it definitely won't be the last. I highly recommend it to mystery fans, fans of psychological thrillers or of suspense fiction.

I received this book from Minotaur Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Shattered by Allison Brennan is the fourth book in the author's Maxine Revere series of books. Allison Brennan is well established as a law enforcement procedural thriller writer. In Shattered, Max teams up with another of Brennan's beloved protagonists, Lucy Kincaid. Together, they attempt to solve the cold case murders of three pre-adolescent boys which may or may not be linked to a current trial in which Max's ex-boyfriend's wife is the accused. One cold case victim, Justin, is Lucy Kincaid's nephew.
Consistent with my other Allison Brennan experiences, this book revolved around an interesting concept and was convincingly written with law enforcement realism in mind. The protagonists are complex, flawed, and relatable.
Standing in my way of a truly enjoyable experience is the execution of joining two protagonists from different series. This book became very much about Lucy Kincaid even though it is in Max's series and should have been her show. If this book was an addition to the Lucy Kincaid series, or if the levels of involvement were shifted from Lucy to Max, it would have been a really exciting addition to either series.
I imagine that loyal Allison Brennan readers will love this book and treasure these two characters in the same pages. That said, readers are also going to find a lot of backstory in this book. Not only is the series protagonist's backstory reviewed, as one may expect, but the addition of Lucy Kincaid's backstory made the book difficult to get into. There was so much review and catch up in the first half that those already up to date may feel bogged down while readers new to either protagonist may feel overwhelmed.
It had been several years since I had read an Allison Brennan book and I was very happy to be reintroduced to her intelligent writing.

This was a great addition to the Max Revere Series. What could be better than having Lucy Kincaid show up in this series? I loved having the two heroines interacting in the same book, and I thought the contentiousness between the two at first was rather clever.

The story was a really compelling one. Max is called by an old friend and asked to help exonerate his wife, who has been charged in the murder of their son. Max finds three similar cold cases, one of which is the twenty year old murder of Justin Stanton, Lucy Kincaid's nephew. Lucy badly wants to find Justin's killer, but she doesn't trust Max at all.

What follows in the investigation is quite a ride. The pace is fast and I really enjoyed seeing these two strong heroines work together.

Maxine "Max" Revere is a talented investigative reporter. That's why red flags went up when a former boyfriend calls here to tell her his wife is on trial for killing their son & everyone is missing the other similar crimes. He's positive it's the work of a serial killer. As Max starts to look into the prior crimes, she hits a roadblock. The father of the presumed first victim, DA Andrew Stanton, told her his ex-wife's family would stall & block her investigation unless she convinced Lucy Kincaid Rogan that her theories were on the up & up. Lucy is Andrew's ex-sister-in-law.

Rookie FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid Rogan isn't sure what to believe. Is Max just trying to sensationalize her cousins death or does she really have a lead? Why is the family overreacting the way they are? Lucy is tired of always being concerned someone might figure out what happened to her. If she can figure out who killed Justin, that's a good thing. She isn't sure about Max's motives so she decides to stay close.


Allison Brennan has two wonderful series & has managed to come up with the perfect cross over story to bring them together. At first I didn't think the personalities of the main characters, Max & Lucy would work together. They were both too much alike - strong, independent, aggressive, intelligent, used to being in charge. Max wasn't used to having her hands tied or her integrity questioned. Lucy didn't trust Max or her motives. She had to give her credit though. Max knew what she was doing & had researchers behind her finding the information she needs. I ended up admiring them as a team. They each knew their own strengths & what they brought to the table.

The action is fast paced & riveting. The plot grabs your attention & through twists & turns keeps you on the edge of your seat. The tension between Max & Lucy adds to the drama without detracting from the facts. The tension between Lucy & her family is new & ramps up the stakes of the case. I really enjoyed this story & hope Max & Lucy end up working together again.

Shattered

A Novel



by Allison Brennan

St. Martin's Press

Minotaur Books



General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 22 Aug 2017

I am reviewing a copy of Shattered through St. Martin's Press and Netgalley:

Over twenty years, four boys go missing from their bedrooms, murdered by suffocation and buried in nearby shallow graves. Is this the work of a serial killer, or just a coincidence?

Investigative reporter Maxine Revere sets out to answer these questions when a friend asks her to help exonerate his wife for their son's murderer. Max can do little to help because the police and D.A won't talk to her, certain they got the right women. But do they?

Finally Justin agrees to help her wanting to find closure in his sons murder, which happened twenty years before, but the only thing he asks is that Max works with FBI agent Lucy Kincaid, but Max works alone, and she's not happy that the only way to do this is to work with Lucy Kinkaid, neither one of them wants to work together, but will they to solve these cases?

I give Shattered five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

A TV crime reporter specializing in cold cases is begged by an old flame to rescue his wife on trial, accused of killing their son. He hopes Max, the crime reporter, can tie the murder to a series of cold case murders similar to his son's. Intrigued, Max agrees. The first case, 20 years ago, brings her in contact with a large influential family, deeply involved with law enforcement, politics and criminal profiling. No matter how she tries, she can't solve these cold cases without involving this family and against her past practices, she pairs up with the cousin of the first apparent victim, an FBI agent. Together these two women pursue these cases seeking connections where no one thought to look, resolutions where no one thought possible. The mystery itself is good but the characters are more engaging than the plotting. For readers who love profiling, this book offers up a remarkable treasure of details not just about criminals but about characters. It is becomes increasingly taut as personalities are revealed over time. A fascinating book on many levels. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Love the Lucy Kincaid series and while the sis my first book with Max, putting them together was a great reading experience. I couldn't put it down most of the time and loved the intricate details.

Maxine "Max" Revere is an investigative reporter specializing in missing persons and cold cases. She travels from New York to Phoenix to help an old college friend whose son's murder is similar to three cold cases she's investigating. Her friend is upset that his wife has become a suspect and Max must determine if she is guilty or if the young boy is the latest victim of a serial killer.

I enjoy the Max Revere series and love to see Max in action, with the help of her friend, assistant, and bodyguard David Kane, investigating cases by not backing away from difficult questions or dangerous situations. Max is used to calling the shots and I admire her take-charge attitude. In this case, she is pressured to work with a partner, FBI agent Lucy Kincaid, the cousin of one of the victims of the older cases Max is looking into. It's an adjustment for Max and the reader to see Max having to take direction from others instead of leading the charge.

When I started reading the book, I didn't realize Max would only be one of the main characters and that "Shattered" also featured Lucy Kincaid and her husband Sean, from the author's other series. I'm don't follow that series, so I was previously unfamiliar with these characters. Neither Lucy nor Sean made a great first impression. Sean is overprotective of Lucy and becomes quite pushy and almost bullying when anyone disagrees with him or his wife. Lucy and her family play a large role in the book and again since I don't follow that series, I found this to be intrusive from the regular flow that I enjoy in a Max Revere book. I'm sure fans of that series would have a different opinion.

I like the way the case wrapped up and respected Lucy and was able to better tolerate Sean by the end of the book. David still contributed to the investigation, but with Lucy's involvement, he and Max didn't work as closely together as they usually do and I miss their rapport. They share a great scene toward the end of the book that fans of Max will love. As a follower of only Max and not the Kincaids, I would give the book 3.5 stars and have rounded that up to 4 since I do like Allison Brennan's writing.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of St. Martin's. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

This latest installment in the Maxine Revere series is definitely worth the read. Prior to reading this book, I had read all the previous Maxine Revere novels, however they all stand alone, giving you just enough background to understand the characters and their past experiences.
This book involves Maxine in a different way, as she is helping her friend to determine if the case of his murdered child was related to a handful of other similar cold cases. This book also involves another Allison Brennan character, Lucy Kincaid, and her family, as they are connected to one of the cold cases that is being explored. Lucy and Maxine end up working together in what is an unusual partnership. Overall the many twists and turns made this book enjoyable, adding just enough intrigue to keep you guessing. I highly recommend this for any mystery fans, and fans of Allison Brennan and Nora Roberts.

For Max Revere, finding the truth is her call as she investigates cold cases that catch her attention. When one of her college friends calls her up to help find the truth in the matter of his son’s death. Is his wife a killer or did someone else do it? Max can’t help since the trial is less than 2 weeks away and the police as well as the DA insist they have the right person on trial for the murder. When Max finds three other cases that are similar in nature, she dives into those cold cases hoping that in solving those cases she might be able to help her friend.

What Max gets when she goes to San Diego and the first cold case/murder, Justin Stanton, is a father determined to find the answers to his son’s murder but when she finds out the father wants her to work with his former sister-in-law, well let’s just say Max is less than pleased. But when FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid Rogan strolls through the door, Max finds herself facing a woman who is determined to find justice, to find the truth in her nephew’s murder as well as the other two cold cases. Lucy finds Max’s theory compelling and intrigued from the start. But as these two formable women draw closer to the answers they search for, another child is in the cross-hairs of the killer. Will Max and Lucy be able to figure the truth out and get justice for those three families? And will Max be able to tell her friend what the truth is in his son’s murder without breaking his already fragile heart into a million pieces?

SHATTERED brings two series by this acclaimed and talented author together in a story that literally will leave you on the edge of your seat, flipping (or in my case swiping the screen) pages to see where Max and Lucy go next. It’s tense, engrossing and downright enthralling as the reader finally finds out what happened to Lucy’s nephew twenty years before. This story is layered and totally intriguing with a few twists I didn’t see coming. The writing is tight and the pace of the story flows quickly. I highly enjoyed Max and Lucy together and apart as both women try to work within the parameters of the law and their own ethics and morals. What really intrigued me was how Max couldn’t read Lucy at all. Max takes pride in figuring people out and it was fun to see her so stymied over trying to see what makes Lucy tick, so to speak. I also loved seeing the Kincaid family again. Those scenes are heartbreaking, joyful and at times quite tension filled as family dynamics go into play, even in a fictional world such as this one. Ms. Brennan does a wonderful job conveying so many characters personalities and vulnerabilities within the pages of SHATTERED. I loved how Lucy has grown as a person with in the series and her love story with Sean continues though not as focused in the story as it is Lucy’s series.

SHATTERED is more than a mystery/thriller, it’s about the characters as well. They are well written, multidimensional people that I would adore meeting and basking in their presence for a day, heck even an hour. Sean and Lucy are delightful especially since I finished Make Them Pay (Lucy Kincaid #12) and Two to Die For (two book anthology) recently. The author does an amazing job having the characters grow with each book, showing how they are strong yet also putting the spotlight on their vulnerabilities as well. Max and Lucy are tough women, determined to find truth and justice no matter what, even as they cross lines at times to get that information. Ms. Brennan delivers a heart pounding ride from start to finish and its one you cannot help but want to go along with them. All I can say is buckle up, it’s about to get bumpy!

If you haven’t tried either series I highly recommend you grab the books, settle in and binge read them. They are highly entertaining and this is one author I automatically buy or pre-order because her books are just that good. I look forward to seeing where both Lucy and Max go in the future and see what this author has in store for them next because the ending of Shattered leaves the reader with not answers but a whole lot more questions than ever before.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Shattered is part of a series but it can be read as a stand aloe novel. Allison Brennan has the ability to bring readers up to date with in the first few pages of the book while driving the story forward. The author pulls characters from different series of her books that might confused new readers.
Allison Brennan as the ability to write characters that readers will be able to connect with feel their emotions and understand why the characters choose their direction in life.
Readers will love Lucy and Max and their ability to work together even with their past differences
The story moves in a wonderful pace keep readers hooked.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Advance Copy.

Max Revere and Lucy Kincaid together. What more could we ask for? We also get closure on the anduction and murder of Justin.
We have two storylines here which intersect seamlessly and then separate without question. Excellent book. Hope to see our two heroines together again.

It was a good book. The fact that Lucy Kincaid was included in the book was a pleasant surprise. I'm surprised that this series isn't a tv series or a movie