This is the first book in a new series by Alexandra Ivy, set in small town Wisconsin.
Veterinarian Dr. Lynne Gale is very busy trying to run her clinic and her animal sanctuary in the small town of Pike that she was born and raised in.
Kir Jansen has returned to Pike to lay to rest his father, the towns former beloved sheriff. He feels guilty for ignoring his fathers ramblings while he was alive that a serial killer was in contact with him and sending him letters, so Kir decides to investigate letters and see if he can vindicate his fathers claims.
But when dead bodies start showing up all over town and Kir discovers a list with potential victims names on it, he and Lynne must work together to figure out who the killer could be as it appears Lynne’s name is on the victim list.
Overall I found this to be just an ok read. It was a little unbelievable that two people who had no investigating skills whatsoever could solve a serial killer case with not much evidence. But I did enjoy the romance between Lynne and Kir. It made up for the other stuff.
3.5 stars from me.

Don’t Look is the first book in the new Pike, Wisconsin series which is written by Alexandra Ivy. It is a romantic suspense novel which uses the perspective of a third person narrator to provide insight into the murders that take place in small town Pike.

The characters are interesting it my least favourite has to be the sheriff because of her attitude and the fact that she was so closed minded during the investigation which I believe caused the deaths of more victims. Lynn is a great protagonist because she is a brave, headstrong and independent woman who won’t rest until she stops the killer. I feel like Kir played a small part because he seemed to only exist in order to help Lynn. The relationship between the two of them was sweet but it felt rushed to me.

I would have enjoyed more background on Kir’s father and how he started to receive the letters. More insight into the background of the killers life and what they went through because I think that it would have been interesting.

I had no idea who the killer was until near the end of the book but I really liked the ending. My favourite part of the book are the chilling lines from the killer:
Crimson blood stains the pure white snow.
Life spills from warm to frozen.
Don’t look. The pain is gone.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

Don’t Look, by Alexandra Ivy, is the first book in the Pike, Wisconsin series. When a woman’s naked body is discovered in the snow, an entire town’s alarms are raised. When a second body is found, they can’t deny that there is a serial killer on the prowl.

Things I enjoyed:
- I loved the atmospheric setting. I truly felt like I was caught in a dark, Wisconsin winter.
- The mystery was solid and I had several different people I suspected might be the serial killer. While I figured it out before the end, it was still enjoyable.
- Lynne & Kir are both great characters. While their love affair seemed a bit sudden for me, I enjoyed their interactions anyway. I needed more chemistry!

Thank you @NetGalley and @KensingtonBooks for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review! This book will be available on December 1, 2020.

I’d recommend this one to lovers of romantic suspense! Four stars!

Don’t Look is the first book in the Pike, Wisconsin series. Actually first book that I’ve read by Alexandra Ivy. The mystery was good and it did have me guessing until the end. A few parts were a little slow, but it picks up and you won’t put it down until your done.

*ARC provided by NetGalley for and honest review.

This book had a bit of a slower start for me and almost seemed choppy and a bit scattered. However the extremely lovable characters kept me interested and the book ended up sharpening up and ended up being a pretty good book. It was suspenseful and kept me reading. The vibe of the town, the atmosphere and characters made this book stand out. I would probably rate this one a 3.5 for me. The story was told without dragging out. I would recommend this one to mystery/suspense lovers.
The story is 3 stars the characters And setting a solid 4.

Local ex sheriff’s son returns to his hometown to bury his father when a shock of brutal murders interrupt the sleepy town. Kir teams up with local veterinarian Lynne Gale to solve the murders that affected the town when the current Sheriff turns a blind eye.

What did I like? This is a fabulous author and this read was grisly. Kir is armed with a list of initials of the serial killer’s future victims as he navigates the clues during the investigation. His father received letters from the killer before his death, and now that his father is dead nothing is holding the killer back from finishing that list. Kir enlists Dr Lynne Gale to help him figure out who it is and he is instantly attracted to her. Between the investigation and there budding romance ...this book quickly heats up despite looking for a cold killer.

“Crimson blood stains the pure white snow. Life spills from warm to frozen. Don’t look. The pain is gone.”

Would I recommend or buy? I have an actual shelf for this author so she is really an automatic buy for me. This look at her crime fiction is relatively new for me but the book was highly enjoyable and creative. I predicted who the killer was but it was still pretty thrilling.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review.

Don't Look is an exceptionally written suspenseful book. I was hooked from the first and didn't want to stop reading. The plot draws you in and the characters keep you reading.

Kir Jansen comes back to Pike, Wisconsin for the funeral of his father Rudolf who was the former sheriff and disabled in the line of duty. He wasn’t a very good son and hadn’t come to visit his father much since he left for college in Boston since his father fell into the bottle after he couldn’t be sheriff anymore. Lynne Gale is the local vet whose father was really good friends with Kir’s dad before he moved to Florida to retire. Kirs dad Rudolf has been getting letters for years that he thought were from a serial killer even though there hadn’t been any murders in town but with him being a drunk nobody took him seriously. Kir didn’t believe that the letters were legit and he still doesn’t until after his dad’s funeral where he receives an envelope that was left for him with Pastor Ron who presided over the funeral. It contains one of the letters his dad received as well as a list of initials for the victims which wasn’t in his dads handwriting. The next day they find the body of Sherry Higgins who owned the local trailer park and wasn’t very well liked and her initials correspond with the first set of initials on the victims list so they let the sheriff know and kind of start investigating for themselves since it looks like Lynne might be the last target. So the rest of the book is Kir and Lynne falling in love while trying to figure out who the killer and keep Lynne safe as well.

So this was a pretty interesting mystery and while I had my suspicions on who the killer was by the middle of the book it was still an interesting read. The build up to who the killer was and how they figured it out and how it all came full circle connecting to Kirs dad was still interesting even though I suspected the right person as the killer.

Thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book kept me reading to see what was going to happen to Kir and Lynne. It seems that her name was on a list of people to be killed by a serial killer, will they find out who did it before he reaches her name? The pace of the book was pretty fast and reading it was smooth going. The plot was well conceived and the reasons for revenge on the killers part made sense. The fact that I did not see who the killer was before the ending of the book shows that the twists were well written since I read alot of mysteries and thrillers. I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley for an honest review.

Kir Jansen returns home to Pike, Wisconsin for his father's funeral. Son of the town's former sheriff, Kir always ignored his father's drunken ramblings about a serial killer sending him letters until the body count starts to rise. The local police are out of their depths, so Kir and local vet, Lynne Gale, join forces to unmask a murderer.

An exciting mystery and a solid romance although the chemistry between the leads is rather lackluster.

While Kir and Lynne are appealing as individuals, and their reasons for becoming involved in the investigation are believable considering the circumstances, their relationship is lacking. Readers are presented with the facts of their attraction, but the reality of it isn't sufficiently tangible.

The serial killer plot is much more compelling. The details of the victims and their murders are well-written without any unnecessarily gruesome detail, and the letters written from the killer's POV add to the tension. It is possible to follow the clues to sort through the numerous red-herrings, and figuring out the villain's identity and motivation is all part of the fun.

Small towns are quite common settings in this type of book, but Pike is somewhat different. Rather than being quaint with quirky locals, the atmosphere is more sad and depressing,. The residents are trying to cope with the realities of a failing economy and the disappointments in their lives, which contributes to the believability.

Overall, a well-written and entertaining read recommended for lovers of a good romance with their mystery.

I didn't find anything I loved about this book. It was just an ok read for me. A small town murder and romance just didnt draw me in. Had a hard time picking this one up.

Thanks to the author,the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

This is a story about murder in a small town.

This was not a perfect fit for me, but I can see qualities that I think a lot of readers will enjoy. If you're someone who likes small town mysteries or thrillers with romance elements, I think this will be a good fit for you. The romance was fairly prevalent, so I could see someone who prefers that genre vs mystery thrillers enjoying this as a slight departure. Additionally, the characters were well crafted so I would absolutely check out future works by the author.

Thank you so much netgalley & Kensington books for this e-ARC.

Don't Look is Alexandra Ivy's new book. I have read several of her other books and particularly enjoy her romantic suspense stories. This book follows Lynne and Kir as they search for a killer stalking their town. Kir is the former sheriff's son and is lured into the mystery his father spoke of after it was too late. Lynne is the local vet and finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer. After several murders in town, the two come head to head with the killer but not before they find themselves getting closer to each other. I would say Lynne and Kir have a much sweeter romance than I have seen in some of her other books, but it is still far from cozy!

IF YOU'RE ON HIS LIST
A woman's naked body is discovered, cold and pale as the surrounding snow--except for the crimson scarf around her neck. The weeks that follow bring more victims and evidence of a terrifying pattern. The killer has a list. And every woman on it will get what she deserves . . .

YOU'RE AS GOOD
Dr. Lynne Gale followed in her father's footsteps to become a vet in Pike, Wisconsin. For years, she's had little contact with Kir Jansen, son of the town's late sheriff. Suddenly he's back, insisting that Lynne's in danger. She can't believe anyone would target her, but someone is hunting the women of Pike, savoring every last moment.

AS DEAD
Kir hoped that his father's frantic calls about a serial killer were just an old man's delusions. But the body count doesn't lie. In this quiet town, a monster stalks and kills. And soon, Lynne's will be the last name on his list . . .- Goodreads

This is the first book to this series but it feels as if this is the second or third book. There is no lead up to things happening. Everything just starts.  Although I enjoyed being instantly invested in the story, it always felt as if something was missing. This feeling continues throughout the book.

Because it has this feeling, there is a lack of build up throughout the novel. The romance is lack luster and the book was slow, which is unfortunate because the first few chapters of the novel after you get pass the feeling, you are invested in the story and the crime. 

There isn't a whole lot to say about the characters because you don't actually grow to love or like them. You read them as if you have known about them previously. As I was reading them they were all shady. 

This book has a good foundation but it wasn't written well unfortunately. 

Overall, I know a short review but it is what it is. 

1 Pickle

Don't Look by Alexandra Ivy Easy read, suspenseful, unexpected ending, romance scenes dragged down the momentum. Good solid read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

This is a great start to a series. I liked the characters and the mystery, The authors ability to make you feel and see the town and the people in, getting the feeling of the desperation and hopelessness, outweighs the somewhat predictable ending. I would absolutely recommend this book. Looking forward to the next.

Absolutely loved this book - so much suspense - and surprise who the villain was. I love Alexandra's stories. She is a great storyteller and is able to weave suspense into a the magic of romance. I can't wait for the next one!

This is the first book that I’ve read by Alexandra Ivy and I really enjoyed it. She’s the perfect author for fans of Mary Burton and Lisa Jackson.

Kir Jansen returns home for his fathers and gets drawn into an investigation about a serial killer that his father failed to solve in a bid to protect local vet Lynne.

The story is definitely easy reading and focuses just as much on romance as it does murder. It definitely wasn’t an obvious story though, usually I get a feeling about who the killer is going to be but this story did keep me guessing quite a bit. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

Lynne Gale is our main protagonist in this story. She is a vet (animal doctor) in the small town she grew up in, Pike Wisconsin. Kir is just home from Boston, where he lives now and has a successful business, for his father's funeral. Kir and Lynne decide to meet and chat about old times while Kir is in town. But that all changes when a resident of this small town is murdered and it resembles the letters that Kir's father was receiving before he passed. His father was getting letters that appeared to be written by a serial killer, but due to there being no bodies, no one would listen to him or believe the letters. Now the letters are missing and bodies are being found in the way the killer described. Kir is determined to help prove his father was not crazy about the letters and also feels a bit guilty about how his relationship with his father had been over more recent years. Lynne is also looking to prove she is not the killer since items related to the killings were taken from her office. This brings the couple together for more than just murder solving. Kir is immediately attracted to Lynne, but Lynne is recently out of a relationship with Nash, the egotistical ex-football star. I enjoyed the mystery and was was not sure who the killer was until it was reveled. My one not so favorite part was the the sex scene between Kir and Lynne. It was not overly erotic, but I could have done without some of the details. Call me a prude, haha, but I do not need sex scenes in my books or movies. I prefer the topic being eluded to and that be that. I will not deduct stars for that as that is my preference and some might really enjoy that. I am giving this a solid 4 star review. Thank you to NG, the publisher, and author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for this review. .

This was a pretty solid thriller. The setting was a small town, it had a serial killer and some romance on the side. It felt like a lot of other books I've read, but it didn't necessarily stick out.
I liked the setting and the atmosphere, and the main characters were all likable. To me, the romance was a little too much a focus and took away from the mystery sometimes. I also found that storyline a little repetitive and quite predictable, although it wasn't the main focus of the book.
The mystery itself was pretty solid, I liked the ending and how it turned out as well as the killer reveal. I also liked the letters and how the serial killer operated, as well as the little details which added to the murders. I didn't manage to guess who the killer was, my theory was proven completely wrong which was definitely good.
The author definitely managed to create suspense and the writing style was really easy and it was a quick read. I think without the big romance storyline, I would have enjoyed reading this a lot more.