3 stars.

Started off a lot stronger than it ended.

Two detectives are on the case to track down a serial killer who has been murdering his victims every ten days. He has killed four women so far leaving the police department nine days before they know another victim will be found.

This police procedural started off strong. I really liked the main detective duo. They complimented each other well and I found myself laughing at their sarcastic humour. The mystery and suspense was gripping from the start and had me feeling strongly invested. The first 60% of the book focused intensely on the police investigation which I enjoyed.

Around the 65% mark, the plot focus shifts toward the personal stories of the main characters instead of the crime investigation. There is an unexpected romance thrown in that didn’t work for me and took away from my investment in the storyline. The plot seemed to unravel from that point on and lost my interest. It almost felt like the end was written by a different author.

Overall, this had a lot of potential and I would definitely try out other books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Ten Days Gone is a thriller that tells the story of a serial killer who kills every ten days. This has the city of Baywood, Wisconsin up in arms. All victims are killed in their homes, strangled, and there are no signs of struggle. It’s up to Detectives A.L. McKittridge and his partner Rena Morgan to find the killer. Ten Days Gone wasn’t your typical cop procedural story. I found the premise interesting and it was an overall satisfying read.

What a ride! Ten Days Gone is about a serial killer who is on the loose and kills a woman every ten days. Three dead bodies into this murder and A.L. McKittridge and Rena have zero leads or suspects. I love when mysteries slowly unravel throughout the story. The clues in this story are well-placed and create a great build of suspense throughout.

Four women dead in 40 days ... every 10 days a woman is killed in her own home. All are smothered, their clothes are folded very neatly next to them. Nothing connects the victims..and barely any evidence left behind.

Detectives A L McKittridge and Rena Morgan have been called in to investigate. With very little to go on, they are desperate to find the killer before another 10 days go by.

Who would want these women dead? Looking into each of the victims' only shows them to mostly be single, with grown children. They were all liked and had no problems with anyone. So what is there connection? So how do they find their killer?

This is first in a new series featuring two detectives who are committed to finding justice for the victims. They aren't perfect .. each comes with a little baggage. The blend of their professional lives with their personal lives gives them a realistic edge. I love how they interact with each other... a lot of time with humor. Lots of action swirls around them with plenty of suspects to follow. No cliff hangers here except .... what do the initials A L stand for?

Many thanks to the author / Harlequin / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

this was a great mystery novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this book. I look forward to more from the author.

A thrilling mystery that has readers speeding to the conclusion of a carefully crafted tale! I enjoyed the third person narrative that allowed an extensive immersion into Ten Days Gone.

Ten Days Gone is the first installment in the A.L. McKittridge series by author Beverly Long. This book is organized by a timeline counting from day one to day ten until either the detectives capture the serial killer or another woman dies. Baywood, Wisconsin Police Detectives A.L. McKittridge and his partner Rena Morgan are on the case of a serial killer. 4 women have been murdered in 40 days. As the title indicates, the killer strikes every 10 days. With nothing connecting the victims and very little evidence, the clock is already counting down to when the next body drops. A.L. and Rena will have to act fast if they’re going to find the killer’s next victim before he does.

I should state for the record that this isn't A.L.'s story to tell. It is also Rena's as well as the would be fifth victim's which I won't spoil. Rena has been A.L's partner long enough to understand him well. Rena is also dealing with trying to get pregnant using the last scientific procedures. She's also dealing with her husband, Gabe, who seems to be wandering. Whether or not that's the truth leads to some pressure points being pushed on Rena's life and as a cop. There are loads of characters in this book and I don’t think we really got to fully know any of them. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not.

There's A.L.'s ex wife who may be dating again, his teenaged daughter who is acting out a bit, his sister is an alcoholic who refuses to accept any help, A.L's love life seems to be focused on having fun and not committing to another long term commitment. This leads to his connection with a possible murder victim who has deep rooted PTSD after losing her arm in a shark attack. The partnership between Rena and A.L. works well. There's never any judgmental comments. There's respect in understanding that they both know the job and no moral superiority just because A.L. is a man and Rena is a woman. I like them as partners as they have sort of a yin yang relationship that worked extremely well in every aspect while maintaining proper boundaries.

The unfolding of the clues and the way the villain is revealed are both handled well and and ending is very satisfying. I didn't know this was part of a series until I had finished the book. The detectives’ personal lives are woven in with the investigation. The detective’s lives are realistic. They work hard which affects their personal lives which are complicated (just like real people). I have already requested the sequel and should it be approved or denied, I will be continuing this series. Also, we do not get to find out what A.L. stands for which is a mystery in itself. One of the serial killers targets tries hard to guess without any success.

While I do enjoy reading the occasional murder mystery, police procedural novels haven’t always been my cup of tea. Some of the ones I’ve read over the years have been rather dry and never seemed to hold my interest. When I saw Ten Days Gone available on Netgalley, I decided to take a chance on it. And I am quite glad I did.

Ten Days Gone follows Detectives McKittridge and Morgan as they race against time to find a serial killer lurking in their mid-sized Wisconsin town. The killer has already taken the lives of four women, each murder spaced exactly ten days apart. With no clear connection between them, the two detectives are in a race against time to try and determine who the next victim will be.

Like many book and television police dramas, Ten Days Gone starts in the middle of the action. The fourth victim has just been found and we the reader join the two detectives as they must try and find what joins this new person to the previous victims. Like many television police dramas there is a good deal of talking, of going over evidence and discovering new clues. This book is very conversation heavy. It relies more on the detectives as well as other characters talking – either on the phone or in person – to convey information. Many writers use a “show, don’t tell” approach where with Ms. Long, the opposite approach is used.

Ten Days Gone is certainly not for every reader. It is a dark book, one that deals with subjects that might not be comfortable for some. Those readers who do enjoy a well paced thriller that will keep you guessing until the end would likely enjoy this book. I personally liked the characters very much and will be keeping an eye out for further books in the series.

There is a pattern that all but stumps detectives A. L. McKittridge and Rena Morgan. There have been four murders of women over a forty day period, each ten days apart. So time is soon their enemy as they know that before ten days is up there will the murder of another innocent woman. Can the pair work together to find the killer or at least identify who he chooses for his next victim in time?

The reason that I give this book 3 stars is because of the constant changes of POV. Usually this is something that I can enjoy, but a lot of the dialogue shifted rather quickly, causing a bit of confusion as to whose view we were reading. There were a lot of things going on beyond the scope of the investigation. Readers get to see A. L. and Rena behind the scenes. Regarding A. L., he is having trouble with his teenage daughter. With Rena, she is struggling with fertility and it is affecting her relationship with her husband. However, since this is the first book in a new series, it really does help to bring in some background with characters that we will be seeing a lot of in future stories.

In all, this was a good read with a rather intriguing case, and it had a lot of tension, especially as we got to "know" the intended next victim. This, I believe, kept my attention rapt in this story.

Many thanks to MIRA and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The first in a mystery/thriller series which must do two things, one set the stage for the series in introducing place and characters and two must have a mystery of itself. I think this book did a good job of both.

There are two main detectives in this series. AL McKittridge and Rena Morgan. These two have worked together for a bit and know each other's quirks and can call each other out. In this first book the reader gets to know them and their home lives that will at times interrupt the mystery that they are trying to solve.

In this book, the case is self contained as in it is presented and solved within this one book. These detectives find a fourth victim killed within forty days and from the beginning it is an obvious pattern and they are hoping to break it and prevent another victim.

I always judge a mystery on the person who ends up being the guilty party and if the clues were perfectly crafted to finally point to them and I felt like the author did a great job in this one where I didn't find out early, but right on time!

I am excited to continue this series and learn more about these detectives and keep solving cases!

Thank you so much for the copy. I tried to pick this one up but it did not work for me. Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

I loved the mystery four women get murdered every woman's murder is ten days apart from the last one. Sometimes I got a bit confused when I didn't know whose head I was in at the time, the police are always trying to figure out who would be chosen next and stay on top of it all.

I really enjoyed this one, I can't wait to read more by this author.

Thank you for the chance to read this book for my honest review..

I'm glad I read this book. A.L. (whose real name we still don't know) and Rena are perfect police partners. He's the wizened old guy who remains a bit grumpy most of the time, and she's the younger, underestimated but quite competent detective. They get along - finish each others' thoughts, and respect each other. It makes them both very likable.

In this, the first book about A.L., anyway, they're dealing with four dead women, each murder committed 10 days apart. They have 10 days til the next murder is expected. Can they find the perpetrator, or at least deduce and protect the next intended victim? It seems likely, of course. Who would want to keep reading books where the serial killer wins?

As they trace down clues and question witnesses, A.L. is also trying to deal with his teenage daughter and his ex-wife, and Rena is worried about her marriage, as she and her husband struggle with infertility. The side plots really helped develop the characters and how their own distractions helped them view the case from different perspectives.

Overall, I'd give this procedural 3 out of 5 stars. It was a good read, and I'd definitely seek out subsequent books in the series.

well written and a fast paced read! The chase is suspenseful and I do like that there are clues that lead closer to catching the killer. As always, I couldn't guess who the killer is. The ending is intense and I loved it; however, there weren't clear explanations as to why the killer chose 10 days and 5 women

3.5 stars

Ten Days Gone
An A.L. McKittridge Novel #1
Beverly Long
MIRA, February 2020
ISBN 978-0-7783-0958-1
Mass Market Paperback

Hunting a serial killer is no doubt one of the most difficult things a police department may ever have to do but, this time, detectives Rena Morgan and A.L. McKittridge are also faced with the nearly impossible task of preventing a fifth murder once the likely victim has been identified. Tess Lyons already suffers psychological damage from previous events and is anything but ready to understand her present danger. Meanwhile, leads in the case are sketchy at best and the detectives are caught up in a cat and mouse game with few obvious answers until they find a petition signed by all four of the murdered women. Figuring out why the petition and the ten day intervals are important may be their best chance to stop this killer.

A.L. and Rena are a well-matched partnership, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and they complement each other in their search for a wily killer. The pacing is a little slow but Ten Days Gone shows promise and is the first in what I hope will be a long-running series.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, April 2020.

This story was interesting. Knowing a majority of the usual secrets ahead of time did not take anything away from the book. It made for an interesting journey to discover the who and the actual why.

A.L. and Rena have been stumped by the recent rash of murders. Every ten days they have a new victim with very little to go on. While they both know how to do their job and both do it well, they are still frustrated that a serial killer is running around with very little to show on their end.

When a lucky break hits and they figure out the next victim both cops make it their mission to capture the bad guy and save the life of his next target. The problem is they don't know how to protect against a threat that so far has been a mystery.

Definitely an attention capturing story.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters had a lot of depth and were easy to relate to. The ending definitely had a twist I didn't see coming, but I enjoyed being surprised. I like how the book ended, and I would gladly read more books by Beverly Long! I hope this isn't the last I read about A. L. and Rena.

I am glad I stuck with this one. It got much more interesting as I got further into the story. I enjoyed the extra detail on each investigator's personal life and their connection to the case. The banter between the two investigators was comical at times and they dealt with relatable issues which made it more fun for me. I think I liked the side stories more than the overall mystery.

It looks as if this is the first book in a series. However, I was unable to find additional books. I liked the characters well enough to read the next book in the series.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

I had a hard time getting into this one and unfortunately, it never caught my attention. Not my kind of snarky dynamics between the characters. Just not the right reader for this one so I am moving on

Ten Days Gone is a perfect suspense novel in many ways.

Beverly Long weaves a dark and twisted tale, but in a way that the reader doesn't feel too weighed down in the gloom.

I especially loved the relationship between the two detectives. As one is a man and one is a woman, a lot of writers would have written sexual tension into their story, but Beverly Long showed how women and men can work together professionally, even interact about their personal lives, without ever showing interest in each other physically. They were funny together and seemed to compliment each others investigative styles.

The romance element was perfectly represented as it wasn't a focus of the story. Finding the killer and stopping the murders compelled the story, while the romance was a minor detail that just seemed to give the book a little more heart.

I was extremely moved by Rena's story of infertility. It's such a difficult task, attempting to describe the feelings a woman has during this type of struggle. It's grueling, depressing, and all consuming, and when Rena began isolating herself from her husband, I was heartbroken because I understood that emotion too well. I do wissh there was a little more depth in this part of the story, and think that the kiss from the brother wasn't a necessary plot point. Rena and her husband seemed to have enough drama going on, and since this is a series, it might have been best to save something like that for later books.

I'm excited to read the next book in the series. Thanks to Netgalley and Mira Books for the copy of Ten Days Gone for me to review.