I like the Quinn and Costa series but there was just something off this time. While the team dynamics got stronger, there was little of the dynamics between Kara and Matt except for questions. The title of this book leads you to who did it, even if it took a roundabout way of getting there. The secondary plot, while separate, was pulled into the first with no real reason except for people being in close proximity on the Island. All this said, I still liked the book and look forward to the next one.

Book three in the Costa and Quinn series has the team arriving in the San Juan Islands after a boat bombing. As they investigate the intended victim(s) has them puzzled. Is it the charter company whose safety records have an environment group protesting or someone on board? Kate's presence on the team has raised some questions and her tactics rub one member the wrong way. Matt is caught in the middle and balances both members while using their investigative methods to solve this crime. When another bombing takes place the tension ramps up with fears of another one to follow. An entertaining, fast-paced read with great character development that has me looking forward to the next installment in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
A new series by Allison Brennan. Great plot with new characters gives her a fresh, interesting start. Many twist and turns with a surprise ending. Gives enough backstory to make it readable on its own.

4.5 stars

This is the third Quinn & Costa thriller. This time the team is called in when a boat on a sunset cruise in the San Juan Islands explodes killing eight people including retired FBI Agent Neil Devereaux. The first thing they need to do is determine who the target was, and they have lots of possibilities.

West End Charter fleet has drawn a lot of attention from Island Protectors who are convinced that they are deliberately polluting the ocean. Devereaux has been pursuing a cold case since he retired, and he might be getting close to find a murderer. The wife of one of the passengers backed out at the last minute. Perhaps she wanted her wealthy husband dead. There was a last-minute crew change. Maybe either of the crew was the intended victim.

There are lots of leads to explore and there is also tension on the team. Kara Quinn is a recent addition to the team. After her career as an undercover cop in LA was blown, she needed a place to hide while waiting to testify. Since she had begun a relationship with the team lead Matt Costa, and since she was a great investigator, Matt wanted her on his team. Another team member Dr. Catherine Jones doesn't like her; she thinks she might be a borderline psychopath. She knows their styles of investigating are very different. The friction pulls at Matt who has to mediate between them.

As the investigation proceeds, there is a second bombing and another death which points the finger at IP. Kara begins to wonder if someone close to the investigation is trying to steer it away from the correct path.

This was an entertaining police procedural filled with complex and interesting characters. It was also packed with action and filled with tension. Fans of thrillers will enjoy this story.

If you desire an action packed narrative that barely leaves time for a reader to catch her breath before the next scene unfolds, this book is for you. There are a plethora of complicated relationships and many characters to sort out. I do love it when a male character falls harder for a female character and tries to convince her that it’s more than just physical.
Make plans to read this one.

The latest Quinn & Costa, The Wrong Victim, by Allison Brennan takes Matt Costa, Kara Quinn and the FBI Mobile Response Team to Friday Harbor WA to investigate an explosion on a sunset cruise charter boat. One of the deceased, retired FBI agent Neil Devereaux, had been looking into a cold case where two young men had mysteriously drowned. Was the explosion aimed at him or one of the other 8 onboard? Was it an environmental group protesting West End Charters? Twists & turns, fast paced thriller with a touch of romance!

I've only read a few books from NetGalley and haven't had a problem with them on my Kindle, however this book was so unformatted that I gave up reading before 15%. Some of it was one big run-on sentence and even with quotation marks, it was at times impossible to figure out which character was speaking. I loved this author's book "Sorority Murder" which is why I requested this title. Since I didn't read much of this one, I wouldn't say this is a bad review, more of a non-review, and for that same reason, I don't want to pos this to Goodreads in case it comes across as a "bad review."

The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan is the 3rd book in her Quinn and Costa Thriller series. The story begins when a charter cruise ship explodes, killing everyone on board. The boating community is shocked by this heinous crime that killed 8 people. Special Agent Matt Costa and Detective Kara Quinn, as well as all of the FBI Mobile Response team come to San Juan Islands to investigate.

The team begins their investigation trying to identify if the targets in the explosion were the local West End Charter, who a protest group (IP) blames for previous oil leaks; was it one person on the boat targeted; or a serial killer out to kill at random. During interviews, we get to meet many of the town residents, and learn more about each of them, leading to multiple possibilities, which included who was the real target; who wanted someone dead and why.

The focus on the investigation seemed to center a lot on the animosity between Catherine (profiler) and Kara. Catherine went out of her way to pick on Kara, and threatened Matt that Kara did not belong on the Mobile Response team; even though Kara was an excellent detective, and their mistrust of each other was glaring. Personally, I did not like Catherine, as I thought she was arrogant and created more tension for the team. Kara not yet a full member of the Mobile Response team, as she was on loan; but hopefully she does become a permanent member soon. I loved Kara, as I thought she was a great heroine, as well as most of the team, like Matt, Ryder and Michael.

What follows is an intense, pulse pounding thriller from start to finish. There were so many suspects, not to mention surprises and twists; which kept me unable to put the book down. Who was truly behind what was happening? As we got closer to the tense climax, the danger escalated in this heart stopping thriller, with so many people involved. I could not put the book down, as the suspense was amazing. The Wrong Victim was so well written by Allison Brennan, that I fully recommend you read this fantastic exciting edge of your seat thriller.

I love it when an author can twist you up right along with the story. This book has so many awesome pieces coming at you from multiple areas, that it was tough to put down. Once I got started, I just kept right on reading!

Quinn and Costa are right on target in this one and the other supporting characters are awesome as well. Additional layers of internal tensions and issues start messing with the team and one of the characters you love to hate! Ugh. But it also affects the simmering love affair going on beneath everyone’s noses between Quinn and Costa.

Brennan steps it up a notch with the amazing story that offers high levels of detail and multiple storylines crossing over. You are not sure what is relevant and was is not; what character to watch and which one to not.

Intensive and totally unique, I am obsessed with where this series is going and I definitely want to be along for the ride. This police procedural murder mystery has some surprises and is simply a dang good read!

Starting with an explosion on board a charter cruise ship, this book maintains its high-octane energy until the very end. When the Mobile Response Team headed by Matt Costa is called to a small town off the coast of Washington to investigate the explosion, the action ramps up between the townspeople, the MRT and among the members of the MRT. I have read the other books in the series, but I did not see the conflict coming between Catherine and Kara Quinn. Kara is having a not-so-secret relationship with Matt and Catherine warns her away in a totally unfriendly, butt-into-your-life kind of way. The tension within the team is palpable and very realistically portrayed. There is a lot of information about the backstories of some of the team members which was absorbing and helped me to understand why they were on the team and their contributions there. All of the characters were fleshed out and I particularly enjoyed the characters of Ryder, the computer geek, and Michael, the former SEAL who performs heroics like it’s a natural part of his life. In the town, there were the families of the victims, including a widow who was a sympathetic character to me from the beginning. The plot was tightly woven together with clues throughout about who the perpetrator was and the motive behind the killings. There is a sub-plot about unsolved cold cases that one of the victims was investigating and was a possible reason for the bombing. I enjoyed the determination and the dedication of the MRT and loved feeling as though I were enjoying an episode of CSI or Criminal Minds as I enjoyed the details of the investigation. This can be read as a standalone, but I do think readers will enjoy this one more if they start from the beginning and get the background of Matt’s championing the unit and then heading it up. Fans of suspense thrillers will enjoy this book that has plenty of chilling moments and a touch of romance.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan is a combustible mystery book with a side of romance & book 3 in the Quinn & Costa series. It’s the first book I’ve read in this series but I loved the mention & use of the Behavioral Analysis Unit. It made my Criminal Minds fan heart happy.
I feel like starting a mystery book from the victim’s point of view is bold & chilling, especially once the tragedy happens. It sets the tone of the book on a unsettling note, which is perfect for a mystery book.
I found it frustrating that the only problem within the team is between the two women on the team. This being the first book I’ve read in this series might explain my frustration because I do not know the team & all of their history.
When you watch crime shows on TV, labs are expedited in the blink of one scene, leads are dismissed with a few clicks of research & the investigation overall comes together quite quickly. This book felt like it took a more accurate approach to how crimes are solved in the real world. The team over the case explored many avenues, interviewed all the people involved & fleshed out a lot of evidence & theories. I enjoyed the fact that this gives you a very clear overall picture of the crime along with all the potential motives & trying to figure out the reasoning for the explosion in the first place. However, because it was meticulously researched & explored, I felt the story started to lag behind. There were parts where I wanted to fast forward a bit, but it could be my ADHD used to TV crime dramas. Overall, I enjoyed this mystery & gave it 3 stars!
If anyone is looking for an explosive mystery with lots of crime to be solved by a FBI team, I would check out The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan!
The Wrong Victim comes out April 26, 2022!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good mystery and I really enjoyed reading it. A bomb explodes on a charter cruise out on Friday Harbor killing everyone on board and the whole town is shocked since this is the largest act of mass murder in the history of San Juan Islands. FBI team comes to investigate including special agent Matt Costa, Detective Kara Quinn and forensic psychiatrist Catherine Jones are trying to figure out if this is a domestic terrorist situation with the tensions between West End Charter Company and a local environmental group who are still protesting the company after one of their boats leaked fuel into a protected marsh. This was a fast read and while I did figure it out a little bit before I think I was meant to, I still really enjoyed it and twist was still pretty interesting.

Thanks to Mira and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book started out slow for me and was hard to keep reading. However, I am glad I stuck it out because once the story got going ( about 1/3 of the way in) I couldn't put it down. I also realized how important the beginning was because it really set up the whole book.

A boat explodes, with 9 people on board so Quinn, Costa, and the team get to figure out why. The motive is anything but clear with several possible angles to explore. On top of that, the team has their own issues to sort out which causes some problems with the investigation. Finally, they put their differences aside and work to sort through the evidence and solve the crime.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had everything to make a great thriller mystery novel. I didn’t know this was part of a three book series, and I wish I had read the first two prior books but I was still able to enjoy this book regardless and found myself eager to pick it up and finish it. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

The Wrong Victim
by Allison Brennan
Pub. Date: April 26, 2022
Harlequin
#3 Quinn & Costa
* Mystery * Romantic Suspense * Thriller
Thanks to the author, Harlequin, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are mine. I was glad to get this ARC and will buy this book for our library because this type of book is very popular.
A bomb explodes on a sunset charter cruise out of Friday Harbor at the height of tourist season and kills everyone on board. Now this fishing and boating community is in shock and asking who would commit such a heinous crime—the largest act of mass murder in the history of the San Juan Islands.
This is the third book in the series and I think it is important to tell people to read the first two books first. There's a lot of backstory and I think it will help their reading enjoyment. I liked this book.
4 stars

Hold My Dog; Say What?! 😯😳🤯😳

Holy moly cannoli! I was absolutely enamoured with this beaut of a novel. This book gave me major "Criminal Minds" show feels and I was so here for it!! 😍 While this book is the third in a series by Brennan, it can absolutely be read as a stand alone. So don't let that detour you. You will NOT see the "who" coming I'm positive. And the why is absolutely kaa-raazzyy!
On a yacht cruise ship on a Friday evening, a bomb explodes upon it, leaving no survivors. The tight knit community is shell-shocked. Special Agent Matt Costa and detective Sara Quinn, along with their specialized FBI team, come to investigate. They are profiling, piecing, asking questions to help them identify what kind of domestic terrorist they're dealing with: those who want to create political fear or those who do this strictly for their own sick fun. The fact a protest group, IP, has strong views against the possible intended target, West End Charter Company - due to a previous oil leak two years previously, muddies the waters (pardon the pun). Was it simply meant for one person, or is there a bigger reason?
I absolutely couldn't put this down with all the feels of Criminal Minds. I loved the dynamics of the characters on the FBI team, the roles they each played & each suspect along the way. I was absolutely thrown off the trail and jaw dropped when it came to fruition. This book is a great hit!

Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for this DARC.
Release Date: April 26, 2022

I give this a strong 4 / 5 Bouquets! 💐

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Wrong Victim.

What a great read and one I won't soon forget. This author puts you right into the book with her details and perfectly sets the atmosphere. The only thing that bothered me was that I didn't realize this was part of a series and wished I had read the others first if they were as great as this one was. I couldn't put this one down.

I wish I had known this was a series book first. I had many questions due to my own ignorance. It was a good story— I just didn’t love it since I was missing so much backstory.

Fun to read- loved the location, very atmospheric and beautiful. A horrible crime, both of course no one takes responsibility. Which makes figuring out who did it and why that much harder. The companionship between two of the investigators is reflected in the competition between two others.

I enjoyed the story, the pace and the characters, loom forward to reading more.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.