I absolutely loved the locale of this book! Of course, duh, it would be Austin. HA!!

This book kept me mesmerized for hours and I loved it!!!! So many suspected characters for me that, of course, did not work quite that way. Ahhh, the joy of a good book!!!!

I do have to say that Caitlin did tend to get on my nerves a little with her self analysis and issues. However, I still enjoyed the book. A lot!!!

Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I was lost in the sunny, jagged craggy coulee with Susanne and Kaceey reading Into The Black Nowhere feeling very excited to start reading this one. Once we settled in and opened up this book we were lost in the coulee and couldn’t be found till we were done.

Caitlin now an FBI profiler in training is on the case for a killer that turns into a cat and mouse game. The dynamics here between Caitlin and the killer is tense, interesting and engaging. Caitlin in more vulnerable and pushes herself as she goes up against this arrogant and cunning killer.

Meg Gardiner does a fantastic job creating an interesting team here with Caitlin and her colleagues who all work together to bring down this killer and we really loved the dynamics between them as we were cheering them all on in this fascinating cat and mouse game.

Meg Gardiner takes us thundering down a fast-paced road soaring along with Beyonce's “freedom” blaring through the coulee. We could feel that black-blood sensation creeping into our veins under that violet sunset. We soared through this book in mostly one day only stopping to reach for a much-needed coffee till we got to the ending that left us all saying WOW. We highly recommend.

Published January 30, 2018

Thank you, NetGalley, Penguin Group and Meg Gardiner for a copy to read and review.

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

Fantastic! Could not put it down! I was on the edge of my seat until the very end!

I really enjoyed this and getting to meet Caitlyn's new team. The serial killer was devious and brazen and I enjoyed the cat and mouse game he played with Caitlyn. It ends on a cliffhanger, which can be annoying in some instances but not here. I'm just cranky that I'll have to wait ... another year? .... before we're back on the case with Caitlyn.

Last year, I was completely obsessed with Unsub, the start of a new series by Meg Gardiner that featured FBI agent Caitlin Hendrix. Heart pounding, dark and visceral, Unsub had me holding on to the edge of my seat and screaming for more. So, of course, I was extremely excited when I found out that the second book in the series, Into the Black Nowhere, would be publishing in January 2018!

Now, without giving away any plot points or information (because I absolutely consider Unsub to be a MUST READ), Unsub left off with quite a few open-ended questions and with a bit of a cliffhanger ending so I was desperate to read the next book. WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN??! I NEEDED ANSWERS! I dove into the book and, I am going to say, Into the Black Nowhere left me feeling a little bit disappointed.

It was absolutely not the writing style; Gardiner’s prose is just as smart and fast paced as I have come to know and love. The book was brilliantly written and filled with witty, smart banter between police, excellent character development and a game of cat and mouse between protagonist and antagonist that kept me turning the pages.

This novel doesn’t really touch on any of the questions I had from the first novel; skimming over the issue, the characters jump right into a new case and move quickly away from the events from the first novel. While I understand that this is an excellent tactic for a sophomore novel in a series (it keeps the readership going and pushes the issues into further novels), I really was looking forward to having some answers!!

Also, notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy, inspires this novel’s antagonist. I am not sure whether or not it was because I knew much more about Ted Bundy than I knew about the Zodiac killer (which is the antagonist that inspired Unsub), but I felt like I wasn’t surprised by anything he did. I knew his MO and I knew the general direction the story would take (I knew he would likely escape police custody, I knew he would likely attack a sorority).

Regardless of this, I really did love the novel for its entertainment value and I will be anxiously awaiting the third novel!

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner that I read and reviewed.
This book blew my mind especially the end. I can't wait until the third book in the UNSUB series comes out. I can't believe how the book ended. I want more more more and more of this series and I can't wait to see what is going to happen next. My mouth is still hanging open and I waited until the next day to write this review just to let my mind wrap around everything that happened, the ending blew my mind that much.
Now for the rest of the book, I loved that was well. Even though Caitlin pretty much knew who her killer was it was still a great read and in typical Gardiner fashion there were a few curves thrown in for the reader that kept the book exciting and kept the reader guessing about what was really going on. This series gets better with each book and I can't wait until the next one comes out. Gardiner set it up beautifully.
Into the Black Nowhere gets five out of five stars.

FBI profiler, Caitlin Hendrix faces a charming, merciless serial killer, this time based on the infamous Ted Bundy. Across southern Texas, on Saturday nights, women are disappearing. One disappears from a movie theater and one vanishes from her car while stopped at a railroad crossing. Still another is taken from her own home, where she was taking care of her baby. Caitlin is newly assigned to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) and it’s up to her and her team to figure out who the killer is and how to catch him before he kills again. They discover the first body in the woods, laid out in a bloodstained, white nightie. They find a second victim further in the woods, also posed and wearing a white nightie. Both bodies are surrounded by Polaroid photos, stuck in the ground like tiny headstones. Each photo is of a woman in a white negligee with her wrists slashed, positioned in suicide style, almost as if she was Snow White or Sleeping Beauty awaiting her Prince’s kiss. To find the killer, Caitlin is going to have to figure out how to get in his head, think the way he thinks. What made him choose these particular women? She profiles a confident, meticulous killer who manages to get his victims to let down their guard just until he’s able to overpower them before reducing them to mere objects in his twisted fantasies. To him, they’re simply dolls, there only for him to posses, controll, and ultimately, destroy. Caitlin’s profile does lead her team to a suspect, but all they have tying him to the killings is circumstantial evidence. Can they catch him before he takes his next victim? Every second counts and Saturday night is getting closer every second.

I can honestly say that I enjoyed “Into the Black Nowhere” every bit as much as I did the first one. This one had just as much action and it’s just as exciting. It manages to grab your attention from the beginning and refused to let go until the very end. I still adore Caitlin and Sean, both as individual characters and as a couple. They make a very good team trying to keep work issues at work for the most part, but still being there to support each other and even help, if needed. I loved getting more insight to Caitlin’s past and the things that shaped her personality. I also really liked Caitlin’s new team members at the BAU. Just like in the first book, you can tell that Gardiner has put a lot of time and effort into research so that the storyline makes sense. My only complaint is that I’m going to have to wait who knows how long to be able to read book 3.

Women are vanishing in Meg Gardiner’s latest and it’s up to FBI agent-in-training Caitlin Hendrix to hunt down the monster responsible. What starts as a methodical police procedural explodes into a devastating cat-and-mouse game with an ever increasing body count.

Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner is the second novel in the UNSUB series which follows former Bay Area detective and current FBI agent-in-training, Caitlin Hendrix. Both books are fictional stories that are heavily inspired by well known real serial killers. UNSUB features a killer inspired by the Zodiac Killer who terrorized California in the 60s and 70s. The latest book is inspired by the infamous Ted Bundy who may have killed more than 30 people also in the 60s and 70s. UNSUB was a melodramatic, high-energy thrill ride with some fairly preposterous plot points, while still being a fun read. Into the Black Nowhere starts with a more subdued and businesslike tone which feels appropriate given that Caitlin Hendrix is now with the FBI and must play it by the books to prove herself to the more senior agents. Gardiner does well in this sequel to weave in the main character’s backstory and the events of the first novel without making it feel like a slog going through information the reader already knows if they read the first book. Into the Black Nowhere is a large improvement over its predecessor in several ways. First of all, it feels much more focused than the first book, which juggled Caitlin’s history, her various relationships and the case and it didn’t always work. The sequel really lasers in on the case and finding the UNSUB and it’s in a way that feels natural to the story in that Caitlin is separated from the people in her life now that she’s training at Quantico. The pacing of this second book also works a lot better because while it starts off slower, it does so in a way that feels more realistic. Caitlin Hendrix and two other agents of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (the BAU which readers may know from Criminal Minds or Mindhunter) of the FBI are called to southern Texas to hunt down an active serial killer. Gardiner does a good job illustrating how the agents get caught up on the case and work the evidence, while keeping an underlying tension knowing that the killer is going to strike again. The pace steadily ramps up as the agents close in on the killer and the book eventually explodes into a thrilling race to catch up to the killer as they start a cross-country spree.

My only real criticism of this novel relates to the fact that this series is inspired by well known real killers. This is an interesting aspect of the series and is enjoyable at times, but Into the Black Nowhere feels like it might have taken too much inspiration from the Ted Bundy case. The series seems like it would be more appealing to readers who enjoy true crime, but if you’re familiar with Ted Bundy’s crimes then this novel becomes quite a bit more predictable. Gardiner needs to strike a bit better of a balance between the melodrama of UNSUB and sometimes too true to life events of Into the Black Nowhere. Gardiner is clearly a talented writer and both novels in the series are fun and exciting, but she hasn’t quite reached her potential. This novel does an excellent job setting up who the villain looks to be in the next book in the series and it should give readers a lot to look forward to.

Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner is an interesting police procedural and a suspenseful thriller. And while it can be a bit predictable it should leave readers satisfied and clamoring for the next installment in the series.

FBI Chases a Ted Bundy Type Serial Killer

In Solace, Texas, women are disappearing without a trace. The police are stumped and request help from the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. Caitlin Hendrix, a rookie profiler, is assigned to go with the team to Solace.

Shortly after they arrive, another woman goes missing. An informant hearing the details of the disappearances tips the FBI to her ex-boyfriend, who she still fears. Then two bodies are found in the woods laid out in eerily similar poses. A serial killer is on the loose.

This is the second book in the UNSUB series. Caitlin, the heroine of both books is back in her new role in the FBI. She loves the challenge, but getting into the mind of a serial killer brings back the psychological problems of her teen years. Caitlin is gutsy. In spite of the toll it takes on her, she puts her personal problems aside to find the killer.

This story is based on the facts of the Ted Bundy case, including his work on a suicide hotline. However, the author fleshes out the story primarily with Caitlin’s reactions. It makes a fast paced, thrilling story that’s hard to put down.

All the characters in the book are realistic from the profilers to the townspeople and police. The descriptions of the serial killer were scary, but pretty accurate. I did miss the interaction with her lover, Sean. He’s in San Francisco; she’s in Virginia, and long distance romance is full of pitfalls.

If you enjoy fast paced thrillers, this is a good one. Even knowing the Bundy story, which made the plot somewhat predictable, I enjoyed the way the characters dealt with the challenge.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

This one was SO good - I wasn't sure how it could follow up Unsub, but I thought the author did a great job making this a compelling 2nd storyline while also continuing the same fast-paced suspense that was found in book 1. I loved this book & found myself racing through it. Highly recommend.

The guy next door - handsome, kind, encouraging, steady, patient, churchgoer, a volunteer- could he be a murderer - a psychopath? Catilin Hendrix with the FBI, is determined to find the killer and him down.

Women are missing in Solace, Texas; taken on Saturday nights. When bodies of the missing turn up, displayed in white nightgowns, surrounded by Polaroids of their lifeless bodies on display as a trophy; Hendrix vows to bring the killer to justice. An amazing read; that keeps you guessing! 5 stars for this one!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!

Admittedly, Unsub wasn't one of my favorite books last year, but I gave this one a chance and am really glad I did! I didn't feel like i was missing background info or anything so feel free to jump in to this book without reading Unsub.

Meg Gardiner delivers a fast paced, psychological thriller that has you thinking and wondering...while you know who-dun-it fairly early, there are enough twists to keep things interesting.

I absolutely love stories dealing with behavioral analysis. The UNSUB series absolutely delivers... in every way. These books have been compared to the show Criminal Minds and for good reason. I especially love that this book takes place in Gideon County... a nod to the original CM character, Gideon? I'm just going to believe that this is so. 😉

One of the things I love best about this book is that while we are deep into Caitlan's POV, we also get the POV of the killer. And even better - we know early on who the killer is so now it's just a matter of cat and mouse and how they're going to catch him.... if they do. Put me inside the head of the killer... ALWAYS. I absolutely love getting into the nitty gritty. I also love Caitlan's bad ass but flawed character.... relationship issues topped with past family issues topped with having to catch bad guys? I'd say she has her hands full for sure!

Action packed and hard to put down, this book is absolutely fantastic. With the popularity of UNSUB last year, I can see some people thinking maybe this one didn't quite do it for them as much as the first. You know why? Because when a first book comes out and WOWS you, a follow up is always hard to top that one. Ladies and Gentlemen.... readers of all kinds.... for me, this one was just as good as book one. One death in particular hit me kind of hard... and I love it when a book makes me feel this way... especially for a tertiary character.

Basically, read this. Just do it. Even if you don't love it as much as I do, I bet you end up enjoying it. And on that note, I'll just leave you with a wave and a smile.... 😈

Meg Gardiner has upped the ante, raised the bar, and whatever other superlative you want to use. Inspired by the infamous Ted Bundy, this is the story of Caitlin Hendrix, an FBI profiler facing off against a serial killer in Texas. Top notch
suspense; this one will keep you up at night.

Fans will enjoy this newest installment, book number two of the UNSUB series. Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner is a great nail-biting thriller and I enjoyed every minute of it.

My favorite character was Caitlin Hendrix, a member of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. She is a smart tough agent but is realistic when she shows some weakness also. The killer in this novel was so good at reading and manipulating people that he was able to pick up on Caitlin’s weakness during their interaction.

I found the book was hard to put down especially when you get to the high-paced and intense “chase” of the killer. Throughout the book the killer toyed with the FBI, drawing them to himself for a showdown at the end. And what a showdown it was!

There was no getting bored with this one as the author brilliantly kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Author Meg Gardiner has written a novel that makes for an edgy and exciting read. If you are a fan of well-written crime thrillers then this is a story you don’t want to miss. I would definitely read more from this author and recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller. Four out of five stars for Into the Black Nowhere!!!

Thank you Meg Gardiner, Dutton Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of this book to read.

I love psychological and crime thrillers. Criminal Minds also happens to be one of my favourite shows. Into the Black Nowhere was like watching an episode of that show, creepy, captivating and suspenseful.

The story follows FBI Profiler, Caitlin Hendrix, and her fellow BAU members as they head to Texas to investigate a series of mysterious abductions. It’s not long until they locate the bodies of a couple of the missing women, each left in a white nightgown, surrounded by Polaroid pictures of slain women in white nighties.

Once Caitlin narrows down the suspect list to one man, she won’t rest until she has him in police custody. The only problem is, even though he fits the profile perfectly, any evidence she has is circumstantial. But Caitlin doesn’t let up, and what ensues is a fast-paced game of cat and mouse.

Into the Black Nowhere was dark, mysterious, and kept me on the edge of my seat. It is based on real life serial killer, Ted Bundy, so sometimes things were a bit predictable if you’ve read anything about him, BUT there was a twist in the end that I wasn’t expecting! I did not read the first book in the series, UNSUB, but I will most definitely be doing that now, as well as reading any other book that may follow! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to someone looking for an intriguing crime-thriller.

After reading and LOVING Unsub last year, I knew that Meg Gardiner would be an author to look out for. Unsub ranked as one of my favorite reads of 2017 and I was so excited when Dutton asked if I wanted a copy of book two, Into The Black Nowhere! Series can be tricky, especially when the first book is this amazing, and I was worried that book two would not live up to my expectations. I am happy to say that this was not the case, and I devoured Into The Black Nowhere. I want to point out that although this book can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading Unsub first because it’s amazing and you will not regret it!

Caitlin Hendrix is now working with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit to create a profile for the serial killer who is behind several women’s disappearances in Texas. The serial killer Caitlin and her team are tracking is based on Ted Bundy which makes for a creepy read! It’s terrifying to think that someone so charming and successful could be a cold-blooded murderer.

I loved that we got to delve into the mind of the killer as well as get a deeper look into Caitlin’s life. She is a bad ass who is flawed and entirely human, which I love. I also really liked Rainey’s character and hope to see her working alongside Caitlin in the next book! I did miss the interaction between Sean and Caitlin in this story, but I’m really curious to see what is coming in book three.

Into The Black Nowhere is addictive, fast-paced, and action-packed. Both books in this series are so chilling because they are based on real-life killers who terrorized many people in the past. I highly recommend the Unsub series to fans of Criminal minds or to those who enjoy reading serial killer thrillers. I’ll just be over here impatiently waiting to read book three!

Thank you NetGalley, Dutton, and Meg Gardiner for the opportunity to read Into The Black Nowhere. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.

Into the Black Nowhere: An UNSUB Novel, Meg Gardiner … out today!!

I read this gripping thriller during the #24in48 readathon this weekend. It was a GREAT choice for a reading marathon because there was no way I would get tired or bored or lose interest. To say it kept my attention is an understatement.

Great pacing, equal parts solid action and psychological insight … this was a thrilling ride and Caitlyn Hendrix is a great character. I highly recommend this one!

I have just one question Meg Gardiner and Dutton Books … will there be more UNSUB/Caitlin Hendrix books?? I for one sure hope so!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for the advance copy.

A big thanks to Dutton Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I read UNSUB last year with the #CJSReads trio, and of course we had to read book two! I absolutely loved UNSUB. Serial killer thrillers are some of my favorite and I loved the Zodiac similarities in the novel. Now FBI Agent Caitlin Hendrix is back and has been newly assigned to the elite Behavioral Analysis Unit within the FBI. With a new serial killer on the loose in Austin, she must race against the clock to stop them before more lives are claimed.

Southern Texas has been plagued with women being abducted. On Saturday nights women have disappearing - from their homes, cars, and outside of theaters. The first victim is found in the woods and the second victim is found further into the woods. Both are dressed in white nighties and are surrounded by Polaroid photos of a woman posed like Snow White (when waiting for her Prince to save her with a kiss) in a white negligee with her wrists slit.

In order to catch him Caitlin must dive into the mind of this killer. She tries to figure out his pattern and how the women are selected. Her profile leads the FBI to focus on a man that is charismatic and a successful businessman. Their main problem is that there is no physical evidence to link him to the murders, so they have to let him go. As Saturday approaches the FBI is in a cat and mouse race to catch the killer before another body is discovered.

Just like with book one this one had me sucked in from the beginning! Whenever the author pulls the reader into the mind of a sociopath serial killer it grabs my attention. The comparisons to Ted Bundy are so apparent that it's almost eerie. The handsome and charismatic man that pulls in his victims by making them feel safe with his charm, but then brutally kills them.

While this one didn't exactly pick up where the first novel left off, I think it was an interesting tactic to leave some of that open-ended going into book two and a new investigation. I can see this being frustrating to some readers, but I think the rest of the book makes up for that!

Overall, if you loved UNSUB then I highly recommend reading this one! I'm impatiently waiting for a book three now. If you want to dive into the mind of a serial killer, then this needs to be on your TBR.

I give this 5/5 stars!

This book...I loved it! It was creepy, full of suspense and kept me guessing. I loved how the author used real-life to create a story about a serial killer, and I loved that there was never a dull moment in the book. I would recommend this to others who especially like to be kept on the edge of their seats.