Fantastic story! great plot and suspense. figuring out who the killer is will keep you guessing.


I've enjoyed Allison Brennan for a while now.. read all her books

Book 3 in the series and a solid addition! I found the case to be interesting and intricately pieced together. This was fast paced and adrenaline pumping! I enjoyed reuniting with the characters and seeing where they are today. The character development throughout this series has been awesome! I look forward to more books and seeing where this FBI team is taken next!

4.5 stars. Another amazing installment in the Matt/ Kara series! I absolutely love these two! The plot sucked me in right away, the author threw in some plot points I was totally not expecting, to the point that I had to force myself to take a break to eat and sleep :) I just wanted to listen nonstop. My only complaint is that I would’ve loved to see more Matt and Kara on the page together, though realistically that wouldn’t have worked because each team member has their own stuff they have to do to help solve the case. Looking forward to the next book :)

Leaving reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

‘The Wrong Victim’ by Allison Brennan was wild, tension-filled, with engaging and interesting characters, and even though it was the third book in Brennan’s ‘Quinn & Costa’ series, I found it could be read as a stand-alone too—at least in my opinion. Recommend!

An explosion sets the stage for various mysteries colliding! The third book in the Quinn and Costa Thriller series was a bit slow to start, but once Quinn and Costa were introduced into the scene it all began coming together a bit. Various suspects kept us guessing as danger lurked, secrets were uncovered and nefarious plots were carried out. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and follow and a few things got lost in the translation along the way, but the suspense kept me going forward and the end road was satisfying.

This thriller from Allison Brennan starts out with a big bang and the death of multiple victims which complicates things. The mobile FBI team led by Matt Costas is called in to investigate.

I don't want to get into the investigation because that's the core of this book and I don't want to spoil anything, but I was totally sucked into this book in the opening pages and had to keep reading to find out who was the target and who-dun-it! This was a very engaging book right from the beginning and even after finishing it, I find myself thinking about it.

This is a very well crafted mystery-thriller-romantic suspense story. There are many potential suspects and victims and the way this was presented in the story made it very interesting. Even when I started to get an inkling of who caused this, I was still not sure about it, which is a terrific feeling when reading a thriller. A reader doesn't want to be able to figure it all out in the opening pages, and this book delivered with a mystery that had me scratching my head until the end.

I have to admit that I adored Kara, especially her attitude and the way she approached the case and basically her life. She's messy and real and I loved her. The relationship she has with Matt is beautifully written, full of sexual tension and dare I say ... love between these two. I really want more of this couple, even though their relationship isn't really the center of this story. Any page Kara was on was a good one for me, and when she was interacting with Matt that was even better.

I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. The story is complex, encompassing not only the bombing, but a cold case that one of the potential victims was investigating. I did find it hard at the beginning to keep track of who everyone was in the investigation, but that did not diminish my enjoyment of this book.

5 solid stars... and I'd love more Costa and Quinn!

A bombing on a boat has killed nine people so Kara Quinn, Matt Costa and Catherine Jones are sent with their team to investigate. Was it an environmental group targeting the entire boat or was one victim the target? I was hooked from the beginning and had a hard time putting it down. I couldn't wait to finish because there were quite a few suspects and I needed answers! I like the team and Quinn and Costa as a couple. I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series but it can be read as a standalone if your focus is the mystery. The personal aspect will be spoiled by starting with this book. I highly recommend the series and look forward to more in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC for free to review.

I like Brennan's style of writing and this book had good characters and an interesting story. It did seem to drag at times but the slowness didn't bother me much because of getting to know the characters better.

Overall, an entertaining mystery.

I don’t know how I have never read a book by Allison Brennan before because she writes crime/police mystery novels that are exactly what I look for. Needless to say I was excited to read this novel.

The story follows an FBI group of agents that is investigating a bombing on a small island that usually has no violent crime. Right off the bat we are introduced to a handful of characters, although most of the story comes from only a couple of their points of view. I get the impression that Allison Brennan introduced us to these characters and their personalities in a way that would guide how we felt about them. I had a love/hate relationship with Kara because I loved her fire and her sureness that she was a good cop and could get the job done, but at the same time I think there needs to be a humbleness in people that Kara was very clearly lacking. I was not a fan of Catherine because she came across as judgmental and whiney a lot, although I am sure she is great at her job. She also needed a dose of humble pie. I quite enjoyed most of the male characters. They were good people that I could relate to others in my life that I enjoy spending time with. Brennan did a fantastic job of making likeable, relatable, and fun to read characters.

The overall mystery was incredibly intriguing. I was guessing the whole time and, while one of my guesses was correct, I have to say that I was definitely all over the board the entire time. Brennan kept me on my toes and just when I pegged it, she would change it up and throw me a new curve to have me question myself. The amount of details written into this story were incredible and made the story realistic and believable. I love how Brennan writes and keeps the story flowing easily even during quieter moments where it’s just filling the characters time in.

Overall I am a fan of The Wrong Victim. The only thing keeping me from giving the book five stars was the dislike I had for Catherine and sometimes Kara. Disliking the general type of human of main characters can really tug on a book. I want to love my characters, but I know it’s not always possible. In this case, I really wanted to be rooting for the good people, but those good people really annoyed me at times. Either way, I’ll be checking out all of Brennan’s other work because her stories are packed with twists and turns and shocking moments. Just what I like.

THE WRONG VICTIM is the third book in the Quinn & Costa crime thriller series by Allison Brennan. This is another great addition to the series that kept me glued to the story. The Mobile FBI Team is back together for a for an investigation on the San Juan Islands. Although this book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend you read the series in order to completely understand the team’s dynamics. The story opens with a charter cruise ship exploding killing all nine people aboard, including a retired FBI agent. The team is called in to find the bomber, but also to determine if it has anything to do with the cold case that Hunter was investigating. As the team investigates each lead, they are also dealing with tension from within. Kara and Catherine are both involved in this investigation and they are having problems working together. Catherine doesn't trust Kara and puts her down or undermines her at every opportunity. With Matt’s relationship with both women, they need to figure out if they can work together. When more bombs detonate and more people die, the team needs to solve this one ASAP.

I really enjoyed The Wrong Victim with all the various lines of investigation. There were several suspects and angles to pursue that I was completely absorbed in the story. The characters are very well developed and we learn about their past and history throughout the books in the series. The secondary characters are not as fleshed out, but I felt I got to know them with their relationships and flaws. Catherine added a lot of drama to the story with her second guessing and questioning everything Kara did. It forced Kara to rethink her place on the team, and determine what she really wanted personally and professionally. Kara is usually always ready to listen to others, but she seemed to shut down where Catherine is concerned so mistrust did go both ways. There were times I got very frustrated with Catherine and wanted her to just leave, she bogged down the investigation, in my opinion. I didn't completely figure out what was going on, but I had some ideas. The final twists were well done, fit the story, and tied up all the loose ends. I am not sure what is going to happen between Matt and Kara, as their personal relationship seems to have some road blocks. I am ready to see what is next for the mobile FBI team and what their next case will be.

I have always been a big fan of Allison Brennan's books and this one did not disappoint. It is filled with action, mystery, tension between lovers and co-workers. It is fast paced and makes it hard to put down.



I enjoyed how the character's are complicated. The sexual tension between Matt and Kara. The tension between co-workers Kara and Catherine. The complexity of Kara's background and how she is still struggling and fighting to feel like part of the team despite not being an FBI Agent.



There are also so many different parts to the Water Lily's investigation including that of IP, Agent Devereaux's investigation into past deaths back on the main land, the ex-lover of Cal. All of these keep you excited to learn what is next, despite whether or not they are all connected.



If you love a great police procedural that will want to keep you up all night until you get to the end, then this is the one for you.



Rating: 5 out of 5, I highly recommend this book. See below for an excerpt and Q&A.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the book. I received it as part of the harlequin book tour.

Overall
The Wrong Victim is the third in the Quinn and Costa Thriller series. This one takes the team to the San Juan Islands archipelago in Washington. They’re there to investigate a charter boat bombing that killed a retired FBI agent, who was still looking into a cold case that haunted him, as well as a very wealthy man who was married to a much younger woman his kids generally hated. It was fantastic to see the team really come together, and equally fun to watch the tension between Kara and Catherine as the two are forced to work closely for the first time. The mystery was twisty, but the title felt a little unfortunate as it pointed me to what was really going on too early in the story as I enjoy being the last one to figure things out, so it was definitely a minus to me. But The Wrong Victim is probably my favorite of the series so far, and I’m really starting to get to know and enjoy the team.

Extended Thoughts
A charter boat bombing that killed nine including retired FBI agent Neil Devereaux and a very wealthy man married to a younger woman draws FBI agent Mathias Costa and his Mobile Response Team to the San Juan Islands in Washington. Linking up with the local law enforcement, Matt, Kara Quinn, and the rest of the team follow every lead, investigate every possible motive, and puzzle through the closed cases Neil had been re-investigating. But, the further they dig, the more bodies they find and the more complicated the case gets.

I don’t know whether the series, the author, or I have hit our stride, but, after feeling kind of meh about the first two books, I really, really enjoyed this one. In this third book of the series, the team is starting to gel together, but some serious friction is introduced that really had me interested and invested. The case itself was more interesting to me than the previous two, but this one almost felt too easy to me. Still, I really enjoyed reading this one and, for once, am looking forward to the next one.

My favorite part of The Wrong Victim was the team. Matt is the dependable leader, except he’s torn between the woman he’s involved with and his closest friend. Kara doesn’t really feel like she belongs even though the team relies on her as an experienced undercover cop, and she’s involved with Matt and they’re trying to keep it under wraps. But, being on loan to the FBI from the LAPD indefinitely would do that to her. Ryder Kim may be young, but he’s capable and can dig out just about anything the team needs. Jim is their older, experienced medical expert who appears to be grandfatherly, but will do his job perfectly to a T. Michael Harris is unflappable as a former Navy Seal, solid and tough and completely upright. Catherine is the behavior analyst who knows Matt better than anyone and is used to being the smartest person in the room. It’s only inevitable that, as the team gels, friction develops between Kara and Catherine. I loved every moment of it, seeing both points of view and both wanting them to work it out and just not work it out to draw out the fun tension. The development of their relationship was really wonderful, and I loved how the team evolved as a whole, coming to rely on each other while also being able to just hang out together. The care and concern they showed for each other was wonderful, and I loved that they each had important jobs so none of them was ever left out.

One of the things I really enjoy about this series, the one thing that has me coming back to it, is the romance brewing between Matt and Kara. It’s not perfect and the way it works is complicated, but that underlying tension is fun. The Wrong Victim did bring up some things that had always been more on the fringes, but now I really want to find out what happens next. Matt and Kara are both so stubborn and they both have a good idea of what they want and don’t want. I look forward to seeing how it ultimately plays out.

The one thing that really let me down was the return to Washington. It’s a completely different location than in the first book, but I was disappointed that, after Arizona, they were back to Washington. There are so many small towns and rural locations in the country that it was a little hard for me to get over. Still, I really liked the San Juan Islands. The small town politics and the environmental concerns were at play and did add a fun layer, but I really wanted to go somewhere else. On the other hand, exploring the San Juan Island was really nice and I felt like I was wandering around there with the characters. I liked the Island Protectors environmental group that just kept popping up, though I was disappointed with the way that story progressed. It did add some nice depth to the location, and the Fish & Brew sounded like a really fun place to eat and hang out.

The case the team was investigating felt both more straight forward than the first two, but also complicated and layered at the same time. There was no point of their investigation where I felt bored, though I was disappointed when characters started dropping out of the story. I think, with some careful attention, just watching who stayed in the narrative and who didn’t helped revealed whodunit and how different cases wound together. I also felt the title of the book was a little unfortunate as it led me down the right path too early on. I enjoy being the last one to figure it out, so wasn’t thrilled that I did start to figure it out before the team did. Some of the hints just felt a little too clunky and too liberally sprinkled in. But I liked how they played out, liked how the psyches of the characters played into it. It was great to see Catherine and Kara in action as they’re both involved in reading people. The end was a bit shocking to me, but in a thrilling way, though I did feel like it took quite a while to fully unravel. About three-quarters of the way through I was starting to get impatient for it to just wrap up.

I must say the beginning was off to a rough start for me. The writing just didn’t flow well and the blocks of informative text about the team and their history just felt clunky and amateurish. It just didn’t flow well, so it was difficult for me to get into the story. But, once the background was established, it flowed much better and became easier to read and easier to become invested in the story. Unlike the previous two books, which felt a bit clunky and cumbersome, I only felt that way during the first few chapters, so, if the rest of the series is like this novel, I think I can live with it.

The Wrong Victim felt a little unfortunately titled, but I had a lot of fun reading it. Most of it was fun and fast-paced with twists and turns. There were a lot of things I wasn’t expecting, but I was a little disappointed things began to clear up around the halfway point. Still, there are a lot of good things peppered throughout and I did really enjoy how it ended and wrapped up. It was neat and fraught with questions at the same time. For me, this was definitely the best of the series so far, and I’m finally excited to see what’s next.

Thank you to Justine Sha at MIRA for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I've learned something about myself. Sometimes I'll make a mistake and pick up a series in the middle. Frequently, I'll try to back and read the previous books. Other times? I'm just too stubborn and will keep reading the series, happy as can be. That's the case with Quinn & Costa – I still haven't read the first book in the series, but that isn't going to keep me from diving into The Wrong Victim, the third novel in the series.

Detectives Kara Quinn and Matt Costa have seen more than their fair share of violence. It's part of the job. Yet even their years of experience could not prepare them for the terrorist attack they are about to deal with.

A bomb successfully takes out a charter cruise, killing everyone on board. This makes it the worst mass murder to hit the San Juan Islands. Finding out who is behind the attack will be more complicated than expected, as there are plenty of motives flying around.

They're back! Is it just me, or is there something delightful about a mystery series dropping the next book? I love following the same characters in and out of different cases, including Quinn and Costa.

The Wrong Victim is a complex and fascinating read that is very multidimensional. It made it difficult to predict the conclusion, which is fine by me. As long as it all makes sense in the end, that is. And it did, at least for me.

Naturally, there's also a heavy personal element to go alongside the mystery. Kara and Matt both have personal stuff going on, though it felt like Kara's plot stole the show. This time, at any rate. It was a strong reminder that they are people first and investigators second – even when dealing with gruesome crimes.

Kara Quinn and Matt Costa and the FBI Mobile Response Team are called to their newest case in Washington state’s beautiful San Juan islands. When a chartered yacht heads out of Friday Harbor on a sunset cruise one evening, a bomb explodes killing everyone on board. Have things finally escalated to deadly proportions by the environmental protestors on the island or was someone on the yacht the intended target. It’s up to Matt and Kara and crew to find out. There were those on board that had enemies and there’s plenty of suspects to go around. Neil Devereaux, a retired FBI agent was piloting the boat that night. Recently obsessed with reopening a cold case, there’s reason to believe he had new information and was ready to make an arrest, but was that enough for someone to kill other innocent people in the process? Is there a chance the two cases are related? This was a twisty good read that wove two cases together with a very satisfying ending for both and leaving hope for another case with Quinn and Costa.

The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan
Quinn & Costa #3

Another great addition to this series – thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more!

What I liked:
* Kara Quinn: undercover agent for LAPD on loan to the FBI, reads people well, daughter of parents who earned a living working a con, a bit of a renegade, capable, caring, cares for Matt, a bit at loose ends from time to time
* Matt Costa: in charge of the FBI Mobile Response Team, intelligent, good leader, hand picked the team he works with, cares deeply for Kara, might have work-love conflicts to deal with in the future
* The team: getting to know them better was interesting although there is one that grates a great deal
* The skillset that the team members bring to the table
* The small town setting
* The police procedural aspects of the story
* The introduction to and a bit of information about the victims of the bombing received in the first chapter
* The red herrings, twists, turns and interesting side stories
* Wondering how the relationship between Costa and Quinn can work if there are rules against dating team members when working for the FBI
* Finding out the “why” of some of the crimes that were committed
* Wondering what will happen next

What I didn’t like:
* The criminals and their crimes – I know that there are people in the world like them but hope to never encounter them personally
* The senseless loss of life that occurred in this book – necessary for the story but it made me sad
* Strong dislike for one member of the team…not sure if Catherine will redeem herself or not if she remains part of the team
* Having to wait to see what will happen next

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more of this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and HQN-Mira for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan is for you if you want an action-packed story with hardly enough time for your adrenaline to level out. If you haven't read this book or series I'd suggest that you immediately start. You will not be disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for this copy

FBI Special Agent Matt Costas is head of the Bureau’s Mobile Response Team. The Team is a multi-agency unit that rushes to the scenes of crimes. This time, nine people are dead after a bomb explodes aboard a charter boat cruise off the San Juan Islands of Washington state. The first mission of the Team is to discover the motive. Could it be the environmental group picketing the charter company? A cold case of the ex-FBI captain? The money of one of the two wealthy businessmen onboard? Or something else? Watch as Matt’s group struggles with their interpersonal dynamics as they pray they don’t pick The Wrong Victim to investigate further.

The Wrong Victim is a police procedural with an emphasis on the personalities and interactions between local and federal agencies. A love story is also included. There are some surprising twists along the way too. 4 stars!

Thanks to Harlequin, MIRA and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Kara Quinn and Matt Costa are investigating a bombing on a boat that killed nine people in Friday Harbor, one of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Seattle. There is no shortage of suspects: the younger wife of a wealthy businessman, an environmental group unhappy with the boating group, and someone from the pilot, a retired FBI agent who was looking into a cold case.

I’m a big fan of Kara and her methods. Her ability to read people and her gut instincts are impressive and she didn’t take unnecessary risks. I’m rooting for her romance with the team leader, Matt Costa, but they have some hurdles to overcome for things to work out long term. This time around they have Catherine Jones, an FBI forensic psychiatrist joining them on the case. Right away Kara and Catherine clash, with Catherine judging her as reckless and full of herself and she questions Kara’s judgments and actions. I was not a fan of Catherine at all. She seemed to make it her mission to create doubt about Kara and so I was happy to see Kara proved right over and over. Since Catherine has a past with Matt being he dated her sister, Catherine also created a bit of friction between Kara and Matt. I’m happy Matt didn’t let it get out of hand.

The Wrong Victim was an engrossing mystery/crime procedural, one that hooked my attention right away, leading up to an exciting conclusion that had me zipping through the pages to find out how it all turned out! I loved the Pacific Northwest setting, it’s such a beautiful area!

This is the third in the Quinn and Costa series, but I think it would work as a standalone in a pinch. However, I’d recommend starting from the beginning to appreciate the developing relationships. That’s no hardship since every installment is excellent! It’s hard to go wrong with Allison Brennan.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Allison Brennan is the queen of the nerve-twisting and heart-stopping thriller and she is back with a chilling new page-turner featuring Special Agent Matt Costa and Detective Kara Quinn: The Wrong Victim.

It’s the height of the tourist season and holiday-makers are making the most of the spectacular vistas and majestic scenery and enjoying a sunset charter cruise out of Friday Harbor. It’s a trip that has been made countless of times. Only this time, events take a tragic and sinister turn when a bomb explodes and kills everybody on board. The entire community is in shock reeling from this terrible tragedy and the question of everybody’s lips is: who could have done such a thing? Who could have committed such a heinous act that killed so many innocent people?

It’s the largest act of mass murder in the history of the San Juan Islands. The FBI needs to find out who did it and the pressure is on for Special Agent Matt Costa and the rest of his team. There is no room for error and no time to lose. The stakes have never been higher, the whole community is terrified and the perpetrator must be caught sooner rather than later. But Costa and Quinn cannot help but ask themselves whether this was an act of domestic terrorism – or whether the intended target was one of the dead onboard…

With no clues or leads and no witnesses, solving this case is proving harder than ever and the more Costa and Quinn dig, the less answers they find. With the West End Charter company involved in some less than salubrious business, could they have been the target? With time being of the essence, Costa and Quinn need to put who is responsible behind bars – especially as the killer has now set their sights on one of their own…

Allison Brennan’s thrillers should come with a warning: don’t start reading her books last thing at night because you won’t get to sleep until you’ve reached the last page. The Wrong Victim is thriller writing par excellence. Allison Brennan is a virtuoso of the genre who grips her readers from the first sentence and keeps them in the palm of her hand and on the edge of their seats until the very end.

Superbly plotted, brilliantly written and absolutely fantastic, Allison Brennan knocks it out of the park yet again with her latest thriller, The Wrong Victim.

I'm always on the lookout for crime thrillers/procedurals, particularly series with characters I can get invested in and follow from book to book. Quinn and Costa are definitely a part of that list. This third in the series is full of tension with a storyline that kept me on the edge of my seat and turning pages long past bedtime. It's one of those 'just one more chapter...' type of books that you can't stop once you've started. There's a lot going on in this one, and Allison Brennan masterfully crafts the various layers of the story to keep us guessing to the very end. Everything comes together to make The Wrong Victim a solid addition to the series, and I look forward to more of these characters.