This is the first book I have read by Sandra Brannon. I found it interesting from the first with the victim's point of view. I was there and it was terrifying. Great mystery and character development. Liv, the heroine of the story is smart and organized. Running a mine keeps her busy but not so busy She can't help with locating a young girl who is an employee. I liked this book. The writing is amazing and a story that will haunt you A serial killer with means to hide who they are and how they kill. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review.

well this was... disappointing.

IN THE BELLY OF JONAH is... well, i expect that on a technical level it would be called a mystery, but it didn't really feel like that to me, more like a thriller (although i could argue it wasn't particularly thrilling either).

it began very strongly, from the point of view of one of the murder victims. there are multiple POVs in the book, but the eponymous liv bergen is the only one who is graced with the first person. whereas this format could have worked, brannan really, really shouldn't have added in the murderer as a POV.

sure, his name was never actually mentioned; but we found out his motives, his reasons, even his next plans. and then when the murderer's name cropped up in other POVs, to me at least, it was patently obvious who it was.

basically, this would have been a lot better if it wasn't for the nightmare of the POVs. brannan should have stuck with the victim at the beginning, and liv, and maybe some of the inspectors, but not the murderer and the suspects for god's sake! that's why i would say this isn't really a "mystery", because there's nothing damn mysterious about any of it.

a lot of potential, but terribly executed, i'm afraid. no pun intended.

I read another book in this series by this author and when I saw them on NetGalley the entire series I knew I had to ask to review them. I was so glad I did now I get to see exactly how Liv Bergen became to be such a good case solver.

In this story, Liv gets face to face with a killer who has been able to fool the FBI since they can not figure out how he is able to carve his victims. Somehow Liv is just able to put the pieces together yet it will be too late for someone that she knows. When Liv starts to help solve the case just by being nosey what she uncovers is something more. She will have to fight for her life if she wants to be able to live. Her friend is right by the end of this book Liv should totally become an FBI agent she is quick to think on her feet and will find herself in certain situations. I enjoyed how the author did the murder's they weren't your normal kind of murders they were done with a weird elegance that only the killer could capture.

I really like how strong of a character Liv was. She took care of herself and owned her own business and was not afraid to get down and dirty. You don't find many characters like Liv and so for the author to write Liv the way she did was nice. I plan on finishing up this series and get ready for book 7 which comes out in June!!!

Reading this book gave me chills and thrills so much so that I felt like I was either watching Dexter or Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
This is the first book in the Liv Bergen series and the author succeeds in capturing the readers attention with such vivid and gruesome descriptions of crime scenes that if you're a fan of psychological thrillers and crime novels, then this would be your icing on the cake!

Sandra Brannan
(A Liv Bergen Mystery, #1)

An extraordinary commencement to what promises to be an extraordinary series, IN THE BELLY OF JONAH is, without exaggeration, unforgettable. Those opening scenes!... Not just those, the entire novel. The empowered female series protagonist, the FBI Special Agents, the victims, the secondary characters--and the Villain. Oh my. Ted Bundy, step aside. This is a novel in which a number of characters are brilliant intellects: Liv Bergen, the protagonist; a few of the FBI agents, and the Villain. So, as with the real-life killers Leopold and Loeb of 1920's Chicago, there's a constant "battle of the minds" which raises the story level (and the stakes). Then, too, a strong cultural framework contains the story's tapestry (Art), balanced by the bizarre psychology and methods of the Villain.

Thankfully I own the first six books in the series and am making this a marathon read.

Thanks Netgalley for a copy to read and review.

My first by this author and I loved it. Amazing and gruesome story. Liv and let live.....Liv Bergen is a miner, but she loves puzzles and loves to solve them. After an employee of hers is killed by an artistic serial killer she is pulled into a complex case by an old college friend who is now FBI. I was completely engrossed and this mystery just sucks you in. Liv allows the FBI to use her house as headquarters only to have the killer strike again in her own home. As the case grows more and more personal, Liv is more determined that this victim will be the serials last. I absolutely loved this thriller, and I'm all set to start the second in the series. Five stars of entertainment!

What a thriller! I have had this book on my shelf with the sequel for a few weeks and I was just able to work it into the schedule. A woman in the mining industry who is holding her own amongst the men ends up in the middle of not one but two murder investigations that are clearly linked, but how?

With each thriller/suspense that I read I love the genre even more. This one definitely held up to those big name suspense authors. A little on the gory side, but packed full of who dun its. I found myself in the middle of the book waffling between two characters and I just couldn't put my finger on the real culprit. I loved this. Nothing irks me more than the person who is the killer only popping up in the end of the book with no way to guess of his involvement.

Brannan effortlessly weaves the killer in and out of the reader's thoughts, while giving hints but no definite clues. A must read for those who love a good suspense but watch out because the reader has a bird's eye view when the murders occur.