Lissa Redmond has been added to my short list of authors to follow. I was given a advance copy of this book.
This is the second book in the series and was a book hard to put down. A lot of action and drama and who did it and what they did.
Can not wait for the next sence she left me hanging.
A must read!!!

”You never stop fighting for the victims. You taught me that.”


Lauren Riley is a cold case detective in Buffalo police department. In the beginning of the book she is stabbed and left for dead. When she wakes up in the hospital, only thing she is sure of is that her attacker was a cop. This is part two of Cold Case Investigation series. I have not read the first book, but it was easy enough to get in to the story. The ending suggests there will be more to come.

I liked the relationship between Riley and her partner Reese. There was nothing sexual, they were very comfortable together and their mutual banter was delightful. And I loved Watson the dog.

The story was good but sometimes it seemed they reached the right conclusions rather easily. The writing style was easy to get in to. The author is retired cold case detective and it shows. She clearly knows her facts. I can warmly recommend this book to anyone who likes crime and mystery stories.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Midnight Ink for the copy of this book.

I didn’t know what to expect from THE MURDER BOOK. The title alone is what really caught my attention. With it being so close to Halloween I just KNEW this book would satisfy my need for horror.

On the contrary, THE MURDER BOOK is more of a mystery than a thriller. Which isn’t a bad thing. I love mysteries just as much. It’s the first book of a soon-to-come series by a former cold case homicide detective so many of the events are probably roughly based on real cases of some kind.

One of the main parts of the book that caught my attention was the very beginning. It was so fast paced which allowed me to clearly see the early scenes playing out as if it were a movie. A vivid description of an attempted murder that forced me to keep my eyes glued to the words with no ability to turn away was JUST what I needed for this rainy October.

Unfortunately after the inception of the story, the plot lost momentum. The “meat” of the book fell a little flat for me. The mystery played out expectedly and the climax was underwhelming. The saving grace for me was how the author wrote the Reese character. I really enjoyed his quirky remarks and ability to handle business with some sense of humor along the way. I would love to see how this character grows during the series.

In conclusion, I do think the book needs a LITTLE work. I want the middle of the book to be just as good as the beginning and ending. The middle is pretty much what holds the story together and when that part of the novel is struggling then it can cause the whole work of art to struggle as well.

Lissa Marie Redmond has all the right credentials to write about murder in Buffalo N.Y. She is retired from Buffalo PD where she worked Cold Cases. Her main character in The Murder Book, Lauren Riley, is a stubborn woman who doesn't like to be told what she can't do. She is a good cop who clears cases. One night while finishing up paperwork in the deserted homicide office she is attacked from behind, stabbed in the back and viciously stomped on the head.

It was easy to visualize the characters due to the descriptive writing throughout the book. The plot was interesting and it was easy to understand the frustration felt by Lauren and her partner Shane Reese. They knew she was assaulted by another cop because the door to the homicide office automatically locks when it closes and Shane was the last to leave before the assault happened.

This is a top-notch murder mystery. My rating is a well earned five stars. Thank you Midnight Ink Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy. The opinions expressed are completely my own.
#TheMurderBook #NetGalley

The Murder Book is a well-crafted police procedural with a psychological twist flowing through from the first book A Cold Day In Hell. This story takes you inside the policing and political world, where family loyalty and greed for power takes precedent over the law. Returning leads Riley and Reese find themselves personally embroiled in a present day investigation with roots decades old, a cold case from which they have to rely on a retired officer’s memory and a reluctant, terrified witness because their Murder Book was stolen in a brazen, life threatening event. And, if that’s not enough, a past decision based on revenge continues to haunt Riley, with the unwanted attention of a psychopath whom she helped set free and is now inserting himself into her personal life. Lissa Marie Redmond is a welcomed addition to the genre, an author I’ve added to my “must read” list and looking forward to the next book in the series.

I struggled to get started on this book but once I did, I zoomed through quickly enjoying the story, the plot themes, and the characters. Lauren was an interesting character that it was easy to warm up to. The ending felt slightly rushed and confusing but still enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book .

This is a story about a cold case. Starts off with the lead detective being stabbed in her office, a promising start. It was soon obvious that this book had a predecessor because there were many flash backs to what had happened before. I finished this book but it was not really enjoyable for me there were too many questions and no real answers and no real sense of mystery. I thought the book was disjointed, unrealistic and disappointing with no real outcome, maybe to wet the appetite for the next chapter ?.

A mediocre entry in the long list of entries of the mystery thriller genre. The main character is likable but the dots are too conveniently connected.This is one of those stories that doesn't leave much guess work to the reader.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Slow burner, but still so good! Kept my interest. Great police procedural with black humor and psychological thrill and mystery. I enjoyed this story!

The Murder Book wastes no time getting going, with Buffalo cold case detective Lauren Riley getting stabbed and brutally beaten while alone in the station. Only the timely arrival of her colleague, Reese, keeps her from dying. While Lauren recovers, she and Reese spend the rest of the book secretly investigating the assault as well as the old homicide case that precipitated it. These two characters are well-developed and have an excellent rapport that is fun to observe through their good-natured insults, etc. There's a little too much explanation of things that could probably be more subtly and effectively conveyed indirectly by action or by dialogue. The author writes from experience, and the cultural references about cop types and the workplace dynamics of a police station all have the ring of authenticity.

This book got off to a slow start but by the end I wanted more! Likeable characters and a pacey story, would recommend this to thriller fans and I *really* want to see what happens next!

After reading about THE MURDER BOOK, I was thrilled, and very grateful to receive a copy from NetGalley. Lisa Redmond did not disappoint. The basic premise revolves around the mysterious attack on cold case detective, Lauren Riley, while she was working at her desk, late one Friday night. She was hit over the head, stabbed and was lucky to be alive. When she wakes up in the hospital three days after the attack her memory of the event is hazy, except for two things: she is certain the attacker was a cop - wearing standard issue police boots and was seen carrying her green bound Murder Book, the complete file of her working cold cases.

I love the fact that she is a realistic character, she's not in her twenties, for one thing. Thanks to Lissa Marie Redmond's formidable experience as a cold case detective, she had the good sense in developing a more mature character, with grown kids of her own. Lauren's kids and family were scared to death after Lauren's attack and brush with death. Their presence in the story gives a sense of the realness of a detective's life to the novel. Lauren's relationship with her partner Reese, is a great, well crafted relationship.

If you like police procedurals, as I do, especially mixed with suspense, you'll love THE MURDER BOOK!

Thank you, NetGalley and Midnight Ink Publishing

I liked this character a lot. It's nice to see an older female protagonist who seems grounded in reality. This story did not move as fast as I would have liked.....it did drag a bit in places but the characters were all well developed and the plot held my interest. I was introduced to a new author for me and am looking forward to reading more from her and hopefully more with this character!

Lauren, a cold-case detective, is working late when she is stabbed and left for dead. She's saved by her partner who returns for a forgotten item. They both begin to search for her attacker, believing that s/he is a member of the police force. They enlist the aid of a retired detective in catching the killer. The story is a suspenseful one that will keep your interest.

This was a great book! Strong, well developed characters and a solid plot. j

This book grabbed me from the first page and I could not put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Murder Book.

I didn't not realize this was the second book in the series but I didn't have any problems following the storyline or previous plot threads.

Lauren Riley is a cold case detective and PI who is almost killed after she is stabbed in her office late one night. The only item missing: her cold case murder book.

Lauren is certain of one thing before she blacked out: her assailant is a cop.

At the same time, a former ex-client makes his presence known and Lauren's ex-fiancee is pulled into the drama when he winds up dead. No worries; he was a scumbag.

As Lauren and her intrepid partner, Reese, dig deep into the investigation, they uncover a conspiracy that dates back to an unsolved cold case from two decades ago.

I really enjoy police procedurals; the detectives tracking down witnesses and interviewing potential suspects and though there are some of that in here, it wasn't enough. The blanks are filled in by a snitch and it is up to Riley and Reese to figure out how to catch the bad guys.

I didn't like Riley or dislike her though there is plenty of exposition about her past and present to paint a flawed but realistic portrayal of a hard-working single mother who has AWFUL taste in guys.

I think my beef was that sometimes Riley sounded and acted like a teenager, even though she is the parent of two decent, well-adjusted young ladies.

She mentions pretty often about the poor choices she's made in men and moons over an ex-husband (I get it, they have sexual chemistry) but it became redundant and really annoying.

She's not only attracted to losers, but has an unhealthy obsession with a former client. The both of them have some kind of a Bonnie and Clyde thing going on that they're trying to deny, which I can only imagine the author is foreshadowing this person's potential as an arch villain.

Naturally, she's a gorgeous, tall, blonde, a fact Reese points out midway through the book, as if that excuses the behavior of the men Lauren is attracted to or vice versa.

Reese isn't too shabby, either; a green-eyed biracial man who charms men and women alike. I neither liked nor disliked him. I did like his competence, his loyalty and his devotion to Riley.

The why and who behind Riley's attack is meh. Nothing original I haven't heard before.

The writing is decent and so are the characters; its not my favorite but not a bad read. This series would not be high on my list to continue reading, though.

I enjoy suspenseful police procedurals, and this certainly fit that category. The Dynamics between Lauren and partner Reese,and later on Charlie, too were realistic and satisfying. The plot was solid as well; that the author was retired from the police force was evident. Besides Lauren, though, the characters seemed flat, and sometimes telling rather than showing interfered with the novel's flow.

I liked the story and I understand that it's a preview copy but there is one big error just after Thanksgiving when it's stated in the book that Lauren mentions the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas. Apart from that I thought it was a well written story and the ending wasn't what I was expecting. I would definitely download the other books by the author.

Once I was about 5 pages into this, from NteGalley, I realized there was a book that came before. I paused this, bought the first book, read it in one night, then followed with this excellent story. I love a great police novel, enjoy a well done court room thriller. Imagine finding both in one well written novel! I really loved this, just cannot wait for the next one! These characters are like friends I'll miss while I wait.

*I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in return of an honest review.*

It started out well enough. The beginning gripped me just as I’d hoped it would. But the charm wore off as the story progressed. I struggled to retain the same interest throughout the book that I felt at the beginning.

I think my biggest problem was the writing. There were many grammatical errors and some words felt misplaced. I hope the final version of the book gets proper editing it deserves. Because it’s difficult to enjoy a book when you get distracted by such mistakes.

Lauren is a smart protagonist. Though, I felt that she was written as too impersonal, considering the past she’s had. Teen pregnancy, prostitution, domestic abuse, two divorces, stalkers – for someone with such terrible experiences, I was expecting a bit more emotional depth. It didn’t help that whenever we find out about each of these experiences, the mentions are written too casually. Also, having a protagonist with all of these happening to her has a cliche written all over it.

Maybe, if I’d read the predecessor to this book which I didn’t know existed until after I finished the book, I’d be less frustrated with the backstory of Lauren. There will be a third book too, going by how this one ends.

The main mystery was plotted out fine enough. There were no big shocking twists or unpredictability. It was the process through which the team gets to the results that mattered. I really liked Reese and Lauren’s equation. They were perfect partners for each other. It was also refreshing to have no romantic angle there. Charlie Daley was also a welcome addition to their team. Their team dynamic was the best part of the book for me. I also liked the realistic portrayal of the inner workings of the police department.

Ultimately, Murder Book disappointed me by not delivering the intensity and excitement I’d been expecting from this Mystery/Thriller.