3.5 Stars
As someone who is very familiar with Los Angeles and the different types of those who live there, this gave a strong view of life there.
A solid look and mystery.

The Devil You Know is book three in the Detective Margaret Nolan series.

Maggie investigates the death of a Disney star who had a deep fake child pornography video surface just before his body was found in rubble that fell from a cliff during an earthquake. HIs body will not be the last but were they all murdered by the same person.

It can be a stand-alone book, but there are a lot of people involved in this story and it probably would have been better to have started at the beginning. Although I doubt that would have made much of a difference in liking this book. In the first few chapters there were so many people being introduced it was hard to follow who they were and how they were connected. Not only that, but the characters were also not likable at all. I was turned off by all the excesses, name brand dropping, and all the very shallow characters. I stuck it out and finished the book despite my dislike. The description had so much more promise, this was unfortunately disappointing. I really dislike having to give a one star. The writer's do something so many of us cannot or will not do which is write. On the other hand, maybe, this will make a better movie than a book. It seems right up their alley.

I requested this novel with interest in the synopsis of the book, not realizing this was the third book in the series. I then falsely rationalized to myself that most police procedurals, crime fiction, mystery/thrillers can be read as stand-alones, unfortunately, I was sorely mistaken.

LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan is investigating the death of actor Evan Hobbes the day after a deepfake video surfaces and ruins his career. With little to go on, Nolan is trying to decipher whether the death was an accident, a suicide, or a murder. Hobbes' agent is dealing with the aftermath of the deepfake, among other issues when his powerful brother in law is murdered. As the body count starts to rise, Nolan is forced to figure out whether everything is connected and who could be responsible.

My biggest issue with the storytelling of this novel was the characters. There are so many characters and all with little to no introduction. I understand the vast majority of the characters are likely from previous novels, but a one-liner about who they are and why I care can work wonders for those of us who are foolish enough to start series several books in (or can serve as a good reminder for those who space out books in a series). The other thing that bothered me and further decimated my attempts at deciphering who is who was the fact that the author interchanges first & last name use, but rarely uses both simultaneously.

There's many viewpoints shared in this novel, alternating between third person views of Nolan, Seth, Darcy & Sam. I found this to be confusing because many of these viewpoints added nothing to the story and thus were largely irrelevant?

I seriously considered DNF-ing this novel for the pure fact that up to the 60% point, very little had happened and there wasn't an ounce of intrigue here for me. There's a lot of filler between setting the stage of the story, the first death, and then the wild investigation tactics used. The investigation was one of the most bizarre things I've read.. a lot of assumptions and foregone conclusions, rather than doubling down and following the evidence trail and witness statements.

Additionally, this novel is very wordy. The author evidently has a large and eclectic vocabulary as I have never looked up so many words while reading a police procedural. My favourite new word may be ersatz.

I did somewhat enjoy the ending as everything came together with a bit of a twist. I just didn't particularly like the journey it took to get there.

I am not convinced that I will be reading more of this author's work after my current experience.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher, St Martin's Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.</i>

LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan is back with her latest case. This one will drop her into the world of money and privilege, where all that glitters is not gold.

Evan Hobbes has been found dead in the rubble of a Malibu rockslide a day after a fake video ruins his career. Margaret isn’t sure if this is an accident, a suicide, or a murder. And things don’t become clear for a while. Working with his producer, things are about to be even more complicated. Bodies, Crazy people, scandals, and psychotic women are just a few things being thrown at them.

This is big and dangerous. I think this book was the best of all.

NetGalley/ January 17th, 2023 by Minotaur Books

The Devil You Know by P. J. Tracy is a highly recommended procedural set in Los Angeles. There is a whole lot going on in this third installment of the series featuring Detective Margaret (Maggie) Nolan series, following Deep into the Dark and Desolation Canyon.

From the opening, readers will know two bodies are going to be found at some point in the plot. Then we learn that a Disney actor, Evan Hobbes, is found dead after he had a fake video released portraying him in a devastatingly bad situation. He is found following a party given by Disney exec David Baum and his wife, Essie. Essie's brother, Seth Lehman, was Hobbes’ agent at Wodehouse International Talent, run by his boss Rebecca Wodehouse. Then David is found murdered. Maggie and her partner Al Crawford have to deal with self-important Hollywood egos while pursuing their investigation.

There are a whole lot of characters in the narrative. Almost all of the characters are connected or interconnected in many ways and are almost universally odious. A whole cast of unlikable characters means there are plenty of suspects because you will suspect or want to suspect almost everyone is guilty. Secrets and bad behavior abound and Maggie must wade through all of it trying to find the killer. Maggie is the anchor and a likable character.

Although it is said that this can be read as a stand-alone, I feel that it might behoove readers to read the previous two novels to get a handle on the reoccurring characters and their traits. The cast of characters were almost overwhelming to keep track of at the beginning. This is all speculation because I haven't read the first two, but sorting everyone out did take some concentration and the background information may have been helpful.

The Devil You Know is a well written procedural. The short chapters keep the action moving along quickly and the plot is suspenseful and interesting. The writing in the opening was very descriptive, which seems to stand out in contrast to the other chapters as the plot continued. The complex characters add to the narrative as clues are dispersed along the way. even if you guess whodunit, the entertainment is worth the read.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Minotaur Books via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

This is a well written crime thriller that had me invested from the start. Book three in the Detective Margaret Nolan series can be read as a stand alone. There were relationships, particularly with Sam, that I was missing information on but it didn't affect the mystery at all. This is the kind of crime thriller I enjoy, where most of the action involves the suspects and interactions with other investigators. From the moment we learn of Evan Hobbes, we are left to wonder, is he a good guy who is being vilified, or a bad guy covering something up.

Every twist and reveal was interesting and added to the overall plot. The ending was so good that based on the ending alone I want to keep reading all of P.J. Tracy's back catalog.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed The Monkeewrench series so I jumped on this not realizing that it is the third in the series.
It worked out okay for me but this is not compete stand alone novel.

There are too many characters without an obvious connection and I kept getting a couple mixed up. It is a quick read though a bit on the nose in a ripped from the headlines #Metoo in Hollyweird sort of way. I don't have a good grasp of Nolan yet but search out the first two books.

Evan Hobbes, a former Disney actor, has his reputation in danger. Someone has released a tape of Evan involved in child porn. It appears it’s a fake tape but damage is done. When Evan is found dead the next day on the highway under a pile of earthquake rubble, the question rises was this an accident or murder. This is a very involved mystery with side stories. It’s difficult to follow at times. I felt the ending was loose. Overall, I was a little disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Margaret Nolan is an LA detective tasked with solving the murder of a Hollywood star who was recently scandalized with a deep fake video making him out to be a pedophile. At a party in Malibu he fell off a cliff and no one admits to knowing how it happened.

I think I was offered this one by the publisher and I accepted because I had heard of this author for years and thought I would give her a try. But this was the 3rd book in the series and I don't feel like it worked well if read as a standalone. There were so many characters introduced right out of the gate, which I hate because I struggle to remember who is who, which doesn't make for a smooth reading experience. I really didn't even understand why some of these characters were in the book or what their purpose was except that they had existed in the two previous novels in the series. I thought this was sort of a light frivolous LA based mystery that wasn't particularly deep. I don't see myself continuing with this series.

I had not realized when I requested this novel from Netgalley that it was the 3rd installment in the Detective Margaret Nolan series. Needless to say I was a little confused with some characters and connections. For that reason I recommend reading the series in order and would like to read the first two myself.

Luckily the police procedural and plot were enough to keep me invested till the end. The unreliable Hollywood elite characters and scandals made for a twisty entertaining read.

Detective Nolan and partner Detective Al Crawford respond to a call of a body found after a landslide. The body - the very famous Evan Hobbes currently involved in a scandal jeopardizing his career. They must determine if this seemingly freak accident is a suicide or murder.

A twisty mystery. This opens with the murder of two people and then barrels on into a complex and topical Hollywood story. Det. Margaret Nolan is called when a young star who has recently been the subject of a deep fake video is found at the bottom of a rock slide- but his death was not an accident. His agent Seth, brother of Essie, the wife of a studio boss, had been trying to figure out how to handle him and his hateful boss. Oh and Amber, a woman who will gone on a tear when Seth turns from her, And what about Daphna, the child star Seth loves (again)? This took turns I did not expect (wait til the epilogue!). If I have a quibble, it's that we don't see enough of Sam, whose story line feels dropped in and out of place. However, the fact that the usual team (including Remy, Nolan's romantic interest) are not big players should make this more accessible for those who have not read the earlier books. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

In the sophisticated and material world of Hollywood, some would enjoy a glamourous and glitzy life.

However, all that glitters is not gold. Under the veneer of flamboyance, something dark always lurks underneath.

When the body of Evan Hobbes is found after an earthquake, detective Maggie Nolan starts to suspect it’s foul play; and when more bodies start turning up, Maggie finds herself tangled in a messy twisty web of lies, secrets and betrayal!

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW by P.J. Tracy is a twisty and captivating thriller.

#NetGalley

#TheDevilYouKnow

This is the first book that I have read by this author. It's a wonderful police procedural mystery told primarily from LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan's POV. The mystery is intriguing, has multiple layers, and has more than one murder. The secondary characters are interesting though not all likeable. I don't want to spoil the story by describing it further. It can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone and i plan on adding the previous two books to my TBR pile. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review.

LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan is the star of the show. She gets pulled into an investigation into the death of a famous actor, Evan Hobbes. The body is found in the rubble of a rockslide in Malibu. They have to determine if the death was accidental, suicide or murder. You will be plunged into the somewhat dark side of fame and fortune and the power mongers of Hollywood. Detective Margaret Nolan can hold her own with the powers that be as she is highly intelligent and intuitive and not at all intimidated as she performs her job. This was a well written police procedural, and the mystery was interesting as well. However, I will caution you that you will enjoy this book much more if you read the first two books in the series. There are a lot of characters that are referenced from the previous books which had me slightly confused at times trying to keep up with all of the characters. This caused me to slow my reading pace so I could wrap my head around the characters. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I had read the books in order. The pace is good and the plot held my interest.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have not read the previous books (but they are on my list to read) – so it took me a bit to get the characters straight, but once I was into the story, I could not put it down! Oh the web of LA actors, their agents, …. Ending was very surprising. Looking forward to catching up on book 1 and 2, and what other adventures await.

3.5 stars rounded up -The Devil You Know is a part of the Detective Nolan novel series. I have not read all the books starring this hard hitting detective and I feel like I missed out on some of the background in play but the mystery itself is easy to follow along to. A former child actor and Disney star actor is under fire when a video surfaces of him doing awful things. His friends and his agent believe him innocent and the FBI is pursuing it as a deepfake. A little California aftershock later and the actor’s body is found at the bottom of a cliff. Detective Nolan and her partner are then tasked with if it’s murder or suicide and who wanted to destroy the actor’s life. Twisted with a lot of shady characters to choose from the story unfolds in a whodunnit that I could see coming a mile away but still has enjoyable elements of suspense. My voluntary unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Murder, awkward grammar and phrases, more murder, esoteric references, more murder.

This is not one of my best reads from P.J. Tracy. It is a competent police procedural unraveling a complex murder investigation but I kept thinking it was “all over the place”. It lacked fluidity and required several chapter rereads to bring things into focus. Further, it definitely helps to have read the previous installments as the characters can be easily confused as to who are the colleagues, who has been there before, who has joined Detective Margaret Nolan and who has left. The back story could have been better developed.

“There’s a balance in everything, … you just have to find it.” I think the balance in this novel is just slightly off. I am rounding up for the attention to detail and elaborate twists. Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance copy.

The Devil You Know (A Mystery) by P. J. Tracy
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Expected Publication Date: January 17, 2023

The Devil You Know is the third book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series by P. J. Tracy. This book can be easily enjoyed as a standalone book or as part of the series.

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.

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.

Detective Margaret Nolan is a very persistent and tenacious detective.
In The Devil You Know, things get heated up fast as more and more bodies begin showing up.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book but it wasn’t one of my favorites. I have to say the authors use of words I had never read before nor heard of really stopped the flow of reading the story.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the third book in the series featuring Los Angeles Police Department Detective Margaret Nolan. The first chapter grabs readers and pulls them into a police procedural that is full of murder, investigation, and the personal lives of the characters.

Margaret is competitive, hates to lose, loves her job, and has a sense of humor. However, she also isn’t sure where she wants her relationship with Detective Remy Beaudreau to go. She’s relatable and the secondary characters were very well developed. However, there are a lot of them. It might be easier to assimilate them if one has read the first two books in the series as some are reoccurring characters.

After the first chapter, the second chapter seemed somewhat out of place. It took a while for both chapters to fit into the story line. However, the novel is enjoyable and everything comes together well. The plot is twisty and the story gradually builds momentum, but the conclusion was slightly predictable. Despite this, I enjoyed the descriptive story that had a great mix of investigation and the personal lives of the characters.

The author balances the shocking and upsetting aspects of the novel with the personal lives of several of the main characters plus the ongoing investigation. With actors, police officers, talent agents, veterans, and musicians, there is a look at the life behind the scenes that many don’t see. Themes include death, murder, friendship, family, privilege, and much more.

Overall, this was a complex police procedural with compelling characters. With the several sub-plots, it kept me turning the pages. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. While this worked as a standalone novel for me, I believe the series would be best read in order.

St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and P.J. Tracy provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for January 17, 2023.