Cracking bang up to date plot. Excellent character development on Carter's back story what more could you ask for? This series gets better and better.

Not altogether bad, just mediocre.  I plodded through it with mild interest, curious to learn the ending,  Decent enough writing, and a decent enough plot.

I did enjoy this book but I didn’t realise it was book 3 in a series. My fault for not checking properly! I have a thing for reading all books in order ......


Description
She opens her eyes and focuses on the room around her. Everything is in place, yet something isn’t right. She walks towards her daughter’s room, calling her name, as she does every morning. But this morning is different. This morning there is no response, Marissa’s daughter has vanished.

#edjames #beforeshewakes #netgalley 
Publish Date - 29th January 2021 

https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

Marisa is the mother of teenager Olivia.
Marisa finds that her daughter has been kidnapped out of her room during the night. Police think that her father may have taken her. It is thought that her father is dead. The fact is Olivia has an aunt who is dying and needs a bone marrow transplant. Olivia happens to be the perfect donor. Olivia's mother has stated that her daughter cannot be used as a doner. And now she has disappeared.
I was given this book to read and review from the publisher via Netgalley.
The book was good, but a bit confusing to me. I did read.it and it did keep my attention because I wanted to see if all the ends get tied together at the end.

"Before She Wakes" is a fast read, but the plot does feel like it moves slowly - maybe because I missed the first 2 books in the series? It can be read as a standalone, but there are many references to Max's past and I felt like I was playing catch-up. It's a very well-written story (hence the fast read), and I enjoyed the characters, too.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Before She Wakes by Ed James is the third book in the Max Carter series.  Marissa's daughter Olivia is missing, and FBI special agent Max Carter is called in to help find her.  This book had a lot going on, so much so that it felt like the author was trying to connect several storylines all into one book.  It was just too much for me.  This was the first book in the series that I have read, so maybe I was missing something.  Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy.  All opinions are my own.

A really enjoyable read. Everything I expect from a book written by Ed James. There are great characters and a well thought out and well written plot which is a page turner. 

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

Marissa wakes one morning feeling lethargic and ill. A sick feeling comes over her and she checks on her daughter. She is stunned to find out her 15-year-old daughter, Olivia, is missing. Her room has been ransacked and "never forget" is written on her mirror. 

FBI agent Max Carter is in charge. He has to wade through secrets and lies in the family and outside of the family to find out the truth of what happened to Olivia. At the same time, Max has to wade through his troubled childhood and come to grips with lies, secrets and crimes that have been buried for over 30 years.

Before She Wakes is a really good read. The book kept my interest and I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Olivia. Ed James' character, Max Carter, has a complex life and his personal tragedies have set him on course to be an advocate for other victims. This is a serious starring Max and some of his fellow FBI agents. This book can be read as a stand alone.

Before She Wakes is my first book by Ed James, and the third book in the Detective Max Carter series. But it can be read as a stand alone, although it does become clear as the story progresses, there is a continuing thread relating to detective Max Carter's back story. 

However, this did not affect my enjoyment nor make it difficult to follow, and with plenty of curveballs it was certainly an engaging and well-written mystery.  

Yet, I did find it a little disjointed and slow paced, particularly in the first half. But it certainly picked up later on and was a satisfying read overall.

Would recommend.

**I was kindly provided with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

DNF. This book really did not work for me. The beginning of the story was intriguing enough to hold my attention but it was all downhill from there. There were multiple storylines - the original kidnapping of Olivia which I was keen to read about; Ray's daughter requiring a bone marrow donor-which made him a likely suspect; Deacon's drug issues; and Bill, Max Carter's father's child abduction case - which did not gel together and made a total mess of things. 

There were parts that made no sense to me - like how everyone claims Deacon is dead but no one has any actual proof of it; where Ray tells Carter that Gregg is a good guy who wants to help but he is still accepting money for his 'help' and Bill meeting a waitress who served him 30years ago who still remembers him - it just doesn't seem logical. I regret to say that at 58%, I gave up on the book.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 1st book I’ve read from this author and is apparently the 3rd FBI agent Max Carter book, that said it works well as a stand-alone and the fact I’ve not read any others did not distract or ruin this book

Max Carter works for the FBI investigating child abductions and in this book is investigating the case of missing teenager Olivia.

The story unfolds as Max uncovers the truth behind Olivia’s disappearance alongside reliving his own abduction as a child as he finds out one of his team are investigating his father for a historical case.

Told from several view points we hear from Marisa, Olivia’s mum, Olivia and Max (past and present). There were times where I felt overwhelmed with information and had to pause to get my head around things and understand what was happening and how it all connected. 
I enjoyed reading this and will be looking into reading the past books as well as future ones in this series.

When I requested this one, it was because it sounded interesting and exactly the kind of read I enjoy. I had no idea that it was third in a series. I went back and read the blurb/request page and could not see that detail listed anywhere. 

With that being said, the book fell flat for me, it felt very hollow and one dimensional. The characters and the dialogue felt stiff. I felt no real connection to them. I had a really hard time staying focused and invested until the end.

I might go back and give the earlier ones a try before I write off this author.

Thank you as always #bookouture and #netgalley for the eARC.

Before She Wakes is the third book in the Max Carter series by Ed James and it is an excellent book which nicely ties up the main arc but leaves a door open for future books.

Definitely recommended

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Before She Wakes, the third novel to feature Agent Max Carter of the Seattle FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Unit.

Marissa Davis wakes to find her 15 year old daughter, Olivia, missing so Max and the team are deployed to find her. There are several conundrums, who drugged Marissa? What does the message “never forget” scrawled on a mirror mean? Why are there so many suspects and why are they all lying and concealing pertinent facts?

I thoroughly enjoyed Before She Wakes which is an engrossing read with many uncovered secrets and motives. It held my interest throughout and aroused my curiosity as I speculated along with the team although I would never have guessed at some of the developments and they came as a surprise every time. It should be noted that this novel is entertainment so readers looking for realism will be sadly disappointed. As such it works well.

The novel is told from several points of view, chiefly Max and Marissa, but there is a subplot where Max’s colleague, Lori Alves, assists a Met detective in his investigation of Max’s father, Bill. Often I find this approach distracting but in this case it works well, offering the reader a wider perspective on events without actually giving anything away and gradually bringing everything together to make sense. It is well done, mixing the past and the present and what seem like different cases into a stew with different flavours in one dish.

Max Carter is not quite the clichéd troubled protagonist but he does have a backstory whereby his father had him kidnapped and brought to the States from England as a young boy. The Met, with new information, has revived the case and brings new conflict between father and son. It offers an added element to the novel and I found myself getting really invested in the outcome. I hope there’s more of it to come despite plenty of resolution in this novel.

Before She Wakes is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Marissa Bukowski's life hasn't gone exactly as she planned, a divorced single mother she hoped life was finally getting better. Her new boyfriend is attentive, the lovely home she rents from a friend in a nice district of Seattle, and her job good. Then, one morning she walks into her daughter’s bedroom and Olivia is gone. 

FBI Special Agent Max Carter knows all about abducted children, born in England he is in the States as, aged six, his father had him kidnapped. He relates to the victims because he was one and now runs the Seattle Field Office Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Unit. Olivia becomes his responsibility and, as he delves into her disappearance, he is also trying not to interfere with another case his department is investigating in partnership with the Metropolitan Police in London. That case involves him, his father, and other children like him who were abducted and taken half way round the world to live an unwanted existence. 

Working at speed is a given in Max's line of work but, as nothing seems to quite fit together, his chances of finding Olivia before it’s too late seem to be vanishing into the Seattle rain. Then one of his team finds a clue which sends him in a completely different direction which could make things even more dangerous and complicated for everyone involved. 

This is the third book by Ed James based in Seattle and although I thoroughly enjoy all his different series this has definitely become my favourite. There are few authors and characters who I will happily lose sleep for but Ed and Max are right up there. Once again this is a tautly written, believable and ultimately surprising story and what I expected to happen was nowhere near as good as what actually transpired. It also has a brilliant name for Max's dog which made me laugh out loud. 

At one point I thought this was going to be the final book in a trilogy especially as a few threads were tied off satisfactorily but no, to my delight there is mention of a fourth book and will absolutely be buying that one too. 

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I have also purchased this and would urge any fan of Mr James or American detective novels to do the same. I absolutely loved it.

The third book in the series and they keep getting better and better. 
Agent Max Carter already received some devastating news in the previous book and now the story continuous, but that’s not the only thing on his mind. He also has to deal with another abduction. 
The search for leads can begin but every time he turns a corner he seems to find himself at a dead end. People are lying through their teeth. Others seem to be dead or have disappeared. Max does not give up but he knows the clock is ticking. His goal is to find the child of course, but he wants them found alive. That’s why you have to use everything that is available in order to crack the case wide open. Not everything is what it seems. That is something you should never forget. 
Will we find out what happened to Max all those years ago or will we still be kept in the dark?
This book had the FBI running in circles. I enjoyed it a lot. 5 stars

Thank you, Ed James and Bookouture

A fine example of the lies that teenagers tell their parents and the potential consequences... The writer did a good job portraying the circumstances of the young girl’s disappearance, along with the search.

I feel a bit disappointed by this book. The premise is solid, 15-year-old Olivia disappears from bed while her mother is asleep, potentially drugged. The suspects are numerous, it could be her grandfather desperate to find a match for his daughter for a much needed bone marrow transplant. It could be revenge for her missing presumed dead father’s drug debts, or it could be her mum’s new boyfriend. The problem is the book jumps around a bit too much for me to be invested in any of these options. That combined with a very unsubtle info dump of background info on the lead detective was very off putting. I understand it’s hard when the book is the third in a series to strike the balance between repeating key information for new readers or ones who’ve forgotten the previous books, and not dwelling too long on ground which has been fully covered earlier in the series. Unfortunately the approach here is too heavy-handed on background detail which didn't give me time to get to know the characters for myself.

Disappointing.

#BeforeSheWakes #NetGalley
Thanks NetGalley, Bookouture and Ed James for an ARC to review.
The third book in a series which unfortunately I haven't read the previous two. I believe you could follow this book without reading the others but you will miss a couple of references to detective Max's back story. 
When Marissa wakes up to an empty room where her daughter was supposed to be sleeping, she feels every parent's worst dream come true. Her daughter was clearly abducted, leaving behind a torn up room and a shattered mirror with a message written on it where she can't understand.
A fast paced engaging whodunit thriller that I enjoyed.

Marissa Bukowski is a single mother to 15 year old Olivia. When she wakes up disorientated one morning she instantly senses something is wrong. She goes into her daughter’s room to discover her fears are not unfounded - her daughter is gone. 

Max Carter is an FBI Special Agent who primarily deals with Child Abduction cases. He has first hand knowledge having been abducted as a child - taken from his mother in England and delivered to his father in America. 

Can Max find Olivia before she becomes just another statistic? With numerous family secrets, twists and turns along the way it’s not an easy job for Max and his team. 

This is the third in a series and I have not read the others. I am not sure if it’s because of that but I found the story very disjointed, it jumped about a lot. While everything kind of came together in the end, I just found it a bit too ‘jumpy’. In saying that, I thought that the actual storyline was a good one and the book did keep me engaged - I am just not sure I would rush out to read another in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.