This book was great! The storyline was original. The characters and their relationships, although a bit unconventional, a Detective and Crime Reporter, they just connected and it worked. There was a lot of originality in the why and the how, without giving anything away, that I really enjoyed. Sometimes it's difficult to find originality in crime/murder mystery books, but this one had it!
Definitely recommend.

DNF at 27%

The writing seemed so choppy and confusing. I’m thinking we changed perspectives between the two women in this story that we follow, but I had such a difficult time understanding who we were following each time. Their voices sounded so similar and I couldn’t differentiate between the two.

Had a great premise, but didn’t deliver for me

Great thriller that kept me engaged from start to finish. Fabulous plot and characters, and author I will definitely read more of!

I love the cover of this novel and the inside. "A Desperate Place" is an exciting novel by Jennifer Greer. A page turner for sure.

Basic plot: a reporter and a medical examiner team up to solve a murder.

Sounds familiar?

This book absolutely reminded me of Rizzoli and Isles, which I loved! If this is a series, I’m in to read more. I’m not usually into Medical Mysteries but I quite enjoyed this one! Just a forewarn though, do not eat while reading this book, some part can be pretty gruesome.

My favorite part of this book was the characters. I really grew fond of them and loved their dynamic together. Again, even though this mystery can be considered predictable I would still keep reading the books because of the characters. Additionally, this book is extremely well written! Jennifer has a gift at describing the atmosphere that makes you feel like you are there with the characters. Absolutely love books that have an atmospheric aspect!

If you want an intriguing atmospheric story with a fantastic ending, this one’s for you!

While I had high hopes for A Desperate Place, this, unfortunately, was a book I could not finish. I found the plot to be interesting, the characters compelling, but the way the book progressed and how the mystery unfolded just fell short of expectations. I am a huge fan of the Morgan Dane series, and I felt like Greer's approach to McKenna and Riggs was going to be similar, but these two characters couldn't be less interesting. This book moved incredibly slow and, honestly, so many of the random conversations and attempted character development felt pointless. Specifically, I don't even know anything about Riggs other than she had cancer and now has short hair - and I made it 80% into the book. I kept waiting for the mystery to pick up, but there seemed to be no mystery after making it 60% into the book. Everything seemed surface-level and slow in this book. I really wish I could finish it and give it a more proper review, but I truly couldn't focus for more than two pages because it dragged so much. I hate giving poor reviews, but this book doesn't fit my taste. However, I would give Greer another chance because I do like her voice.

Three murders and a journalist investigating it - this was a fast paced investigative thriller where the subplots were complex enough to keep me interested in most of the book. Some parts felt a bit abrupt. Nonetheless, being a medical thriller, the writing kept me interested in the plot.
overall, a fun read

Fast-paced for the most part, intricate mystery, and I did not guess the perpetrator. I thought the ending was sudden and premature - it felt like it ended in the middle of the climax. But overall this was a great read. I will look for more from this author.

Thank you to the publisher for a free digital galley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Desperate Place is the first book in a new modern mystery series by Jennifer Greer. Released 11th Aug 2020 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 311 pages (print version) and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a modern murder mystery set in the Pacific northwest with an investigative duo of journalist and police detective with the medical examiner's office. They collaborate while investigating a string of local murders staged to look like accidents. The common thread between the victims is the basis for this medical thriller/mystery.

The writing is competent but the pacing was glacial for much of the book. Probably 20% of the book was flashback descriptions of McKenna's traumatic experiences as an investigative journalist in Afghanistan. She is also preternaturally lucky in her present day assignment, since she gets instant access and full honest disclosure from almost everyone she interviews (starting with 2 young boys who were important eyewitnesses and tell her everything immediately). The medical parts of the story made me roll my eyes on numerous occasions. (Trust me, medical professionals are too busy to give the Dr. Mengele-worthy performance of the head psycho-bad-guy in this book). The denouement was way over the top and felt tacked on rather than a natural progression of the story arc.

Negatives aside, this is a fairly well written medical murder mystery. Fans of crime fiction who like strong female characters will find a lot to like here. This is a strong series start from a debut writer, and judged on that basis, is worth a look. Three stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

4.5/5.0 Stars

’Three separate homicides. Three unrelated victims. One grisly secret.’

A DESPERATE PLACE is Jennifer Greer’s debut thriller novel, and I Loved It! If you’re a huge fan, like me, of Tess Gerritsen books, specifically her RIZZOLI & ISLES series, then I think you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

The pacing is perfect; the tension palpable; and that ending—My Heart! I can't wait for more books by Greer!

Thank You, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for loaning me an eGalley of A DESPERATE PLACE in exchange for an honest review.

Released – 11 August 2020
Crime Thriller

4 stars
I'm going to start by saying that the title and the cover are absolutely not doing justice to the beautiful book. that's the only reason I took a star off my rating.

When two of the prominent people Medford died in mysterious circumstances, Whit Mckenna, a reporter, is determined to find out and write about what happened. This is her first major case after watching her husband getting shot in Kabul by terrorists. She is friends with Katie Riggs, a police detective, who also had her share of tragic events: she is in remission from melanoma. 
The two friends will reunite their intellect and determination to investigate the accidents when not only more people are found dead, but as it turned out, the victims seemed to have had the same type of a rare tumor called a teratoma. 

This is a beautiful debut novel and a great opening to a series.
The plot is suspenseful and fast-paced, with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. The writing is beautiful, well-detailed, and not at all boring. 
I think it's a common thing to the first books of a series to have plenty of characters introductions, but I think the culprit was not rightly developed before his/her arrest. I honestly forgot who she/he was.
I love medical mysteries so this was a real treat to read. I really appreciated how well-researched the details are. 
the characters are easily loveable. the backstories are interesting and colorful. I really liked the dynamic between Whit and Riggs their friendship is realistic and natural.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my ARC
I highly recommend this book to crime and mystery lovers. this was a fantastic read.

This is Jennifer Greer's first and only book and at first I wasn't quite sure what I was going to think about it but it turned out to be really great. I am hoping for more McKenna and Riggs.

The book takes place in Medford, Oregon, which I have actually visited once. I didn't go into the woods, which is where the first body is found though. Even though the book takes place in Medford, the story itself doesn't focus too much on it's location and is not that descriptive as far as location goes.

It is however, quite descriptive when it comes to the murder victims and suspects. It is very descriptive when it comes to the "grisly secret" of the story, which makes it so that you could actually visualize it in your head as Jennifer Greer is talking about the secret.

Jennifer Greer did her research when it comes to her story and providing accurate information, which makes sense since she was a journalist. I actually wonder if McKenna is based off her a little bit given that McKenna is a journalist as well. I appreciated the research she did in providing accurate information to base her story on including providing descriptions of the medical terminology in a way that everyone should be able to understand. For example, McKenna suffers from PTSD after the death of her husband and it is clear that she still experiences symptoms of PTSD throughout the book (i.e. flashbacks, fear of forests/woods, etc.).

The story is fast paced and easy to follow. There are three victims and each victims story is easy to follow and not confusing. It is easy to keep track of which victim they are discussing. Jennifer Greer does a great job in her character development as well.

Jennifer Greer adds a great twist towards the end of the book that had me gasping and saying "no, no, no". She also does a wonderful job at making it so that it is difficult to guess who the killer is. I am often times able to gather some sort of guess on who the killer is, but I was not able to do that in this book and I liked that. It kept me guessing.

Rating: 5 out of 5. I absolutely loved this book. There was not one thing that I did not like about it. As previously mentioned, it is fast paced, keeps you guessing until the end, not easy to figure out who the killer is. I am hoping that Jennifer Greer turns McKenna and Riggs into a series.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

Whit McKenna is a reporter for the local Medford newspaper, who is assigned to report on the murder of famous actress Niki Francis. Whit teams up with her best friend and Medford medical examiner Katie Riggs to cover the murder. However, two more bodies turn up -- and it appears to be the work of the same killer. But how are these three unrelated victims actually connected?

This was my first Jennifer Greer book but it certainly won't be my last. Her writing was effortless and kept me wanting to read more. I appreciated the relationship/dialogue between Whit and Katie and look forward to reading more Jennifer Greer books!

A new series! I always love a new series. The pairing of a medical examiner and a journalist would seem to be a strange bedfellows and not terribly realistic as crime solvers. However, the characters work. Two women working together in the beautiful Oregon setting. The book started quickly and kept going, something I've been missing in this genre lately. No lulls and a fast paced, quick read. Kate Riggs and Whit McKenna will be some fan favorites soon enough, I think.

A nice start to a new series featuring two women from different paths who come together to cope with their back stories and solve crimes. That's a headline. This is the tale of Whit, whose husband was killed by the Taliban while they were working there as a team. She's got PTSD and two teenage daughters and she's been out of the journalism business for a while. Then, by chance, she meets Katie, a former police officer turned medical examine who has had cancer. Katie persuades Whit to start reporting again- hanging it on the discovery of the corpse of Nikki, an actress with lots of enemies and, of all things, a teratoma. You'll learn a bit about a rare tumor - because more bodies of murdered people who have them begin to turn up. These two will figure out not only who but why. They make a good pair (and it's not fair to compare this to Rizzoli and Isles- they stand on their own). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read and I'm looking forward to another installment.

First in what I hope will be many more crime novels. What a great start. Intriguing, thrilling, and down-right addicting. Full review to come.

This story introduces a new detective duo.

Whit McKenna has come to Medford, Oregon with her two teenage daughters after the death of her husband. She was a reporter and he was her photographer in Kabul when they were kidnapped by Taliban terrorists. Taken into the mountains, they got a chance to run but her husband John was shot and killed by the terrorists. Whit escaped with the help of a Special Forces team training in the area but she was left with PTSD and a terror of forests.

Katie Riggs is a police detective who switched to being a medical examiner after a bout with melanoma.

The two women met at a local book club and bonded. They frequently meet for coffee or a drink and they are running partners. Katie encouraged Whit to get back into journalism even though cops and journalists often have contentious relationships.

Both of them are looking at a crime but from different viewpoints when the body of famous actress Niki Francis is found buried in a shallow grave. While Whit goes looking for witnesses that she can quote for her story, Katie gets involved in the autopsy where it is discovered that Niki had a teratoma growing on her spine. Teratomas are relatively rare and were just a matter of interest but not necessarily relevant to her investigation.

Then there is a house fire and Whit happens to be there to see the body of the homeowner. She interviews a neighbor who gives her some insight into the lawyer who died. He seems to have been going through some kind of mid-life crisis causing him to leave his wife and take up with a young Czech woman. Whit is approached by the man's wife who is sure that her husband was murdered and she begs Whit to investigate. Then there is a third victim when a lawyer who is found in her pool and is suspected of drowning. But both lawyers have teratomas too.

I enjoyed this story which was an entertaining medical sort of mystery. I liked the personalities of the two main characters and liked that both of them had a lot of depth to their stories. I would be eager to read more about this pair of sleuths.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was very easy to read and was well-written. I liked the relationship between Whit & Riggs and hope this becomes a series.

I am so sorry. I didn’t post my review. I have no idea what happened.

This book will pull you in from the start and keep you turning pages to the very end. It’s edge of your seat thrills.
I liked all the characters and the plot was great. Scenery was exceptional and made me feel like I was right there.

I gave this one 5/5 stars and highly recommend it.

Thank you #NetGalley, #JenniferGreer, #CrookedLaneBooks for this ARC. This is my own review.

3 for neutral, unfortunately as many times as I tried to finish this book, I just was not able to complete it. It was just too slow paced for me to continue. I am a very moody reader, so if able to finish at later date, will make sure to update review.