Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this novel. Although this was mostly a good stand alone novel, I feel like if I had read the previous books the scenes with Sam wouldn't seem so out of place. I liked the storyline and the characters, but the authors overuse of big words was very irritating and made some conversations seem inauthentic. The descriptions of LA and general Hollywood life seemed realistic, overall this was OK but the ending fell a little flat.

This was another "first time" author for me. When I received the ARC, I didn't at first realize that this was the third book in the series. After finishing the book, I do not think that it made too much of a difference to start at book 3, but it might have been a little helpful with information for a couple of the character relationships. I definitely think that this book can be read as a stand alone.

About the book. I have to admit, it took me a little while to get used to the writing style. I was listening to the audio version and I have to admit to being quite lost at the beginning. The first chapter is from an unknown POV - all we know is that she (and another unknown someone) is murdered at the end of the chapter (that's not a spoiler, it happens in Chapter One), then we switch to a timeline in the 1800's where a letter is being read. As a first time reader, at this point I had absolutely no clue what the book was about, nor even the correct timeline and at this point, we had not even been introduced to the MC's. Anyway, it was a little disconcerting. I went and got the print version and actually read the first few chapters until I got a better feel for the writing style and for exactly WHO everyone was. This story is told in so many POV's that it took me a while to understand each time that we had switched to a different person.

The story itself is interesting. It begins with one murder (not including the murders at the VERY beginning) and the murder count increases as the story progresses. The female MC is a homicide detective in the LA area and she regularly has to deal with the famous "Hollywood" types. She apparently has gained a bit of fame with some of her cases and I got the feeling that she was a pretty good detective.

The narrator - Abby Craden - did a fine job with the narration. The case has a couple of twists and turns and the ending is supposed to have that kind of "gotcha" moment. I did figure everything out beforehand, but I will admit that it did keep my interest.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read/listen and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

This is a twisty, puzzling mystery, where I could not guess who was behind the deaths. The setting is in Los Angeles, and several of the characters worked as actors. The first few chapters introduce some of the characters before the story begins to converge in Chapter 5. I recommend making a list of their names and a few facts about them as there are so many.

Chapter one starts with two murders by an unknown assailant. Chapter two introduces a man who suffers from PTSD, a friend of Detective Maggie Nolan. Chapter 3 begins with Detective Maggie Nolan playing golf with her father. Chapter 4 introduces an unnamed character, an unhappy woman.

In Chapter 5, producer Evan Hobbes wakes up to a deepfake, a manufactured video of him having relations with a very young girl. This is an epic criminal and public relations crisis for him. Then Evan has what appears to be a fatal accident - killed when a cliff collapses - but it still has to be investigated. Detective Maggie Nolan is assigned Evan Hobbes' case, along with a couple of other death investigations involving people in the movie business. As Maggie's investigates, she begins to wonder if the deaths are connected.

This is the third book in the series and I recommend reading the books in order for maximum enjoyment. I received an e-arc from publisher St. Martin's Books/Minotaur Press via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

When I started reading <i>The Devil You Know</i>, I was annoyed. I didn't realize there are two books prior to this one in the series, so some of the minor characters' chapters seemed jarring and out of place for the first few chapters. This is important because by the time I'd gotten about a quarter in, I was fully vested in the central murder mystery despite not knowing what was going on with personal lives and prior backstories. By the time I was half-way though, I was just as interested in the minor characters' plotlines, so P. J. Tracy has me on the hook for at least two more, because I MUST go back and read the first episodes in this series.

In this third installment of Detective Margaret Nolan's story, she and her partner are investigating the suspicious death of a former child star who was under investigation for child molestation. In the course of their investigation, Maggie and Al follow twists and turns through a dark, slimy underbelly of casting couches and pedophile cover-ups, crossing paths with an entertaining cast of agents, stars, and producers along the way. As the bodies start piling up, twists and turns keep this story moving at a fun pace. I particularly appreciated communication between various law enforcement folks, the recognizable scenery (I do miss LA once in a while), and the intricately woven ties between victims and suspects.

Tracy's writing is crisp, smart, and fast. The varied sub-plots give depth to the microcosm within LA as well as the universe Tracy has created for Maggie Nolan. I love that everyone involved has their own motivations and inner worlds, from Maggie's angst about her own feelings as she navigates a new romance that won't just go away as cleanly as she'd prefer, to the minor characters who pop in and out of the story with their own issues and traumas. Tracy's characters feel like real people, whether they're likeable or loathsome.

I don't read mystery as a genre as often as some others, so this was was ridiculously entertaining for me to follow the breadcrumbs through the maze of clues right along with the cops. And, perhaps I shouldn't be, but I was rather proud of figuring out at least one thing before I'd made it to the final chapter. If you like a solid murder mystery, particularly with wildly posh, extravagant, insane Los Angeles characters for spice, pick up <i>The Devil You Know</i> when it's released on January 17th. What a fun ride!

The Devil You Know is an interesting police procedural following LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan. I have not read the other books in this series, but I do feel as though you could read this as a stand alone and not be confused or lost. I liked the premise of the story, and the way all of the characters were interconnected. While the writing makes the story flow together, I did feel as though for the first third of the book each chapter introduced a new character abruptly. Once I got through each chapter I saw how that character fit, but it was a little out of place to me. Overall, the story was interesting enough to keep my attention but I don’t know that I would read any others in the series.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Devil You Know is a fast paced read with twists and turns and a lot of characters that make you think and keep it interesting.

Although this is the 3rd book in the series, I read it as a stand alone. Once I got the characters straight I was off and running and had no problems . I will go back and read the first two books as I am very intrigued.

The story is a very good police procedural and with multiple P.O.V's the pages kept turning quickly with a twist at the end that I for one did not predict.

P.J. Tracy you have a new fan and I cant wait to see what Book 4 brings.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for a great read and introducing me to a new series I cant wait to follow.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Devil You Know. This is a series book -mystery with female lead.
My first by this author and I was a little lost without knowing the backstory
Fans will enjoy. 3 stars

I received this book for an honest review.

Margaret Nolan is an L.A.P.D. detective that works the homicide division, after spending time with her father at a golf tournament she is called later that night to a discovery of a body after a mountain slide on the Pacific coast Hwy. Along with her partner, they begin the task of looking into the actors' death and whether it is a homicide or a suicide. Before that, there is a murder in a home in Santa Barbra and that is being handled by another agency. You will see though how all of these will eventually intersect. There are many characters that add to the story and even though the characters go along with the storyline and other murder that happens. How will the murder be found you must read this really good book to find out and the ending was a surprise for me. A very good book with many good characters.

I had not read any of the previous Margaret Nolan mysteries but this book could stand alone so that was not a problem for me. This installment finds the detective investigating a Hollywood death that could be a suicide, accident or murder.
This whodunnit was written is a style that kept the pages turning and the reader guessing. I highly recommend it to all mystery lovers.

Even though I haven't read the first two in this series, I don't think it matters as there is enough information to inform the reader who these characters are. And I love a good "deep fake" as it's always a good set-up for deceit! When Maggie and her partner investigate the death of famed Evan Hobbes, they are curious as to whether or not he was really involved in child porn. Lots of characters but that didn't diminish the plot as it leads to the sleazy underbelly of Hollywood with its crazy actors, directors, and those who believe they are above the common man. I admit I raced through this one as it hooks you from the beginning and doesn't let go1
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

LAPD Detective Marge Nolan and her partner Al are trying to solve three murders of the rich and famous. They mix among the powerful and come up with one scenario and then others. Nothing is simple in these murders and all of the characters that are possible murder suspects have expensive lawyers and tricks in their pockets. I really liked the detectives and the cyber feds who worked together to solve the crimes. As suspects are considered, we learn about their hidden lives. Many are victims. I really liked this book and found myself struggling to solve the cases. Great detail and imagination. Wonderful characters working long and hard to find the killers.

First time reader of PJ TRACY - so I missed the first two books in the series. I was able to juo right in and with a little imagination keep up with the book. I think I'll now go back and catch up - it was that good!

A series of murders in Hollywood - with all the weird to that goes as along with the setting. The murders keep coming so fast - you wonder when they will stop! Good pace, interesting characters and a who done it that keeps you guessing till the end.

I really enjoyed this book but I was wishing I had taken the time to read at least one of the previous books in the series as there are many references to people and previous events that went over my head. I wasn't totally lost but I did have to keep going back to remind myself who someone was. The writing was very smooth and I really liked Margaret Nolan as a character as well as her partner Detective Al Crawford. Some of the Hollywood characters were also quite quirky and well fleshed out. You might need a score card to keep everyone straight. I'd really like to read one or both of the previous books as it sounded like there were some tantalizing threads in them. If you're a fan of this series, I highly recommend this installment ... or even if you're not! Also, what a beautiful cover! 3.5 stars rounded up. I'm pretty sure it would've been a solid 4 if I had read the previous books.

My thanks to Minotaur Books and Sara Beth Haring of St. Martin's Press via Netgalley for providing access to this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: January 17, 2023

This is my first book by this author. I struggled to get into the book. There were just too many stories to track for me☹️

LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan is called to investigate when actor Evan Hobbes is found dead. Is this an accident, suicide or something more sinister?

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Maggie Nolan mysteries are always great and this one is no different! It is good to see how the characters are developing and what is happening their lives. I really enjoyed #thedevilyouknow but found it to be very confusing at first with the myriad of victims and who was connected to who and how. I received a copy of this arc and wish to thank #netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this-all opinions are my own.

My first foray in the novels of PJ Tracy and I feel like a house divided. I didn’t realize this was book 3 in a series, so I’ve missed some of the backstory. However, I felt as if this story jumped around A LOT. You have Det Nolan who sets out to uncover the sort of underbelly in Hollywood. Each of the Hollywood characters are connected to form a bit of a whodunnit mixed with lot of mixed direction. I would have enjoyed more character development and better flow of the storyline. Hanks to NetGalley for the early read.

Maggie and Al are back at it again solving crimes. This time multiple murders happen with each of them knowing each other. I love P.J. Tracy’s books because I think I know who do it, but there’s always a twist if I should have thought of that.

I missed having more of Sam in the midst of the case. Im glad to see Melanie back and can’t wait to see more development of Melanie and Remy.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy

This is the third in the LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan series; I have read all of them. After a possibly fake video of a popular actor caught in a compromising position with an underage female surfaces, his body is found in the rubble of an earthquake induced landslide. As his agent scurries to do damage control, his brother-in-law, a Disney executive, is found murdered, also in a compromising situation. Nolan and her team pursue the truth as yet another body is discovered.

There are a number of characters in this book, along with a side story about Sam Easton, a wounded veteran suffering from PTSD. In the first of this series, the story focused more on Sam; here he is more of a peripheral character. In fact, if you have not read the prior books, you might wonder what he is doing in the story.

One thing that I noticed, particularly in the first few chapters that I don’t remember from the prior novels, is the author’s abundant use of adjectives! The Devil You Know is a fast paced, entertaining police procedural. Maggie is a strong, capable, likable protagonist. If you can overlook confusion/questions about some of the secondary characters and their backgrounds and just focus on the case, then this may work as a standalone.

The Devil You Know is #3 in the Detective Margaret Nolan series. This installment sees Nolan and her partner investigating the death of embattled actor Evan Hobbes. Was it murder, suicide, or a tragic accident? This novel pulls back the glittering veil of wealth and prestige of Hollywood to expose its darker side.

The thriller and police procedural aspects of this story are solid, and I really enjoyed the Hollywood intrigue. As a new entrant to this series, I would say that while you could read this as a standalone novel, fans of the first two novels will probably enjoy this more. Being new to these characters, I found their development lacking. It wasn’t clear to me why Sam was included at all, but my understanding is that he played a bigger role in the previous books. I also found some of the vocabulary choices to be unnecessarily pretentious to the point of distraction.

Fans of Hollywood-style plots and P.J. Tracy’s other books will likely enjoy this story. Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. This book is a part of a series which I did not know when I selected to read it on NetGalley. I have read many series out of order but this is one that will not work as a standalone. I was missing too much back information to be able to understand or enjoy reading this book. I decided to DNF at about 20 percent of the book.