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Many people won’t engage well with the main character of this book, but I loved her, and I have a feeling we will see her vulnerabilities be explored further as the series progresses.

Thanks to Bookouture for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review

There’s been a lot of title changes prepublication recently to some of Bookouture’s books and this one, from Now You See Me to Forget Me Not, makes a lot of sense and I also love the new cover compared to the old one. A book needs a good title and a standout cover and the one for Now You See Me was bland and made it look like any old generic crime thriller.

Jess Bishop is an intriguing character. Others have pointed out that they don’t like her, but I loved her. She pushes people out, doesn’t let anybody get close and can be a bit standoffish but I think sometimes that’s one of the only ways to ensure you don’t get hurt. I don’t let anyone get too close to me who I don’t know or who I wouldn’t expect to hurt me and am quite standoffish with a lot of people so she did remind me a little of myself at times. That said, I’ve never experienced anything like the trauma that Jess did when she was a child and so that went some way to explaining why she was that way. As the book progressed she went on a little bit of a journey and her attitude to sex, or rather her need for sex, didn’t make me see her in a negative way either because I hate the stereotypical view where men can sleep around and yet woman can’t because it makes them sluts. She loves sex and is unapologetic about it and that was refreshing to read. At the same time though her need for it and why she wanted it was at times a little unhealthy but that’s all to do with her past.

The last few crime novels I have read have focused on one city but here Jess is an FBI Agent and so there’s a much more complicated and across state lines investigation to get to grips with. Kierney Scott writes graphically, whether it’s in the sex scenes with the removal and disposal of a condom from a character’s flaccid penis (was that necessary?) or the descriptions of the mutilated women who have been left abandoned in various US states with their heads taken by the killer. Forget Me Not is a gripping read following this investigation and watching the agents try and put all of the puzzle pieces together to look for connections and to ultimately find the person responsible for these brutal murders.

Characterisation is incredibly strong here not only with Jess but also the people that she interacts with. Whilst she comes across as a strong and formidable agent, there’s times where we see a more vulnerable side to her which I felt helped to humanise her a bit more. Had she been cold and standoffish the whole way through then she would remain for most readers as an unlikeable character but we get to really understand her feelings and thought processes as the book progresses. In terms of the romantic decisions that she makes I too fell head over heels for one of the main characters, he oozed sex appeal and I was only left jealous that it was Jess’s clothes he was ripping off and not mine. Anyway, blame Kierney for all of that. And there’s more I want to say about this but I must keep it zipped.

The actual plot I felt flowed brilliantly. I had a few ideas knocking around in my head about who the killer might be and whilst I didn’t work everything out, when the big reveal arrived I rolled my eyes and asked myself how I hadn’t worked it out. I thought to myself, really? I’ve just spent all that time reading a book and this is the ending I have to accept? Whilst I can see that this might be a fantastic ending for some readers and they will express surprise at not seeing it coming, I felt it was incredibly lazy and a real cop out. I am having issues recently with the majority of crime novels that I’ve read and have been marking them down because of poor endings. Maybe it’s because I’ve read that many that it takes a real special ending for a book to blow me away and so I constantly want an ending to surprise me or take my breath away, not be another cliche that has been done to death in countless other crime novels. That said everything about the book I very much enjoyed apart from that ending and so I will be eagerly awaiting book two because I can’t wait to read about Jess again.

Forget Me Not opens with Special Agent Jessica Bishop at the scene of a gruesome discovery. A body has been found - well most of it anyway. Some has been a snack for the local alligators and the rest is evidence for Jess. Well all except the head. That and some unusual markings lead her to believe this is the third of a series of killings. But there are aspects to these murders that seem chillingly familiar to her. But she has her secrets and to reveal her knowledge will expose Jess for who she really is to the entire bureau. Only her old partner Jamison knows most of the truth and he's been undercover these last few years. She could do with his back up and conveniently he's back. Together they have to work fast before this head collecting serial killer has a new trophy to play with.

So first off I totally missed that this was US set until I started to read and it was Special Agent rather than Detective Jess Bishop so why it has the sub heading detective I don't know. So actually I was a bit peeved as in general I'm not a huge fan of US crime fiction. I think because generally British crime novels are gritty and American are gruesome - it's not always true but that rule for me has been fairly consistent. And this didn't break the rule. It's very descriptive. Plus (and I'll attempt to not be too spoilery here) when the reveal came and I realised what has been happening my reaction was ' He was doing what to them? But she ...oh god '. I may have been a little nauseous. Anyway you'd think this wasn't a good experience but actually I really liked this book. Ickiness aside it's a good story, packed with enough red herrings and twists to satisfy any crime fan. Jess isn't instantly likeable....well actually not likeable at all but she grows on you slowly. By the end of the book you probably won't like her a lot but you'll be interested enough to wonder where she goes next (therapy is my best guess). If you like US crime fiction you'll love this.

I was captivated by the synopsis of Forget Me Not. I love serial killer thrillers and I thought this would be one that I would really enjoy. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way for me. I had a hard time liking the characters and some parts of the story just didn’t hold my interest. I wish that there was more focus on the case at hand rather than the main character’s relationships and the drama in her life. Things did pick up towards the end but overall I wasn’t thrilled with it.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture, and Kierney Scott for the opportunity to read Forget Me Not. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.

This is the first series of FBI Detective Jess Bishop's case which is about very creepy psycho serial killer. I'd heard good things about this book, though I must admit, it didn't really do it for me.

Jess Bishop is working on a case that women were murdered and dismembered. More insane is the killer seems keeping their head. Simultaneously, her previous partner, Jamison whom Jess has feeling, is back to the team again after his undercover operation. It seems like back to the old days, however Jamison's private has changed and that distract Jess.
Jess has dark past that she've built the wall around her and pushing people away to lock it as a secret. As her past involved to the case, she is not only cope with its investigation but her past and her private life.

I have mixed feeling about Jess. She is likable and how her secretive past effects her behaviour is interesting but she irritates me a bit. Although Jess is a talented detective, when it comes to Jamison she becomes dodgy. I could say involving her romance makes her distrusts of people more explicit and effective to the plot, equally I fed up a little.

The balance of the story of the investigation part and the characters lives don't work for me. I wanted to read more investigation things going on and gets it more close to the killer. Well, the killer is very predictable and what made me disappoint is its revealing. It fell too flat for me.

I gave 3.5 stars out of 5.0. It was good fast pace read and interesting human drama. I like the very ending that Jess starts to change her opinion for people around her.

Thank you Bookouture via NetGalley for an advance reading copy of this book.

This was a really gripping mystery, and a strong start to a new series. I look forward to seeing how it continues and would recommend this to fans of Tana French or Paula Hawkins.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is my favorite kind of book - one that takes you to the dark, damp places and makes you cringe.
It also has serial killers, romance, and one determined detective.

Heading to Louisiana after a dismembered body is found, she realizes that this killer has been moving across the country. She has seen this killers work before and realizes that she has an uphill battle to find the killer.

Eventually she realizes that she has to make herself bait if she wants to catch the serial killer.

Kept me up - wanting to know.

I tried to finish this book but couldn’t. The main character, Jess Bishop, spends her time pining over her partner and trying to hide her past. The serial killer storyline has to compete with her overwhelming personal issues. I would not recommend this book.

"Please don’t recognize me, she silently prayed. Even now, nearly thirty years later, her gut clenched when she met new people, especially law enforcement. It was stupid. The odds of someone recognizing her now were slim but every time the panic was real."

FBI Special Agent Jessica "Jess" Bishop has a secret which has held her hostage for years.  When investigating another body found dismembered with the head severed clean from the torso, the similarities with this case and her past could not be denied.  The nightmares have been coming back more frequently.  Only a few people she trusts know about her past.  Her ex-partner FBI Special Agent Jamison Briggs who she hasn't seen in a long time, her bosses and the department psychologist and good friend.  She needs to solve the case soon or she will have to risk telling them about the similarities and she didn't want to relive the pain and humiliation again.

When Jess finds out Jamison has returned from an undercover assignment with a few secrets of his own, it is hard to forget the terrible things she said when he left.  He had been her best friend and that is why it had hurt so much when he’d left.  His return confuses and angers her and she cannot handle the choices in his life, so she panics and makes a bad choice of her own.  Will her feelings for Jamison push her over the edge, and will her choices get her killed?

I like stories about strong and vulnerable characters.  Jess is the ultimate, bad ass agent who does everything by the book, but she has serious trust issues that make her reckless. Jamison tries to protect Jess from herself, but his feelings go deeper than just co-workers and he can't afford to act on them.  It's a fast-paced, crime thriller with dark secrets, a twisted serial killer, an unsuspected ending and best of all, another book in the series.  I can't wait to read more about Jess and Jamison in the next book.

Now You See Me is a new crime procedural featuring Detective Jessica Bishop. I really disliked Jess’ character from the start and found her increasingly irritating, that said, the pace is fast, full of suspense and twists and turns. This kept my interest throughout.
The book contains very graphic descriptions of killings and dismembering which may put some people off.
I have mixed feelings about this book, it wasn’t the best I’ve read this year but it certainly wasn’t the worst.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in return for an honest review.

I received an advanced readers copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one, so much so, that I finished it in one sitting. I loved all the character dynamics and how they interacted with each other. Jess is a strong character even though she is a bit broken sometimes because of her past. I’m looking forward to learning more about her in future books.
I enjoyed the plot as well even though I may have made a connection about halfway through the book but I wasn’t able to put it all together until the end.
I really liked it. Now I need the second one ASAP!

Thanks a million Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book. Absolutely brilliant!! A gripping page turner from beginning to end. The final twist will have your heart racing!! I definitely recommend it.

*thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

I'm so-so with this. It was good, but it wasn't great. I would recommend it but as a back up book. I wasn't so shocked by the ending, the twist wasn't much of a twist. Obviously somebody had to be the killer. I'm also not much of a fan of Jess. There were aspects of her personality that I just didn't like reading about. I understood her anxieties but the way she numbed herself, I would have personally have preferred to have had it been left out. It put me off the story a bit. What I did like was the crime side of the story. The guessing who the bad guy was. Would I re-read this? No. But I also don't regret having read it.

FBI Detective Jess Bishop is working the case of a serial killer. The killer's style is the same as an old case that Jess has spent years trying to forget. While she searches for the killer, she tries to cope with unpleasant memories from her past and deal with current personal drama. Her old partner, Jamison, has returned to the FBI and they are reassigned as partners. This brings complications into Jess's professional and personal life.

An interesting crime mystery novel. The mystery part of this book was a very entertaining read, so a great book for fans of FBI mystery stories. I was not a fan of the personal drama in Jess's life, mainly the drama between her and Jamison.

Jess was smart, but damaged. She definitely had some personality quirks, which made her somewhat unlikeable. Mainly, she was struggling with personal issues, some of which were not that interesting. However, she was a smart and solid agent when it came to solving cases.

A nitpicky complaint - the main character is Jessica, who goes by Jess, except for one person calls her Jessie. I didn't like the going back and forth between Jessica and Jess. Pick one and stick with it. This probably bothered me more than it should have.

A smart and gritty crime mystery. I'll likely read more of this series.

Very fast paced and very intriguing. I enjoyed how it kept me hooked and it was an original story. Nowadays so many books read the same. Highly recommend. Watch out World this book will be a sensation.

3.5 Stars

I was lost in the dark, unusual, unearthly craggy coulee with Lindsay reading Forget Me Not.

Forget Me Not is a haunting, chilling psychological thriller with a little ick to it that had us a little uncomfortable in the craggy dark trenches of the Coulee looking for a more comfortable place to settle in. It didn’t take long to warm up and find a more grassier sheltered spot as we got to know our flawed and guarded main character, Detective Jess Bishop. We really liked her right from the start and wanted to know what secrets kept her awake at night.

Kierney Scott does a good job creating an interesting story and character here with Detective Jess and she is different from the typical female detective in so many ways that I have read lately with a past she’s trying to hide. She is haunted by the chilling secrets that she would like to keep buried.

Kierney Scott does a good job leading us down a jagged rocky path that starts to break apart as we tried to figure out how they are related to the case Jess is working. We love Jess’s connection with her returning partner and the tension starts to rise between them as their relationship is tested. We started questioning who we could trust or not. There is a little romance to this story that didn’t leave us rolling our eyes or wanting to leave the coulee.

The heat starts to turn up and the tension rises with every twists and turns as we dodge every sharp rock to reach the satisfying end of this enjoyable story. We will definitely be looking out for the second book to this one. We recommend.

Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture and Kierney Scott for a copy to read and review.

All of our Traveling Sisters Review can be found on our sister blog:
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....

4.5 stars! I loved this gripping and suspenseful novel!

From the very first page, I immediately liked the main character, FBI Special Agent Jessica Bishop (Jess). I felt an instant connection with her and admired her tough-girl, don’t-mess-with-me personality. The story follows Jess and a team of FBI agents on a case hunting down a horrific serial killer.

The suspense kept me addicted all the way through. I truly enjoyed reading every single page and had a constant feeling of being anxious to find out just how things would all come together in the end. The author, Kierney Scott, did an outstanding job pulling me right into the story which kept me flipping the pages as quick as possible.

I was impressed to learn in the Acknowledgements section that this was the first crime thriller written by Scott who has been a romance writer to date. What a feat for an author to be able to switch genres so smoothly – that’s talent!

I really loved every minute of this book and am excited that this is the start of a series. I’ll be eagerly waiting for Book #2!!

A big thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Kierney Scott for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

This is the first book in what I hope will be a series of books featuring Detective Jessica Bishop. A beautifully flawed detective with a disturbing past and interesting, if not unconventional means of dealing with it. I loved her. She’s my new favourite detective.

The action comes from a sadistic serial killer preying on young women before dismembering and decapitating them and the FBI team tasked with finding the killer. So if you’re squeamish this may not be the book for you. For those who love a good serial killer thriller though, this has got it all. Plenty of potential suspects, plenty of macabre details and plenty of suspense to keep you turning those pages. There’s even some romance and raw, hungry sex scenes thrown in too. I mean, it’s got it all!!!

I rate the greatness of a book on how many hours sleep I lose and this one’s up there. I’d wake in the middle of the night to get in another chapter or two - but I limited myself because I didn’t want it to end either.

An absolute five star read, Kierney Scott is going on my must read author list.

Thank you Net Galley and Bookouture for the chance to read this.

A good - but not great - police procedural thriller.
Starting with the positive aspects of this book, I loved the setting (the author has great powers of descriptive nature to enable you conjure up the images and feel like you can visual the settings, even though I have not visited any of the places where the novel is set). Also, I did not see the ending coming until a good way through the novel, again always a very good sign
The problems with my reading of the book were that the pace was too slow (perhaps this is because it is envisaged to be the first in the series of books so Kierney spends so long ‘setting the scene’ and laying the foundations for the subsequent novels it comes at the price of the pace of the storyline of this book). Secondly, I found traits of several of the main characters personalities wholly unlikable. Maybe some of these will again improve as the series develop and the characters develop, but as this is such a competitive market, it is a risky move as I am not sure I am yet hooked enough to invest in a whole series.
Thank you to NetGalley for a free Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did not think I would end up loving Jess Bishop, but I did. I have a thing for serial killer novels and this book did the trick. I am looking forward to more of Kierney Scott's Jess Bishop novels!