I love a crime/murder/mystery story and this book falls into all categories. The central character and her interaction with her fellow officers and the banter between them was as you would expect from a police based storyline. Her family history contributes to how she is regarded by her colleagues at the station. There’ are some romantic moments but nothing to alter the narrative, it just adds some interest.When I found out who the killer was I had to go back and reread when he actually physically appeared in the storyline. While he had a major voice throughout the book, I wanted more details about this killer's history with the main character once he was uncovered. An enjoyable read but it just didn’t fill in enough blanks.

This is an exciting suspense filled story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.the characters are captivating. Detective Samantha Jazz is hunting a serial killer.she and her partner are trying to figure him out. He kills the victims but leaves behind a line or two of old poetry. She knows the verses because she grew up studying poetry with her grandfather and they would listen to Jazz and read poetry. As the body count rises an Sam sets her sites on one guy to find him murdered with a poem stuffed on his body.The guy she got bad vibes from was a pedophile. There are so many twists an turns to this story you will be riveted until the very last page an leave you begging for more. I love the way this amazing author brings the characters to life before your eyes an you can feel their emotions an their pain. I can hardly wait to see what's next by this multi talented author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I have read Lisa Renee Jones books for many years and always leave reviews of 4 or 5 stars.
I will preface that I expected hard-hitting, fast-paced suspense and excitement. While I got a little of that in a few places, I did not find this book to be a page-turner/can’t put it down.
I like the conflicted heroine. She was flawed yet strong. I like her backstory. Following in family footsteps trying to please a distant father is getting to be a commonplace theme but there were still a few nuances to like. Trying to meet or exceed your own high expectations is hard and her angst is believable. The base is there to build on in future books.
I like Samantha’s sidekicks and surrounding team. There are plenty of characters that definitely have potential. There is time spent to develop a bit of personality for each and I found it easy to engage and become interested in them. I would read the next installment.
The potential suspects were a mishmash, some a nice addition to the overall story and emotional drama, and others just took up words. I didn’t figure out “who done it” until closer to the end, and it all felt rushed to finish - the suspense just didn’t build. The Poet fell apart in the final confrontation, and I didn’t like how the character became unhinged. The scene had so much potential but just fizzled.
The villain/serial killer and his voice throughout is intelligent. He is a psychopath, cold and calculating. I like his ties to the Jazz family and his fixation with the family. I like the use of obscure poetry, as that lends to the chilling effect. I just would have preferred he stay calm and collected in the final confrontation. I’d have been happy to have him around for another book.
I’m giving this a mixed review but overall I do recommend the book. Be prepared for a slow boil and give it time to grow on you. Nothing is too crass or violent, and it is sex-free. In other words, you can leave it laying around for any adult to read.

I enjoyed this book, it's not my normal kind of read, but really liked it!
this book has lots of twist and turns that keeps you guessing, and tells the newest case of Detective Samantha Jazz. She and her partner Ethan Langford's newest case leads them to a place of poetry reading.
It's a stand-alone, thriller, with no romance although the female lead does have an ex-boyfriend that's involved in the story.
It's about a serial killer, who leaves a poem after he kills a person, and Sam is tasked with investigating this case after the previous detective goes missing.
The story moves at a very fast pace and it's easy to follow along without getting lost.
I liked it very much, A gripping read,I couldn’t put it down.

A solid police procedural with a good cast of characters and of course a serial killer to hunt. The characters are well developed, so developed that I didn't agree with a lot of the actions of the main detective, Sam, but in real life some people make rash decisions, even detectives. - but it didn't seem in line with her being such a great detective and solving a lot of crimes. Kind of a disconnect for me on that. But, regardless of that - was a good story and a fast pace. After a lot of build up, it ends quickly without much reason how, but it does resolve. If you like the "strong damaged female lead" after a serial killer with a strong cast of characters, you will like this one.

3.25-3.5 STARS

More of a crime novel than an edge-of-your-seat thriller, this whodunit centers around a serial killer with an obsession for both poetry and the detective tasked with solving the series of bizarre murders. While the story itself is fairly interesting, the drawn-out mystery felt rushed at the very end, with no real twists or turns along the way. I never warmed up to the characters, either, so I missed that real connection that allows me to fully immerse myself in the story. That said, I found “The Poet” to be a decent mystery, but not the riveting thriller I was hoping it would be.

While this is not my normal kind of read, I did enjoy this. Lisa Renee Jones is one of my favorite authors and I'm always ready to read her books. This is a stand-alone, thriller, with no romance although the female lead does have an ex-boyfriend that's involved in the story. There are some twists that will keep you guessing with some action and suspense. I received an advance copy of this book from Net Galley and the author and this is my honest opinion.

There is a serial killer who leaves words of poetry in the victim's mouths. Detective Samantha Jazz is tasked with investigating this case after the previous detective goes missing. She names this killer The Poet. What she doesn't know though is that he is doing all of it for her.
I have mixed feelings on this one. Okay,starting with the things I liked. I really liked Sam as the protagonist. Cold and distant when she needs to be but still very human at heart. I liked her partner Lang and the dynamics between them. They really understood each other and had each other's backs. Also,the banter was great and provided a much needed relief from the dark stuff. I liked Sam's sort of boyfriend Wade. The relationship there was also pretty great and interesting to read about.
What I didn't enjoy so much was the ending and also partially how we got there. For most of the book Sam was convinced that she knows who the killer is and that definitely clouded her judgment. I understand that it was because The Poet got inside her head but it was still frustrating. I also thought the book should have been shorter,the middle part dragged. And then the ending was anticlimactic. We spent like 85 % of the book focused on someone else but then once that is forgotten the plot moves super quickly and we have our killer suddenly. I mean if it was that easy Sam should have caught him ages ago.
So,I have complaints but overall I enjoyed this book. If it turns out to be the first book in a series I would definitely read the next one.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mystery/Suspense isn't my favorite genre because I get scared easily... But this is quite a book. Lots of twists and turns. Very fast moving plot and it keeps you guessing. I enjoyed it and finished it quickly. Highly recommended.

A serial killer that loves poetry. Sign me up as a reader. I found this to be a rich scary story they kept me intrigued until the last page

Entertaining and a little predictable. When a story starts with a suspect in a serial killer story, I usually write it off as that's not the killer; however, sometimes it is. In this case, you'll have to read to know. The story moves at a very fast pace and it's easy to follow along without getting lost. Some clues are intriguing, but not a lot. Sam Jazz's character and her attitude does keep my attention. The ending was a little let down, especially when it comes to the reason why the serial killer kills. However, arts does imitate life and most serial killers doesn't have a good reason to why they kill, after all they are psychopath. There was no twists and turns, that special surprise element that would put this story over the top.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing LLC and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book packs quite a punch. This book is loaded with twists and turns. At times it was like being on a roller coaster. Samantha is such a complex character. I really liked seeing the different layers of Sam. I stayed up until 3 A.M. reading this book. I couldn’t put it down.

After a prologue and two chapters of this book, I returned to NetGalley to check the reviews, blinking, confused. Not many feedbacks there, but then again, maybe this novel was recently added. I’d been drawn to this book by its eye-catching cover and its promising, intriguing blurb, and I want to be grabbed by it the same way—kidnapped, holding tight to my chair, my knuckles white, maybe breathing hard—but so far it’s not happening. 5% in and I already want out. This rarely happens to me. I persevere, keep pushing forward. Two more chapters. Three. But no, nothing changes. I’m bored, I don’t care about Samantha Jazz and her colleagues, and I’ve barely learned anything about “the poet”. I find the characters shallow, the action too slow, the mystery nonexistent. By now, I’m 9% in, but I can’t go on. This isn’t for me.
I hate rating books I don’t finish (NetGalley should offer to leave the rating blank), so I won’t rate it on GoodReads.
Thanks to NG and the publisher.

The Poet by L.R. Jones is a stand-alone, mystery thriller and tells the newest case of Detective Samantha Jazz.
She just returned to work when she gets assigned to a new case. She and her partner Ethan Langford's newest case leads them to a place of poetry reading. One of the maincharacters seems a bit obsessed with poetry.
The Poet is a masterfully crafted, suspenseful read, twisted, dark, fast paced, action packed, twisted and kept me in suspense from start til the last page.
A gripping read, 5 dark stars.

A good thriller, but I was expecting a bit more from it. The originality and the writing were okay but not outstanding enough, to make it unique and very different. It was fun but maybe not memorable!

This one just didnt do it for me. Didn't have enough intrigue to draw me in. I thought the premise of the book sounded great and loved the cover. Just was an ok plot line that trudged along slowly.


Thanks to the Author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release if this book.

The Poet is a story full of twists and turns right up until the final chapters. Detective Samantha Jazz is suddenly handed a case when one of her fellow detectives disappears. She and her partner Ethan Langford arrive at the scene to find a body of a man with a poem stuck in his mouth. Soon after they find another body and poem. Detective Jazz is convinced they are tracking a serial killer she calls "The Poet". As the case progresses she realizes that the killer is laser focused on her. Why is The Poet trying to get her attention? Can she stop him before someone close to her dies? The book hums along at a good pace, which keeps the reader engaged. I finished it quickly. I recommend it to fellow thriller readers!

Another exciting, heart throbbing, gripping wild train ride!

A serial killer nicknamed “Poet” because of the written words who left behind during the crime scenes and Detective Samantha Jazz, a corrupt police’s daughter is assigned the case after the first detective investigates the case vanished into thin air!

Samantha knows about poetry and as soon as she starts digging more, getting closer to finish the puzzle the murderer behind she realizes she might know the perpetrator and from the beginning she might be the prey for him : all those poems he left behind indicate a pure obsession of him to drag Samantha into the trap.

I read a few erotic romance/ thriller novels of the author before. This time she chose to write in crime thriller/ mystery genres. This is dark, intriguing serial killer story. It was a little wordy and there are some loop holes. But it was still action packed, balanced paced , quite readability cat-mouse game!

I’m rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4 interesting, moving, page turner stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC/ Entangled Amara for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.