Interesting who done it, police procedural. I could not decide whether this was a series book and if I had missed the first book, although this appears not to be the case. The main character, Samantha Jazz, is the focus and center of this mystery and I enjoyed the guessing game, which did not allow me an answer until very close to the conclusion. Excellent read.

Another great book by Lisa Renee Jones. She is one of my favorite suspense thriller writers. This book kept me hooked and on the edge of my seat. It was a real page turner, with twist and turns around ever corner. This is a stand alone and definitely worth reading. Detective Jazz is a great character, I loved seeing her getting into the mind of the serial killer to solve these murders.

The Poet.... this book is a Detective thriller. Sam Jazz is chasing a serial killer. But little does she know he has plans for her!
I enjoyed this book. For some odd reason it took me awhile to finish it. I thought I was never going to finish it. LoL
The characters I just loved Detective Lang I absolutely loved his role in the story.
Sam & Langs relationship was nice (brother/sister) type. Even tho I found myself wishing they would hook up. (A can dream right)?
These were type of characters I could imagine in real life. Just loved.
The story in general was good!
I wished the suspect was someone else I guess I was wanting it to be a complete shocker sorta thing but it wasn't.
Overall it was a good book! I enjoyed!
Thanks NetGalley. Publisher and Author.
I loved how The Poet was brought into it all for arc.

I do love a good mystery story, and this one did not disappoint.

There’s a killer on the loose whose signature is leaving a few lines of poetry in the deceased’s mouths. Detective Samantha Jazz is assigned the job after Roberts goes missing, and it slowly becomes apparent The Poet has her in his sights.

An intriguing tale of cat and mouse with a cast of characters that will keep you guessing throughout. The author has done a fantastic job of weaving these characters’ stories together.

Not my favorite writing style for thrillers but overall a satisfying read. I think it was a very original story but the characters did not click with me. Overall I recommend.

This mystery suspense is a well written novel that was both entertaining and at times gripping. The Poet is an enjoyable whodunit mystery with a hint of a thrill and an intriguing storyline featuring a strong female protagonist and a unique serial killer dubbed “The Poet”.

While there was some lagging in the middle with a bit of a rushed ending, the plot was well flushed out. I was especially captivated by how the story unfolded. Detective Samantha Jazz is a well developed character with a good head on her shoulders. I enjoyed seeing how her mind worked as she tirelessly strived towards stopping a serial killer that seemed intent in drawing her into his game. I would really like to see the author to continue to write more books that feature her. I would say that the Poet is more of a mystery crime novel than a full on thriller. The process of unraveling just who is “The Poet“ kept me enthralled, but I wouldn’t say there is a lot of edge of your seat suspense. Nonetheless, really enjoyed this read.

After I finished The Poet, all I could say after was “Whoa!” I knew that this book by Lisa would not be her normal Romance story, no my friends it is far from it. I loved this story. So much suspense and “WhoDunIt” drama wrapped in one had my head spinning. I loved a good mystery book. I love that I could not uncover the truth until it was revealed. This story kept me on my toes. It took a few days to finish this book, but I would not have it any other way. You cannot rush into this story, it was a bedtime read and I took a few hours at a time.

The Poet has mystery written all over it. The suspense will keep you on the edge and the angst will grip you by your throat! To all my mystery and thriller book friends, The Poet is a must read to end 2020 right! #BookRec2020

The Poet as he is called is a villain who leaves a clue written on a note stuffed in his victims mouth...

Detective Samantha Jazz is assigned the case ….
It was interesting to see how she and her partner Ethan Langford worked the case , how they came to their conclusion... but was it correct ?

On the note was a few lines from a poem , luckily enough Detective Sam Jazz is and has been a lover of poetry .
As they try to decipher the case many other things come into play along the way.
This is an interesting read with a good plot added with very strong characters.

Great banter between both Sam and Ethan.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Poet is a decent mystery with a pretty unique plot; killing and leaving bits of poetry. While I appreciate the story, I found the book was a little drawn out. There were some bigger stretches in the story that just felt a little off, especially when we learn who the murderer is. How could the detective not have seen him then? It was a little frustrating. There was also a lot of the dialogue that could’ve been left out as it didn’t add much to the overall story. This wasn’t a bad book, just a little drawn out and left me scratching my head at some parts. Overall, I will give The Poet a 3 star rating. If you enjoy cop dramas mixed up with a murder mystery, give this one a read.

Detective Samantha Jazz takes on a strange murder case where the only clue left behind is a bit of poetry. Using her super-knowledge of poetry she sets to work fast to put the murderer away. Soon, bodies begin to pile up and she finds no other clues other than the strange bits of poetry left at each scene. Fearing more murders to come, she knows she has to work fast. Little does she know that she is in the middle of a much larger web, one that she’s a part of. She needs to figure out the murderer before she becomes a victim too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC.

Detective Samantha Jazz is highly respectable and she is the perfect person for investigating the serial killings that have been happening in town. The serial killer was known as The Poet and with her background in loving poetry, she really fits to be in the lead for this.
The Poet is having a cat and mouse chase with Detective jazz and this killer is loving it. Will Det. Jazz able to crack the clues that The Poet is leaving?

To be perfectly honest, I was having a hard time finishing this novel. The novel is just too wordy and too much unnecessary banter/dialogue from-to each character. I mean, I love dialogues but sometimes too much of it bores me. I want to be on a good pace of a story and the writing didn’t help that much. The story was very slow as well.
This book didn’t work for me but maybe the author’s other books can.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book (thank you, NetGalley). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a fan of Lisa Renee Jones and thrillers, I was excited for the chance to read this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed when it turned out to be quite mediocre and not much of a thriller. There were several good story lines but none were fleshed out fully.

The villain's cover story wasn't in the story until he was exposed. The reader was never given the opportunity to connect the dots as to who he was.

Overall, the book wasn't very cohesive or stream-lined which made the reading very slow and cumbersome.
The premise was intriguing and I look forward to more from Jones as she hones her work and only improves.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3.5 stars. I would call this a police procedural and not really a thriller. Detective Sam Jazz is searching for a killer she calls The Poet due to him leaving scraps of poetry in his victims mouths. There is a connection between them but she doesn't know it yet. The plot is good and the characters are well developed. One things that does distract from the overall story for me is the constant breaking of rules and disobeying of orders. I did like that you got into the minds of both the killer and the cops. The story ended abruptly and I figured it out before the end but overall it was a good read.

THE POET is a stand-alone suspense detective story. This is not a fluffy cozy mystery; it is dark, realistic, and gritty.

There were a couple of oopsies in the plot – for example, a mention of the killer being into BDSM when it had not been brought up previously as being in the profile. The reader knew it because we had read a scene with him and his wife.

I loved the way that we were invited into the minds of both the killer and the detectives. It is terrifying because this story of a stalker fixated on a woman detective could be true. The mind of the killer is believable. The investigative work is detailed and procedurally interesting without causing the story to drag.

Because I have read so many stories from Lisa Renee Jones, I was able to predict the outcome. Still, I was not disappointed in reading this and would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in Suspense, Romantic Suspense, or Murder Mystery.

Note: While I received this book as a gifted ARC, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amara publishing for an advanced reading copy.
An interesting concept about a serial killer named the Poet who has a personal connection to the detective chasing him. It had enough to keep me reading but felt disjointed. The author seemed to want to add a kettle full of story lines that barely came together at the end.

Thank you Netgalley for the oppportunity to read the POET by Lisa Renee Jones. This is mystery with a very solid main character.
Police procedural and more.
good read. 3 stars.

This was a very interesting story that had me guessing who exactly is The Poet. Detective Jazz is on a case that might be too close for comfort. Great story with great characters that had me hooked. Another amazing read by Lisa Renee Jones that everyone must read.

First off, I need to thank Netgalley for getting me a copy of this book soo soo early. I’m going to start off by saying that I had no idea that one of my favorite ‘Romance’ writers also wrote in other genres. Perhaps I should have dug into her more, but Lisa Renee Jones has managed to keep me so entertained over the years that I felt no need until I ran out of series to follow.

Anyhow, we have a thriller on our hands here, The Poet is a murder / serial killer mystery that takes so many different twists and turns. We start off years in the past at what likely is the beginning of it all, when we’re in a classroom watching a student struggle to read a poem, which them turns into a bullying situation after class and interestingly a dead body being found the next morning.

We fast forward into the future where our main character is a Detective who’s one of the best at solving murder cases. Detective Samantha Jazz is the daughter of the Police Captain who was just murdered 3 months prior, and the goddaughter of the Police Chief, so she’s connected but she’s gotten to where she is on her own merit. When she’s back from leave from her father’s death, she’s quickly back into things where she’s called to sub in on a case where the killer left a poem in the victim’s mouth, an no one knows what it means. Sam is a Poet Master of sorts, ran a poetry club in college etc, and now she’s putting all that good learning to use.

The journey in this book is a complex one. We see the road that Sam has to go down to heal from her father’s death, and on top of that, she learned that her father wasn’t the cleanest of cops so there’s the stigma that comes along with that. She’s also trying to find her footing when she’s not exactly sure where she fits in anymore. She’s recently in limbo in a relationship and she’s not sure who she can trust.

The research that our author clearly did to make this story come to life was intense. We watch the process of examining a case from all angles, from the cops to the ME to the DA etc. We also watch how they form their hypothesis of who’s the suspect and how to track them down. We’re drawn down path after path on certain characters, never quite knowing if they are the culprit or not. On top of this though, there’s the fact that the detective who was assigned to the case previously is now missing and no one knows where he’s gone and if he’s alive.

Characters that we want to believe on our side are set up to seem as though they could be dirty or suspect. There’s a detective named Jackson that Sam wants to bring into the team but she gets an off feeling and he’s always where he’s not supposed to be, and at the same place as the presumed suspect. making him suspect.

While they’re trying to solve this murder mystery, there’s also a bit of romance to keep things on the same tone as what we get from LRJ, although not nearly as ‘erotic’ for lack of a better word. Sam’s ‘ex’ of sorts, Wade, comes back to help both professionally and personally since he’s FBI. We see that relationship take on a new form and want to have hope for the future.

What I will say about this story is that the path to the killer uncovers quite a bit of interesting ‘stuff’. No one is innocent and yet there’s a surprise twist nonetheless. I think you guys should definitely try to find this book when it’s out in March because I could NOT put it down

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I will never read poetry the same again. Intriguing and well written thriller. The characters are strong, and you will never see the twists coming.

Detective Jazz is a law enforcement officer with the Austin, Tx Police Department. She has been on admin leave pending her part in her father's actions and death on duty as an APD officer. Her whole life is invested in her police career and she has been cleared of any wrong doing. Her character is a strong, independent woman who has many friends and co workers who are excellent, believable supporting characters. She has been assigned to investigation a death that includes lines from a poem left in the victim's mouth. Jazz has an extensive background in poetry she acquired as she grew up. As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that the killer knows her.

This was a good, not great read. It had some very great parts where the tension and the story was taking you deep into the "thriller" part of a thriller but then it seemed as if the author didn't quite know how to introduce the killer to the readers so he just appeared. There was quite a bit of emphasis on the detective's father and her relationship with him, but it didn't seem to go anywhere. Lisa Renee Jones has given us a police thriller that has a unique backstory....it just left me a little flat in the end.

I found this book to be a rather mediocre mystery. At times the storyline bogged down and was a slow read. When the bad guy isn’t even part of the story until the last few pages, I find that quite anticlimactic. When I read a mystery I like to try to figure out the outcome. That was taken away.