Oh my.

I can't believe it's already over. I feel like everything happened so fast, but was so well put together.

Cut to the Bone is the third novel in the Agent Sayer Altair series. It's about a bus full of 24 high school students going missing on a trip to Atlanta for a science contest. A serial killer that no one seems to see. And FBI Agent Altair's frenzy to hunt down these missing children and this serial killer. It's a story that's so convoluted and twisting that it's hard to keep up. Fake identities, new twists and turns that lead to dead ends, misinformation... the whole kit and kaboodle. Ellison Cooper throws you on a the most well-written and intricate loop you may have been in for a while.

I normally have a great disdain for reading a book that's part of a series without starting from the beginning, however when I requested this novel from Netgalley, I seem to have missed that fact. REGARDLESS, it didn't matter. It reads like a standalone. There was not even a split second where I felt like I was missing out on something that was key to a previous instalment. Cooper's writing keeps you on track and in the moment.

This novel was right up the alley of book genre that I ADORE. So what's different about this one, compared to any others I've read recently? Well, conspiracy for one. There's always this allusion to something bigger than the current case, but it's always just hinting in the background, never at the forefront.

Second, ties to mythology and architecture. There's a nice focus on the history of Washington D.C. and how it's architectural specialites came to be with ties to Ancient Egypt. I really enjoyed these aspects of the novel, regardless of whether they are actually true or not. I also enjoyed the ties to Egyptian myths and such that really added to the mystery.

Third, I liked the focus on the FBI Agent's neuroscientist background. Being in health care, I do have quite the interest in this type of information. I liked how research on the minds of psychopaths tied into the story, as well as how it aided in the investigation to a certain extent.

I'm not one for fact checking while reading a novel, while others may be. I'm simply here for a good time, so while not everything may be entirely accurate I enjoyed myself...and I think that's what matters most in a novel.

This is the first piece I've read of Cooper's... but I can't say it will be the last. I really enjoy her way of writing, her plots and characters are all well-written, and very relevant to the story!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!</i>

It was interesting book because it was alot more than serial killer fiction novel. .the ending was mindblowing . And it leaves room for a sequel.

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was amazing! I'm still trying to process the entire novel, and I finished reading it yesterday afternoon. For reference, I have not read the previous books in the series, but I think it's okay to read on its own. The plot is captivating, and the characters are extremely well developed.

Rarely do I jump into the middle of a series without having read the first books. It's hard to properly invest in characters when there are usually allusions to back story you're not privy to. Sometimes, it pays off. I found Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series this way, and with the glowing reviews and Minotaur's stellar track record, this premise caught my eye. I decided to give Sayer Altair's world a go.


So glad I did.

Sayer grieves her fiance but finds solace in her family and work. When she receives a call that an officer was killed over a young girl's ritualistic murder, Sayer is thrust into a twisting investigation involving a bus load of missing students, ancient Egyptology, and a deep-seated government conspiracy.

Cut to the Bone was like reading the Da Vinci Code meets 24, but with a badass FBI agent who knows how to fight taking the lead. Everything about this book worked, from the expertly-paced plot, to the high-stakes case, to the complex world of Egyptian belief systems and their entanglement with DC architecture and history. It feels like a lot to lay out, and really, there is a lot going on in this book, but in the best possible way. Sayer is a wonderful MC with lots of relate-ability. Nuanced, developed, and conflicted, she's a beacon of morality for her team (which is equally nuanced and well-developed) and there wasn't a point where I rooted against her or expected her to fail. That's not to say this is predictable. While there were some familiar military/political tropes, this felt like a fresh take. Even when I put the pieces together, I enjoyed reading how the events unfolded, and I wanted more.

One of my favorite aspects was her relationship with an anonymous nonviolent psychopath, a mysterious high-powered DC man with a fixation/obsession on Sayer. He's dangerous, but not lethal. He's definitely a psychopath, and he watches out for her not out of caring--something Sayer stresses he's not capable of, as psychopaths don't experience feelings in the same way--but out of the thrill of the game, the fascination of how she'll react to his prompts. While their interactions were sparse, this brought an extra edge to the narrative that I found deliciously enticing.

I also appreciated the few chapters with the brilliant high school STEM students. Using their knowledge, they weren't simply bland, flat side characters waiting to be rescued. They were intelligent individuals, capable of taking action and caring for each other. I enjoyed this dynamic greatly, as too often the kidnapped become characterized as helpless. Yes, they were in danger, but they accepted this fate and decided to fight. Not something you see too often when the detective is the primary focus, but no character felt flat or unimportant. Cooper's writing is accessible, clean, and flows well, making it easy to pick this book up and lose track of hours.

Thrilling, fast-paced, and dynamic, Cut to the Bone is a successful series entry, but also so well executed that you can pick this up as a standalone without being lost in translation. 10/10 recommend, and I look forward to reading the earlier books.

Big thanks to Minotaur/St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

If you have concerns about the integrity of government officials and the power they wield this book may keep you awake at night. Sayer has such an interesting role, she is in the FBI, but also is a NeuroScientist with a unique understanding of the brain. This can yield significant advantages to her in her work, but also adds a level of suspicion from some of her co-workers.

There are layers upon layers of complexity in this plot, it was hard to stop reading once I started. Sayer is overtly human in her desires, drive and impulsiveness. You will quickly become a fan of this series, and any Ellison Cooper book.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC, Cut To The Bone, in exchange for my honest opinion. Wow! I’m still trying to process all the twists and turns in this book. This book had so many surprises that I totally did not see coming and as for the ending all I can say is I can’t wait for the next book in this series. I loved this book and definitely recommend you read it.

Interesting in every way. Taunt and sometimes creepy it all comes together eventually. Surprising and frightening. The kids are strong yet terrified. The police chasing clues intelligently. The worse kind of bad guy
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

One of my favorite series/authors!
The character development continued to grow in the installment. I loved the twist and turns this book took...especially at the very end. I highly recommend you start this series from the beginning.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Cut To The Bone", the third installment in #EllisonCooper's Sayer Altair series.

I absolutely loved the first two books in this series "Caged" and "Buried" and looked forward with great anticipation to "Cut To The Bone". I was not disappointed.

Agent Sayer Altair is dealing with the new realities of life - both personal and professional. Her adopted daughter is looking at colleges, having the opportunity to take advantage of scholarships. and her Nana is off helping with a measles outbreak; at the FBI, her mentor, Assistant Director Holt has been pushed out, and Director Anderson (who tried to have Sayer fired) isn't making anything easy for her and her team.

When the body of a woman is found at a Washington landmark, and a DCPD cop is murdered by the perpetrator, Sayer is assigned to the case, which soon escalates when it is discovered that the girl was one of 24 students and their chaperone and bus driver who have disappeared off the radar,

Sayer must locate and rescue them, with no backup other than her team: Ezra, Max and Kona, as well as neighbor Tonio and Vesper, and their support. Things do not go well from the outset, as some of the missing students are located immediately.

In the course of this case we are introduced to an UNSUB (unknown subject) who has a particular obsession with Egyptology and - in particular - the Egyptian Book of The Dead and the Afterlife.

This story cruised along at breakneck speed, with the main plot supplemented by Sayer being followed by someone, and 'assisted' by her old friend (?) 037, the psychopath who was part of her study and now seems to think he/she is her guardian angel. And it appears as if Sayer is in need of this help as her life is endangered more than once!

Just when we think that we know what's going on, there are sub-plots galore and surprise upon surprise.

This is a worthy entry in the series, and highly recommended. I cannot wait to see what #EllisonCooper has in store for these characters in the future. My only regret is that now I'll have to wait for the next book. Oh, well.

A bus full of students goes missing, and they have discovered dead bodies that are connected. Can the agent figure out where they are hidden before it’s too late?

Wow... wow... this book has so many twists and turns it was crazy. What an amazing read. I loved all of it! The flow was perfect. It never felt draggy or repetitive. I look forward to more from this author!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is the 3 book of the Agent Sayer Altair series, tho I have not read the 1st or 2nd books but the author gives enough background for this to be read as a standalone in my opinion.

A bus full of STEM high school students have been kidnapped from Washington D.C. and FBI neuroscientist Sayer Altair must hunt down the culprit who has a link to her own past.

After grieving the death of her fiancé and almost losing her job, Sayer is finally starting to rebuild her life. Her research into the minds of psychopaths is breaking new ground and her strange little family is thriving. But Sayer’s newfound happiness is threatened when she is called in to investigate a girl’s body left inside a circle of animal figurines below a cryptic message written in blood. When they discover that the dead girl is one of twenty-four missing high school students, Sayer quickly realizes that nothing in this case is what it seems.

As the investigation draws her in to a tangled web of fake identities and false leads, the trail soon begins to point directly to her own life. Now, Sayer must confront her painful past to uncover her connection to the deranged killer if she hopes to save the missing teens and protect everything that she loves.

The story's premise was very good and I was hooked from reading the premise and stayed hooked til the end of the book. The cast of characters is very diverse and well written. I will definitely be catching up and reading the authors other 2 books in this series.

I really anticipated the 3rd book in this fast paced series. It's full of complex characters and a storyline that will not disappoint.

I really enjoyed this book and while it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat with suspense, there was enough to keep me turning the pages. I also didn't realize that this was the third in the series, but thankfully the author gives enough back story so you are not lost.

I also love the fact that the author used diversity when it came to the main characters, something i feel is really lacking in todays books.

So good. This is exactly the kind of mystery/thriller I've been looking for. I didn't realize when I requested an ARC that it was the third book in a series, but the author gave enough back story during the book that it was never an issue. I now want to read the first books, though I know a little bit of how it all turns out.

10 second synopsis -- a busload of STEM high school kids is kidnapped and the perpetrator is seriously off the rails (with good psychology as to why, it turns out). An FBI agent who is an expert on brains and psychopathy leads a task force to try to save them.

The main characters are all likeable, smart and interesting. The diversity is off the charts for all kinds of things (race, LGBTQ, one character has lost his legs...) but never in a tokenism way and they're all people I'd want to hang out with. They're just cool, well rounded characters. The story is suspenseful and deals with death and violence realistically but not in the cringe-worthy detail that some authors use. The star character is a smart woman who feels like a real person, and one I'd like to hang out with. It was nice that she was not either trope of gorgeous and perfect or so flawed it's a wonder she can get out of bed, which I've read too much of in recent years.

It's also kind of cool that two different work dogs are main characters in a way (a therapy dog and a search and rescue dog), along with their handlers.

Loved it, and I'm a new fan of this series and this author.

I read a digital review copy of of this book for the purpose of review.

I am really enjoying this series by Ellison Cooper. I think this third book of the series may be my favorite so far. You probably do not have to read these books in order, but it would help in understanding the motivation of the characters. I started and finished this book all in one day because the story grabbed me from the beginning and kept my attention all the way to the end (which was a bit of a cliffhanger). I cannot wait to read book four in this series! (When does it come out?!) Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Welp. I just finished this novel and feel a little shell-shocked. This is a meticulously crafted, edge-of -your-seat thriller, and I couldn't stop reading, exclaiming to myself over and over again excitedly, "This book is so friggin' good!" When a major plot twist happened toward the end, I was even more excited. "This book just got even better!" I thought. And then...in the climactic scene, this book went from a five-star read to a one-star for me. I'm still giving the book four stars, as most of it was "unputdownable," but that one twist--while understandable for a book that is a series--took me from wanting to read everything Ellison Cooper has or will write...to not wanting to read any more of the author's work ever. If that *one thing* had happened differently, I would have declared this one of the best books I've ever read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

Loved it, loved it!! Such a good book. There was a point where I had figured out something about Sayer's deceased boyfriend before the writer revealed it, but then I was unsure if I was right, and boom, I was wrong once more. I really enjoyed all the locations in Washington DC. I even went and looked one of them up online to find out more, but I don't want to give any of the book away. The characters are all enjoyable and fleshed out. All the Egyptian information was very fascinating. Highly recommend!!

I love this series by Cooper and Cut to the Bone is no exception. It's a fast-paced suspense thriller involving a serial killer with ritualistic aspects. FBI Agent Sayer Altair is a well-developed strong character with great instincts. There was one particular twist that is pretty intense and the ending was GREAT! Can't wait for the next book!

Wow! Just .... wow! When I read the last word, all I wanted was more. I did NOT want this book, or Sayer's story to end. Can't wait until the next one!!!

Twists and turns ... an unexpected moment/story line I totally did not see coming ... Highly recommend this latest installment of the Sayer Altair series. If you haven't read the others by this author, you are missing out.

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress #minotaurbooks for the eARC.