This is the second book I read from this author and I won't stop. This one is even better than her first book. She was able to keep the mystery (thriller?) until the end. And this not something everyone can do.
The main character, Kay, is a kick-ass woman and it's really enjoyable.

My only complaint is the lack of romance (sorry, sorry).

This book lands firmly in the "meh" category for me. It's a thriller/mystery/procedural with some lesbian romance mixed in. Right off the bat, the main story line of a cop being targeted by a killer, with said killer going after the loved ones of the cop has been so many times before. At least if the author took some new spin it may have been a little more interesting but everything down to the possibly alcoholic, loose canon, doesn't play by the rules, obsessed with the job detective is just verbatim from nearly any other procedural tv show or book. The "romance" therein is near-laughable in terms of non-development, chemistry, or just flat out sense. First the protagonist, Kay, meets a woman on a blind date and fairly literally fantasizes about the full relationship they'll have together in the three-hour date. Later in the book, another detective is suddenly introduced as a woman Kay is in competition with and thus hates for no good reason, but then they quickly jump in bed and we're treated to essentially the U-Haul joke playing out.
The thriller part didn't do it for me because it's a tired and cliched plotline and the romance part interested me even less because absolutely no time was spent on character development or chemistry between those characters. I didn't find Kay likable in the least, which further took away from any real interest I had in the book. I'm just looking for original stories with great characters, is that too much to ask?

I enjoyed the story and how the charetures built on each other.
The story is well written and once it gets rolling it is hard to put down.

I was unable to review this book because of a conflict in my schedule. Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused the publisher or the author of the work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review for you and I look forward to reviewing for you in the future.

This is the first book I read by this author and was pleasantly surprised. It's an entertaining mystery with a bit of sweet romance in the background. It's got all the ingredients for an enjoyable read: mystery, plot twists and romance. Even though there are some gruesome parts they are well balanced with humour. The plot revolves around Kay, a murder detective who finds herself stalked by a serial killer targeting her relatives and friends. When she's removed from the murder investigation and replaced by detective Jamie Sidwell, their initial antagonism develops into something else. Will they be able to stop the killer before it's too late?

Overall, a light and entertaining mystery with a bit of romance. 4 stars.

ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

See my other reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.wordpress.com

I'll admit, I finished this book 5 days ago but I found I couldn't write a review immediately. So I left it til now and honestly I'm still thinking about it. Now a book that provokes thought is a good thing right? The book is a mystery thriller with plenty of twists and turns that keep you turning the pages. Laughlin keeps you interested throughout. Now, this is my first book by this author so I didn't have any comparisons. The synopsis that accompanies this book is maybe a little too revealing. But it did catch my attention and need to read it.


Kay Adler is a kick ass detective. She isn't hard to get to know and she is a very strong character. I liked her a lot. When she entered the crime scene and found it was someone she actually knew made her kind of step back. It's harder to investigate when you know the victim. But Kay is good at her job and always finds the killer. The police procedural side of the book is written excellently. However, her love life is a lot to be desired. I digress, she does have a girlfriend but true to crime drama it took a back seat.


It is a good read and the mystery only gets revealed the more you read. Yes, I would recommend this book and I guess I'm only hoping when I say I'd like to get to know Kay more. Maybe a sequel? Enjoy!



*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2141798596


https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2WBDAIFT88VRW/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

The biggest reason I read lesfic is the depth of emotion I get to experience whenever I pick one up, whatever the sub-genre. Even more so than the romance and sex. It's such an intrinsic part of lesfic that I've always just assumed that it's gonna be there. It's my personal connection to the characters. Without it, I'd feel about as much pleasure as reading a fancy restaurant menu.

This book is a police procedural, and as such it is competently written. But the main character is a stoic, which, in lesfic, as I realized after the end of the book, might as well be the emotional equivalent of asexual in an erotica book :)

Let's see. Kay is a thirty something hotshot senior detective. She's legendary for having the highest rate of cleared cases. And there's a good reason for that. Aside from being smart, thorough and dogged, she's fiercely stubborn and can be downright reckless in the pursuit of bad guys. However, Kay picks up a case where her relatives and friends are being targeted. The only connection seems to be Kay herself. The usual suspects are the exes in her life. In this case, an ex-husband and an ex-felon she helped put away.

The police procedures are commendably thorough as clues and suspects are methodically chased down and eliminated. The wiliness of the perpetrator also helped to put the detectives and the reader constantly on their toes. I could see why Kay had to be so emotionally detached as the victim count kept rising and case spiraled closer and closer to her. However Kay is so stoic every time her emotions well up or she finds herself on the verge of tears, the walls come up and the reader is effectively shut out of her psyche. I know she is written like that but there's no fun (and character development) if the ice queen never thaws. Not even when she was hit by love from the most unexpected direction. It might be because that the love interest is another stoic, as Kay wryly observed. These two ladies are the epitome of cool and hardass. No histrionics, no tears, no vulnerability. At least, none that lasted longer than a sentence or two.

What was perplexing (for me) was the racecar-like speed with which their romance went--from zero to 100 mph in like, 4 seconds flat. From intense rivalry to grudging coop to....bed. Fast enough to cause whiplash on lesfic readers like me used to a more realistic pace. And these two are supposed to be stoic! I guess the silent ones do run the deepest. Or in this case, the fastest. :)

On paper, I should have loved the two ladies. The idea of cool, sexy, knight in shining armor Jamie swooping in to rescue proud, independent, stubborn Kay from the many dragons in her life is the stuff of which great romance is made of. But this is first and foremost a crime thriller. The dry, serious tone employed in the storytelling was just too matter-of-fact and well, too flat. Still, even assuming this was intended as a crime thriller with an understated romance, it would have been nice if reader could feel some emotional connection with the characters. In addition, we are told both Kay and Jamie come with lots of baggage but there was never any serious attempt to resolve or explore their issues. There are occasional touches of wry humor, though the moments are rare.

The case itself, while generally believable, felt a bit like it's....I don't know... rigged, somehow. But very subtly. Contrived seems too strong a word. You know, like it's been carefully plotted by an invisible hand to be just bad enough but not too horrific. For example, (view spoiler)

Bottom line, this book had a lot of potential to be a good read or at least, an entertaining one. But the execution just fell flat for me. Read as a straight police procedural though, it's solid.

3.4 stars

A Date to Die is a fast pace adventure, mystery, and romance story. The characters are complex and intriguing. The main character, Detective Kay Alder, is on an emotional seesaw throughout the story. This intensity, whether hate, fear, anger, or love, can just as quickly be replaced by a stoic persona. Kay needs this type of personality in her line of work, especially since people in her life are either murdered or hurt by a deranged killer intent on seeking revenge. The problem with Kay is trusting people to bring this person to justice. She gradually, albeit stubbornly, allows Jamie into her world and eventually, her heart.
I did enjoy the police related plot of this story. However, certain relationship plots-Kate’s parents and her artist brother, seem to be a bit underdeveloped. I was left wondering why they reacted the way they did or were absent from Kay’s life during pivotal moments. Other than this, it was a good read, especially it you enjoy police drama.

Kay Adler works as a police detective in Chicago. She lives for her job but isn’t against finding the right woman to make her life complete. But not many understand the pressure and time it takes to find murderers. Her life fighting crime comes back to haunt her when someone from her past begins killing people she knows. Trying to stay on the cases even though they involve her isn’t going to be easy. The top brass think she’s too close so they hand over the investigation over to Detective Jamie Sidwell, a woman that Kay just doesn’t like. There first time working together didn’t go well. Kay doesn't think this time will be any better. Great story. AL’s book is fast paced. One can almost picture it as a movie. Really liked this story. Looking forward to AL’s next book.

A solid procedural in the vein of Laughlin's other novels, with a heroine who had an unexpected degree of depth, which added valuable complexity to the plot. However, the romantic dimension between Kay and Jamie was entirely too rushed and lacked the more careful development that one might have expected from this author. Overall quality remains high..

If you're looking for gripping crime drama starring strong women then this book is for you. Kay is a badass homicide detective being hunted by a stalker, except the hunted are the people she loves. Enter Jamie, an equally badass detective who abruptly takes over Kay's caseload to find the stalker when things get too close. This book is more of a crime drama about catching an unknown serial killer with a romance thrown in than the other way around. In fact, there are pages and pages (sometimes too many) of detailed police procedure while tracking down the killer. The romance is an intriguing side plot that is an interesting and welcome juxtaposition of hot and spicy to the fear and uncertainty of their dire situation. The unexpected twist at the end had me completely surprised! This was a polished book with strong, likable characters and I would have given it a 5th star if the police work was a little less long and detailed. Definitely a top book in this genre.

I couldn't put it down! Great mystery / thriller. The pages turn themselves. I read it in two nights (fast for me). A must read. I enjoyed the characters, love the story and was impressed with the writing. Great job to the author and editor. I highly recommend.

This is the first book I've read by the author and look forward to more. A Date to Die has several good twists, a few moments when I wondered why the main character was being so stupid, and then even more twists. A very enjoyable read that grips you and moves at a fast pace.

You will know I haven't read much crime lately, but I do enjoy a decent police procedural, and this is a slow burn but it is a decent example. I think this was billed as LGBTQ literature, but I genuinely don't care about either the author or the character's sexuality, so I am not sure that is relevant. I suppose it makes change for the protagonist to be between relationships with women, when she is a woman herself. Beyond that I wouldn't mention it.
Kay is that rare find, a strong female lead who doesn't have to be wise-cracking, sexy or feisty to get the job done. she is tough after years of police work in Chigaco but not stereotypical, thanks goodness. The dialogue in particular, rackets along in a breezy, realistic way and I found myself picturing the well trodden path of the police arriving at crime scenes and sharing information, so Anne Laughlin can certainly paint a picture, but as crime upon crime layers itself around Kay's inner circle, you can't help but wonder at Kay's stoicism, she barely turns a hair and refuses to leave the investigations to the assigned police.
Despite this unlikely resilience I warmed to Kay who remains optimistic and resourceful throughout. And she has a very unpleasant mother- that was a change from the normal trope of the worried parent in the background of the daughter carrying out a dangerous job.
I would have enjoyed a few more glimpses of the city, a place I haven't been - there were tantalising glimpses of the lake and its pull on the city's outdoors types, but not enough for my money.
From the middle onwards I wanted to know what would happen next, I wasn't so much guessing whodunit, but wondering when they might do it again. As I say, a slow burn but an enjoyable crime story with a satisfying ending and a few surprises.
Reviewed on www.booketrybook.com 3rd October 2017

Detective Kay Adler is a solid and believable character with an interesting dynamic between her and her parents. Kay is focused and determined to be the best. This read is about how she handles people she loves and cares about being pursued. Detective Jamie Sidwell is a determined and caring person with baggage of her own. If you like strong capable leads with a dogged determination to catch people doing wrong, this is the read for you. I thought the storyline itself was interesting as well as engaging. The hook up was quick which to some extent I can understand but the ending was not very satisfying. Generally speaking, I expected more detail and background about the main characters.

ARC from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books

I liked the premise and the blurb of the book but the story itself kind of left me disappointed. I couldn’t connect with the main character, Kay, from the beginning and she annoyed me. For someone who was pro trained over and over as not having relationships or dating or even liking people, she was awfully quick with both romantic encounters. First Diana- she didn’t even know her and there was a strong bond between them? And Jamie, their relationship went from hating each other to love in like 4 seconds. All of that seemed odd to me and made it so that I didn’t really enjoy the book.

This was a good mystery/thriller, that kept me reading until the end. Entertaining, with plenty of twists and turns, that any mystery fan should enjoy. This is the second book I have read by Laughlin. While I enjoyed Veritas, I thought this book was even better.

I do want to point out, I think this book's blurb gives away a little too much. If you are interested in getting this book, you might want to just skim the blurb, not read it too closely. It doesn't give away anything huge, but this is a book with twists, it was nice to have them all unfold without me knowing much going into this book.

Kay Adler, is a hard working detective. One of the best homicide detectives in her division. She works hard to always bring the killer to justice. When she enters a new murder scene, she realizes she knows the victim. Investigating a case, when it is someone you know, is a lot harder than Kay ever though. Can she keep herself together and stop the killer before it is too late?

I love to read books where the main characters are strong, kick-ass women. Kay fits this perfectly. She is an extremely likeable main character. She is not perfect, and not a superhero, but she is tough and will do what it takes to get the killer. I know Laughlin normally writes stand-alone books, but I think this could be a great series. Kay, is strong enough to carry a series, and I would love more books with her.

I know a lot of mystery-thriller books that include romance, the romance can suffer. So much time is put to the mystery and action of the book, the romance normally takes a back seat. In a way, that is the case here, but it is not too bad. Yes, the romance is not a huge part of the book, but it is there, and it seemed more realistic considering everything that is going on. So I am actually okay with it this time, and I'm not going to complain too much. The romance is a bit of an enemies to lovers type of story, and I enjoyed it. My only real complaint, we don't get to know Kay's love interest as much as I would have liked. Kay really is the star of the book and she outshines everyone else. If Laughlin decides to turn this into a series, I would love some good POV from Kay's girlfriend.

When it comes to the mystery part of this book, it was really good. Lot's of twists and turns and I really enjoyed how everything unfolded. I have read so many mysteries over my 35 years of life, that I can normally solve the mystery very quickly. That was not the case with this book, it really kept me guessing. It was not until almost the 75% mark that I had an epiphany and figured things out. And really it was a lucky guess on my part. This mystery was well done.

If you are a mystery-thriller fan, chances are very high that you will enjoy this. It was a good entertaining read, that kept me up reading all night. I don't know if Laughlin reads reviews, but I hope she will write a sequel. Kay needs another story and I would happily read it.

An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.

A Date to Die is a solid police procedural. Kay Adler is a no-nonsense detective determined to track down the person responsible for killing people she knows and threatening those close to her heart. When she is pulled off the case due to a conflict of interest, another detective, Jamie Sidwell is tasked with finding the killer. She may not be part of the official investigation team but Adler does not sit idly by and continues her own investigation into the murders.

I enjoyed following the investigation and guessing who had their sights set on Kay. Adler is larger than life and well developed unlike her love interest, Jamie Sidwell. She is one dimensional and relies on Kay to help her hunt down the killer. The ending was telegraphed and not as suspenseful as it could have been.


ARC received with thanks from BSB via NetGalley for review,

I enjoy reading books full of mystery, suspense and thrills; this book did not disappoint. What happens when there is death at every step and no one knows if they are safe? This book keeps you at the edge of your seat, guessing and wondering until the end. I enjoy reading books with strong female leads and Detective Kay Adler is not a disappointment. Thank you NetGalley and Anne Laughlin for allowing me to read this ARC and write a honest review.