The Children Of God religious group has chosen to make their retreat in the desert. Death Valley. Many say that the group has helped them with their issues, drug or alcohol addiction, lack of meaning in their life, grief over the death of a loved one. But there's a dark side to the Children Of God. Their leader, Father Paul, is really an ex-con, a man who only looks to make a profit however he can. His group is into many crimes that the average person never has a clue about.

Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner are busy back in Los Angeles on a murder case. Margaret and a date had actually found the body of a successful lawyer in the lake of a luxury hotel while strolling through the grounds. As they investigate the killing, they learn that he has a connection to the Children Of God. That upsets Margaret as her mother is currently there working through her grief over the loss of her son. Is her mother in the hands of a cult?

P.J. Tracy was originally the pseudonym of a mother/daughter writing duo. After her mother's recent death, Traci Lambrecht, the daughter, created the Margaret Nolan mysteries. This one is the second in the series and there are now three. There are lots of threads in this mystery. There is an ex-army man trying to put his life back together, drug running, child trafficking and a mother and her small daughter trying to escape from the cult. The author is able to pull all the threads together and create enough interest in her characters that the reader is interested in reading more of the series to find out what happens to them next. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Desolation Canyon (Detective Margaret Nolan #2) by P. J. Tracy
Narrated by Abby Craden
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Published: January 18, 2022

Desolation Canyon is the second book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series by P. J. Tracy. I had not read the previous book and found this to be easy to read as a standalone book.

This is a fast read that I did not want to step away from! I was captivated from the start and was on the edge of my seat throughout. There were so many twists and turns and I loved seeing it all come together. I thought the characters were great and the story was engaging.

The narration by Abby Craden was incredible! I loved how she brought the story to life!

I highly recommend this book! I will definitely be reading the other books in the series because I could not get enough!

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

This was a good thriller - I actually loved the detective side which isn’t what I go for honestly. I really enjoyed these characters and the story as a whole.

I didn’t love this book, but I also didn’t despise it. I found it to be mediocre and I even put it down and walked away from it for a bit before coming back to finish it. I was bored for most of it.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really wild read! took a little bit to get started but wow lol will look into reading the first book in this series

I am a huge fan of the Monkeewrench books so when I saw this new series starting I was ecstatic! Somehow amid the pandemic and a new job, I totally missed book 1, Deep Into the Dark, when it came out in early 2021. Book 2 caught my eye when I was offered a review copy -- and I jumped right on it! Backed up and read book 1 first....then jumped into my early copy of Desolation Canyon. About halfway through my digital ARC, I snagged a review copy of the audio book and started the story over.

Loved it! This book keeps the action, suspense and gritty characters from the first book....and even bumps things up a notch. I like Margaret Nolan and Sam Easton as the main characters. Both have their flaws and issues from their past, but they are also both intelligent, driven and talented investigators. The only part of the plot that gave me pause was the Russian mafia angle. "The Russians are behind it'' angle has been used too much....for me, it always comes off as a bit melodramatic just because it's overused. BUT....saying that....I have to add that I still got sucked into the story and enjoyed this book immensely!

I can't wait for the next book! Definitely a fan!

The audio book version of this story is just shy of 8 hours long and is narrated by Abby Craden. She reads at a good pace, has a nice voice and does a great job of voice acting. Very enjoyable listen!

**I voluntarily read a review copy from St Martins Press and listened to a review audio book from Macmillan Audio. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Desolation Canyon is listed as #2 in the Detective Margaret Nolan series, but it is also book #2 in the story of Sam Easton, the soldier suffering from PTSD from what happened to him in Afghanistan, and one of my favorite characters in the new series. Once again there are separate story lines that eventually all come together. Sam is helping his friend Lenny who rescued a woman and her daughter from a self-help group located in Death Valley. Remy is still searching for his sister who disappeared 9 years ago, and Maggie and Al are investigating a probable murder when they find a body in a swan pool at a ritzy hotel. Desolution Canyon is another fast paced, action filled, un-put-downable book by P.J. Tracy.

This is the second book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series and can be read as a stand-alone. P.J. Tracy offers a decent police-procedural with an intriguing premise and good characterization. However, the novel was moderately paced with inconsistent writing, making the management of multiple plot lines somewhat ambiguous. In addition, the storyline drew readers to Easton's character over that of Nolan's which is somewhat confusing as the novel namesake is Margaret Nolan. Overall, it was an okay. Would recommend for those just getting into this genre.

I will definitely be listening to book one of this series after thoroughly enjoying this book. Both Detective Nolan and Sam Easton are two complex characters doing their best to manage their PTSD. Both characters find themselves unexpectedly working towards uncovering the criminal activity disguised behind an expensive peace retreat in the desert.

Desolation Canyon is PJ Tracy’s second book in the series. In the first I really felt I became close to Sam and Melody. Sam’s PTSD and Melody’s strength drew me to the characters. Sam is just trying to put his life back together after being injured in war. He seems a little more put together this time around. Can’t say about Melody, I missed her this time around. Margaret the cop involved in the first book is also here.

I also missed Sam a little. He wasn’t in the book as much as I would have liked. None of the characters were. The story felt disjointed even as it came together. I feel like there were just too many characters, or that if there were this many characters to follow maybe it should have been longer. Margaret is more connected to the events in this story.

Aside from that, the cults and murders in this one are interesting enough and everything is brought together in the desert. To me the desert is one of the most haunting settings. All open and bright and empty. Even thought the plot depended on a lot of coincidences., it still had a satisfying conclusion.

Disappointing. Another series where the female detective is experienced and is attracted to a colleague. Really? This is classified mystery/thriller. The writing for the detective was juvenile and not even realistic. Without spoiling, the detective makes an emergency call to a potential witness/person in trouble being held. I'm not the only person to see that was ridiculous in this technical age; she had no worries the call may be heard. Really? The story was all over the place. At two-thirds, I had to remind myself this was a NetGalley selection. I just wanted the book to end. There is unnecessary profanity which added to my disappointment.

I had the audio, and the narrator, Abby Craden, was okay.

I'm giving 2 stars (GoodReads) as this may be of interest to new mystery/thriller readers. And, the cover is beautiful and is what caught my eye. I do believe profanity is out of control in mainstream books.

Thank you NetGalley for accepting my request to read and review Desolation Canyon.

#NetGalley
#PJTracy
#DesolationCanyon
#Macmillan Audio

This book was really enjoyable; there was a good narrator and the plot ran smoothly, although on occasion I wasn't sure which character was speaking for a few moments. The story was dark, but not predictable. I enjoyed it but didn't feel that it's a "starred" book.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2022/01/18/%f0%9f%8e%a7-desolation-canyon-by-pj-tracy/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

One of my readers recommended this author and a different series of theirs.  PJ Tracy is actually a mother-daughter team, but it looks like now the daughter is the one writing this newer  <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/302252-detective-margaret-nolan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Detective Margaret Nolan</strong></em></a> series.  When I saw <strong>Desolation Canyon</strong>, it was only the second in the series. I grabbed the first book <strong>Deep into the Dark</strong> from the library and went right on to this book, minutes after finishing.

Detective Nolan, along with  her partner, is sort of a main character, with supporting characters in her friends, family and love interests. But there is also Sam Easton, who is equally important, along with the people in his life.  It feels just a little weird that the series is named after her when she is half or less of the focus.

I enjoy police procedurals so this was a style I am comfortable reading.  Sam came into the series as a suspect or at the least a witness, when his wife is murdered in the first book. Both Margaret and Sam are having serious personal issues to battle.  Margaret lost her brother recently; he was in the military. Sam was also in the military, having lost much of his team and suffering physical injuries.

The murdered guy has a masked life hiding his connection to a whole other world with Russians, child trafficking, drugs and plenty of other illegal enterprises.  Of course, his actual work and colleagues are investigated which is dangerous and horrifying as various aspects are revealed. Then it gets connected to their personal lives and is all the more complex.

I appreciate stories with layers of character developments and progression in both their professional and personal lives,  along with a mystery and police investigation.  I had all those in a slightly different style so that was intriguing. I definitely plan to read more as the series is released.

<h4><strong>Narration:</strong></h4>
I have listened to Abby Craden but it has been quite awhile ago.  It took me a bit to settle into her performance but I did and was happy with her character voices.  I listened comfortably at my normal 1.5x speed.

<strong>Listen to a clip:  <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Desolation-Canyon-Audiobook/1250845491" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE</a></strong>



COYER #43 Read the last book in a series (currently released).

law-enforcement, Russian-mob, scam, murder, murder-investigation, noir, family-dynamics, friendship, fraud, PTSD, crime-fiction, thriller, triggers****

Harsh realities of those traumatized by extraordinary circumstances. A gritty scenario with emotionally fragile protagonists working The Job one day at a time. Add in a fraudulent retreat spa run by a psychopathic ex-con in Death Valley, the Russian mafia, and more weirdness than a Hollywood party. It's a tough read, but well worth it.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books via NetGalley.
Now I have the audio courtesy of Macmillan Audio, and while Abby Craden is a good voice artist, I found that her narration escalated the trigger factor. But probably good for others.

I did not finish this book. I did not finish Chapter 2. Sorry. Can't get past the narrator, who is flat, nasally, and boring.

Desolation Canyon (Detective Margaret Nolan #2)
P.J. Tracy
This is the second book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series. Margaret Nolan is an LAPD detective. Margaret has recently faced the death of her brother and she shot someone in the line of duty. The death of her brother in Afghanistan weighs heavy on her mind. She and a colleague are walking past the Swan Lake when they see the body of an international attorney. What appears to be an accident is soon discovered to be murder.
Lenny, a friend of Sam Easton asks him to help find a woman and her daughter. Lenny was helping the missing females escape a desert retreat. The retreat is ran by Father Paul and his gained quite a reputation with the rich and famous. There is a lot more going on at the retreat than meets the surface. What appeared to be two separate incidents are connected through the Russian mafia.
Margaret’s parents are taking the death of her brother hard. Her mother goes to the retreat hoping to come to terms with his death. When Margaret begins connecting the dots to the missing females and the murder of the lawyer, they all lead to the retreat. She must get her mother away from there.
Both Margaret Nolan and Sam Easton are interesting characters. The plot is interesting and moved along at a smart pace. The retreat/cult was interesting. Father Paul was a bad dude. He was determined to retrieve the missing females. There are several secondary plots including one of child trafficking. While I found this book interesting it would have been better if the author had brought out more of the inner workings of the retreat/cult and the child trafficking. The narrator did an excellent job.

I have to say I was lost on this one several times as it went in different directions. The detective's mother took herself off to the desert to a retreat and that retreat turns out to be a place for human trafficking. At the same time there is a murder in Bel Air. Are the two instances related? Who is related to who and how do they all go together. I think I might have missed something by not reading the first book or maybe I was too distracted with everything going on while listening to this audio. However, when I did keep up I was engaged and on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next. I will say I'm not going to delete this one and will go back and listen to it again. The narrator was great and I will give it a second listen.

DESOLATION CANYON is the second book in the Detective Margaret Nolan Series by author P.J. Tracy. The plot is intelligent and complex. It was a good read overall, but the many characters were a bit confusing. I had to make a list of them and their roles to keep them straight. It also felt that Detective Nolan played a secondary role in this story. I hope there will be another book in this story and that Margaret Nolan will take more of a leading role. If you love complex mysteries, this one is for you.

The narration was adequate except when two males were in a dialog. The narrator was not able to change her voice enough to differentiate them.

Desolation Canyon is the second book in the Detective Margaret Nolan Series written by P.J. Tracy. Though I haven’t read the first book, I’ve seen a lot of praise for this book as a great sequel to Deep Into the Dark. The novel is flush with action, suspense, and police procedurals with a large cast of complex characters with dark pasts.

Detective Nolan (Maggie) is guilt-ridden after killing someone from a shooting in the line of duty. Nolan’s mother joined a religious retreat in a remote community called Children of the Desert to mourn the death of her son in Afghanistan. A woman and her little girl escaped the facility and Father Paul, the cult’s leader, hired a hitman, who knows about his criminal history, to find them.

Meanwhile, Sam and Maggie investigate the body that was found in the Swan Lake at the Hotel Bel-Air that steered them to the Russian mafia.

What an immersive listening experience! It is difficult to have several distinct voices with only one narrator in such a character-driven book. Abby Craden is proficient and skilled. The first audiobook I’ve listened to by the narrator. The narration brought the atmospheric element of the book to life. There are a lot of dialogues in the book and having a clear and distinguishable voice between different characters helps.

This is a solid crime thriller and police procedural novel. I would love to see this story adapted to a movie or TV show someday. Plus, I armchair traveled to Desolation Canyon in a hot and arid condition. According to AllTrails, Desolation Canyon is a 3.6 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located in Death Valley, CA. An extreme contrast to the frigid air and freezing temperatures we have right now in Colorado.

*I received an advance listening copy (ALC) from Macmillan Audio through Netgalley for an objective review.

3 stars

The second instalment featuring LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan. This time around we have a bit of everything going on. Russian criminals, hidden identities, kidnappers and, of course, murders.
The case gets close to home when family members of both Margret and Sam are in real danger being to close to the criminal mind and hands.
I felt like the narrator took away something from this book. More than once I felt like not finishing the book because I didn't enjoy her voice and my mind kept drifting apart making it hard to concentrate on the story.

A nice mystery book with some good action.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this book!