This is a well done procedural with a strong protagonist in FBI Nina Guerrera A member of the Behavioral Activities Unit, she's got a real puzzler on her hands. Someone has been killing new families for 30 years- on Leap Years. Maldonado uses her law enforcement background effectively to craft a clever tale that will engage you. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the serial killer genre.

Another spectacular book from Isabella Maldonado! Similar to the first book, this one has twists and turns that I never saw coming. If you are a fan of dark crime thrillers that feature serial killers, then this is your series. I am very excited for the third book. I have zero doubt that it’ll be another fast-paced instant read.

This book will keep you up past your bedtime. I thought the first was good but this one was even better. Nina Guerrera is tasked with her team from the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI to follow up on possibly connected family murder/suicides with infant children years apart and miles apart yet always on leap day. They go back to the scene of the first murder years before in Phoenix where the murder is still a local legend.

I just love Nina and her team. They are all characters that you wish you knew in real life. The pacing on this story is fast and at times frustratingly slow because you want them to catch up with the killer. But the plot twists alone will keep you turning the pages. If you like Criminal Minds you'll love this book. This book can definitely stand alone but you'll understand Nina so much better and have a better understanding of some things that are said about her if you start at the beginning.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of #ADifferentDawn in exchange for an honest review.

A Different Dawn by I. Maldonado, published by Thomas & Mercer, is book two in the Nina Guerrera trilogy.
I recommend to read the books in order. The previous book is The Cipher.
FBI Agent Nina Guerrera and her team are assigned a case that looks like a crime that happened thirty years ago.
And off it goes. I started reading and was immediatedly into the story. This fast paced read didn't need an easying in and there wasn't one.
The writing is excellent and the author kept me in suspense till the last page. A twisty read , suspenseful and heartwarming at the same time. The trilogy concludes in The Falcon.

“Nina realized she had been living her entire life on borrowed time. Now the moment had arrived when her story reached its end. Destiny had finally caught up to her.”

Leap day. People born on this day celebrate their birthdays in a variety of fun ways.

And some celebrate in not so fun ways— like murdering a mother, father, and newborn baby girl every four years.

A leap day serial killer is the plot of book two in this series. Following her high profile case in book one, The Cipher, Nina Guerrera and her newly compiled FBI specialty team—made up of her, a criminal profiler, a computer wiz, and a former Navy SEAL— are investigating a double homicide/suicide case. The case escalates when possible ties to other double homicide/suicides across the country spanning decades are discovered and they realize they may have a bunch of triple murders on their hands!

Profiler Jeffrey Wade enlightens us on the mind of the suspected killer— a narcissist who also has Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)- “A black hole is an accurate description of an untreated psychopathic narcissist.” And now they must track down this murderous black hole in the desert of Phoenix, Arizona before more people die or he hides away undetected for another 4 years.

The urgency increases as they begin unraveling threads, putting Agent Guerrera firmly in the killer’s sights, forcing her to come to terms with part of her past she never knew she needed to.


It lives up to the same intense and suspenseful storyline as the first one and I really enjoyed it. This is shaping up to be a great series! The characters were, again, distinct and developed. Nina is the focus but we see her relationship with Wade and Kent progress in this one. And am I the only one that thinks Bianca is going to be officially joining the team in the not so distant future?? I think that would be a great addition in characters and plot possibilities. (Although, I’d prefer she stop using the f-word if Maldonado is going to bulk up Bianca’s lines in the next book.)


There were some points in the book that I felt there to be a bit of hand-holding in defining terms. For example, they made it seem like a killer’s ‘signature’ was some new term law enforcement officers had never heard of before. Or when the Spanish phrase ‘Dónde están mis hijos?’ was used Kent translated it “That means, ‘where are my children” and then the book says “Nina recalled that he spoke four languages.” And the collective reader audience goes: “Uh, yeah. We only speak one and a half languages and we all know what that means. Pipe down Kent, we didn’t need you for this.” (Okay… it was either children or Cheetos but I think we would have figured it out)


For the learners out there, here are three interesting things I learned while reading (besides the characteristics of narcissism that I’m trying to stop pinning on everyone I know…just jokes…. It’s only a couple people...)—

- Revenge filicide= Filicide is the technical term for the murder of one’s own offspring so revenge filicide is killing your child to get back at someone else. I’m glad I didn’t know this term before because if this was well-known, we would live in a very sad society indeed.

- “People with ASPD only make up about one to three percent of the overall population, but they constitute anywhere from forty to seventy percent of those in prison.”
I found this statistic a bit shocking! Especially because after reading Just Mercy you kinda start feeling like we need to get everyone out of prison. I did a little googling on this stat and I did find a study that indicated ASPD rates in prison to be anywhere between 50-80% depending on the study (and probably method of diagnosing). This particular study was researching violent acts done in prison by newly imprisoned people with ASPD and actually found that number to be fairly low calling into question the legal push for capital punishment for violent offenders with ASPD. I don’t know if I’m convinced and this leads me to more questions than I can find answers for and really has nothing to do with this story, but ANYWAY, it’s fascinating stuff, yeah?

- Nuyorican—/n(y)o͞oˈyôrēkən/)= a Puerto Rican living in the US, especially in New York City


So, in summation, if you haven’t read The Cipher, head over there first and read this series from the beginning. If you’ve already read book one, then continue forth, fellow reader— I believe you will be glad you did!

Better than the first book, Cipher. This felt kind of repetitive sometimes, but it was fast paced and readable, if a little predictable and a little coincidental.

3.5 stars. The ending had me rounding up instead of down.

Wowzers! That was a ride! It was fast paced and adrenaline filled! I was questioning everyone and everything. It kept me in suspense and on the edge of my seat until the very end. I love this series and It was so fun to reunite with the characters! I look forward to reading more in this series. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Twisted, heart wrenching, heart moving, suspense, thriller, this book had it all. It is book 2 in a series and can be read as a stand alone, but would be more complete if you read book 1. The premise was jaw dropping, Murder - Suicide, mother kills her baby, husband and then herself, A footprint, brings to light they may be tracking a serial killer, one who kills every 4 years., and we are off! We get to know a little more about the team, and Nina's pass comes to light, Even with all the drama, the suspense, the darkness, there is light and hope. This book hit on so many levels. Win! Thank you Thomas and Mercer so very much for approving my request to read this arc. Thank you Isabella Maldonando for sharing your talent and your experience as a law enforcement officer. Thank you NetGalley for providing the premise where avid readers can also try for an arc. I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to the publisher for an e-ARC of this book. I really enjoyed The Cipher, and was really looking forward to reading this second installment of the Nina Guerrera series. It didn't disappoint. This was an engaging read with a twist or two along the way. I look forward to reading more in this series.

What a book, full of twists and surprises, it was nice seeing Nina and the gang again and the cute love triangle is a nice side plot. hopefully we will get more in the next book (there better be another book or several books honestly ^^)
The story ha a quick pace and will make you want to rush to find " What is next", some of the plot was a give away and i managed to guess most of it but never the less i enjoyed every single word of it.
Highly recommend this series.
Now am off to reread the 1st one again cause WHY NOT ^^

A Different Dawn is one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time! I could not put it down the entire time I was reading it. Such a gripping, edge of your seat book!

A Different Dawn is an intense, edge-of-your-seat thriller with gut-wrenching murders and big-time twists featuring a strong, formidable and determined Latina female protagonist. Isabella Maldonado does a tremendous job leveraging her prior law enforcement experience to provide a sense of realism to the way FBI and police departments operate, think and interact. Combined with gripping action sequences and heinous crimes, the result is a solid novel that increases excitement for where this series and characters can go next.

After the explosive events of The Cipher, FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera is back in A Different Dawn and this time she’s on the hunt for a serial killer who’s left a trail of undetected destruction in his wake for nearly 30 years. Nina, aka the Warrior Girl, and her teammates on their newly formed Behavioral Analysis Unit team must learn how to work together while trying to figure out the identity of this diabolical killer. Profiling the killer, figuring out his motivations and patterns, and doing good old investigative work turn out to be the easy part. What they’re not prepared for is constantly being a step behind with no idea how the killer keeps getting the best of them. But as the team follows the evidence and closes in on their suspect, information comes to light that makes the case personal for Nina in a way they never expected. Not one to be deterred, Nina will do whatever necessary to bring an end to the killer’s reign of terror. Even if it means throwing the playbook out the window and risking her life.

Fans of serial killer thrillers in general, and Meg Gardiner’s books specifically, should jump on this series. Two books in, it’s off to a furious start and has the chops to become a long running series with a tough female character that’s easy to root for. And speaking of that, Jennifer Lopez is starring and producing in the film adaptation of the first book in the series, The Cipher, providing a great opportunity to see badass Nina Guerrera brought to life. Now’s a great time to get invested in the series and watch it grow, both in print and on the big screen.

OMG! Isabella Maldonado did it again! I loved The Cipher and loved A Different Dawn so much. Very fast paced, thrilling and suspenseful.. Looking forward to book 3!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc by Isabella Maldonado in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. It was tough to wait for A Different Dawn after reading the first Nina Guerrera book, but so worth it!!! The story was fast paced and very compelling with an intricate plot and more details of characters from the first book. I couldn't put it down and very much looking forward to book three.

This book is an action packed murder mystery that will keep you at the edge of your seat, until the last page. The book is full of many twists and turns and keeps the reader fully engaged.

2nd book in the series. Family members are murdered while sleeping. Looks like possible murder/suicide but definitely is murder by a serial killer who murders his victims every 4 years on Leap Day for the past 3 decades. FBI Agent Nina Guerrera and her BAU Team are left to investigate. This is an edge-of-your-seat thriller with twists and turns that keeps you turning the pages until the very end. Gives us more information about Nina’s background. It is well-written and now I’m anxiously awaiting book 3. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for a free copy for an honest review.

I am ecstatic to have received an advanced reader copy of this book. Thank you so much to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley.

I did a little jig when I realized that I would get to read A Different Dawn so quickly after having finished The Cipher. Maybe it is because Isabella Maldonado herself was in law enforcement but there is just something about the character Special Agent Nina Guerrera that just makes her so approachable and likeable despite her being one of the toughest female leads I have encountered. As we learned in The Cipher, the first book of the series, Detective Nina Guerrera had not experienced much in the way of any show of kindness while growing up as a kid in and out of foster homes. She has always felt dispensable as she was literally found in a garbage dump as an infant. However, despite fate having been especially cruel to her, the empathy displayed by the protagonist is so commendable. Consequently, it made me extremely happy when we got to learn more about Nina's background in this book as she and her team look for a serial killer who strikes every four years in an eerily similar manner.

This book can honestly be read as a standalone. However, I do recommend that the series is read in order because the first book is just as fantastic as this one. Also, I adore the Nina and Kent scenes . Can we please have more of them in the next book, Ms. Maldonado?

Captivating complex crime story. Long term criminal investigations, with many twists and turns; Perceived some hints of comedy. As a reader enlightened by the law enforcement terminology and police jargon.

Enjoyed reading this book as it kept me engaged chapter after chapter.
Thank you!

I received this ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Another winner from Maldonado and such a page turner. Once again, we meet FBI Special Agent, Nina Guerrera and her team as they been asked to help with two sets of murders. One in New York of a father, mother and their infant daughter a year ago and then in Phoenix another family consisting with a father, mother and infant daughter just a few days ago. Both murders took place on Leap Day. During some of their initial research they are able to connect 8 other possible murders over 28 years, each of these cases happened on leap day and a father, mother and infant daughter were killed. The team is flown out to Phoenix because the first and last case were in there. Once they start to have other teams check out each of these cases all over the United States, they realize that all were done by the same person. They now had a serial killer to find. As they start to look at the evidence collected, new information and interviewing people they are starting to make the connections to show that one person did all of these killings. Not only that but Nina is starting to become suspicious that she might be connected to this case somehow. Go along with Nina and her team to see if they can solve this highly provocative case.

In “A Different Dawn” by Isabella Maldonado we are brought back into the life of Nina Guerrera, an FBI Special Agent. After a couple and their newborn daughter are found dead the FBI links their case to numerous others around the country, dating back decades. As the team works through the crimes, they begin to uncover more secrets then they ever could have imagined.

A great second book in the Nina Guerrera series. With all of Agent Guerrera’s team back to help and show her what a team is all about.

I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.