Sophie Evers is crazy. And yeah it pained me to call her that but I must warn the future readers about her, right? She believes that this guy Daniel and she should be together. She's crazy for him. To the point that she even went to Private investigator, Jim Bean, with a story of wanting to find Daniel, posing as Daniel's sister and not a stalker.

This book is really intriguing, and if it's intriguing, it IS interesting. And it really is. I must say that ever since I started requesting for ARCs, this is one of those few thrillers that I actually found thrilling despite the lack of actions. Ahm what? Is that even possible? Yep, thanks to the villain, Sophie.
Sophie, as a character of antagonism, was well-defined. Like I said, she's crazy, a psychopath or maybe sociopath? I find her creepy like I couldn't stop thinking what if I met someone like her in real life? The things she did just to have Daniel. My God. It was crazy. She's delusional.

As for the MC, Jim Bean, though I didn't find him more interesting and unique than other investigators I've met in thrillerlandia and Crimelandia in fiction, I still like how driven he is when he found out that Sophie fooled him. I still want to read more of him.

I admit though, that sometimes I find things unrealistic and as I said, there was a little lack of actions. Or maybe my standard is just so high when it comes to Crime thrillers. Blame it to my early exposure to this genre. But anyway, I never thought even once to DNF it. Though I had to read it little by little because of Sophie. From the very beginning, when the story opens with Sophie and her bloody fingers, I already had this picture of who Sophie is and that she's creepy. Stalking is creepy and put killing along with it, that's horrifying. I guess, this is just ME, guys. Obsession and stalking always make me uncomfortable so don't take my analysis of Sophie that much.

Overall, I recommend this novel to everyone. Give this one a chance, it's worth it. :)

This book follows the story of a woman named Sophie Ryan Evers who is supposedly looking for her brother who she hasn't seen in years. However, the man she is looking for isn't her brother. It's a man she has been obsessed with since she was a child. We're talking totally and completely obsessed to the point that she really believes that they are in a relationship in her mind. And she will go to great lengths to have him for her own.

What a fabulous and thrilling novel. I enjoyed this one and cant wait for the next one.

This isn't a genre I usually grab up, but I'd heard lots of good things about this book and was excited to get my hands on it. I was not disappointed.

Jim Bean (he changed his name at an earlier age) is a one man private investigator, who's often low on cash. When a potential client hires him to find her brother, nothing seems out of the ordinary until he catches up with the so-called brother and discovers that his client has murdered several individuals. The guy isn't her brother but her main goal, and Bean has lead her directly to him.

While the mysteries I've read up until now have followed a 'who done it' plot, this one takes a slightly different turn. It's clear from the first page who the murderer is, and Bean discovers this himself already a third way into the book. But this is where the story really kicks in. The mystery turns into a hunt as Bean tries to scrape of clues on this very slippery murderer's past. There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns, and the murderer is nothing if not clever.

Bean is fairly cliche—a solo private investigator, gruff, low on money, non-existent social life, and a bit bumbly. Or so he starts out. As soon as he figures out that he's been foooled, his character switches gears, and he's much more on top of his game. His past and personality gain more depth and even his 'love' life (nothing exaggerated by any means) starts to spark. But while his character gains momentum, the murderer's breaks apart.

Sophie is crazy, and she's complex. Her intentions, kills and goals mix together as well as vinegar and milk. There are hints at why she's turned out like this, although this is only lightly touched upon. The author sprinkles in a bit of odd humanitarian sparks into her personality, which heads in the right direction to add a little sympathy. Both of these areas, however, could have used a little more exploration. Most of the book, she's quite clever and has laid out an amazing web. It's no wonder Bean has his hands full.

If it weren't for the ending, I would have given it 5 -stars. While everything happens with high tension and exciting last moments, her character unravels to the point of almost making all of the build-up sour. Her decisions no longer follow the same line, nor do her last set-ups. Still, it is an explosive ending and wraps things up well. There's also enough hints open to lead into another high-stakes adventure, one I'm looking forward to picking up and getting lost in again.

All in all, I liked this book, it was gripping, fast-paced and in some parts it was addicting. I wasn't so hooked up from the start, but there are some parts that are good and that made you turn page after page. I had some problems with the main character, but I don't know why, I mean, yes, I had some problems because I couldn't click with him, but he was ok. He's a decent guy, with a past, that tries hard to do the right thing.
And then we have the villain... I didn't like her, but she's insane. Batshit crazy, tbh! And really she can't take no for an answer. She was scary!
The plot is not bad, it was entertaining and it's good, even if I was expecting the "big revelation" (that she was a liar!) to be not so soon, so I was quite confused, but then I enjoyed the reading all the same, even if I was expecting something different.
It's fast-paced, with a crazy bad girl and a softhearted PI and a good plot. Not the best thriller ever, yes, but enjoyable nonetheless.
3 likes

With a series name like Sin City Investigation, this book immediately got my attention. And the plot was interesting, we got a dangerous woman who wants to find the man she loves and is willing to do whatever it takes to find him, including killing his sister and impersonating her to hire a PI to do her footwork. Yes? No? It was a definite yes for me.

There were a couple of issues I had with this story though. While the idea of a murderess who clearly has mental issues appealed to me, we didn’t spend enough time in her mind for me to fully grasp her psyche, which was what interested me the most in this story. Sure, we read her point of view but it was very superficial, not enough to convince me I had front row seat to her mindset.

And the general tone of the book. I get that this was an advanced copy, so I’m setting aside the editing mistakes, but the pace, the drive from point A to point B wasn’t as smooth as I would’ve wished. The narration was choppy at best, with no real connection between the PI Jim Bean-don’t ask about the name- who’s one main character, and the murderess lover girl Sophie, who happens to be the other. I just couldn’t buy Jim’s desire to solve this case and help save the object of Sophie’s obsession. And the fact that the whole story, and the series, seems to be based on Jim’s investigative services, it just felt like probable cause to help bring these two characters together so we can have a book.

There was a slight romance on the side that I thought was also unnecessary. And I’m sorry to say that the ending seemed rushed.

I still think this could be a decent read and a decent series if everything can be polished a bit. I like the idea of a PI’s misadventures after all, there’s promise there in Jim Bean’s rugged nature.

I’m adding two spoonfuls of this story into my hodgepodge.

Got engrossed in this book from the start, liked the character Jim Bean and the relationship he has with his friends.
Found it fast paced, with a good story line.
Will read the next book in the series.

Thank you netgalley, the publisher and JD Allen for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book grabbed my attention from the beginning. The description talked about a female antagonist, which I don't read very often. While it took me a bit to read it was enjoyable. Though I did give it three stars it leans more towards four. For me, the story dragged on a bit. But even still I wanted to see the story through. I wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters. I think the problem was that going into the story I was expecting to have a twist or a shocking reveal that was going to leave me speechless but it was all pretty straightforward. The motives for Sophie were revealed early on and the rest of the story was just a cat and mouse game from then on out. If you like stories like that (like Criminal Minds) I think you will like this novel. It's also the first book in the series and I'm interested to see what the next book will be about.

“Private investigator Jim Bean is a straightforward, to-the-point man. He likes his cases to follow suit. But when his latest client, Sophie Evers, asks him to find her brother Daniel, Jim has no idea how complicated his life is about to become.
As he falls deep into a manipulative game of cat and mouse, Jim uncovers the horrible truth about Sophie. Now he must set things right before her plan leads to the loss of innocent souls . . . even more than it already has.”
This is a really good read and had me gripped throughout.
Sophie is a really nasty character and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Sometimes you feel a bit of empathy for the killer but in this case I really wanted her to get what was coming to her.
Jim Bean is a private investigator and is a great character. I look forward to reading more of this series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A gripping crime thriller that takes all the key components of the genre and blends them together to create an unputdownable book. P.I. Jim Bean thinks his luck may have finally turned when he is hired by a woman to find her long lost, drug addict brother, but eventually realises he is in way over his head, and may in fact be walking right into danger.
With a rip roaring pace, more twists and turns than most thrillers, and a truly chilling villain this was a treat to read and shows a lot of promise, I for one am keen to see where Bean goes next.

An interesting read. The breaks in writing do not flow so well, sometimes there's breaks between speech or in the middle of a speech. This may have been due to the download though. Some times at the start of a section the capital letters are in the wrong place or a gap in the first word but again, there is also interesting spacing near the end of the book to, may be due to the download.

Story Is interesting but did not sweep me away. The main characters were good. The main story is easy to read which is good sometimes books can be overly complicated in the way they are written. I definitely appreciated the simplicity of it.

Over all quite good and if you are a fan of crime and don't want to Ave a book which acquires thought then I would definitely would recommend.

4,5 stars

This book was like a breath of fresh air. it was interesting to read something that changes a bit from the strereotyped serial killer stories, even though it is a serial killer story. I think what matters is that i enjoyed it a lot and it did not feel like a hard task to go through.

Jim Bean, a private investigator in Las vegas, just got a new and simple job. Find his client's brother. It should have been easy enough. Except that nothing his client said about her brother adds up and he found out pretty soon that he was not really her brother, but more like her obsession for years. And everything changes from that moment.

It certainly isn't a new concept or a story never told before, but it was well written. I didn't come across a lot of books with a female seriel killer and although it is not very flattering, it is a change.
The different characters, each with his own back story that we only have a glimpse of, are interesting.
I found good also that the author did not dwell too long on any of them, especially the main characters. I think he gave enough to make me want to read the next book of the series, although i really hope i will not find this expression "follow his gut" as much as i did in this first book. I can't help it but it rather annoyed me.

Jim Bean (sorry but I think that’s a stupid name and an obvious set-up for the ‘Jim Beam’ punchlines and comments from other characters, which annoyed me) is a flawed but larger than life character. We gets hints that he has a murky past, a past that made him have to quit a potential career with the FBI. Instead, he become a PI and has a few very handy friends in tow to call on when he needs help. He also has a cat which makes him an alright guy in my eyes!

Sophie Evers is his client and she is literally not who she appears to be (she contacts Jim under a false name and identity and things go downhill from then on.) Sophie is a very clever, talented murderer and thief. She has killed a number of people, all to get to the one person she wants the most… Dan. Dan is aware of her stalker-like behaviour and is deep in hiding. Thanks to Sophie’s lies and manipulative skills, Jim flushes him out and the cat and mouse begins in earnest.

This is a clever plot and gripping enough to keep those pages turning. I liked Jim, Annie (cat) and certain other characters but I did feel that they could have been developed a little more deeply. Sophie isn’t likeable at all and some of what she can do is a bit of a stretch (she has a bit too much luck on her side which makes it a little unbelievable) but I get the feeling that this book isn’t meant to be over-thought… just enjoy it for the crime spree that it is!

On another note, I read a proof copy of ’19 Souls’ and there was a vast amount of typos and grammatical errors in it, which I couldn’t stop focusing on. I assume and hope it will be heavily edited prior to publication.

A free e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book, a solid 3 star read.
Jim Bean is a PI that lets his past haunt him into making bad current decisions. He is the perfect PI for Sophie Evers. He is sober enough to do the job but drunk enough from not questioning the situation too much. Unlucky for her though he is smart and not easily continuously deceived. Sophie Evers is looking for Daniel, Bean thinks this is an easy case. He quickly learns though that Sophie isn’t what she says she is and Daniel, along with anyone else in the way, is in grave danger.
Even though we are told from the synopsis that Sophie isn’t who she says she is I still enjoyed the way the twist played out and what it lead to. It was unique, for me at least, and I enjoyed it. Yes, there was pacing flaws and my copy had technical editing flaws but overall it was a solid and entertaining read!

Not for me. I couldn't get on with it but I'm sure some will enjoy the plot which was developing well when I ceased reading due to the gruesome descriptions.

Sophie wants Dan at any cost. Even if it means murdering everyone that comes in between them. A spiraling tale of how extreme one sided love can get.
This book will definitely keep you hooked to it thanks to the many twists and turned. I really liked how it’s written. I wish there was more insight into Sophie’s character, like how she slowly turned into a serial killer. I’d like to read her story in detail.
This book is first in a series according to the subtitle, Sin City Investigation #1. Detective Jim Bean is definitely getting more cases after this.

The first book in the Sin City series takes off with Private Investigator Jim Bean. He doesn't realize by taking on his latest client that circumstances would go from bad to worse. There's a lot at stake that Jim may not be ready for, but ready he'll have to be. This killer is a psychopath of epic proportions.

A great main character who is flawed, but underneath, still a good guy. Hooked me in with a solid plotline and kept me turning the pages. This is one thriller that's sure to make suspense readers sit up and take notice. I will certainly be reading the next one because I'm curious to see where this goes and what new case Jim will take on.

Reviewed by Janet of the GothicMoms Review Team

19 Souls was extremely amazing. The book was one of the best I've read in a long time. I couldn't put it down. I'll be recommending to my entire book club.

This is the first in a series. PI Jim Bean is hunting for a female killer.
The mystery was good enough so that I would read the next book in the series.
The flow of the book was good and interesting enough not to put down.

Great book! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

J.D. Allen, it appears, always knew she wanted to write thrillers; in college she studied forensic Anthropology and creative writing and the combination works.

I am not fond of serial killers and it colors my reaction to books like this.

Sophie Evers has had an obsession about Dan Hodge since high school, and over the years the obsession has grown in intensity. Sophie has taken up murder as a way to get ahead in the world, all in preparation for the life she will lead with Dan once she captures him and he realizes that he has loved her all along.

But Dan has vanished, somehow, and Sophie can't find him. That's weird but she decides to ask someone else to try, in hopes that a new viewpoint will do the trick. She hires Jim Bean and, because she is a control freak, drugs and rapes him to keep the tension high. Jim finds Dan pretty easily (weak point in plot) and soon sees through Sophie's story about why she wants to find him. He vows to protect Dan from Sophie and the remainder of the book is cat and mouse.

It's not a bad book but it's awfully similar to others so Ms Allen gets no extra points for originality. We may see more of Jim Bean, though, and that's a good thing.

I received a review copy of "19 Souls: A Sin City Investigation #1" by J.D. Allen (Midnight Ink) through NetGalley.com.

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