Didn't enjoy this one either. Maybe it's because I had my fill of these Cavanaugh series since they all seem to blend the same. Somehow the romance part seems too take a back seat - unlike the first couple in the series. in any case, thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Intriguing characters and an action packed story make this a quick but engrossing read. The Cavanaughs are a large family in Aurora and most of them are involved in law enforcement. The book starts with gruesome murder at the hands of a serial killer. Detective Hunter Brannigan works in the Cold Case Division and he is still haunted by his first case, which was never solved- because the body was missing it's hands and head. But after a heavy rain, a shallow grave containing a pair of hands and a head is revealed- but too fresh to be that from the cold case. At the same time, an old school mate comes to Detective MacKenzie Cavanaugh, who now is working in the Missing Persons Division, about her missing father. The newly found head and hands belong to him. Kenzie, bitter after finding out her ex-fiancee was a player and unfaithful, listens to rumors about Hunter being a playboy and ladykiller, and is obnoxious to him and I did not like her. A detective should not jump to conclusions from rumors. Hunter has no family and has been "adopted" by most of the Cavanaugh clan, including Kenzie's two brothers. Because their two cases seem to indicate that a serial killer has been operating in Aurora, they must work together heading a task force to find the killer. Hunter, for some reason, finds Kenzie fascinating and loves to push her buttons, but soon she learns not to judge people on the bases of rumors and that Hunter is excellent at his job ... and other things. Together they make a great team.

I read a free ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Like all of the Cavanaugh books, this book features two intense officers of the law who have a mystery to solve. Once again, Ms. Ferrarella, writes a story that keeps the reader involved and wondering who is the suspect and how will the criminal be brought to justice. The resolution of the case is a tightly woven story that only resolves in the last pages of the book.

The is another in a long line of good books by Marie Ferrarella. She has continued the Cavanaugh's police series with references to various family members. I would recommend this book to others.

Good book with an intriguing mystery and an enemies to lovers romance. The story opened with a chilling look into the mind of a killer, foreshadowing what our hero and heroine will be up against. It then moved on to Kenzie Cavanaugh, the newest member of the missing persons division. A childhood friend comes to her, looking for help finding her missing father. Kenzie's compassion is evident, along with her determination to find her friend's father. Our introduction to Hunter is when a fellow detective clues him into a new arrival in the ME's office. Hoping that it might be what he needs to close a cold case, Hunter is both dismayed and concerned when the parts don't match, but the MO is the same. When the new victim turns out to be part of Kenzie's case, logic says they should combine forces, but Kenzie resists.

This is the first Cavanaugh book that I can recall that I didn't like the Cavanaugh for a good part of the book. Kenzie has a huge chip on her shoulder thanks to being burned by a cheating fiancé. Because Hunter has a playboy reputation, she tars him with the same brush. Her constant nasty attitude toward him grated on me, and I wondered how Hunter could put up with it for as long as he did, though he did get some enjoyment out of egging her on. The part that bothered me the most is that she let her animosity bleed over into the job too many times. I was impressed with his patience but cheered when he finally called her on her attitude. Hunter has his own pain that he hides behind the cheerful façade, pain that makes him more understanding of those around him.

I liked the development of the relationship between Hunter and Kenzie. Part of the reason that she reacts so strongly to Hunter is that she is attracted to him and isn't happy about it, so she works to keep him at a distance. Hunter finds himself liking the woman under the prickly surface, and I enjoyed watching him work to bring that woman out from behind her walls. I especially liked the role reversal as this time it was the non-Cavanaugh partner who dragged the Cavanaugh to one of Andrew's get-togethers. I liked seeing Kenzie lower her guard and realize that he's not such a bad guy after all, with the predictable post-party results. With the cessation of hostilities, their feelings have the opportunity to grow. I loved that while Hunter had great respect for Kenzie's abilities, he was also protective of her. That protectiveness created an emotion-charged scene at the end, lightened slightly by a conversation between Andrew Cavanaugh and the head nurse at the hospital. Loved the epilogue.

The suspense of the story was good. That first chilling scene with the killer set the tone. I liked Hunter's instincts when Hunter saw the most recent victim and saw the similarities to his seven-year-old cold case. The realism of the drudge work of investigation was great, as the team dealt with the mountain of information they had to go through. I liked how each little thing that they found added to the big picture. The final confrontation was intense and had me on the edge of my seat until it was over.

As always, I love it when various members of the family make their appearances. In this one, I loved how well Brian Cavanaugh, the Chief of Detectives, knew both Hunter and Kenzie and paired them up in the best way possible. The scenes with poor, overworked Valri were great. I liked the little I saw of Kenzie's brothers and look forward to their stories.

Kenzie was asked by a friend to find her missing father when she finds out that her case clashes with Detective Hunters case who has an inkling that his case is dealing with a serial killer. Both will grudgingly work together to solve this case and will try to keep their feeling at bay the longer they work together.

I loved this mystery novel it was pretty great. I loved watching as Kenzie and Hunter worked together to solve this case. I love a good hate and love kinda romance and this book was it for me. Theres not much to say about this book without ruining it but its a pretty great book I really enjoyed reading it. If you are just coming across this book just know that even though this book is part of a series this can be read as a stand alone but trust me you'll want to see what the rest of the Cavanaughs are doing.