Initial Thoughts/Expectations

I expected a good, suspensive story that pulled me in from the start.  I have been a fan of this author for a long time and trust this author’s writing process.

What I Loved

YOU CAN RUN is the first book of a new series by Rebecca Zanetti.  I loved the world building.  The way Ms. Zanetti set up the scenes and the characters, I knew I was going to love this book.  It was suspenseful and inspired me to sit at the table with the law enforcement characters and help them figure out anything that I could.  I was invested in the lives of the FBI agent and her family.  My heart ached whenever they had any clouds in their path.  I found myself trying to solve the mysteries and felt the renewed commitment each time I was wrong and had to review the evidence again.

What I Did Not Love

There is nothing I did not like about this book. It had me on edge from the beginning.

Final Thoughts

I am looking forward to reading this series.  It had me involved from the beginning.  If you like thrillers, this book should definitely be added to your TBR.

Laurel Snow is an FBI Agent/Profiler and very intelligent, she gets a call from her mother asking to come home to their small town because the sheriff thinks her uncle is a serial killer.
Once back home Laurel forms a friendship with a single mother, meets an interesting witness, digs up family secrets unintentionally, connects with a handsome mountain who is a fish and wildlife officer and catches the serial killer.

I love all things romance and mystery, this book was a mystery thriller with a little romance plot.

Laurel is an easy to like character she's independent and strong, Huck knows that and doesn't try to take care of her all the time despite wanting to.

There's also an interesting group of supporting characters who I can't wait to see the development of their relationships in the other books.

This is just the first book in the series so I assume that the subplots that are unsolved will be solved in the other books to come.

The world-building in this as well was so well done that I thought I was feeling how cold it will be while reading it.

This book was a page turner, LOVED IT!!!

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Laurel Snow thought she was ready for a vacation, but when bodies are discovered near her hometown, she finds herself using her down time to track down a killer. She is a bit of a savant and can read people with ease in a professional capacity, though her personal social skills are sometimes lacking. As she begins to dig into the case, she meets several people who have her questioning her profile and everything she knows about investigating.

Huck Rivers is a Fish and Wildlife officer who knows the area better than anyone else. But he is a bit of a recluse and a mystery to most of the people in town. He would rather explore with his dog than play nice with his neighbors.

This case quickly becomes personal as pieces of the investigation begin pointing towards the killer playing with her. Laurel has minimal support from the nearest FBI office, and the locals are not keen on sharing information or working together, with the exception of some help from Fish and Wildlife. She cobbles together a rag-tag team to do what she should have a full fledged experienced crew to do.

As Laurel and Huck try to work together, they also recognize a growing attraction between them. The romance was secondary to the case, as fits both of their personalities, but I loved the pull between them nonetheless. They are each loners in their own ways and I always love it when loners find their place.

This is the first Laurel Hill story and I am looking forward to more from this series. It had a great combination of clues and twists that kept me guessing from start to finish, characters with interesting quirks and personalities, and a setting that had me wishing for the warmth of a fire on a cold winter day.

Starting a new book is always an adventure. When it's a book from a favorite author even more so because expectations are high and you so want to love it. I am happy to say that Rebecca Zanetti's latest, You Can Run, the start to her new series didn't disappoint.

When her Uncle becomes a suspect in a series of serial murders, FBI agent Laurel Snow heads to her childhood hometown to help him out. Laurel knows he's a little odd, but she's also sure he isn't guilty. Now she just has to prove it. To do that she turns to former soldier, now a hunter and tracker with the Fish and Wildlife Service, Huck Rivers. Captain Rivers is a loner, usually only turning out for search and rescue operations. When Laurel shows up at this door, she doesn't give him a choice. The bodies were found in the nearby mountains and she needs Huck to help her investigate the scene.

From the start, Laurel and Huck find themselves fighting a fierce attraction neither trusts or understands. But with a killer on the loose, and more bodies piling up, they can't be distracted. On the orders of the Governor, they form a rag tag task force who aren't always willing to play nice with each other. Somehow, though, they need to find a way to work together as they delve into the mind of a monster and stop them before they strike again.

This story grabbed me from page one and never let go. Each turn of the page brought an unexpected twists in the story. Ms. Zanetti masterfully crafts a mystery full of diversions and distractions that keep the reader guessing until the very end. With a cast of characters that includes everything from a taciturn hunk, to an eccentric uncle, a surly sheriff to a genius professor you'll love to hate, this first book in the new series is not to be missed. Though the murderer is caught in the end, there remain a lot of hanging threads that promise much more adventures to come.

You Can Run by Rebecca Zanetti is the first book in a great new series about FBI Specialist Laurel Snow. The book is a thriller as more information is uncovered and things get definitely twisted. The series also introduces us to Huck Rivers, a fish and game officer who helps Laurel through the labyrinth of the wilderness in the Washington Cascades. There definitely is a spark between them. Meeting Laurel’s family and learning about her growing up and her character helps make the story!

Rebecca ends up heading home after solving a case when her mother calls her. Her boss wants her to set up an office and with the help of local sheriffs and police - including Huck from Fish and Game to deal with a find of dead victims in the mountains. Her mother is nervous because the sheriff spoke with her Uncle Carl and threatened him. Rebecca begins the hard task of getting to the site and being taken seriously by the locals.

If the difficulty of working with the local police is not difficult enough, the weather is snowy and icy. More bodies are piling up and there seems to be some connections to various local people. To top off the weirdness, an interesting character, Dr Abigail Caine keeps inserting herself into the crimes. There are some really twists and turns, including being shot at more than once.

I really enjoyed reading You Can Run by Rebecca Zanetti. It is an interesting, twisted thriller!

You can run is the first book in a new thriller series by Rebecca Zanetti. It has everything that a good book needs – murder, mystery, and romance!

This book focuses on Laurel Snow, a genius FBI profiler whose job is to track down and hunt serial killers. She goes above and beyond to make sure that her team remains a step ahead of the killers and they keep the country and its citizens safe.

Huck Rivers is a strong leader dealing with his demons. A former soldier and a trained sniper he uses his skills to help stranded people in the wilderness of Genesis Valley.

Together, Huck and Laurel must work to save the country and themselves from the evil serial killer hunting them. This book is truly spellbinding. Rebecca Zanetti creates characters with such depth that you just can't help rooting for them

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

I think that the characters are the thing that sets this books apart. There's the normal grumpy-sunshine trope except neither character are grumpy and neither are sunshiny. Laurel is a fantastic example of when smarts go right. Huck is a great example of how pre-existing situations can make you either fall or thrive. There's quite a lot of unpacking with both of their individual situations.

Laurel stands out as a great example of a female lead. She's not only street smart but she's capable of analyzing most of the situations around her and coming up with great resolutions. She's quick on her feet, and capable of handling herself in situations that others might freeze. She loves her family, makes great efforts to keep up or stay in touch even if they aren't exactly the closest. She's perfectly capable of separating personal situations from professional ones and she does so with grace. It makes her not only interesting but down right easy to read about.

Huck is sort of an enigma. You don't learn much about him from the start of the book other than his profession and his lack of soft expressiveness. He's a little bit intense, a little bit closed off but he's definitely interesting on the page. His interactions both with Laurel and the other characters mentioned in the book will have you smiling. He's blunt and opinionated but he knows the correct when and where to using his opinions. He makes a great leading man, since he's sort of all over the pages not only in his dialogue but in the thoughts and conversations of others.

I personally have love anything that I've read that was written by Rebecca Zanetti, it's one of the reasons I was looking forward to reading this. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, I felt like the first 30% of the book was a little bit slow. There seemed to be a lot of world-building and set up for later on in the book but I appreciated it later on. You got more of a feel for the characters and the situations that arose in the book by wading through the details at the start.

But aside from that little bit, I thought it was well paced overall. The plotline is interesting, the characters leave you wanting to learn about them. The small town vibes are almost kitschy, it's clear that they are all well connected to one another. There's a little bit of an undercurrent of something not quite right in the community. Overall the perfect location for a thriller and the perfect background for a little bit of romance on the side. Definitely a book that I would recommend diving into.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more by this very talented writer. There was the perfect blend of mystery and romance. The book held my interest from page one and didn't let go.

YOU CAN RUN is a thrilling ride, with a number of twists and turns that are not completely unexpected in a Ms. Zanetti suspense offering. It is descriptive and realistic; so much so that you will actually feel the icy cold and have your heart in your throat with fear a number of times.

Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko for Fresh Fiction

Complete review: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=76348

I absolutely loved this book and I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series. Laurel Snow is an FBI agent with excellent profile skills, but very few people skills. When her Uncle Carl is brought in as a murder suspect by police, her mother begs her to return to her hometown and find the serial killer and clear Carl’s name. Laurel hasn’t been home in three years and though her mother is thrilled, the Fish and Wildlife Team and local police department are immediately threatened by the arrival of the FBI.

Laurel finds herself working closely with Huck Rivers of Fish and Wildlife and is quickly drawn to him despite warnings that he’s dangerous. Soon after being interviewed as a witness, Dr. Abigail Caine begins playing her own mind games with Laurel. Laurel is inexplicably drawn to both despite their own bizarre connections to the serial killer's victims. While this is a psychological thriller, there is romance and the side characters are fantastic. Laurel’s family, boss at the FBI, and assistant Kate and her daughters are excellent side characters who refuse to allow Laurel to continue her solitary life. Overall, this new series is a must read.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
M/F Thriller, Murder Mystery

Laurel Snow is an FBI agent who is very good at her job. Being particularly intelligent is both a blessing and curse for Agent Snow. She went to college at a very young age and because of that, she hasn't met many people who are on par with her intellect. When she's diverted from going back to DC because of a case near her home, Laurel will need all of her smarts to make sure that the killer is caught.

Huck is a loner. After being a soldier, he needed the solitude of living in the woods. Now, he occasionally searches for lost hikers or helps out on police cases when he can be helpful. But he isn't looking forward to having the FBI in his back yard. With only his dog as a companion, Huck isn't used to someone always being around, but he can't help his attraction to Agent Snow, who doesn't take guff from anyone and can stand her ground.

This book will keep you guessing because Zanetti is great at throwing in details that aren't necessarily useful in figuring out who the killer is, but fantastic at pointing fingers at everyone or anyone.

You won't be disappointed in this thriller. The mystery definitely takes the show, and the romance is in the background, but not lost. I really enjoyed this story and can't wait for more.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆☆
YOU CAN RUN is the first novel in Rebecca Zanetti’s new Laurel Snow series, and what a great first book it is. I was hooked right from the start. Laurel proves herself to be pretty awesome right off the bat when she catches a pickpocket at the airport. She is highly intelligent, beautiful, not so great with people, and she chases serial killers for a living. I loved her.

Laurel returns to her hometown to assist on a case where her uncle is one of the suspects. She promptly meets Huck, the local Fisheries & Wildlife officer also working the case. Huck is all male and what you’d call a mountain man and a loner. He is also the love interest. Their developing attraction and friendship are woven well through the story and gives us a few steamy moments.

I have to say the hunt for the killer was so well done. There are various suspects. We have the weird and creepy Dr. Abigail Crane, who takes a strange interest in Laurel and inserts herself into the case; a pastor; Laurel’s uncle, and more. The story has good tension, a good amount of twists and turns along with plenty of danger. And I loved that I didn’t know who the killer was. I had several ideas, but I couldn’t decide on one. The author did a great job keeping me guessing.

In the Acknowledgement at the beginning of the book, Rebecca Zanetti mentions that YOU CAN RUN is her 70th book but for me it is the first book of this author that I’ve read and I absolutely loved it. The chase for a killer with great romance is right up my alley. I look forward to reading more stories in this series and I can’t wait to go check out some of the author’s previous books.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first in a new series, and there is some good world building through the book, which feels organic. Laurel may come from Genesis, but she left at eleven for college and, after a haul of degrees, she joined the FBI and became a profiler.

A gruesome discovery back home has Laurel flying in to see whether she can solve the mystery. Her uncle is a suspect, and she is confident that is a mistake and wants to help him too. Utterly unprepared for the weather, she finds herself needing help on her arrival – from a law enforcement officer, Huck and his working dog, Aeneas. We gather quite quickly that there is an unusual chemistry between them, but also that there are bigger needs in the town as more bodies are found.

I found the jurisdiction issues over the crimes really fascinating, and the blustering of the sheriff was both funny and disturbing. It adds some of the complexity to the solving of the case, but most of it comes from the local church. Be ready for some excellent red herrings and also some very unexpected twists and turns.

A really engaging read, and at times the description of the bad weather had me shivering. I am definitely going to be looking out for future installments, as I am invested in the futures of Laurel, (and her mum), Huck, Aeneas, and Kate and her girls, to mention just a few of those who live in Genesis.

A fun, edge of your seat, turn the pages quickly read. Plenty of twists and turns. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

"You're cute when you get your panties in a bunch." He did not just say "panties" to her. Was he trying to tick her off enough that she'd leave in a huff? Since he waited for a response, that had obviously been his plan of attack. So she smiled. "I'm not wearing any, Captain"'

When I say I devoured this book, I mean it. I finished this in one day, something I haven't been able to do in SO long (thanks ADHD brain.) Needless to say, I was hooked from the first chapter. Anytime a book starts with body parts falling down from a hill on two unsuspecting teens, I'm in.


Laurel Snow is a badass FBI agent who was called in to investigate a possible serial killer tormenting a small church town in snowy Washington. She meets Captain Huck Rivers of Fish and Wildlife and there's instantly tension between the two when they're forced to work together on this case. Throughout their investigations, we're introduced to multiple suspects and the whole time I was thinking "oh, it has to be this guy/girl" because for some reason, everyone in this town gives off serial killer vibes. The last 10% had me on the edge of my seat with everything coming to a head so quickly it almost gave me whiplash.


I loved the workplace, enemies to lovers, SLOW BURN dynamic between Huck and Laurel even if the romance was very minimal. They definitely have it bad for one another and I can't wait to see what comes next for them in the sequel.


This was my first Rebecca Zanetti novel and, now after reading this one, it certainly won't be my last!


You Can Run releases in the US on January 25th, 2022. Big thank you Kensington Books, Zebra and Rebecca Zanetti, NetGalley for this advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I am a regular fan of Rebecca Zanetti's romantic suspense books. I do want a balance of the romance and suspense though. This is very romance lite. It's obviously the beginning of more for FBI Agent Laurel Snow so maybe we'll get a better balance in later books.

The mystery was good. The word building is always good. There are alot of red herrings and a baddie or two left over for another day. Laurel was very literal without being too dry. Watching her stumble was cringeworthy. I like that her family was supportive of her.

Do you love Criminal Minds? Have you been binging old episodes lately because books just aren't keeping your attention the same way a good case with the BAU does? Well - have I got a book rec for you!

I was in exactly that place when I picked up You Can Run and I was drawn in right from the start. Laurel Snow is an FBI profiler who gets a call from her mom asking her to come home because her uncle is being questioned in a serial murder case.

This is the first in a new series and even though it's just coming out now - I already can't wait to read the next book in the series! I won't say any more about it but if this is enough to get your attention, read this immediately! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy. Note: this is a thriller with a small amount of romance. I expected a romantic suspense but I think that may have been my own misperception and not the book.

You Can Run is certainly an intriguing start for a series.

This is exactly what I wanted a suspenseful thriller to be and it delivered a lot more than I expected. It's a slow burn but definetly not a boring one.
We get little glimpses of every character's back story all throughout the book and the twists and turns are enough to keep us guessing untill the big reveal as everyone seems suspicious.
The romance sub plot seemed kinda complicated here but I guess it will be part of the bigger plotline in the series.

I would really like to read the rest of the books when they come out, some issues were left open as they were mentioned here by the end and I'd like to see how they'll unfold.

Thank you NetGalley & Kensington Books for the digital ARC.

Great book and author, highly recommend this to other fans of the genre. Absolutely could not put it down!

It was clearly an introduction to a new series, with a bunch of characters, their relationships with each other, the hint of a romance, and multiple questions left unanswered by the end of the book to keep the reader interested. It worked!

It wasn’t your usual cliffhanger, as the story can stand on its own. But there’s no happily ever after here, so of course you wonder whether Laurel and Huck will become a couple. Also, Laurel’s family is quite the show, and you’ll want to know more. A couple of mysteries aren’t yet resolved either. Not totally frustrating, but my interest is piqued.

Though I enjoyed Laurel as a character–many traits are compelling, making her a unique woman–she seemed to cumulate too many peculiarities. They have a raison d’être, but I feel it was a bit too much.

Grumpy Huck was also interesting. Ex-military, kind-of officer, sort-of mountain man, and first and foremost a protector, he had several roles in the story. The hint of romance between him and Laurel felt a bit shoehorned as they insist many times that the other isn’t their type, yet they feel a strong attraction for each other. At least, with time, they know more about each other and I could understand their respect and admiration for each other.

The suspense was gripping. There were a lot of misdirections and red herrings, weaving a large web of interconnected stories, punctuated with twists.

Nicely done, I can’t wait for the next book!

Quickie

- Series: Laurel Snow #1 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #romantic suspense #thriller #neurodivergent #serial killer #mountain man
- Triggers: gruesome murders with graphic depictions, mention of rape
- Main couple: Laurel Snow & Huck Rivers
- Hotness: 2/5
- Romance: 2/5
- + gripping thriller
- – so many plotlines and unanswered questions by the end of this book

I found this book totally engrossing! It’s. It’s not my normal genre but I’m a big fan of the author so was keen to give it a go. It’s a murder mystery that’s full of suspense though thankfully light on the actual murder details. The identity of the serial killer kept me guessing right up to the final denouement and the way the story unfolded made for a gripping read. The romance was only a minor part of the story, with a bigger focus on character development. There are some very unique and psychologically interesting characters in the book and I get the feeling that more will be revealed about their backgrounds as the series unfolds. The author’s writing style is so vivid, I felt drawn into the story and could perfectly picture the setting, right from the start.

A strong start to (hopefully) a new series!

It definitely felt as it was a et up for a new series, but it was still an enjoyable eead