A dark, layered crime thriller with complex characters and chilling twists. It’s gripping from start to finish, with a gritty, noir feel. Great for readers who like smart mysteries with emotional depth.

"Darkness is nothing new to LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan, but in P.J. Tracy’s The Devil You Know, even she isn’t prepared for the scandalous deception of deadly proportions that shakes the very foundation of Hollywood and its untouchables…and leaves her entangled in its rotten core."

Thank you for the chance to read and review The Devil You Know by P.J. Tracy. This story was the 3rd in a series with Detective Margaret Nolan and she is working to find the murderer of a Hollywood actor who recently was having career issues after a video came out that ruined his career.

I enjoyed the pacing of the story and how the clues and information were laid out. The story was engaging and enjoyable to read and made me want to read the 2 previous novels.

A fast-paced thriller packed with Hollywood scandals, dark secrets, and plenty of twists. Detective Margaret Nolan is a strong, compelling lead, and the mix of glitz, crime, and corruption keeps things interesting. While some parts feel a bit predictable, the writing is sharp, and the tension builds nicely. Overall, it’s a gripping mystery that delivers solid suspense and an entertaining ride!

WOW! P J Tracy's book that I have read have never been this confusing. In the first five chapters, there were four chapters with different characters. It was hard for me to try to follow who was who. When the fifth chapter was still setting up more characters, I gave up. The chapters went from present day to 150 years ago and back to present day but each had different characters. I have enough trouble following a book with a main set of characters let alone this one where there were four.

I will say that I wish I would have known this was part of a series. I would have been able to get into the storyline much quicker. With that said, writing was still great. Just difficult for me to connect.

The Devil You Know by P. J. Tracy is the third book in the Detective Margaret Nolan mystery series. When an actor is found dead in the rubble of a rockslide in Hollywood, Margaret is assigned to find out what happened. There are a couple of other deaths that are connected to this actor too. This was a pretty good mystery, but I would not read it without reading the previous two books in the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Enjoyed this one very much, another great suspense thriller from author P.J. Tracy. Never disappoints, highly recommend!

I liked this, I'm trying to branch out into new genres, but I was a little lost with some of the characters since I hadn't read the previous books. I assumed you wouldn't necessarily need to, given some of the review blurbs I saw, like, how she would 'gain new fans' and 'there is something for everyone' in this book (maybe I read too much into that last one, lol). But like, aren't these kinds of books pretty much all the same? I just figured that meant new people coming into the series would find it interesting because this one is new and fresh. IDK.

Anyways, I like police procedural shows but have never gotten too deep into this book genre, and these came recommended, so thought I would give it a try. Besides being confused by and having a hard time following characters sometimes (there are alot), I found the story interesting, love a good Hollywood murder, and the conclusion had a nice little twist. I like female leads, it seems like the majority of these detective novels have MMC, so I'm glad I found this series.

The Devil You Know by PJ Tracy

{The body of beloved actor Evan Hobbes is found in the rubble of a Malibu rockslide a day after a fake video ruins his career. It’s not clear to LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan if it’s an accident, a suicide, or a murder, and things get murkier as the investigation expands to his luminary friends and colleagues. Meanwhile, Hobbes’ agent is dealing with damage control, his psychotic boss, and a woman he’s scorned. But when his powerful brother-in-law is murdered, he and Nolan both find themselves entangled in a scandalous deception of deadly proportion that shakes the very foundation of Hollywood’s untouchables.}

When requesting this book to read and review I didn't notice that it was the third in a series about Detective Margaret Nolan and I think I would have done a lot better if I had read them in order. This is a detailed police procedural and it had a number of characters from previous books and interactions with those characters that rely on the fact that you understand past happenings. There were so many characters - most of them extremely unlikeable - that I had a hard time finding reasons to pick this book back up again. The fact that there were a few minor twists and the shorter chapters did keep me going and while I was able to figure out what happened, I appreciated the action and easy to read police descriptions throughout the book.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I ended up DNFing this one, because I didn't realize it was book 3 in a series. But what I read of it was good - I just can't read book 3 without reading the first two, lol. 3 stars!

This book was ok. I probably should not have requested it because ultra rich, ultra famous people in stories are generally not my jam. I passed this book along and a friend loved it so I would definitely factor in her opinion.

P. J. Tracy's "The Devil You Know" is a skillfully woven tapestry of suspense and intrigue that grips the reader from the first page to the last. With a deft hand, the author crafts a narrative that is both chilling and thought-provoking, delving deep into the complexities of human nature and the shadows that lurk within.

Murder in Hollywood’s Glitz

The Devil You Know is the third installment in the Detective Margaret Nolan series by P.J. Tracy. The story revolves around LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan, who is plunged into the world of Hollywood glitz and glamour after the body of actor Evan Hobbes is found in the rubble of a Malibu rockslide.

The Devil You Know by P.J. Tracy is a captivating addition to the Detective Margaret Nolan series. With its intriguing plot, well-drawn characters, and exploration of Hollywood's underbelly, it offers a gripping read for fans of crime and mystery novels. Despite some minor drawbacks, it stands out as a compelling and thought-provoking story.

As always P.J. Tracy has written a powerful book. I have been reading all of her books and in each one she keeps getting better. If you haven't read her WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN.

I am not reading these in any kind of order, started with #4 and there were a lot of characters to keep track of, I ended up with my own flow chart. Even though this is book #3 a lot of those characters are here as well so that made things a bit easier to follow.

Evan Hobbes is a successful Disney star but when a deep fake video shows up of him in a compromising position his career is ruined. After a rock slide his body is found in the rubble. Then two other people he was involved with are also killed. The atmosphere of LA comes across as bright, sparkly, sleazy and fake. It's not an ending that gives you an adrenaline rush but I can say I was surprised. I'll keep reading the series if only to learn more about Maggie, Nolan and Remy.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

When I began the deep dive into this murder mystery, it became evident early (Sam’s storyline) that this novel is one of a series—having read the synopsis weeks to months prior—to pique my interest—allows me to go blind into every story.

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, by P.J. Tracy, is Book Three In The Margaret Nolan Series. Though not easily read as a stand-alone due to the introduction of many characters and their unfamiliar backstory—to this reader—I was able to navigate and speculate this whodunit with ease, and look forward to Book Four CITY OF SECRETS (tentative release date: August 2024), followed by Book One, DEEP INTO THE DARK.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Publishing Group), for providing me with an eBook of THE DEVIL YOU KNOW in request of an honest review.

This was my first book by P.J. Tracy. Although I liked it, I had a hard time keeping up with names/relationships. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read books 1&2 before reading book 3.

Book #3 in the Detective Margaret Nolan series. Each book in the series adds information to the back stories of the characters and the community they live in. There are also some over arcing story lines used to set up the next book(s). So, yes, it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone, but you'd understand some of the character interactions much better for having read the first books, Police procedures weave the investigations throughout the personal stories too. The cast of characters is a little larger than many of the series I've read, but PJ Tracy does a good job of keeping them distinctive.

The LA community has many different micro communities that it's easy to get them crossed at the beginning of the story, but the information shared is integral to solving the death of a celebrity or two. As Detective Nolan leads her team into the sparkling world of the celebrities, she'll have to keep their focus on solving the murders that are piling up.

I did not realize this was book three in the Detective Margaret Nolan series when I requested it. Good thing I'm a sucker for a police procedural as this book is loaded with characters, and it is a lot to keep straight. I do think you should read books one and two before reading this story as I was at least 40% into the book before I knew who was who. The series has Maggie's name on it, yet she only narrates about 1/3 of the book, so I don't have a strong opinion on her character. That being said, the plethora of character POVs gives the reader a really good feel about all of the subjects involved and the case in its entirety (which would make for an excellent movie or mini-series!). I liked that aspect of the book. I didn't care for all the deaths. When the killer is revealed I didn't feel anything, however the ending still surprised me. There is a book four in this series that I will definitely read as I feel invested now in these characters, many of whom I am hoping will make it into the next installment.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you @minotaur_books for my complimentary copy. My thoughts are my own.

Be prepared to dive into the lavish and pretentious lives of Hollywood in this novel that is part police procedural and part thriller!

At first I was a bit overwhelmed with the character build up. There were lots of names and lots of unsavory characters. (I recommend taking a few notes to keep them straight.) But soon, I became impressed with the author’s talent for weaving a complex tale of jealousy, adultery, and pure selfishness as the bodies piled up! As soon as I suspected one character, he or she became the next victim! Detective Margaret Nolan brought a sense of sanity into this mix! I became thoroughly engaged in this story and I definitely plan to check out the other books in the series!