Title: Copycat Killer
Author: Laura Scott
Genre: Romantic suspense, Christian
Rating: 3.0 out of 5

Murder strikes close to home for a new K-9 unit in Brooklyn. When a double homicide is strikingly familiar to a twenty-year-old cold case, Detective Nate Slater is rattled by the parallels. With a child as the only witness, he and his K-9 partner must protect little Lucy and her aunt, Willow Emery. Nate’s rough past means he always keeps an emotional distance…but in this case getting closer is the only way they’ll all survive.
I enjoy romantic suspense novels, and I love faith-based stories, so combining the two should have been a home run. However, I felt like everything in this novel was too rushed, almost like we were just skimming the tip of the actual story, but not truly experiencing the details.

The double homicide in question—while probably the story arc of the entire series—isn’t the focus of this book. The romance was practically insta-love. The faith aspect of the story was a secondary detail at best, almost an afterthought even for the characters. And, while I’m not an expert in police procedures, several things felt completely unbelievable to be realistic. This felt more like a bare bones outline to me than a fully fleshed out story.

Laura Scott is honored to write for the Love Inspired Suspense line, where a reader can find a heartwarming journey of faith amid the thrilling danger. She lives with her husband of twenty-five years and has two children, a daughter and a son, who are both in college. She works as a critical-care nurse during the day at a large level-one trauma center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spends her spare time writing romance.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.)

When Willow Emery pulls up to her brothers’ home to check on her little niece Lucy, whom she believes is being neglected, she walks into a total disaster and a double homicide. Willow must now become Lucy’s guardian to keep her safe and loved. When Willow and Lucy arrive at Willow’s apartment, she finds her home was broken into and is a complete mess. Can this be related to her brother’s death?
Nate Slater is a K9 detective. Along with his canine partner Murphy he responds to a call that is a copycat to a double homicide that happened 25 years ago. He finds a woman and a small girl at the scene of the crime and offers to drive them home. What he finds when he gets there makes him vow to protect both Willow and Lucy at all costs.
This is the first book in the “True Blue K-9 Unit Brooklyn” series and the author Laura Scott did a brilliant job of introducing us to not only Nate, Willow, Lucky and Murphy, but also fills the reader in on the other members of the K-9 unit and a little about their backgrounds. Although one mystery is solved, one is not by the end of the book, so the reader is left wanting to find out more! I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Thank you so much to Harlequin, Laura Scott and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review.

Copycat Killer by Laura Scott is an action packed romantic suspense with a K-9 and a cute kid. Willow is checking on her niece when she realizes the parents have been murdered and her niece is a witness. Willow and her niece are adorable together.
Nate is a K9 detective and his partner is Murphy. They get called to the scene. Murphy and his interaction with Lucy was precious. They have an instinct to want to protect.
Nate realizes the case is very similar to another case from 20+ years ago that impacted their K9 Unit employees. We get to meet several members of his team. The book is part of a series but it can be read alone.
Willow and Lucy seem to be in danger and Nate is determined to keep them safe and try not to fall for both of them. They try to determine are their two cases they are working or are they related.

Sexual content – he stays on the couch to protect them, there is a kiss
Violence – there are a few deaths, attempts at kidnapping Willow,
Drugs – her brother and his wife were drug users.

I received this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.

A Double Murder Mirrors a Twenty-Five Year Old Crime

Willow is disturbed by the way her brother and his wife are neglecting her niece Lucy. When she arrives to try to persuade her brother to take better care of Lucy, she finds things much worse than she expected. Her brother and his wife have been murdered, and Lucy is clinging to her dead mother.

Nate Slater is a K9 detective in the newly formed Brooklyn K9 Unit. With his canine partner Murphy, he responds to the call about a double homicide and finds Willow cradling her niece who is the only witness to the murders.

The case is eerily similar to a case that happened twenty-five years ago. The children who survived that crime now work with the Brooklyn K9 Unit, and Nate vows to solve the present crime and perhaps the older crime. As the case unfolds, Willow and Lucy become a target, and Nate finds himself their protector with an increasing interest in Willow.

The characters in this novel draw you in. Lucy is a delightful child. Willow is a committed aunt, and Nate is the perfect hero who grows in his ability to become more open. The romance between Willow and Nate blossoms quickly, but since this is a Christian novel, there are no sex scenes.

Murphy, Nate’s canine partner, steals the show. Not only is he an outstanding police dog, but he’s very gentle with Lucy. The plot moves at a moderate pace and the ending has a bit of a twist. I think you’ll like this book if you enjoy murder mysteries with likable characters.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A double homicide eerily mirrors that of one that happened 20 years ago.



Willow Emery's brother and his wife are going through a difficult time, so Willow offers to take care of her niece, Lucy. But when Lucy's parents are brutally murdered, she finds herself also the target of an unknown killer. Willow is an aspiring photographer, and loves her niece dearly, she is determined to do everything that she can to help them solve the case and keep her niece safe.



Nate Slater is a cold case detective, he likes to be emotionally distant, and doesn't want to get involved in the of the people he works with, but Willow and Lucy are different, and he takes on responsibility for their safety. I like how being with them helps him to open up and make peace with his past, taking a second look at things that he had been overlooking.



I loved how this book follows up on a dog who was a puppy in the previous book, showing how Murphey has really matured and grown into his potential. Lucy is adorable child and Murphy is excellent with her. Nate and Willow are strong leads, who compliment each other well, bring out the best in each other. I really liked how Willow was open about her faith, and I admired her authenticness.



This book is filled with a good balance of action, faith, and good relationship building. It sets up the next books in the series well, with a strong plot, and great setting.



I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If you're a fan of fast-paced mystery/suspense stories that keep you guessing, this book is a good one to add to your list..

As is common with Love Inspired books, there is a bit of predictability, but that doesn't make the book any less enjoyable. Some things felt a bit rushed, but it was nicely balanced overall.

The book focuses on a double homicide that reminds Detective Nate Slater of one from his past, and he's determined to keep Willow and her niece Lucy, the only witness to the recent murders, safe. There are a few twists to keep the reader guessing.

This is a ok start to a new series by Laura Scott and while I am not 100% sold on the story it will have readers as to what the author has in store for the next book in the series.

The story is your basic police procedural with romance thrown in here and there.

For those looking for a clean romance looking for something that is Harlequin Romance without all the graphic sex this series might just be perfect for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Laura Scott CopyCat Killer.

"Copycat Killer" is a Christian romantic suspense novel. I enjoyed the characters and cared about what happened to them. Nate fears that he'll be abusive like his father, so he's sworn off relationships. Willow helped him to realize that he's not his father. The romance went very fast--after knowing each other for a few days under intense circumstances, Nate switched from "no relationships" to "marry me?" The suspense came from the repeated attacks on Willow. Nate and his K9 partner (with his team) worked to track down the bad guy attacking Willow while also working the double-murder (which was a separate case that wasn't solved). There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense novel.

“Copycat Killer” by Laura Scott is a great, easy read. This is part of the Love Inspired Suspense True Blue K-9 Unit: Brooklyn series. This book caught my attention in the first few pages and kept my attention throughout.

This book centers around a double homicide that ends up being very similar to one that took place 20 years ago. Nate Slater is the detective on the case. He must protect Willow and Lucy. Willow is the sister/sister-in-law of the murdered couple. Lucy is the murdered couple’s young daughter. She is the only witness to the case. There was a slight twist at the end of this book.

I recommend this book if you like good, clean, romantic suspense.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest opinion.